Looking at the weather

[RussGW270]

Okay... guys.. again, I am yakking. I am not going out to sea to explore the great beyond on this weekend. How many times do I need to say, I am staying within sight of land, probably at the jetties, just going out far enough to fly the drone without getting in anyone's way? It is not snapper season and I am not comfortable enough with this boat to go out far. Not sure how many ways I can say that. I am, however, comfortable in my experience to know what and when and where I am safe to go, that is all. And, I type fast.. I browse faster, so I am just yakking about what is in my head as I head out there. Does not mean I do not have enough experience to be able to do a lot of this, I just want to make sure I have asked all I need to ask and discussed all I need to discuss to keep people safe.

When I come here, it is mostly to chat. I like talking to folks about my boat and no-one where I live understands that like you all... but I am not stupid. I am not going out there half-cocked and not wishing anyone would come out there and take me on a 3 month cruise.

I was just musing about how nice it would be to have someone that owned a Grady to live closer. So, relax. I am going to the coast and wearing my floaties.. so.. you can all sleep easier. Okay.. I lied.. I will NOT take a picture in floaties.. lol

We good? lol.. man... bunch of mother hens...*grin*... seriously.. I am working and planning and having fun, just not so unexperienced as to go out on the maiden voyage 40 miles.

On the maps, I am referring to google earth pro maps. They do not show the water depths easy. I am trying to overlay nav charts onto my personal google earth maps so I can then export them into my Garmin and prepare a route. I have done it with Lowrance, but the Garmin maps are a lot trickier than the Lowrance used to be. So, no big deal. I was able to import my spots into Garmin Homeport and am working on the maps there. Seems to be klunky,but eh.. something to pass the time.

I have map apps that show water depth, but I like my Google Earth Pro is all.. not a big deal.

I love the input guys.. but don't take me saying I am going out as if I am going to head off into a storm... I am going fishing secondary... primary is to do a shakedown....I am ONLY going fishing because the only people I know are fishing people... if I had boating people around me, all we would be doing is boating and a shakedown, maybe pull into the dock, look, talk, fix, try again, wash-rince-repeat... but, I am not going out alone so, I have to take them fishing, that is all. They get the jetties and maybe the 3-mile kingfish... nothing more... I am not doing so blind... I promise

I used to live down the road from my fishing partner.. now I live down the road from a guy that sucks the gas out of his boat and puts it into his truck and ruins his engine, after I tell him it is bad gas and he disagrees. heh... I like having boat people around. I know plenty of fishing people, just not boating people.

R

 

[Bloodweiser]

oh yea..and watch out for ice bergs.

 

[RussGW270]

lol.. I replied to a THT forum post and accidentally hit this one.. too funny.

Icebergs.. better watch for those

 

[Holokai]

I agree.. I doubt the waves will die down much.. but if they get below 5 ft... I am fine with that... and, it gives me a little more safe environment to feel this boat out. Anyone can drive her on a glass surface... I just want an opening.. does not need to be a perfect one, but I will take a calm after a storm vs a storm buildup.

I have been on a ship in a storm that would ... let's say it would give you nightmares, going through the Straight of Gibralter....tied to 2 lanyards to do soundings. I can take 3-5ft waves. I do not want to, but I need to get this boat on the water and see what she can do and I would like to do it on the coast to be close to real services if I need to get something fixed. I do it on Lake Buchanan... I will have to flag down someone that MAY be able to tow me.. and then drag it back home.

R

Good point about the support on the lake vs ocean. Also keep forgetting that you have an Islander so agree that 5 ft won’t be too bad with that hull. Heck, you should see the slop guys fish in out here where a 20 foot boat is considered comfortable. Just bring an anchor and a lot of rope an you’ll be fine.

For soundings I use the Navionics Boating app on my phone. It’s an annual $15 subscription but the maps are accurate and updated frequently. It’s actually kind of fun to use the app to find new spots and save them as waypoints to be uploaded to my chartplotter. Depending on your electronics you can also control your plotter from your phone/tablet. I’ve played around with it a bit lately so feel free to ask if you have more questions.

 

[RussGW270]

I am going to talk to one of the 4 going. me, I know this is Texas and Sunday... will be about as good as it gets but.. if we are going to be docked .. they will get rained on. 1 guy is bringing his 23ft Parker, but TWO of them will not have a dry place to sleep.

One of those two would sleep floating on the water to fish.. the other is sensible and if he says he would rather reschedule, I have zero problem doing so.

But... Sunday, by all accounts, should be beautiful by 1am onward.. so, worth going if people can find a dry place to sleep.

I like them.. but I do not like them enough to snuggle up at night in that cabin lol

My map issue is I have years and I mean YEARS of map data loaded into google earth heh. I have tens of thousands of spots loaded. The only thing not loaded is the water depth contours. I think I like my maps almost as much as fishing.....almost lol.

I do not need the contours, just was trying to bide time as the remote work has be going stir crazy at times, so started updating the locations etc. It is nice to map a path out and upload it to the garmin. I will check out the Navonics app though. I used Navonics with my Lowrance before.

R

 

[Bloodweiser]

Sleeping on your boat at night? be careful and alert for sirens, mermaids and pirates...especially the pirates. bring a gun.

 

[RussGW270]

Lol!

 

[RussGW270]

By the way, it’s hard to really grasp the “feel” if all a person does is fish...but I am sure folks here get it. I made my kids watch, “Old Man and the Sea” with Spencer Tracey...not so much for the fish, but the love of the sea and that life.

