Riding in heavy waves?

[Fishermanartur]

Just retuned for day fishing on Lake Ontario. It was a windy day and we had 3' chop and we got tosed a lot (me and my dog GSP). I was wondering what is best way to steer your boat under conditions like that? I was only going 21MPH fully timed but dry and safe. No fish ... Crumbs .. lots on 115 FT but no takers!!

-o{Fisherman

[Fishermanartur]

Just reposting.
-o{Fisherman

[Nofish]

>Just retuned for day fishing on
>Lake Ontario. It was a
>windy day and we had
>3' chop and we got
>tosed a lot (me and
>my dog GSP). I was
>wondering what is best way
>to steer your boat under
>conditions like that?

Hey Fishermanartur,

Conventional wisdom is to quarter the waves, but straight into a chop usually works better. The thing you have to really look at, especially on the Great Lakes, the 3 foot chop will be on top of swells that are hard to see until you are on them. This makes it fairly difficult to pattern the waves.


>I was only going 21MPH fully timed
>but dry and safe.

Speed is a relative thing, I work the throttle, a lot, to lift the bow or drop the boat off plane just as the boat is about to leap onto the next wave. This way, I will crush the wave with the best part of the bow insted of landing hard with one of the chines, or the mid section of the running surface.

Trimming in or out is also important. I have found, many times, just a bump or two up or down, on the trim button makes a world of difference.

I will also use the steering wheel to yank the boat across the crest of a wave.This is not a gentle action either, it is a quick yank, one way or the other, for a moment. This basically changes the yaw level of the boat and allows a better entry with the hull level from gunnel to gunnel. This stops the hull from hitting hard on the chine.

This takes some practice, and you still will have a rattler every once an a while, but for the most part you will have a much smoother ride.

There is another way to run these types of waves or any moderately rough water. Trim the motor up, as it would be when running flat out. Then use enough power to stand the nose up (kind of like holding ther boat half way through a hole shot) and you will just plow throught the waves with an extremely smooth ride.

The drawback to running like this, it takes you a long time as you will only be able to run 14 - 18 mph, and because the boat is plowing through the waves, instead of planing on them, you will use much more gas. Kinda like when your truck is pulling your boat up hill.

Just go out on some local waters that can be rough, go when the wind is blowing and run back and forth nearby the launch and practice. Practice, practice, practice. It does take a good deal of concentration to be able to read water well, but it is worth the time on the water to your back, abs, lats etc. If you are getting beat up, so is your boat.

>No fish ... Crumbs .. lots
>on 115 FT but no
>takers!!
>
>-o{Fisherman

Can't help ya much with the fish though......R

[Fishermanartur]

Thank you for info. Ride in my new Ranger is so much diffrent than my old Bass Cat(I would not attempt riding 3' chop!!) so you are rigth have to practice... so I am going for week fishing on 15 July.
-o{Fisherman