Surfin with an Islander

DarrinT · Jul 23, 2010

So there's a four foot chop blown by a 15 knot gusting to 25 Southwest wind on Lake Ontario and I'm rounding the Leslie Street spit going into the Eastern Gap to Toronto Harbour last Saturday. The approach to the Gap is like a funnel and its goes from 100 ft depth to 35 in a few hundred yards so the chop was pushed up to and average of six feet with a wavelength of around 30 ft when in a following sea a steep eight footer takes us for a ride. Yee Haw!!!

On the throttle and careful on the helm I surfed her a good two hundred feet and she handled it no sweat.

I had come six miles from launch point and the only other boats I saw out there were the thirty foot plus sailing yachts.

Starcraft rules again.

Huron Angler · Jul 23, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

Cool...sounds like fun

No video?

fshngho · Jul 23, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

Great to hear that a SC can handle that. I think I would need a new pair of britches

DarrinT · Jul 23, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

Video would be nice if the kids hadn't mangled all of the cameras.

P.s. On the way out of the Harbour through the same gap there was a 20 foot somethin or other tied up to the dock wall. Couldn't tell exactly what it was as it was upside down prop wavin in the swell. One of those eight footers must have got him.

fshngho · Jul 23, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

Must have been someone with my luck. Now THATS why I carry extra clothes.

You must be a heck of a Skipper

DarrinT · Jul 23, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

Canoe camp then a tripping guide in my late teens. Whitewater etc.

Surfed my 18 ft canoe on Lake Ontario plenty of times but I've only owned this boat four years with one year on the trailer due to a cracked head an no dough.

Thanks for the complement just the same.

paparoof · Jul 24, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

Glad to hear Islanders can do that, but all the same I think I'll take mine slowly for the first few years.

CheapboatKev · Jul 24, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

DarrinT said:
Video would be nice if the kids hadn't mangled all of the cameras.

P.s. On the way out of the Harbour through the same gap there was a 20 foot somethin or other tied up to the dock wall. Couldn't tell exactly what it was as it was upside down prop wavin in the swell. One of those eight footers must have got him.

OH NO!!! That would have been in the front of my brain the whole day!

elkhunter338 · Jul 24, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

Starcrafts do ok in rough water, had my 21 footer cheiftain taking lots of water over the bow and lots of spray on the top windsheild because the weather pickup real quick. I was only making 600-1100 rpms was as fast as I could go. I should left for port 45min earlier that day. I had 6 miles to go and it took about 2+ hours. I was in Pacific Ocean. Not a smart move on my part that day.

Just remember the big water can take out any boat and the starcrafts are not really any deeper or wider than alot of boats. If the water was rough enough to flip another 20 footer it was rough enough to flip a starcraft.
I always have to keep in mind that the motor can fail and if you fail your motor and are in rough water you might be in trouble.
Glad you made it home safe.

DarrinT · Jul 26, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

Tested the 9.9 Evinrude on a 14' Springbok this weekend that's going to be aux power and charging for the batteries at a buddies cottage.

My brother gave me the engine as it had been sitting in his basement for five years. So I wanted to get her set up and running before getting the uninstalled kickplate on her.

My buddie tells me that not only could he not find a good used 9.9 when he was looking 2 years ago but he and a couple other long time cottage boaters had never seen one with electric start.

Clean the plugs , change the oil , do a couple of quick fixes on the in operative idle ajustment and choke slide. Boom she starts first try and runs like a top.

The cool thing from my perspective about the electric start on the wee beastie is that with the pull start it becomes the backup generator to charge dead batteries too!

Score!!!

barato · Jul 26, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

Darrin, that's brilliant on the backup gen idea.

one thing about "surfing" is that you get some really fun swings of the speedo

ezmobee · Jul 27, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

From what I understand they have pretty tiny charging systems on them. I don't know that I'd use it for that purpose. Charging it's own starting battery is one thing but charging other house batteries, not so much.

barato · Jul 27, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

for emergency use like he indicated, it would work better than nada. although you're right, you could probably get as many amps out of two PV panels on Islander cabin roof........"The Starmada....taking old tin into the new millenium"

DarrinT · Jul 27, 2010

Re: Surfin with an Islander

I'll have to look up whatever kind of juice the little freak is puttin out but I can tell you it makes you jump.

I had disconnected the battery to move it up the boat I was testin her on for balance and I wasn't being careful about what the wires were doing when I got a pretty good zap from a screw on the twist grip throttle let me tell you.

The wires were flopping in the boat and I made a good ground.

Surfin with an Islander

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