Seriously wish I lived on the coast. Was talking to my wife yesterday, and so long as I drive and she can sit there and read her book, one day, when we retire and I can take my floaties off....lol...I want to go on a really long tripon the boat and go meet other boaters and just talk to them about their boating experience.

I miss living down the street from other boaters and taking time fixing each other’s boats...ok...me fixing theirs, mine were always pretty well solid, till this one lol...but this one is mostly trailer and Lord help me...a year from now she is gonna be rockin it! Lol

 

[Fishtales]

Those conditions mean you work on the boat (on land) and imbibe.

 

[RussGW270]

Yea, Saturday is not a day to be out there. I do not imbibe on a boat, unless it is in my driveway... like tonight. a slug of Goldschalger and a Shiner to chase it down.. lol

 

[SkunkBoat]

I haven't read the whole thread but here is my response to 5 to 7 ft - 30knt winds
Stay at the dock and drink

5 to 7ft is not something your Grady should ever go OUT in.
If you are caught having to come BACK in it, your 27 Grady should help you get back to the inlet...pray its not outgoing tide.

3 to 5 - 20 knts is what you get caught in on the way in when you stayed out too long.

3 to 4 is the diehard fishing crew

2 feet or less is the wife & kids...or overnight canyon fishing with the diehard crew

One caveat to all this is wind DIRECTION.
NWS Coastal forecastsare within 20 nm of the coast.
If its 25knts blowing from the beach out to sea, the first mile along the beach may be flat and the 5 to 7 is the forecast for further out within the 20nm zone

Another caveat is wave PERIOD. On a rare occasion (East Coast) the forecast may be for a long period swell (10 seconds and higher) with no wind.
A 4 to 6ft long swell with no wind is fishable but nothing ever bites inshore because its a groundswell and going offshore is dangerous because if a wind kicks up you are going to regret it.

Try to find your local NOAA Bouy data and you will get real time wind, waves(hgt & period) and air & water temp.

NDBC Station 42035- 22 NM East of Galveston, TX

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Here is the secret of a Grady. They have variable dead rise geometry which means unlike a standard deep v which maintains say 24 degrees along most of the hull, our boats with Seav2 hulls progressively get steeper. What this means is those trim tabs are not just for balancing out the load they are for getting your bow down to get the hull to do it's work by cutting the wave.

Grady's are thick gals and don't skim waves like a Contender or Yellowfin. She will pound you to death if she is not trimmed right both with engines and tabs. So, honestly, don't go fishing but take her to some coastal water and get a feel for that hull. Head seas nose down, following keep it up a little and quartering seas you are going to have to feel her out.

A lake won't give you that experience unless it's Ponchitrain. I take that back, I have been on Lake George in Florida running from a huge thunderstorm and it was snotty as well as Lake Monroe, both on the st. John's River. So ,if it's steep chop maybe you can get that feeling on the lake. You need to get out there and just feel it. No internet keyboard wizard like me will ever replace just doing it. Captain Ron is right by the way...

 

[Keeldad]

I’ve lived within a few miles of the coast all my life (so far) and with 2 exceptions it’s a magnificent place to be and I never take it for granted. Presently I live on a barrier island with the ocean about 1/2 mile in one direction and the bay about 1/4 in the other. The 2 exceptions are hurricanes and tourists. Both of which are annoying and make you contemplate moving elsewhere when they show up in force. Like Skunk, we run out in the Atlantic 20 miles or so on a good day, but I don’t go offshore even in 3-5 because it’s not exactly fun and it could get worse while we’re out. The boat can take it, I can’t anymore. Like Smokey said, figure out the trim tab and motor trim settings, you’ll be glad you did. I never paid much attention to the tabs but my son does and the difference in the ride when they are properly used is amazing. Last year we upgraded the tab controller to the auto version and it’s worth every penny in ride and maneuverability.

 

[RussGW270]

I may just take the boat to Lake Buchanan instead. Not worth a long haul to find 5 ft waves. We will see.

I mentioned it as an option and one of the guys is like, “if so, my wife will want to go”.....

I am like, well, she can watch us from the dock....

lol

 

[Bloodweiser]

I may just take the boat to Lake Buchanan instead. Not worth a long haul to find 5 ft waves. We will see.

I mentioned it as an option and one of the guys is like, “if so, my wife will want to go”.....

I am like, well, she can watch us from the dock....

lol

Double check the ocean again

 

[leeccoll]

I may just take the boat to Lake Buchanan instead. Not worth a long haul to find 5 ft waves. We will see.

I mentioned it as an option and one of the guys is like, “if so, my wife will want to go”.....

I am like, well, she can watch us from the dock....

lol

Not a bad place to end up Russ!

 

[Fishtales]

when does weather stop you... type 1s for all and damn the torpedo's.

 

[RussGW270]

We are going to the coast. I do not care if we catch fish... so, if my goal is a shakedown AND to test the vhf etc and to meet other offshore boat owners.. then, not doing that at the lake.

If all we do is sit at the slip, run through the inter coastal, go out the the jetties, then sobet it.. I am fine with that. The inter coastal will be plenty fine for what I need to do... and I get to smell the salt air.

So, watch for a live video link to say howdy

you know.. or.. maybe a youtube video from some poor slop watching another poor slob sink a Grady at the dock.. either way, entertainment! lol

R