How far out

ThemApples

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Beaufort, SC
I'm interested in going out 20 miles or so in my 1980 204 fisherman. It's at the shop being repowered with a Suzuki 175 4s. Any concerns with heading this far out on the SC coast?
 
Pick your days, watch the weather while you're out there and have a ball. I'd also recommend towing insurance - SeaTow, TowboatUS, etc. in case a failure occurs. Make sure you have a good VHF radio and all the safety equipment. Inexplicable stuff can happen out there. Years ago, we were 60 miles off Montauk and hit something submerged. Severely damaged both props. Not a mark on the hull. Fortunately a friend was fishing nearby so the tow in was not a problem but could easily have become a nightmare.

Gary 89 Overnighter - soon to be 93 Gulfstream
 
What do you mean by "all the safety equipment"? Life raft? Radar? I'm planning on going inshore in 208 adventure in SC.
 
SCAdventure said:
What do you mean by "all the safety equipment"? Life raft? Radar? I'm planning on going inshore in 208 adventure in SC.

We've taken our 208 50-70 miles offshore in southern California quite a number of times. We do not have a life raft, EPIRB or a radar. Here's what we do have:

Vessel Assist membership (Tow Boat US or Sea Tow also work, depending on who has the best coverage in your area)
VHF Radio
GPS
Handheld VHF
Backup handheld GPS
Flare gun, lots of flares and handheld flares.
Life jackets (of course)
First Aid kit
Throw cushions
Polypropylene line tied to throw cushion for MOB situation
Two anchors and two anchor lines (main anchor line is 300 feet with 30 feet of chain, backup is 100 feet)
A pull start rope for the motor (We've successfully pull started our Yamaha by wrapping a dock line around the flywheel when the starter bendix would not engage, though in most cases I never shut off the motor offshore)
Extra bilge pump rigged with long wires with alligator clips and hose
Cone shaped wood plugs to plug any thru-hull holes
Set of hand tools (screwdrivers, wrenches, channel locks, vice grips, etc)
Extra electrical wire of various gauges.
Mask and snorkel
Extra bottled water
When going long offshore we take 30 gallons of extra fuel in jerry cans, just in case. The 82 gallon main tank has always been sufficient to get us home, but it's nice having the extra fuel if the weather turns nasty and we have a 60 mile run home uphill in the slop. There's never any excuse for running out of fuel in a boat.

Probably a couple more things I can't think of right now. Adding an EPIRB, life raft and radar to this list would be great. If you're a single motor, adding a kicker isn't a bad idea either if you go offshore a lot.

I've had to be towed in 3 times in my life in 22 years of boating and thousands of hours on the water, once from about 50 miles out in Mexican waters, but never in the Grady (knock on wood!). A tow service membership with coverage where you're going is an absolute must, IMO.

There's probably others who can add to this list. Hopefully this gives you an idea on what to have.
 
If you're 50+ miles off shore, how do you plan on getting in touch with someone if you have a problem?
 
Grog said:
If you're 50+ miles off shore, how do you plan on getting in touch with someone if you have a problem?

Tow Boat US has this range in Charleston. I've spoken with them at this distance without trouble.

As far as the other safety items mentioned, I have pretty much the same thing Onoeric mentions except the extra fuel...I hold nearly 150 gallons.

One last thing, and I'm not trying to be a smart aleck, but if you need to ask if you can go 20 miles offshore you should take some more experienced skipper with you until you feel comfortable.
 
I am no expert but I feel the life raft is a must. It is something tyou hope to never need but someday just might. Did anyone see the boat earlier this year off the coast of FLA that went up in flames in 4 minutes. Sometimes you need to get off the boat in a hurry and sitting in the water is not a good option.

We often are out 30-40 miles fishing and have an EPIRB, 6 man liferaft, ditch bag etc...