We have all heard the warning from NOAA weather........'small craft
advisory'.

So what exactly is a small craft?

The best I can find on the net is a boat under 65 feet LOA. However, I
would guess anything over 40 feet or so would be able to handle some
*modest* small craft warning seas.

Side note: Conditions that meet a "Small Craft Advisory":
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/cwd.htm
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY: To alert mariners to sustained (more than two hours)
weather or sea conditions, either present or forecast, that might be
hazardous to small boats. If a mariner notices a Small Craft Advisory
pennant displayed he should determine immediately the reason by tuning his
radio to the latest marine broadcast. Decision as to the degree of hazard
will be left up to the boatman, based on his experience and size and type of
boat. There is no legal definition of "small craft". The Small Craft
Advisory is an advisory in Coastal Waters and Nearshore forecasts for
sustained winds, frequent gusts, or sea/wave conditions, exceeding defined
thresholds specific to geographic areas. A Small Craft Advisory may also be
issued when sea or lake ice exists that could be hazardous to small boats.

Eastern (ME..SC, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario) - Sustained winds ranging between
25 and 33 knots (except 20 to 25 knots, lower threshold area dependent, to
33 knots for harbors, bays, etc.) and/or seas/waves 5 to 7 feet and greater,
area dependent.

Central (WI..OH) - Sustained winds or frequent gusts between 22 and 33 knots
inclusive, and/or seas/waves greater than 4 feet.

Southern (GA..TX and Caribbean) - Sustained winds of 20 to 33 knots, and/or
forecast seas 7 feet or greater that are/is expected for more than 2 hours.

Western (WA..CA) - Sustained winds of 21 to 33 knots. A Small Craft Advisory
for Hazardous Seas is issued for seas 10 feet or greater.

Alaska (AK) - Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 23 to 33 knots. A small
craft advisory for rough seas may be issued for sea/wave conditions deemed
locally significant, based on customer needs, and should be no lower than 8
feet.

Pacific (HI, Guam, etc) - Sustained winds: northwest through east/southeast
winds of 25 to33 knots for the coastal waters (30 to 33 knots for the
channels between the islands); southeast through west winds of 20 to 33
knots for both coastal waters and channel winds. Swells: open ocean swells
10 feet and greater; swells 6 feet and greater with short periods (6 to 8
seconds); south swell 4 feet and greater with long periods (13 seconds and
greater); north and northeast swells 5 feet and greater with long periods.

"Frequent gusts"are typically long duration conditions (greater than 2
hours).

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in message
...
We have all heard the warning from NOAA weather........'small craft
advisory'.

So what exactly is a small craft?

The best I can find on the net is a boat under 65 feet LOA. However, I
would guess anything over 40 feet or so would be able to handle some
*modest* small craft warning seas.


Consider it fair warning to anyone operating a vessel for personal pleasure
regardless of size, but 65 feet sounds reasonable.

The size of the vessel shouldn't be the key. In the past I sailed in small
craft advisory weather almost as a rule, but the sailboats I used were
designed and equipped for all conditions short of hurricanes and I had
received training for such conditions. I sure as hell wouldn't take my
little powerboat out in small craft conditions because it's not designed or
equipped for such conditions and I'm not trained to use it that way.

"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 9 Jun 2006 17:49:56 -0400, JimH penned the following well
considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats:

We have all heard the warning from NOAA weather........'small craft
advisory'.

So what exactly is a small craft?

Somehow and somewhere, I committed to memory that "small craft" is
anything under 24 meters.... so definitely is applies to 99.94% of all
of us....

Whatever official number is given.... I have never assumed that I had
sufficient male genitalia to cast off contrary to a USCG warning of
"small craft advisory" and have never found myself in true peril!

There are always enough housekeeping duties tied dockside that allow
consumption of copious quantities of grog that will assuage the cares
of even the most bold of pilots such that the hobby is rendered both
pleasant and safe......

--

Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Oak Island, NC.

Homepage
http://myworkshop.idleplay.net/

Rec.boats at Lee Yeaton's Bayguide
http://www.thebayguide.com/rec.boats

We were spending a few days at the Leamington (Canada) public marina with
friends of ours several years ago. They had (still have) a 26 foot Lyman
hardtop, single inboard drive. We had a 32 foot cruiser with twin I/O's.

