Joys of boats

Easily the craziest weekend on the water I have seen. Too dangerous mid day for any water activities (wakeboard, tube, etc).
 
Took the wife and dog up to Falls Lake Saturday and Monday. We spend most of our time hopping from beach to beach just spending enough time to have a beer or 2 and throw the ball for the dog a little bit. I've had several boats from 12-24' and I have had more fun with the smaller ones (Less work for me!).
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So picking up my new boat hopefully this week or next. Got it off of a good friend. Parents bought a new boat and winterized this and covered it. Kept it as a spare or whatever, was pretty nice when they parked it. Trying to clean out some stuff and said I could have it. Going to need work but was a pretty solid boat when they bought a new one.

1989 Wellcraft NovaXL 23' with a 454 Mercruiser, Bravo 1 outdrive, Captains Call exhaust, some kind of new shifter, etc. Going to need a carb and gas tank cleaning along with some upholstery work but should be a pretty awesome boat once we get done with it.
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Blaze said:
So picking up my new boat hopefully this week or next. Got it off of a good friend. Parents bought a new boat and winterized this and covered it. Kept it as a spare or whatever, was pretty nice when they parked it. Trying to clean out some stuff and said I could have it. Going to need work but was a pretty solid boat when they bought a new one.

1989 Wellcraft NovaXL 23' with a 454 Mercruiser, Bravo 1 outdrive, Captains Call exhaust, some kind of new shifter, etc. Going to need a carb and gas tank cleaning along with some upholstery work but should be a pretty awesome boat once we get done with it.
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You should be able to polish that haze out of it.


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Blaze said:
So picking up my new boat hopefully this week or next. Got it off of a good friend. Parents bought a new boat and winterized this and covered it. Kept it as a spare or whatever, was pretty nice when they parked it. Trying to clean out some stuff and said I could have it. Going to need work but was a pretty solid boat when they bought a new one.

1989 Wellcraft NovaXL 23' with a 454 Mercruiser, Bravo 1 outdrive, Captains Call exhaust, some kind of new shifter, etc. Going to need a carb and gas tank cleaning along with some upholstery work but should be a pretty awesome boat once we get done with it.
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Hard to beat that price.
 
Ron said:
Me and my son were on Congaree last night. But we didn't run no 50 miles. Put in at the stadium ran up to Gervais street bridge. They wouldnt leave the water alone and didn't feel like getting stranded up by the zoo, so we anchored off just below the bridge. No size but we must of hauled 50 stripers in and tossed back in 3 hours...then loaded up and headed home.

I need to learn that river better otherwise we are just beating a boat up
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We must have barely missed each other. Barely.
Me and the posse ran the Broad and Saluda yesterday and took out at Gervais around 7pm. From I77 where it crosses the Congaree there's only a mile or two that I'll run mine. It gets rocky quick.
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Blaze said:
So picking up my new boat hopefully this week or next. Got it off of a good friend. Parents bought a new boat and winterized this and covered it. Kept it as a spare or whatever, was pretty nice when they parked it. Trying to clean out some stuff and said I could have it. Going to need work but was a pretty solid boat when they bought a new one.

1989 Wellcraft NovaXL 23' with a 454 Mercruiser, Bravo 1 outdrive, Captains Call exhaust, some kind of new shifter, etc. Going to need a carb and gas tank cleaning along with some upholstery work but should be a pretty awesome boat once we get done with it.
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My brother in law gave me a boat once. Sometimes free isn't cheap enough...
 
LBarr2002 said:
My brother in law gave me a boat once. Sometimes free isn't cheap enough...
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I know, but I think this one is actually pretty nice. The only reason they are getting rid of it is that his dad isn't in the best of health right now so they are cleaning out some stuff. He wanted it to go to someone who would take care of it.
 
XJsavage said:
We must have barely missed each other. Barely.
Me and the posse ran the Broad and Saluda yesterday and took out at Gervais around 7pm. From I77 where it crosses the Congaree there's only a mile or two that I'll run mine. It gets rocky quick.
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I dont have a prop, which help... ;)
With a little more water Ill run all the way to the zoo.

But I HAD to be home Monday AM and I wasnt getting stuck up there.
 
Black Bear said:
Got another chance to go to the big rock. Only 4 dolphins.



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Nice. Most of the fish were south around NAECO; even as close as channel marker 16. Big Rock is a long ass ride for 4 dolphin. Wish you guys had better luck but 4 is better than none.

We were out there Sunday and Monday cruisin around shack and Beaufort inlet.

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Its almost hot enough for the white bass to start schooling on fishing creek. I intentionally put my old jeep tub blocking in my boat so I would finish stripping it before I hit the water. Better get that done soon.
 
