Yes, mainly in the ICW.
New boat owner
- Thread starter Rat407
- Start date
Just got the boat, have the life vests, float cushion, flares and fire extinguisher. No radio but a good idea for sure. The ICW here in the Wilmington NC area is nice and can get busy. Like today, it was empty. Our one hour trip up and then back we saw two boats. Today was holding at 4K for an hour according to the OM.
We have U.S. Boat for towing. Got that as we got the boat. Just hope we don't have to use it. Today was a learning experience. The water at the ramp was a lot shallower than when we left. Tide going out. Needless to say no damage other than paint off the bottom of the the fin below the prop. Our Garmin was showing 1' of water. I was not happy. I probably should have jumped out and pulled it to the dock. We were coming in and it was windy and raining.
I flush it every time we get it home. I also rinse off the boat and trailer, everything I can with the hose. Was looking at getting Salt-away.
newbies geta USCoast Guard class as they are excellent intros to what others were born into. A quick way to catch up, short, inexpensive (still free?) and generally helpful. Just as a skier, horseman or any other you wanna jump start (for the social, legal, financial, technical, etc) rather than reinvent the wheel. Ease in... w/o danger. There's one (several) near you~
Next, make sure to connect w/others on shore/in the water. Join on their boat, observe, pepper w/any Qs U may have, we are a giving lot. I'm one who does NOT see the 'hole in the water one throws money into" that many do. My life would be pretty miserable w/o a chance to get on the water and I am some one many describe as 'in poverty'. I boat inexpensively (read: "lotta elbow grease") and havea 27 ft sloop/10hp motor capable of (it has) international travel.
Last, the longer the waterline the faster & more expensive (power or sail) choose wisely acc to finances wishing to dedicate to maint, insur, locating on/off season (off season 4 me - 3 mo, I'm in the NE usa) & have a lill incase of emergency. Like a car ora house these happen all the time. One w/more knowledge can B more accurately prepared. HTH
Next, make sure to connect w/others on shore/in the water. Join on their boat, observe, pepper w/any Qs U may have, we are a giving lot. I'm one who does NOT see the 'hole in the water one throws money into" that many do. My life would be pretty miserable w/o a chance to get on the water and I am some one many describe as 'in poverty'. I boat inexpensively (read: "lotta elbow grease") and havea 27 ft sloop/10hp motor capable of (it has) international travel.
Last, the longer the waterline the faster & more expensive (power or sail) choose wisely acc to finances wishing to dedicate to maint, insur, locating on/off season (off season 4 me - 3 mo, I'm in the NE usa) & have a lill incase of emergency. Like a car ora house these happen all the time. One w/more knowledge can B more accurately prepared. HTH
That CS should draft only 8 inches but that’s with the motor titled out of the water. Great boat to fish all the inshore opportunities in around the Wilmington, Cape Fear, and ICW area. Do you have a bait tank? Good luck and enjoy. Ignore the smart as@$ that give you grieve. The Hull Truth Forum is a great resource for question.
Fenders
Not true at all...owned boats most of my life, and I still love remembering days on different boats through my past when going through old pics.
Boat fenders, also called bumpers, provide cushion to prevent your boat from hitting the dock or lift.
Oh yeah, don't get me wrong...boats are cool things...have been for eons.
What people should do, in my opinion, is use the boats they have.
You see lots of idle boats when you're 'waterside'.
What people should do, in my opinion, is use the boats they have.
You see lots of idle boats when you're 'waterside'.
And once you leave the dock take in the fenders. Don't go cruising on the water with fenders flying.
I would go for Taylor 6" fenders.
As for dock lines go for 1/2" braided. I would have three 20' ones and one 25'. This assumes you are on a trailer not a slip. Slip you need more. Hopefully you know what spring lines are.
Fueling. Everyone off the boat during fueling.
I had a LOT of fenders of different sizes. In over 25 years of sailing, I found every one of them floating out on the water far away from shore. I gave them all to my boats new owner when I sold it.
Ditto on the Coast Guard Class mentioned above or a Boatmans Safety course.
Worth its weight in gold. Its a fun course, you will learn things that you will never learn by yourself or anyone else.
You will notice everything everyone else on the water is doing wrong.
Your on the ICW, which can get crowded at times, you will also learn helpful tips, how much anchor line to put out, night lighting, what it means and how to be used.
I took a Coast Guard Boatmans Safety course before people knew they existed I think. I was a young teenager, 13 ish. It was a requirement by my friends parents if we were going to be able to take their boat out by ourselves.
It was the best thing I ever did. Born, raised, spent most my life on the south shore of Nassau county Long Island. Been boating my whole life in the Great South Bay of Long Island and the Atlantic Ocean outside of Jones Inlet all the way over to NY Harbor to the NJ Highlands to maybe as much as 30 miles off the coast in boats as small as 18 feet and as large as 28 feet. This was before even GPS was available (at a reasonable cost). Used a compass, no land in site, also knew what to do if the compass broke because you have NO idea which way is land once out there.
The trick was to make a mental note of the position of the sun. Using that position you would at least know which side to place the sun if you want to head back to land. It was an awesome feeling being out there. Peaceful. Your going to want to run outside the inlet someday, its awesome.
Anyway, 50 (gulp) FIFTY years later I still have that Certificate of Completion, almost looks like a drivers license that I laminated 50 years ago.
I still use it to this day for boat insurance discounts. I would highly recommend it because its a REALLY fun thing to do if your into boating. You will learn so much.
AS far as bumpers... get some nice thick ones in case the curve of your hull prevents thinner bumpers from being fully effective.
Worth its weight in gold. Its a fun course, you will learn things that you will never learn by yourself or anyone else.
You will notice everything everyone else on the water is doing wrong.
Your on the ICW, which can get crowded at times, you will also learn helpful tips, how much anchor line to put out, night lighting, what it means and how to be used.
I took a Coast Guard Boatmans Safety course before people knew they existed I think. I was a young teenager, 13 ish. It was a requirement by my friends parents if we were going to be able to take their boat out by ourselves.
It was the best thing I ever did. Born, raised, spent most my life on the south shore of Nassau county Long Island. Been boating my whole life in the Great South Bay of Long Island and the Atlantic Ocean outside of Jones Inlet all the way over to NY Harbor to the NJ Highlands to maybe as much as 30 miles off the coast in boats as small as 18 feet and as large as 28 feet. This was before even GPS was available (at a reasonable cost). Used a compass, no land in site, also knew what to do if the compass broke because you have NO idea which way is land once out there.
The trick was to make a mental note of the position of the sun. Using that position you would at least know which side to place the sun if you want to head back to land. It was an awesome feeling being out there. Peaceful. Your going to want to run outside the inlet someday, its awesome.
Anyway, 50 (gulp) FIFTY years later I still have that Certificate of Completion, almost looks like a drivers license that I laminated 50 years ago.
I still use it to this day for boat insurance discounts. I would highly recommend it because its a REALLY fun thing to do if your into boating. You will learn so much.
AS far as bumpers... get some nice thick ones in case the curve of your hull prevents thinner bumpers from being fully effective.
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Don't forget a BIG FAT WALLET!
Boats are pricey, and I always avoided the bruises by having fenders on board at all times. I suspect you will love the 115. I had it's big brother. It was a re-badged Bombardier Johnson 140. It was an awesome engine. When I traded the boat in, the dealer told me that it was a phenomenal engine., and he wasn't a Johnson dealer. I am a Suzuki fan!
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