4ft chop in 14ft

[jaymasta]

hey guys I have a 14ft f/g with a 650merc on it, and I had it out on the ocean today for the first time and it was great going out but on the way back there was some serious chop, I estimated some of the waves to be around 4 1/2 feet and they were really close together, anyways numerous times the boat would go up and then down and the next wave would spash all over the bow and then over the windshield and soak us, and a fair ammount of water got into the boat, I have been in waves this big a few times but this time they were so close together and that made it very hard to navigate, I slowed down to almost an idle, Iam just wondering how you navigate this type of water in a smaller boat, eg faster slower, attack from a certain angle etc I don't think there is anyway I could have done this on plane as I would have barreled right into a rather large wave numerous times....any help would be greatly appreciated as it was a little scary at first....

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

the best solution is to keep on top of the conditions, and get the heck out of there before it gets that bad. 14' is too small for those conditions. you got lucky!

 

[skibug]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

Yep, too small of a boat to have in those conditions. You were lucky you did not get completely swamped and sink if the water was coming up to the windshield over the bow. Always hit the waves straight on and go as slow as possible but still maintain control. Working the throttle over and down the wave is critical. Always look at the marine forecast for the day. If it says rough, stay out of the water with a 14ft boat. I don't take my 18ft out when there is a 3ft chop in the bay. It just beats me to death.

 

[Mark42]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

Ye must have been s****ing ye pants, matie!

A 14 footer in 4 ft chop is dangerous to say the least! Two foot waves beat me up pretty bad in my 14 footer.

Get a bilge pump and a big one at that if you insist on going out on the open water. Doesn't take much to swamp you boat.

I also disagree with the "take the waves head on" approach. The problem there is when your bow goes down the wave, the next wave can easily come over the bow or the bow can plow under the next wave and you are in life threatening situation and sinking is a high probability.

A better approach to big waves in a small boat is at 30 or 45* to the wave with a steady throttle at slow non-planing speeds. This means that from the boats perspective, the wave is "stretched out" longer and the little boat is riding up and down longer swells, much less prone to waves coming over the bow and having the bow plow under.

Parallel to the wave is not good either as the boat can be rolled over if the balance is not good or everything is not fastened down well.

My Grandfather was an experienced sea captian with multiple licences and credentials for all different size ships that he operated in the NY harbor from tugs to freighters. But when we were out on his own 18" cuddy cabin, he would head for home port when ever the weather started to turn. We got caught in a medium size storm on the bay once when I was just a kid and never want to go through that again. I can't recall him taking us out on the ocean even 1 time in that boat. Best to be safe than sorry.

 

[deejaycee_2000]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

With my 13,5 ft inflatable I go WOT head on .... +/- 70hp .....

 

[calwldlif]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

Mark is on tack..........
You have to be aware that
the waves and period will determine your course.
Too many times the conditions dictated my direction,
attack waves at angles(even if away from your course)
cut back hard and get a new angle 90-270 deg from
your current course. Act like a sailboat does, tack
back and forth going upwave farther than the
down wave and angle your way home.
like a big triangle course, you might have to motor
5 times the distance of the straight (crow flies) way
home. Straight on the waves is dangerous(unless your
deadrise and length alow you to stay on "top")
Hairy stuff, be manageable with Marks suggestiion

 

[LubeDude]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

You "DID" have everyone in your boat put on there life jackets in those conditions, right??????????

You are looking at becoming a statistic if you keep this up. 14' is Too small for 4' chop.

 

[hiflyer]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

calwldif. is right 1.st you should not be THEIR. 2nd try to work your way thru avoiding as much as possiable
the deep valleys between waves and never on top, by a crest.
You feel your way thru trying to stay stable. and yes it may take 3x longer , but you will be alive. It can't be taught as much as learned by experience . but not under those conditions

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

8) I like your bravado, it really takes some wavo's to take a 14' boat out to sea. However you might want to install a high volume fully automated bilge pump and some top of the line PFD'S.

Alway's being aware of your enviroment is part of the joy and skill any good boater, apparently weather condition's can change quite quickly in you area and that is something to take into very careful consideration.

As to riding waves.......... id suggest you go find a lake and in high winds go experiment with learning to roll your boat with the wave frequency. Kinda like using a bobber and your boat is the bobber, from there you just bob your way to shore ..............or better said bob your way out of harms way.. Powering into waves nose up can be done,,,,,,,,,trimming your motor out at a slow rate of speed, but not a very good solution in a sea of 4' waves one dip or one sneaker wave not to mention the loss of visabiltiy........... not my ideal of a good time.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

Geez -- there are inland lakes I wouldn't take a 14 foot boat on when the weather has it churned up. I was fishing probably 30 yards off shore on the St Croix River some years back when a large cruiser passed unnoticed. I was parallel to shore when I heard the obvious sound of a wave and looked up to see the remainder of a very large wake. I quickly spun trolling motor to bring the nose of my 15.5 footer into the wave and it still took water over the bow. Had I remained parallel to the wave there is no doubt the boat would have rolled. I now have a 17 footer and still stay off large bodies of water when the going gets tough. It is simply not worth the risk.

