trawler or cruiser
 

On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 20:46:10 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:


I've been a slow boater for the longest time. What's the hurry?

that's a good point, too..after all, folks still go sailing!


If you like spray, noise, vibration, and general ruckus underway you
will want to get a boat that goes as fast as possible. :-)

yeah i'm past the point where 40 kts is exciting...just a nice slow
cruise is a good way to spend the day...

trawler or cruiser
 

On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 20:46:10 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

If you're in all that much of a darn
hurry get in your car and drive. :-)

I'll try that next time I want to head out to the Canyons for
swordfishing. :)

trawler or cruiser
 

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
oups.com...

On Jul 6, 5:14?pm, wrote:

giving some thought to either a trawler or cruiser for galveston
bay/gulf of mexico. purpose would be just to tool around while not
paying huge bux for gas.


Part of the consideration, and probably an important part, has to do
with where you boat. In my neck of the country, I can draw a "two hour
circle" (16 nm diameter) anywhere on the chart and include a dozen
interesting places to visit, take photos, just kick back and sight
see, or
fish if so inclined. Contrast that with a lot of boaters in So
California who
spend every boating weekend running out to Catalina Island, and hope
to get there early enough to claim a prime moorage spot.....they have
a good reason, I guess, to go lickety split.

If you like spray, noise, vibration, and general ruckus underway you
will want to get a boat that goes as fast as possible. :-)


I would add that the selection of a boat type really depends on what your
interests are, what stage of life you are at and what, at the end of the
day, leaves you with a generally good feeling of having enjoyed the day's
experiences.

I've had 12 different boats in the last 15 years ... often having more than
one at a time.
They have included 55 mph go-fast small center consoles, gas powered express
cruisers, a high performance diesel powered sports-fish, a fairly large
diesel powered cruiser and a "trawler". Some were brand new, some were old
and needed constant work. Although we enjoyed them all, I've lost the lust
for speed and bouncing from wave top to wave top. I also have tired of the
fishing thing as a serious activity. I enjoy and respect nautical
tradition, general seamanship and the skills/knowledge required to apply it
and therefore have found myself increasingly enjoying the "trawler". Right
now, if I decide to take another winter voyage south (which is under serious
consideration) it would be a tough decision between the ultra comfortable
Navigator or the more nautical and traditional (and much slower) Grand
Banks. We took a little cruise yesterday, giving Mrs .E. some boating
handling and navigation lessons. It was totally enjoyable and relaxing.

It's interesting because although the Navigator is not a "fast" boat by any
means, it is more suited for cruising at 19 kts, 20-25 miles offshore, away
from coastal boating activity. Problem is, other than birds, airplanes and
an occasional passing boat off in the distance, there is nothing to see
except water. Running the ICW in it can be downright stressful at times
with constant attention required to the depth gauge and the channel markers
with one hand constantly resting on the throttles ready to pull back at a
moment's notice.

The GB, on the other hand, would seem to me to be ideal for a slow-paced and
relaxing cruise south on the ICW, stopping here and there to explore
interesting sites and going "out" only in the critical areas.

Plus, I could just about make it to St. Augustine, FL on one fill-up!
(green, you know)

Anyway, those are my current thoughts.

Eisboch

trawler or cruiser
 

On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 08:24:31 -0400, "RCE" wrote:


"Chuck Gould" wro

The GB, on the other hand, would seem to me to be ideal for a slow-paced and
relaxing cruise south on the ICW, stopping here and there to explore
interesting sites and going "out" only in the critical areas.

Plus, I could just about make it to St. Augustine, FL on one fill-up!
(green, you know)

Anyway, those are my current thoughts.

Eisboch



the GB is a beautiful boat...and the economics aint bad either!

trawler or cruiser
 

On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 08:24:31 -0400, "RCE" wrote:

Anyway, those are my current thoughts.

I don't know - maybe I just haven't found the right boat for
"cruising".

Of all the boats I've been on and seen over the past year or so, the
Grand Banks interests me a lot.

I just can't get past that whole 7 knot thing. Plus, I'm a fiddler -
I like to play with the trim buttons, tinker with the controls, adjust
this and that. Plus, going quickly (rather than flat out) keeps you
on your toes and interested in what's going on.

