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The posts by Binkie are spot on. If you have a small boat, a trolling motor and charged batteries will always get you to safety within sight of land as long as it is powerful enough for the conditions. If you have a larger boat with twins, keep in mind they are normally counter-rotating, and with just one of them running, steering is near impossible in heavy seas. I know this from experience, someday, I'll tell this story here. it may be awhile though; I am still traumatized by the experience, it's only been 22 years since I gained it!
Only one thing to add here, DON'T FORGET YOUR BRAIN! You have to understand the basics of the systems on your boat BEFORE you leave the dock. If you can't understand why you smell gas really strong but the engine won't start, or when you pump the fuel bulb it does not get hard, learn about these things before you leave. Don't plan on being able to get towed in, plan on what your going to do when things go awry. It doesn't matter how much towing insurance you have if you can't get a tow for 12-24 hrs. Spark plugs can't be installed without a spark plug wrench. You can't replace a fuel filter if you didn't remember to put the filter wrench on the boat before you left...or if you don't even have one on the boat, it's still in the garage on the bench where you left it, etc., etc.
Silentpardner wrote:...steering is near impossible in heavy seas. I know this from experience, someday, I'll tell this story here. it may be awhile though; I am still traumatized by the experience, it's only been 22 years since I gained it!
I have a twin and it steers fine with one engine running. Matter of fact I ran the boat nearly the entire way from Florida to the Bahamas and then the rest of the week throughout the Bahamas on a single engine after losing one motor only an hour into the trip. No big deal.
Perhaps either I or you two missed the point of my reply and to this thread entirely? Twin counter rotating 1980's era Johnson 240 HP engines do not steer well in heavy seas when attached to MY 28' Robalo CC when the left hand rotating engine is the only one running. As a matter of fact, the boat will turn circles if the wheel is not held. This does have a lot to do with the feedback steering controls, I assume, but what do I know? Let me rewrite my reply to conform to the two replys made to my reply instead of the thread. Please just disregard my original post here in this thread and use this one if it applys to you.
I am sorry I replied to this thread at all, obviously you people should by all means lose engines and continue to the Bahamas like nothing has happened and you really don't need 2. All new boaters should absolutely throw all caution to the wind, don't carry spare parts at all, and the less you know about your boat systems the better off you all will be. Hey, it's only your life that is at risk, just buy some insurance and anchors away!! Somebody will tow your ignorant butts in to a port nearby if you just have insurance, all you have to do is use your cell phone to call 'em when your 100 miles out of port at, say the Flower Gardens Reef in your swamped boat, and hey, a day or two later they will probobly find your dumb butt floating around SOMEWHERE, surely! Oh, mebbe not, I am sure at least 2 of you don't bother to carry life jackets, they take up ENTIRELY too much space.
By all means, just buy some insurance and don't worry about installing a trolling motor or charging your batteries in a smaller boat, just take off and go without considering anything except the current moment you are in, nothing at all will ever go wrong in your boat, I don't know what I was thinking! If you forget the plug in the boat and you stop and it starts filling with water, just make a call, the insurance will send a tow boat I'm sure, you don't need to actually know what to do in this instance, just pull off your pants and take a swim! You have the spare spark plugs, so who needs a wrench? Just call the boat tow service and they'll bring you one. Same with fuel filters. By all means DON'T THINK ABOUT ANYTHING GOING OR BEING WRONG IN YOUR BOAT! If anything goes wrong, and God forbid, you lose your life, it will leave a spot at the ramp that some other moron could use to forget to set the brake on their Escalade while launching their new boat worry and care-free! Just think of the entertainment value here for the locals looking on! Don't worry, be happy!
Or.....
you could just think about the serious hazards and situations you might face ahead of the actual occurence of them, and mebbe ask experienced boaters on a board such as this about these hazards, and do all you can to learn about all the systems that are on YOUR boat before you leave the dock, and be prepared in case of emergency.
Hmmm, that sounds like EXACTLY what the person who I was replying to in this thread ACTUALLY DID!
I raise my glass to the peanut gallery around here. You guys happy now?
