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I just took delivery a a new 2009 13 SS and my brother and I took it out to Tarpon Lake in Florida for the first ride after the delivery sea trial. The lake had a one to two foot chop and the wind was gusting up to about 15 or 20 knots but we wanted to try it out anyway. We were cold and wet and glad to come back in after an hour or so. We couldn't go too fast because of the conditions, but also because of the newness of the motor and respect for the break-in procedures.
When we got back to the ramp I was quite surprised to see nearly 6 inches of water back near the motor that sloshed forward as we docked. The water had come in over the sides during the ride, and of course had no where to go. I thought the new design with deeper freeboard would not let this happen. Did all 13 footers do this? My 18 Ventura was always dry as a bone, of course this is a different animal altogether.
One change I made when I got back home was to take the threaded rear drain plug out from the rear of the transom and put a rubber one inside that is accessible from inside the boat.
It looks like the gunwales of the boat in the new hull may actually channel water that splashes up and send it into the boat towards the stern, rather than allow it to drain outside. If so, I guess it was not caught in the design or prototype stage.
There's a lot of factors one needs to take into consideration before making a final judgment as to how dry a boat is. Firstly, it's a 13 footer and you will get wet in a boat this small. Also if you were hitting the waves at an angle, the wind will blow the spray into your boat regardless of how dry a boat it is.
There's a big difference between a 13 and an 18 foot boat too. Just by reading your write up, I think you have answered most of your questions about your boat yourself......
Cliff
1966 13' Sport with a 1993 40hp Yamaha 2 Smoker
Lake Tarpon (near Tarpon Springs) is a nasty lake when the wind blows, becuase it is shallow and the waves develop into a short interval steep chop. I don`t use that lake anymore becuase of that. The gulf, a short distance to the west was probably calm. There were times when I wouldn`t put my 18`Bass boat on plane becuase of the nasty chop. But if you find a day that the wind doesn`t blow, it is a beautiful place. Doin`t worry about the design of your boat.
rich
I am thinking of getting the same boat for very choppy bay and I have no issues getting wet at all. How fast were you going and how much weight did you have in the boat?