We had a pretty crazy weekend on the water. Details be spared... Stopped for a safety check by Wildlife. Driver is asked to step onto their boat and take a sobriety test, which he obliges. Driver is arrested after passing the sobriety test 6x. Held on the DWI bus for 2 more hours. Then suddenly after over 3 hours they say he is over the legal limit and going to jail.

I dare say I will stay away from High Rock in the future. Just my 2 cents. Boats are still awesome lol
 
rockcity said:
Nice. Most of the fish were south around NAECO; even as close as channel marker 16. Big Rock is a long ass ride for 4 dolphin. Wish you guys had better luck but 4 is better than none.

We were out there Sunday and Monday cruisin around shack and Beaufort inlet.

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yeah we should have gone south but figured that out after the fact. Didn't have as good of intel as last trip but didn't get skunked. 18 dolphin 3 tuna the last trip

The fleet caught up to us on the way out. Going back through the inlet was a mess from all the sport fishers coming back at the same time

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Black Bear said:
yeah we should have gone south but figured that out after the fact. Didn't have as good of intel as last trip but didn't get skunked. 18 dolphin 3 tuna the last trip

The fleet caught up to us on the way out. Going back through the inlet was a mess from all the sport fishers coming back at the same time

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Next time y’all go, let me know, I’m usually out there almost every weekend I’m not working. Always good to head out with another boat. Although I’m not running a huge 40’+ sportfisher, the little albe does great in that water.


It’s always a little spooky trolling around 90’ drop and not seeing any other boats wondering “why am I the only boat here”... :lol:

Need to get my skirts back to use this season.
 
rockcity said:
Next time y’all go, let me know, I’m usually out there almost every weekend I’m not working. Always good to head out with another boat. Although I’m not running a huge 40’+ sportfisher, the little albe does great in that water.


It’s always a little spooky trolling around 90’ drop and not seeing any other boats wondering “why am I the only boat here”... :lol:

Need to get my skirts back to use this season.
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Ill keep you in mind. Last weekend we were 10-15 miles ne of the big rock in 900' with only the bill collector just in the horizon. Round trip from the no wake zone and back was 121 miles.

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Black Bear said:
Ill keep you in mind. Last weekend we were 10-15 miles ne of the big rock in 900' with only the bill collector just in the horizon. Round trip from the no wake zone and back was 121 miles.

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Nice. Olde Town Yacht Club. That’s not far from me at Crows Nest.

Been out to big rock, a little past, back to 90’ drop, down to NAECO, to Swansboro Hole, then back in to Beaufort Inlet. Lots of cruisin in one day in my little dingy compared to Bill Collector :). I try not to do that much cruisin but everyone South was catching fish when half the fleet went north, so we went south.
 
rockcity said:
Nice. Olde Town Yacht Club. That’s not far from me at Crows Nest.

Been out to big rock, a little past, back to 90’ drop, down to NAECO, to Swansboro Hole, then back in to Beaufort Inlet. Lots of cruisin in one day in my little dingy compared to Bill Collector :). I try not to do that much cruisin but everyone South was catching fish when half the fleet went north, so we went south.
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We are in a grady 282 sailfish, they we fishing near us. We fish out of Adams Creek about 20 miles to the inlet but 5 miles to the old drum fishing grounds
 
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For you 21ft or more center console owners, how do you like them as a family boat? The wife wants me to get another boat. Im torn between another wakeboard boat or a center console. It’s me plus 4 with the wife and kids. What say you?
 
Wes said:
For you 21ft or more center console owners, how do you like them as a family boat? The wife wants me to get another boat. Im torn between another wakeboard boat or a center console. It’s me plus 4 with the wife and kids. What say you?
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Not sure how old your kids are, but as long as it has bow and stern seating they're fine. With my kids, just about to turn three, a 45 minute ride to Cape Lookout in the bay boat with no extra seating is kinda rough, but in the 21' Sea Hunt w/ the extra seating it's great. Plus the SH has high gunwales so we feel a little safer in it. That being said the SH was sold last year :(
The one down side, IMO, of a center console that it's hard to get away from the sun with just a T-top.
 

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Wes said:
For you 21ft or more center console owners, how do you like them as a family boat? The wife wants me to get another boat. Im torn between another wakeboard boat or a center console. It’s me plus 4 with the wife and kids. What say you?
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If you plan to be in rough water, like through breakers or an inlet, it’s hard to beat a deep vee center console. Get a good boat and you’ll stay safe and dry even in rough waves and the wakes of the large sportfishers.

But it really depends on what your prime use will be. Mine is a deep vee center console. It’s a good happy medium for fishing off shore with the guys and a good family boat that’s safe in most any reasonable weather condition with the family that can cruise the ditch and head to shack or run up to Lookout. I’ve even taken it out of Oregon Inlet a time or two, one of the more treacherous inlets on the east coast.

