I went and did it. Not exactly a flats boat but the gunwales are tall engough to keep the kids in. I won't get any time on the water this year but I did go for a very cold test ride last week and it seems smooth. Can't wait for the next Boneclave and an opportunity to give back.
Thanks guys, I am very phyched indeed.
Pete, it's the 20' ocean skiff 1996 boat, motor, trailer. It's got a Johnson 115 ocean runner - oil injected. The part that concerns me is the 70 gallon fuel tank :eyecrazy: , hope that's for range. There's decent storage and it even has a livewell that fills up when you flip a switch on the console. I am currently referring to the livewell as the "pottie" since I think that will be it's main use.:hehe: :hehe:
Looks great Jim,
Don't be fooled by the possibility that you may not be able to go skinny in her, as Juro will attest my 18' cc can get to places I never though it could. With a 20 degree dead rise and a full tank of gas I can slide thru about 14 to 15 inches with no problem at all. And with the 115 Yamaha, people think I'm just being polite when I refuse money for gas, but the truth is it's real easy at the pump.
I hope you have half as much enjoyment with it as I have had with mine. I think, once and a while, that I want a true "flats skiff" and other times an offshore rig, But I can't be without the boat I have now. So, until I can afford to own 2 boats, I'm a HAPPY ANGLER.
Juro, looks like the "Forum Fleet" is getting bigger!
congrats....welcome to the "hole-in-the-water" club.
don't know why you are "waiting 'til next year" though...still fair numbers of albies (and loads of blues & stripers) off the Rhody coast at the moment....
Jim,
Congrats on the new platform. I did the same thing last year around the same time of year and got out in mine about a dozen times before I had to put her up for hibernation. I love those ocean skiffs and they are extremely similar to my Triton 20 CC even got the live well under the front seat like yours. You are going to be in absolute heaven next season, trust me!! But don't wait until next season get out there now, it is prime time and the fish are not going to wait. You have a couple of more weeks left and that will be a perfect opportunity for you to get a feel for her so that next season you won't feel aprehensive when you take her out. You can get into pretty skinny water even with that boat, I have had my boat in 1.5 ft. of water and I have the prop scars to prove it.... seriously you can safely get into real shallow water with that boat just be careful and smart, always carry an extra prop just in case I have changed props out on the water many times and was glad to have the extra one with me as if I did not have it the day would have ended abruptly. It is a guarantee that sooner or later you will hit something with the prop and with an extra prop on the boat you won't be as bummed when it does happen. Once again great boat and i wish you all the luck with it you will be soooo happy when you do finally get to take her out on a regular basis. Have you named her yet????
congrats Jim!!! don't worry, if they put a 20 or 15 gal. tank, you'd curse em out the 1st time you wanted to spend the weekend fishing and had to worry about where to get gas. mine has a 60 gal. and I'm glad it does. when I used it all week in Maine(we were on an island) I never got any gas, and we used the boat constantly. Jim, isn't that the same type boat(or a sister ship, as Mr. Pink's?
Thanks for the advice guys. I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions. Although I'm no stranger to boats I'd rather take it slow and poke around my home waters, I'm familiar with much of that water from Yaking the past few years. I still have to get it registered and most likely insured so I'm tucking her in for the winter. Haven't thought much about names but 'Byte Me' comes to mind. I figure I'll take the boater's safety course over the winter. I still plan on hitting the flats on foot and using the kayak. If I can only figure out how to mount the yak on the boat and depoy it into the BBFT blitzes :whoa:
Nice ride Jim!!! Congrats!!! If you want a whole list of things NOT to do just drop me a line cause I've done some dooosies. If you're not afraid of the cold and can tolerate something other than the long rod you can have a lot of fun all winter long chasing cod around and they taste great!
Bob, Sweet pic, looks a hell of a lot better in the water. How's this bad boy on gas anyway? BTW- I like that low profile bowrail.
Gregg, Things not to do in/with a boat sounds like a great topic for a thread. Of course no one would have to admit to having done any of these things I'm waiting until next year to get the registration and insurance, so winter is out, she's just about all tucked in for the winter now.
Jim,
She actually carries 76 and it's not often but there will be a day when you are glad you've got it. Roop and I burned 56gal on day at Harkers chasin them hardtails. On thing to think about with the fuel is the weight, 630# addn'l wieght when you have a full tank can increase your draft by 2-3" . They're not really skinny water rigs as it is but a full tank and two anglers will make you think twice about the flats... :tsk_tsk:
The upside is that if you trailer, you can fill up at the land pumps at $ 1.50 instead of the marina at $ 1.90 - 2.00
Low bowrail is nice, I pulled the bow-mounted trolling motor off at the season before heading south.
Jim I think the formula for fuel consumption is as follows. Take 10% of your horse power and that number is your consumption per hour at WOT. So for us 150hp x 10% = 15gph. With our 56 gallons we have about a 110 mile range in good conditions. As I'm sure you know though don't count on those good conditions and keep 1/5 to 1/4 of your fuel in reserve so you can get home when/if things get snotty and you can't run at plane. So I guess I'm saying pretend like you have a 56 gallon tank.
1/3 for the trip out
1/3 for the trip back
1/3 for safety
As Hawk says you can find that the 1/2hr trip out in the AM can turn into a 2hr slog back.
To be frank, I haven't closely calculated the GPH consumption of the 115 on DH. I rarely run WOT ( unless trying to keep within visual range of Riptide {hopeless} ) and find that max fuel efficency seesm to be at 4200 - 4300rpm depending on load. I'd much rather cruise efficiently at 22kts than guzzle gas at 28kts.
But did have to mention the B WORD? First year in four that I didn't camp on Washburn and fish my brains out.
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