The Lake (Erie) kicked up the evening before we were to leave and got worse
the next morning, the time of our planned departure, The marina offered us
dockage space (although they were booked with incoming boats w/reservations)
which I was willing to take them up on. My friend, however, said he/they
must leave even though there were 5-7 foot waves out on the Lake (quite
different from 5-7 footers on most any other body of water due to the fact
that Lake Erie is so shallow).

I was not about to let our friends return home on their own so we set up for
a very rough ride home. We led the way and never got over 15 mph, mainly
running at 10 MPH (fast for Chuck).. Our friends were close behind us and
although we broke the waves for them they often saw waves coming over their
windshield. We made it home OK, although just a bit shaken.

The point of my story.......we passed at least a dozen boats (in the 21 to
30 foot range) drift fishing in those seas!

"Gene Kearns" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 9 Jun 2006 19:44:27 -0400, JimH penned the following well
considered thoughts to the readers of rec.boats:



The point of my story.......we passed at least a dozen boats (in the 21 to
30 foot range) drift fishing in those seas!


Your point is well taken... and proven by centuries of safe boating!
Not all boats are created equal. What sails across the water is a
combination of sailor and boat.... and there are different grades of
each.

As I have made a point of saying on MANY occasions... each boat is a
trade-off. Your safest rough water boat won't be the roomiest or most
accommodating... but it might be the one most likely to make port
safely in bad conditions...

Speed and expertise in rough water handling also makes for safe
passage...

As in computer usage..... accomplishing the task is a function of the
combination of hardware AND expertise.... cast off and.... well,
YMMV....

--

Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Oak Island, NC.

Homepage
http://myworkshop.idleplay.net/

Rec.boats at Lee Yeaton's Bayguide
http://www.thebayguide.com/rec.boats



Although Lyman's were engineered for the sometimes rough conditions on Lake
Erie (displacement hull), our friend's boat did not pass the test during
this passage. ;-)

" JimH" jimhUNDERSCOREosudad@yahooDOTcom wrote in
:

We have all heard the warning from NOAA weather........'small craft
advisory'.

So what exactly is a small craft?

The best I can find on the net is a boat under 65 feet LOA. However,
I would guess anything over 40 feet or so would be able to handle some
*modest* small craft warning se

\
Personally, I'd say that there is no one set rule to describe "small
craft".
The warning gives you a general "heads-up", but your own reaction to it
depends on your own abilities, your boat's abilities and the conditions
that the locale you are boating in, dictate, plus the reason you are out
there in the first place.
I once owned a 14' catboat that I sailed around the waters of Boston
Harbor, Quincy Bay, etc. ...... we looked forward to "small craft"
warnings, as this particular boat just loved 25-30k winds.
However, at the same time, I've also run boats of the 65' range that you'd
stay tied to the dock under these conditions, because of their age,
stability, sea-keeping.......

otn

JimH wrote:
We have all heard the warning from NOAA weather........'small craft
advisory'.

So what exactly is a small craft?


There isn't an exact definition. One couold say, "A vessel
which would be at hazard due to size & design when small
craft warnings are issued" but that is rather circular.

One dividing line in vessel size is 12 meters (about 40
feet) LOA. Below that length, boats don't need certain
lights or safety equipment, above that size the requirements
are bit more stringent.


The best I can find on the net is a boat under 65 feet LOA. However, I
would guess anything over 40 feet or so would be able to handle some
*modest* small craft warning seas.

Side note: Conditions that meet a "Small Craft Advisory":
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/cwd.htm
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY: To alert mariners to sustained (more than two hours)
weather or sea conditions, either present or forecast, that might be
hazardous to small boats.

Depending on the boat and the boater, some small craft are
hazardous in the calmest weather.

One issue that doesn't seem to occur to many people is the
difference that overal condition & equipment makes; as well
as type of boat. Entering the world of power boating from
sailing, I have been surprised at how overconfident power
boaters are.

Sailboats are designed to lean way over... or even roll
over... and come back up. They are built with the intention
that water will be cascading over the deck & hatches. Power
boats have much narrower ranges of stability & reserve
bouyancy, and very few power boaters seem to be aware of
this (or even knowledgable about what the characteristics
are). I've had a lot of fun sailing and racing 14' sailboats
in weather that I would not intentionally take our 36'
trawler out in.

Fair Skies
Doug King