feel new again, rough seas handling help.

becon776

Cadet
Joined
Jun 1, 2008
Messages
19
ok... so with four years under my belt with 21' bayliner capri with a 2.3 liter I have now purchased a 1990 24' Vincente with a 5.7 cobra.

Despite only 3' of difference this new boat is a whole new animal. Larger Beam, WAY WAY more solid feel. In the bayliner I always gloated that I planed instantly. However I understand that boat had a "planing" hull. with the little 2.3 out in Lake Ontario I knew i was relegated to 8 mph unplaned in anything over 1' rollers.
The new boat has a more cruiser like "deep V" hull. And WAY more power. I can touch 50 trimmed on calm water (the bayliner's best ever was thirty solo and stripped)

So I always see people asking about chop. To that I answer who cares? when there is windborn chop even the bayliner could skip right over it. I just get confused with the "rollers". Yesterday I was out, and feeling rather confident applied liberal throttle.... BOOM...........BOOOM.... hahaha. you get the idea. second guessed myself and slowed to come off plane and flat just over idle. What should I be doing here?? drop the hammer with the deep V and let the boat plane? or just mosey it along slowly. I have only had the new boat out twice and as such I am still getting used to it. Just want to know what to do in 1-3' rollers (trust that any more and I am moseying back to shore).
 

commander315

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 31, 2010
Messages
286
Re: feel new again, rough seas handling help.

ok... so with four years under my belt with 21' bayliner capri with a 2.3 liter I have now purchased a 1990 24' Vincente with a 5.7 cobra.

Despite only 3' of difference this new boat is a whole new animal. Larger Beam, WAY WAY more solid feel. In the bayliner I always gloated that I planed instantly. However I understand that boat had a "planing" hull. with the little 2.3 out in Lake Ontario I knew i was relegated to 8 mph unplaned in anything over 1' rollers.
The new boat has a more cruiser like "deep V" hull. And WAY more power. I can touch 50 trimmed on calm water (the bayliner's best ever was thirty solo and stripped)

So I always see people asking about chop. To that I answer who cares? when there is windborn chop even the bayliner could skip right over it. I just get confused with the "rollers". Yesterday I was out, and feeling rather confident applied liberal throttle.... BOOM...........BOOOM.... hahaha. you get the idea. second guessed myself and slowed to come off plane and flat just over idle. What should I be doing here?? drop the hammer with the deep V and let the boat plane? or just mosey it along slowly. I have only had the new boat out twice and as such I am still getting used to it. Just want to know what to do in 1-3' rollers (trust that any more and I am moseying back to shore).
I have a 31' boat with a very deep V (A planing hul my no means :cool:) Anyway, I've been in everything from a 2 foot chop to and 11 foot sea thunderstorm storm and you handle it all (Basically) the same way. Just look it in the eye and slice through it on a slight angle. Theres also nothing wrong with just plowing through a chop at WOT to have a little fun...i think lol :D
 

marcortez

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
230
Re: feel new again, rough seas handling help.

"what should I be doing here" basically comes down to whatever you want.

Some folks enjoy getting beat to death and others don't.

What comes to mind is the safety of "others"
A lot of pounding and the excessive speed for the conditions can and very well could lead to losing control of the boat.

If you happen to take on a wave just right at high speed, you will go one way and the boat the other...really I am serious....and very bad things happen when your not in total control.

Forget the deep V, shallow V or modified V stuff.....your boat will tell you, in no uncertain terms, that your pushing it too fast. "Listen" to that and do what any reasonable boater would do...back off the controls.
 

shrew

Lieutenant
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
1,309
Re: feel new again, rough seas handling help.

I did a search on a "1990 24' Vincente with a 5.7 cobra". I didn't have much luck finding any info. so it's hard to address this reasonably without knowing the type of boat. I would suspect that most 24 cuddy cabins would be able to handle 1-3' seas relatively easily..............within reason.

It sounds like your angle of attack is taking the waves head one, as opposed to an angle (say, 45 degrees) or you're not using enough tabs, or you're simply going much too fast for the conditions. Most boats won't handle being jumped for long periods of time and it will beat many boats to death. Sure, you can jump offshore racers and other performance boats. However, even those boats need to do so with experience and extreme caution. If you're "boom, bang, slamming" your way from A to B, I'd dare say you probably have slightly less control than you you think you do.

Now comes the litany of posters with "I do this all the time......" Keep in mind, this is just one mans opinion.
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
15,414
Re: feel new again, rough seas handling help.

It is something you're going to have to learn. My last boat ran well in chop. Better than most I guess but it pounded when it got really rough.

Upgraded to essentially the same boat, but 2 feet longer and it had a new hull design. Everyone said the new hull made the world of difference.
The first two times I took the boat out I wasn't impressed with the hull. It was not until I figured out the boat ran better in the rough at high speed than at slow speed did the light go on.

Now longer do I slow down when it gets rough out. The boat runs better at a 27 kts cruise than it does at 19 knots when it get rough out.
 

Steve Mahler

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Oct 10, 2006
Messages
361
Re: feel new again, rough seas handling help.

entire books have been written (google small boat handling) but in summary, unless you have a Coast Guard rescue boat or million dollar offshore racer, your boat is not designed to smash against waves at planing with regularity. Everything will shake apart, probably starting with non-essential galley cabinetry working it's way to battery trays, fuel filters and the like. Somewhere during the destruction the boat will stop running to end the pain :)


So I would suggest you run 'in between' your two options - this took me a couple years to find myself. Put your trim tabs down if heading into the wind, and run at slow plane RPMs - you will find a sweet spot just under 20mph where you make decent headway without pounding, the tabs town helps keep the bow pressure on the waves to make the most of your Vee. Going with the wind it is usually not advisable to tab down; but you can gradually push them down and feel for loss of steering focus...you kindof start sliding sideways if too much tab combined with following seas.

I spent 4 hours in tough chop this weekend, so the memory is fresh. Made 19 knots going with the wind, 15 against, and the ride against was more comfortable and easier for me. Waves were 3-4 short frequency, wind in the 20-30s
 

becon776

Cadet
Joined
Jun 1, 2008
Messages
19
Re: feel new again, rough seas handling help.

it's not the chop but those damn rollers. Chop... the boat handles with ease. I don't have trim tabs on this one. It does plane out easy enough though. 15 mph but I'll be wheelying for a minute to get there.

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shrew

Lieutenant
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
1,309
Re: feel new again, rough seas handling help.

That boat looks like it should be able to handle the conditions you're describing easily. I couldn't imagine running such a boat without trim tabs. I think you will find a world of difference with them installed.
 

Philster

Captain
Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
3,342
Re: feel new again, rough seas handling help.

Ah, rollers... they come with a certain rhythm and certain height. Often, the distance between each and the height of each screams, "Slow down unless you want to jump ramps every three seconds and land wrong over every other ramp".

Sometimes, the only answer is to plod along below planing speed, bow wanting to stay up a bit. Sometimes they just line up right and you can plane across them, although I always find this is a short-lived experience, because you get out of synch with the rollers and need to drop below planing speed again.

While your new boat is bigger than the old boat, it's only occupying .000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% more of the ocean, and that is an UNDERSTATEMENT!

So, rollers can force you to slow down. Sometimes, only taking a beating and pounding will get you through with any real speed. Remember that most ocean-going vessels aren't planing hulls. They displace a bunch of water and plod through a modest pace at best.
 
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