Putting my feet up and watching the shore line slide past isn't a
concept that I readily accept.

trawler or cruiser
 

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 08:24:31 -0400, "RCE" wrote:

Anyway, those are my current thoughts.

I don't know - maybe I just haven't found the right boat for
"cruising".

Of all the boats I've been on and seen over the past year or so, the
Grand Banks interests me a lot.

I just can't get past that whole 7 knot thing. Plus, I'm a fiddler -
I like to play with the trim buttons, tinker with the controls, adjust
this and that. Plus, going quickly (rather than flat out) keeps you
on your toes and interested in what's going on.

Putting my feet up and watching the shore line slide past isn't a
concept that I readily accept.



One of the local wags describes it as "Comaboating."

trawler or cruiser
 

Chuck Gould wrote:
On Jul 6, 5:14?pm, wrote:


As far as "can't run the inlet", etc, comments further down the
thread...pooh, pooh. One of the oldest maritime traditions is working
*with* the winds and currents to get around.


For a motorless sailboat or rowboat, absolutely. Glad to see you have a
rationalization for every occasion!

trawler or cruiser
 

HK wrote:
One of the local wags describes it as "Comaboating."

That's a good one, Harry.

Never looked at it that way.

trawler or cruiser
 

On Jul 7, 7:41?am, HK wrote:
Chuck Gould wrote:
On Jul 6, 5:14?pm, wrote:

As far as "can't run the inlet", etc, comments further down the
thread...pooh, pooh. One of the oldest maritime traditions is working
*with* the winds and currents to get around.

For a motorless sailboat or rowboat, absolutely. Glad to see you have a
rationalization for every occasion!


My favorite local example of horsepower being substituted for brains
and seamanship is a little waterway known as Deception Pass. (Due to
the high volume of current, the orginal Spanish explorers charted the
pass as a "river mouth". When Vancouver used the Spaish charts as a
basis for his exploration of the NE Pacific he realized the flow was
tidal current through a pass, not a river mouth, and so he named the
pass "Deception" to acknowledge that it had fooled the Spanish).

Anyway, Deception Pass is between the north end of Whidbey Island and
the south end of Fidalgo Island. 8 knot currents are common during
maximum ebb or flood. Large groups of boats, including all varieties
of power boats and of course all sailboats gather at either end of the
pass to wait for slack water to transit through. Those waiting for
slack will include boaters with 1400 HP boats capable of doing 20-30
kt or more.
An 8 knot current certainly wouldn't impede a 20-knot boat, but there
are some *extremely* good reasons why the sea savvy either wait for
slack or skillfully time their arrival at the pass during slack water.

The pass is narrow, (hence the velocity of flow), and peppered with
rocks along each edge. When the pass is running, random whirlpools
form without much warning and can collapse just as quickly. A boat
with any draft at all can easily be diverted from what needs to be a
reasonably precise course. Our local waters are notorious for drift
and deadheads, so deadfall and logging debris are swept through the
pass at nearly every flood or ebb. It gets very interesting when a 20-
foot length of phone pole diameter drift wood gets sucked under by a
whirlpool, carried along the stream until the vortex collapses, and
then comes shooting back up through the surface like some wooden
missle launched from a submarine- it renews a person's respect for the
awesome power of the sea. Nobody builds a pleasure boat that would be
immune to damage from a vertically launched battering ram. Drift that
isn't sucked under to come shooting back through the surface 50 or 100
yards downstream can run at any position through the pass, including
"sideways", and that could leave very little room for a vessel to
dodge aroudn the end of the log and the edge of the rocks.

A tiny percentage of people will run the pass at any current state.
They often boast about their stupidity. I once heard one remark, "I've
got enough power to run 20 knots, so I can still make 8-10 knots
through the pass!" I wonder who he thinks is "steering" that oncoming
40-foot phone pole spinning through the whirlpools at 8 knots?

trawler or cruiser
 

On Jul 7, 3:30?am, Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Fri, 06 Jul 2007 20:46:10 -0700, Chuck Gould

wrote:
If you're in all that much of a darn
hurry get in your car and drive. :-)

I'll try that next time I want to head out to the Canyons for
swordfishing. :)

So how did people get out to the Canyons or go swordfishing before
20-30 kt offshore fishing boats were available?