Palm Beach Boating

Hi all, i am new to boating and just purchased my first new (to me) boat. i have a 1985 Critchfield 17 Foot Center Console with a 1984 Chrysler 75hp outboard. is this big enough to take thru any of the local inlets? so far i have only been cruising around the intracoatal mostly the Lake Worth Lagoon. any help or advice wopuld be greatly appreciated . thanks

Re: Palm Beach Boating

bustermin said:

Hi all, i am new to boating and just purchased my first new (to me) boat. i have a 1985 Critchfield 17 Foot Center Console with a 1984 Chrysler 75hp outboard. is this big enough to take thru any of the local inlets? so far i have only been cruising around the intracoatal mostly the Lake Worth Lagoon. any help or advice wopuld be greatly appreciated . thanks

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I think I saw it here recently: "Don't know, don't go". But the Lake Worth Inlet is probably the easiest in South Florida and I am sure that you could go out of it without any drama.

-E

Re: Palm Beach Boating

yea! that is definatly the way i was thinking, not having alot of experience at boating i figured better to look good in the intracoastal than look stupid in the inlet! i have also heard that the lake worth/boynton inlet is the calmest, but still wasnt sure not as worried about the current as i am the part where the inlet meets the ocean, looks pretty rough. thanks

Re: Palm Beach Boating

Lake worth inlet is the best! I have a 20ft flat bottom and been out many times. Jupiter can get tough at times and boynton is a huge no-no. One time I was coming in at Boynton on a flat day and a drift boat was coming out. I was full throttle and going backwards...not good and never again. never had a problem in the lake worth inlet. In fact i have gone out on larger days and realized it was too rough. Just don't turn around in the inlet, go out and come back in.

Re: Palm Beach Boating

what size outboard do you have on your 20Ft? mine only has 75hp and that is what has me concerned, as it may not have enough power to get me out of trouble if i have to move quickley. thanks for the help guys

Re: Palm Beach Boating

i heard there are 5 ramps in palm beach county that charge you to use the ramp, does anyone know which ramps they are? are they woth the fee? also i heard a good place to go is Peanut Island, can anyone tell me where it is? do i need to go thru an inlet to get to it? thanks

Re: Palm Beach Boating

I have a 115 on my boat. I stay inshore if it is bigger then 2-3. Lake worth inlet is a easy inlet to get in and out of but if you not comfortable don't do it.
You can always hang out outside the inlet and watch the different size boats going out. Also during the summer you will see allot of waverunners going out as well. Peanut Island gets crazy on the weekends but allot of fun. It is right in front of the inlet by the port. You can't miss it. Make sure you stay in the markers, at low tide you can easily run aground. The public ramps I use is Phil Foster and sometimes Currie Park if I want to run the boat. Phil Foster is right over the Blue heron Bridge and Currie Park is further south in West Palm. I think it is off of Flagler drive, but don't quote me. These ramps fill up quick and are quite busy especially on Sundays. If I want a peaceful experience I put in at Lake Park Marina and pay the 10-12 dollars. Yes it is worth it!

You can have allot of fun without going out the inlet. I only go out to fish, no other reason for me.

Re: Palm Beach Boating

thats the main reason i was looking to go thru the inlet, to go fishing. thanks

Re: Palm Beach Boating

bustermin said:

yea! that is definatly the way i was thinking, not having alot of experience at boating i figured better to look good in the intracoastal than look stupid in the inlet! i have also heard that the lake worth/boynton inlet is the calmest, but still wasnt sure not as worried about the current as i am the part where the inlet meets the ocean, looks pretty rough. thanks

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The Lake Worth inlet (sometimes called Palm Beach inlet) is wide and generally calm (as far as inlets go, anyways) where the inlet meets the ocean. The next inlet south, the South Lake Worth inlet (also called the Boynton Inlet) is a narrow cement chute which is best left to experienced skippers.


-E

Re: Palm Beach Boating

maldoro said:

Just don't turn around in the inlet, go out and come back in.

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Absolutely true, you don't want to take that mess to the side.

-E

Re: Palm Beach Boating

i went to Jupiter this past weekend, i put in at Burt Reynolds Park (East), had a good time and then when i came back in around 2pm the Jupiter Police were stopping random boaters and pulling them aside and giving them tickets! anyone know what they were ticketed for? also, it was bad enough those people got a ticket but they would pull them to the side and make them wait while they delt with previous people. i saw one boat waiting over 45mins. and the officer still wasnt ready for them. that doesnt seem right, if your gonna pull them out at least make it as quick as possible. they had at least 7 boats/jet skis stopped, and i only saw at most 3 officers. i guess Jupiter is big on fining boaters and beach goers because i see them giving out parking tickets on the weekends like its Christmas. it is a nice place to go boating, but im not sure i will go back after seeing that. i dont think i was doing anything wrong, but they are just to anxious to give out fines. the funny part was alot of people that put in on the east side pulled theyre boat out on the west side just to avoid them. ha ha...Oh and for the record...i did not go out thru the inlet lol

Re: Palm Beach Boating

Watch out at the bridges over the ICW at Vero. They are no wake, and poorly marked. You may be into the no wake zone BEFORE you can see the sign. waterbourne speed trap.
A whiel back, 4 members of our cruising club got ticketed ($95) there. the next year, we were warned about them, and slowed well before the bridges. as we went thru, there they were waiting for the next victim. I commented on the radio " this borders on entrapment" The cop replied "no, just good police work"
The no-wake zones along the ICW are great revenue producers for the towns......

As far as offshore in that boat, I would say no. inlets can get crazy in a hurry, with no bad weather present.
By virtue of you asking that question, I assume you are relatively new to boating. Get some experience in the ICW and then ask yourself that question of "Am I ready for this?" No disrespect intended, but I was in a volunteer rescue agency for a while, and had to go out and get boaters in trouble before Sea Tow. They charge the boater, I didn't, so I got out.

Re: Palm Beach Boating

bustermin said:

i went to Jupiter this past weekend, i put in at Burt Reynolds Park (East), had a good time and then when i came back in around 2pm the Jupiter Police were stopping random boaters and pulling them aside and giving them tickets! anyone know what they were ticketed for?

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Probably going too fast in the idle zone, that's the most common ticket by far. Not having sufficient life preservers and a throwable is another common ticket. I am in Jupiters waters all the time and they don't regularly do mass ticketing but I doubt they ticketed anyone that didn't commit a violation.

-E

Re: Palm Beach Boating

i honestly dont think they were going to fast, because there is a very low bridge on the East side (about 7' above the water) so you can do some serious damage if you go to fast with too tall of a vessel. so everyone i have ever seen go thru there has always gone very slow. the whole thing just seemed very odd to me. thanks