Silentpardner wrote:
Perhaps either I or you two missed the point of my reply and to this thread entirely? Twin counter rotating 1980's era Johnson 240 HP engines do not steer well in heavy seas when attached to MY 28' Robalo CC when the left hand rotating engine is the only one running. As a matter of fact, the boat will turn circles if the wheel is not held. This does have a lot to do with the feedback steering controls, I assume, but what do I know? Let me rewrite my reply to conform to the two replys made to my reply instead of the thread. Please just disregard my original post here in this thread and use this one if it applys to you.
I am sorry I replied to this thread at all, obviously you people should by all means lose engines and continue to the Bahamas like nothing has happened and you really don't need 2. All new boaters should absolutely throw all caution to the wind, don't carry spare parts at all, and the less you know about your boat systems the better off you all will be. Hey, it's only your life that is at risk, just buy some insurance and anchors away!! Somebody will tow your ignorant butts in to a port nearby if you just have insurance, all you have to do is use your cell phone to call 'em when your 100 miles out of port at, say the Flower Gardens Reef in your swamped boat, and hey, a day or two later they will probobly find your dumb butt floating around SOMEWHERE, surely! Oh, mebbe not, I am sure at least 2 of you don't bother to carry life jackets, they take up ENTIRELY too much space.
By all means, just buy some insurance and don't worry about installing a trolling motor or charging your batteries in a smaller boat, just take off and go without considering anything except the current moment you are in, nothing at all will ever go wrong in your boat, I don't know what I was thinking! If you forget the plug in the boat and you stop and it starts filling with water, just make a call, the insurance will send a tow boat I'm sure, you don't need to actually know what to do in this instance, just pull off your pants and take a swim! You have the spare spark plugs, so who needs a wrench? Just call the boat tow service and they'll bring you one. Same with fuel filters. By all means DON'T THINK ABOUT ANYTHING GOING OR BEING WRONG IN YOUR BOAT! If anything goes wrong, and God forbid, you lose your life, it will leave a spot at the ramp that some other moron could use to forget to set the brake on their Escalade while launching their new boat worry and care-free! Just think of the entertainment value here for the locals looking on! Don't worry, be happy!
Or.....
you could just think about the serious hazards and situations you might face ahead of the actual occurence of them, and mebbe ask experienced boaters on a board such as this about these hazards, and do all you can to learn about all the systems that are on YOUR boat before you leave the dock, and be prepared in case of emergency.
Hmmm, that sounds like EXACTLY what the person who I was replying to in this thread ACTUALLY DID!
I raise my glass to the peanut gallery around here. You guys happy now?
Don't get too upset. There are specialist's around here in the art of attempting to get your goat.
lol, I'd say anyone that would take a vessel to sea that wont steer safely with only one of its two engine operating, has thrown caution to the wind. Those are the type of vessel operators I'm dispatched to rescue on a frequent basis.
As far as my Bahamas trip, I was with several other boaters the entire time. Most all of them professional mariners as am I. Traveling with others is information pertinent to this thread as it makes acquiring assistance easy though I understand not always practical.
I simply stated factual information in my response to the twin steering issue. Then the poster of that information got his feelings hurt and decided to make a personal attack because I posted my experience. Now members like gusgus are resorting to calling other members names.
I also keep some cheap ponchos (double as solar stills), beef jerky, and extra water on board. My dad always said to stick with the boat if the worst happens. It is easier to spot a boat than a coconut, which is what your head looks like on the open ocean. Also nothing yellow-it attracts sharks more than any other color.
Chris Doerner
1980 Outrage 22, 1999 Mercury Optimax 200
Check with the CG re: what equipment is required on board for operation on the ocean. I'm concerned that you mentioned that you were going to purchase flares. Michigan law, and I believe the CG requires flares on vessels used on the Great Lakes - I'm sure flares are REQUIRED on San Diego Bay, but I could be mistaken.
Anyway - take those recommendations and DOUBLE your provisions. Handheld flares are fine, but the .12 ga aerial flares are better. Buy extra and keep handheld ones on board even after they expire (they may still be "good" on a practical basis, even if they don't meet the legal requirements.
