New boat advice

[BoatingMike]

Hello everyone,

I am new to the community so I hope I post this in the right forum. I have done
plenty of fresh water boating on small crafts but recently moved to Tampa area and was thinking about getting a boat and going out onto the sea. I wanted something easy to move back and forth. I am not looking to go out far, just to cruise around with and get use to handling a boat on the sea. I have been looking at 16 to 20 ft boats and would like to get everyones opinion on how far you would take a boat that size out on calm days. Thanks again for understanding this would be my first ocean venture outside pwc,

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by BoatingMike

Hello everyone,

I am new to the community so I hope I post this in the right forum. I have done
plenty of fresh water boating on small crafts but recently moved to Tampa area and was thinking about getting a boat and going out onto the sea. I wanted something easy to move back and forth. I am not looking to go out far, just to cruise around with and get use to handling a boat on the sea. I have been looking at 16 to 20 ft boats and would like to get everyones opinion on how far you would take a boat that size out on calm days. Thanks again for understanding this would be my first ocean venture outside pwc,

Howdy Mike. Welcome aboard CF!

Those boats, at 16 to 20 feet may seem very small on a big ocean.

They may seem too small to most sailors.

But some sailors have gone far in some small boats.

Here is a page full of stories of small boat voyages that may inspire you.

Don’t let the link name below dissuade you from seeing that page. The link is incorrectly named, and the content is more fitting to the topic I mentioned.

Food list

Bon voyage on the water and on the forum too.

[gamayun]

Welcome, Mike. Plenty here who know Tampa Bay area better than I (grew up in Nokomis) but on that size boat (16-20 feet), I would not venture farther than a few miles though I saw a bass boat with 4 guys about 10 miles off shore in the Northern Gulf and I know of a 20-footer that sailed to Hawaii from California. So, it's a range, you know? At the least you should stay within VHF hailing distance, have charts onboard, and bring a life jacket

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Mike.

[john61ct]

Relevant thread maybe

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ts-193354.html

[Suijin]

Are you talking about power boats or sail boats?

For both it really comes down to sea state on any given day and the forecast.

I had a Parker 18 center consol for a number of years which is one of the heavier, more rough water capable power boats out there in terms of safety but the shallow vee limited the comfort level. Used to take it up to 15 miles offshore on good days. Did get swamped by an unexpected wave over the transom and flooring it emptied the boat (of water as well as some fishing gear lol). Certainly the bigger you go the more options and comfort you get. I would go with 20’ if I wanted to head out often. There is a very big difference between an 18’ and a 20’ in the same line/design of boats.

As far as sail goes, it’s all about the boat. You can take a Flicks 20 across an ocean. Taking a Harbor 20 outside of protected water would be a bad idea.

[BoatingMike]

Thanks for replies and welcomes everyone. Sorry I am thinking power boat and not looking to go more than 6 to 10 miles off the shore at most, atleast till I am more comfortable on the ocean at which point I would get a much bigger boat. I am mainly looking to key hop off of St. Petersburg,Fl and if the boat has the ability take it from Ruskin,FL up the coast to said keys and back. I know ocean requires alot more skill than lakes and just want something affordable and mobile that will allow me to learn. I feel I am not ready to go that deep at this point.

[Cheechako]

I would go 24 ft or more. But 20 would do it. You want a stable boat with plenty of freeboard, not a lake boat. Enclosed bow, not open bow. It's mostly about having a boat that is very reliable and with backup systems. For instance 2 outboards gives you a back up motor. Or one motor and good size kicker motor. Radio, good size bilge pumps etc.

[PortClydeMe]

Originally Posted by BoatingMike

Thanks for replies and welcomes everyone. Sorry I am thinking power boat and not looking to go more than 6 to 10 miles off the shore at most, atleast till I am more comfortable on the ocean at which point I would get a much bigger boat. I am mainly looking to key hop off of St. Petersburg,Fl and if the boat has the ability take it from Ruskin,FL up the coast to said keys and back. I know ocean requires alot more skill than lakes and just want something affordable and mobile that will allow me to learn.

Six to ten miles offshore? It's easy. You don't need a big boat, just the right boat. For example, just pick up an old used Boston Whaler 16' Eastport. Whalers can't be sunk. Slap on a 55hp Johnson OB and an auxiliary 5.5hp. Pick nice days. You'll have fun. How do I know? I owned a '69 Eastport. Same setup. Far out in heavy fog and 20-foot swells. No problem. It's got a compass. You'll always get back to shore. Don't forget to fill the gas tanks before shoving off.

If you want a bigger boat, buy a bigger boat. It's easy.

[BoatingMike]

PortClydeMe thanks for the advice and beautiful boat. I am definitely looking to keep the shoreline in view and learning is my main goal. I thought maybe a mobile setup would be good to learn and take a couple people cruising along the coast. I figured once I was ready I would go to the 26 to 30 ft range to get deeper and keep my first one as a day tripper. I thought some expert advice on the topic would be best, most my experience operating a boat has been on lakes that if you really had to you could swim back to shore. I thought maybe key hopping would be fun and would give me a taste of the salt.

[BoatingMike]

Another concern I had was the size jump... kinda like driving a Corolla your whole life and one day deciding to drive a semi.

[Bill Seal]

20-22 foot i/o with a cuddy cabin and bimini. Can camp in it for a few days, and protection from nasty chop (hurricane gulch LA harbor)

Or a 30' ketch

[BoatingMike]

Bill Seal, I definitely sea...get it "sea" a 30 footer in my future but for now I want something easy to store out of HOAs eyes, move pretty easy and can learn a bit more about handling the waters. I knew people took row boats and kayaks to the keys off St. Pete,Fl but wasnt sure about taking a 16-20 ft boat around the sea side of them. My thinking is also a larger boat would be tough to maneuver in the shallow areas and if it came to it a used sturdy small boat would fetch me almost what I paid for it in a year or two when I felt comfortable to upgrade.

[Suijin]

A Parker 18 or similar (older Mako for example) would be a good choice. Very sturdy and versatile and with excellent resale value.

You probably want a “modified vee” with less deadrise (@ 14 degrees instead of 20-22) if you want to get into skinny water.

A Whaler Montauk is going to send you to your chiropractor or dentist if you take it out in much more than a light chop (speaking from experience) compared to other hull forms with a sharp bow. That said they are tough as nails and probably hold their value as well or better than the above. Can’t beat them for skinny water either. The lower freeboard is less safe but it will be lower profile for your HOA concerns.

There are a ton of less expensive examples that will perform just as well...Sea Hunt, Privateer, C-Hawk etc.

Whatever you buy make sure you get to run the motor and if you show up and the motor is warm because the owner “warmed it up” for you, walk away. They may have spent an hour getting it started. :P

[BoatingMike]

Thanks Suijin and everyone for your help. I will look into recommended models and cant wait to post my selected boat to the fleet section....more so my first time out in my selected boat. I have gotted alot of good information,thank you all.