 

[Mark42]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

Experience builds confidence. Have your charts handy and your PFD's on. We really enjoy the trips we take to isolated beaches a lot more when I take the time to roll out the chart on the kitchen table and show everyone where we are going, what to look for on the way in the way of land marks, etc (lighthouse, ferry, bridges, etc) so the kids have some idea of whats going on. And my wife can read the map and tell me depths, distance from shore to be etc, in a pinch if I need both hands free.

The more I boat, the more prepared I like to be for a trip. The best trips are the ones we were best prepared for. And sometimes that means planning a day or two ahead starting with the weather forcast. We always check the forcast especially just before leaving. Just something to think about.

One more thing: We always tell someone who will care and miss us if we don't get back on time where we are going, and when we will be back. Just in case something happens. And with cell phones, you can always call them if you want to change your plans on the fly.

 

[jaymasta]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

ya so basically I shound't have been out there LOL
anyways it was only a little section on our way back like maybe 10-15 waves max, then it was much smaller, we weren't very far out only like 3-5km off shore, and yes we had our pfd's on we had a dry bag with a bunch of stuff, cell phones, we had road flares, as well as a flare gun first aid kid, tackle box fishing rods food etc, I think we were prepared for the worst just not for waves this big, It would have helped to have the canopy on the boat as well I didn't think waves would be coming over the boat like that, anyways I will be more carefull in the future, I see smaller boats out there all the time though and launching and stuff, little 14-16 ft aluminum open boats with smaller engines and smaller sides on the boats, anyways thanks for your advice guys, anything else will help as well as any more preperation tips.

 

[wvit1001]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

If you want to keep going out in that little boat that far from shore you need to tell someone exactly where your going and when you expect to be back. That way they will know where to look for you when they start the search.

 

[roscoe]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

I think we were prepared for the worst just not for waves this big,

I guess you weren't prepared for the worst then, were you.

3-5 k out is a lot of open water.

No vhf with DSC gps transmitter?
No epirb?

Just how would anyone locate you if you were to swamp?

Those cellphones are worthless on the water. Especially if they get wet.

Sorry if this sounds a bit harsh, but don't want you to become a statistic.

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

There will be times when the waves kick up a little stronger than forecast. We went offshore diving a couple of months ago and during the hour we were underwater, the waves kicked up; close together and 4-6ft. We were about 14 miles out, and had no choice but to slug it out. I've been in some pretty rough seas before, and I generally will try a couple of routes until I am able to find the most comfortable and stable ride. As Mark suggested, tacking or zig-zagging at an angle to the waves is often the easiest way through. I try to maintain a minimal planing speed as I am able to maintain a bit more control of the steerage. A 14 footer is small for that kind of water, but you certainly need to be prepared for whatever pops up. I have VHF with the NOAA weather built in as well as GPS and DSC, even with monitoring the weather channel, sometimes things can get tricky very quickly. Always hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

 

[swist]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

Approaching the waves at an angle may or may not be the right strategy - you risk broaching if the next wave kicks your bow over too far - you have to make a judgement based on the wave height and period on just what angle to use.

But if it's bad enough there's no solution.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

Quite a pic Dee. How'd you get it? I bet the landing was hard.

I have used the tack many times if I have to head into the waves.

If I am running with them I usually get on top (run fast).

Once, the only way I could ride was to trim way out, forcing the bow up and running around 2000 rpm's. Trimming out and going slow gave me a lot of bow out of the water; enough to not get too wet, and the old Merc Tower of Power just kept on pushing. Boy was I glad.

Mark

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

next time go totally prepared, you've been spanked pretty well here, i always make sure the vhf and gps are working even on the river. and if you are going to boat in open water, suggest automatic emergency beacon.

 

[deejaycee_2000]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

Quite a pic Dee. How'd you get it? I bet the landing was hard.

I have used the tack many times if I have to head into the waves.

If I am running with them I usually get on top (run fast).

Once, the only way I could ride was to trim way out, forcing the bow up and running around 2000 rpm's. Trimming out and going slow gave me a lot of bow out of the water; enough to not get too wet, and the old Merc Tower of Power just kept on pushing. Boy was I glad.

Mark

The wife is a big fan of my insane boating and always taking pics when we practice in the waves ... the landing is very soft as we design these boats especially for these conditions (aerodinamica etc.) also has a wet deck, so the water runs out the back straight away if we catch the wave wrong ...

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 4ft chop in 14ft

Man that is one heck of a ride and one heck of a picture.

Where was she when she took it?

Is the big wave in the surf or something that occurs normally in the ocean.

Was It taken in Cape Horn? :/

Mark