More than a bottle of water is advisable - you'd be surprised how dehydrated you can get just with a full day of fishing on the water - I keep a 12 pack of water bottles on my boat at all times. I also agree with keeping high-energy/protein snacks/edibles on board the boat. My rule of thumb - "enough to live for a week" - For me, that means equivalent of one candy bar each day (several types of snacks are always in my cooler for any outing) and water - or a way to make water (the poncho works, but slowly!). Also in my boat bag: a pair of wool socks, a knit hat, an old sweatshirt and a cheap rain suit from Wal-Mart - I usually have my good foulies on board as well - but in a pinch, the PVC stuff will at least block the wind and help trap body heat.
You also need to look into a drift anchor or a drogue, or read up on ways to deploy a homemade one via your anchor in a pinch. You want that bow pointing into the wind/waves when you are without power - the Whaler hull tends to drift abreast the waves - my 25' Outrage Cuddy will drift with a slight stern-to attitude exposing the stern to oncoming breaking waves unless I tilt the motors out of the water or deploy a drogue.
On a 13' boat, it can be a challenge to find places to stow all that gear, but remember, you're in an open boat exposed to all the elements. You and your crew will be very happy you found room for that stuff if the worst happens...and you can be creative in how and where you stow it. On long trips, you can sometimes find my gear in a dry bag strapped to the bow rail OUTSIDE the hull to keep plenty of room in the boat....never had a problem with water if you use a good dry bag and pack your clothes in plastic.
This has become a long thread. A 13 footer in San Diego Bay? I see advice on how to survive on your boat for a week but one of the very most important and basic things, nobody has even mentioned: oars and/or paddles.
Not all 13 footers are equipped with oar locks, but those that are, row quite well with a pair of oars.
A single paddle is an absolute requirement in any small Whaler but a pair of paddles will be much more efficient in moving the boat so long as two people are onboard.
But to return to the original question: What would you do is your 13 footer were stranded in San Diego Bay? Answer: Get somebody's attention. You might get help from somebody who just happens to see you in distress, but the chances are a thousandfold greater you will get help if you ask for it. Start by waving that paddle or oar.
Though it has nothing to do with a 13 foot Whaler stranded in San Diego Bay, I feel compelled to point out this fact:
My 25 foot twin engine Whaler steers just fine operating on the counter rotation motor by itself. In fact it doesn't matter which motor is feathered, counter rotation or standard rotation, the steering and handling are just fine either way. It works a little harder to climb on plane but otherwise performs very well on a single 150 HP motor.
I change my battery every year regardless. $70 goes a long way for peace of mind. I have a 93' 19' outrage with 150 Yamaha and I am absolutely fearless behind that wheel. I will go anywhere. Boat is in mint condition. I just don't worry about it.
JohnnyCW wrote:
I simply stated factual information in my response to the twin steering issue. Then the poster of that information got his feelings hurt and decided to make a personal attack because I posted my experience. Now members like gusgus are resorting to calling other members names.
I was simply calling a spade a spade.
Experience is great, describing that experience welcome. However doing so by eliminating others experience is counter productive, it is just like calling me out did nothing worthwhile, except to make yourself the subject.
Good day.
I'd plan on carrying a lot of water, a case of MREs and a large plastic jar of peanut butter if I were running very far offshore. I flew SAR in Alaska and thats what we carried in the aircraft. It's about the most space and weight efficient way of carrying lots of calories. And you don't have to worry about spoilage.
Silentpardner wrote:
...
I am sorry I replied to this thread at all, obviously you people should by all means lose engines and continue to the Bahamas like nothing has happened and you really don't need 2. All new boaters should absolutely throw all caution to the wind, don't carry spare parts at all, and the less you know about your boat systems the better off you all will be. Hey, it's only your life that is at risk, just buy some insurance and anchors away!! Somebody will tow your ignorant butts in to a port nearby if you just have insurance, all you have to do is use your cell phone to call 'em when your 100 miles out of port at, say the Flower Gardens Reef in your swamped boat, and hey, a day or two later they will probobly find your dumb butt floating around SOMEWHERE, surely! Oh, mebbe not, I am sure at least 2 of you don't bother to carry life jackets, they take up ENTIRELY too much space.
...
I totally agree to what you have written here. I unfortunately also have some friend who do not care about their safety and I am of the opinion that this is stupid. I would never be that careless about my life and this of others. I have never been to the Flower Gardens Reef but I would love to visit it once. I love the name of the reef because I am totally into flowers and due to this I will now order fresh flowers with free delivery by serenata.