But, as said before, shade can be an issue if it’s really hot and sunny. There are simple sun shades available that attach to the bow and extend to the T top to create some shade but it’s no cuddy cabin.

Seating is very important for a family, so chose wisely. It’s one of the reasons I bought the Albemarle as it has a nice platform up front for seating for multiple people. I had 8 on board this past weekend and I still had seat space available.

If you are running around in fresh water, I don’t see a need for a deep vee and center console. I’d go with a run about or split console wakeboard type boat as it’s geared more for the fresh water. Even a good skiff with modified hull with seating would be a good option but it can beat you to death if you get a true flat bottom.
 
rockcity said:
If you plan to be in rough water, like through breakers or an inlet, it’s hard to beat a deep vee center console. Get a good boat and you’ll stay safe and dry even in rough waves and the wakes of the large sportfishers.

But it really depends on what your prime use will be. Mine is a deep vee center console. It’s a good happy medium for fishing off shore with the guys and a good family boat that’s safe in most any reasonable weather condition with the family that can cruise the ditch and head to shack or run up to Lookout. I’ve even taken it out of Oregon Inlet a time or two, one of the more treacherous inlets on the east coast.

But, as said before, shade can be an issue if it’s really hot and sunny. There are simple sun shades available that attach to the bow and extend to the T top to create some shade but it’s no cuddy cabin.

Seating is very important for a family, so chose wisely. It’s one of the reasons I bought the Albemarle as it has a nice platform up front for seating for multiple people. I had 8 on board this past weekend and I still had seat space available.

If you are running around in fresh water, I don’t see a need for a deep vee and center console. I’d go with a run about or split console wakeboard type boat as it’s geared more for the fresh water. Even a good skiff with modified hull with seating would be a good option but it can beat you to death if you get a true flat bottom.
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If I get a CC it’ll be a 90% lake boat. It might see the ICW a few times a year and maybe an inshore cruise up the coast on a flat glassy day. The kids and I were fish in a previous life. We love the water. The wife and her family not so much. I need something smooth and dry for sure. I’ve seen the lake get pretty rough. Watched my buddy ride the raging bull that is his Carolina skiff across the white capping lake. I’ll avoid the flat bottom for sure. I’d like to have something versatile so I can do some inshore fishing/cruising. If my wife had it her way we’d be riding around on a pontoon with a 40 and full enclosure so she can stay out of the sun. I say hellll no!
 
Wes said:
If I get a CC it’ll be a 90% lake boat. It might see the ICW a few times a year and maybe an inshore cruise up the coast on a flat glassy day. The kids and I were fish in a previous life. We love the water. The wife and her family not so much. I need something smooth and dry for sure. I’ve seen the lake get pretty rough. Watched my buddy ride the raging bull that is his Carolina skiff across the white capping lake. I’ll avoid the flat bottom for sure. I’d like to have something versatile so I can do some inshore fishing/cruising. If my wife had it her way we’d be riding around on a pontoon with a 40 and full enclosure so she can stay out of the sun. I say hellll no!
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You might want to look at deep v or modified v dual console boats if you want to fish and ski cruise the lake


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IMO, unless you are on the Great Lakes, most deep vee boats aren’t the greatest on the lake. They are made to take waves and plow through the surf, both of which are relatively minimal in most any lake around here.

Also, if the boat is anchored up or just floating, deep vee boats tend to bob much more than most flatter bottom boats; it’s just what they do. It can get people sea sick more than other boats.

If you want a good general purpose boat for lakes and to cruise the ditch I’d look at a good bay boat. They have a modified vee hull that takes some chop and waves and is fast and safe in the ditch and lakes and on a nice day can cruise out to a few reefs for some easy fishing.

Keep in mind I’ve always had a deep vee boat and used it 99% of the time in salt water and made it work in a lake when the time called for it, so my thoughts are focused on what salt water boat would work ok for a family in the lake as well as the salt water. Someone knowledgeable on lake boats may have ideas and thoughts that are much better than mine. I’m just not versed enough with fresh water boats to even know what is out there that could work.


However, your wife’s idea of a pontoon shouldn’t be dismissed so quickly. I see pontoons running up and down the ditch and across Beaufort Inlet every weekend. And, it’s not like they are struggling. These pontoons are legit, cruising at 35mph with a 150hp outboard taking waves like a champ all while staying dry, drinking beer, and blasting some kick ass party music from the top of the deck flanked by a diving board and water slide. And they are set up to troll for blues, Spanish, and Kings and slay som flounder and reds in the marsh. So, if you want a nice family lake boat that you can make work in the ICW every so often, I’d seriously consider a pontoon. I realize you think it may feel like you are turning in your man card, much like driving a mini van does, but you’ll be surprised at how well the modern pontoons do with a decent engine.
 
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