Re: Open Water Boating with Pointy Skiff?
--- Inbolger@egroups.com, thedemings@n... wrote:
angler who, aside from being a relative stranger to me, was the most
fish-crazy bugger I have ever met. After 3 hours with no bites in
the Newport Back Bay, he talked me into going out a short way off the
"Wedge" in Corona Del Mar. Now keep in mind I have a rather hefty
6HP motor on Skiffy - thank God!! As soon as we went around the tip
of the wedge, the waves picked up something fierce. The swells must
have been no less than 6-10 feet. I had difficulty even turning
around as the waves continued to pound her bow. Not wanting to
expose her sides to a pounding, I timed the next wave and QUICKLY
turned her around. I then rode the surf as it pounded on the transom
back into the bay inlet - WHEW!! Needless to say, I don't think I'll
try that particular trick again... I later learned that the "WEDGE"
is one of the best surfing spots on the California Coast - DOH! I now
know why it is called the "Wedge" - the current tends to wedge
everything against the rock jetty out there. The next day I took a
drive down the Laguna coastline and there was no way that the
conditions out there near the kelp beds or rock boilers even came
close to what I experienced at the Wedge. In a rather twisted way,
the experience has inspired a certain sense of confidence in Skiffy.
I don't want to be foolhardy, but at the same time, the near-shore
conditions in many areas of the southland are relatively calm hence
the question. Diablo might be a ways off - I'm first going to have to
catch enough fish with Skiffy to pay for her ... :)
> Hi Sonic,As a matter of fact ... yes! I went fishing last weekend with an
> Have you been in any chop with that skiff yet?
angler who, aside from being a relative stranger to me, was the most
fish-crazy bugger I have ever met. After 3 hours with no bites in
the Newport Back Bay, he talked me into going out a short way off the
"Wedge" in Corona Del Mar. Now keep in mind I have a rather hefty
6HP motor on Skiffy - thank God!! As soon as we went around the tip
of the wedge, the waves picked up something fierce. The swells must
have been no less than 6-10 feet. I had difficulty even turning
around as the waves continued to pound her bow. Not wanting to
expose her sides to a pounding, I timed the next wave and QUICKLY
turned her around. I then rode the surf as it pounded on the transom
back into the bay inlet - WHEW!! Needless to say, I don't think I'll
try that particular trick again... I later learned that the "WEDGE"
is one of the best surfing spots on the California Coast - DOH! I now
know why it is called the "Wedge" - the current tends to wedge
everything against the rock jetty out there. The next day I took a
drive down the Laguna coastline and there was no way that the
conditions out there near the kelp beds or rock boilers even came
close to what I experienced at the Wedge. In a rather twisted way,
the experience has inspired a certain sense of confidence in Skiffy.
I don't want to be foolhardy, but at the same time, the near-shore
conditions in many areas of the southland are relatively calm hence
the question. Diablo might be a ways off - I'm first going to have to
catch enough fish with Skiffy to pay for her ... :)
Hi Sonic,
Have you been in any chop with that skiff yet? I have and believe me,
you don't want to be far from land when the waves pick up.
Here is what happened with me. I was out fishing with my daughter
last month (on an inlet off the St. Johns river in Florida). When we
started out the water was like glass. After about an hour of no bites
I started to head back to the beach (wind was picking up). We really
never went farther than about 100 yards from shore at any time and I
was rowing, no motor. Well, I let my daughter talk me into staying
out a little longer...(mistake #2) so I row past our launch point and
headed farther into the inlet. I didn't go more than 500 yards and
the wind really started to blow. Chop was, I guess to be, 1-1/2'to
2'. Boy Howdy! The chop just appeared out of nowhere. My daughter was
having a blast, not knowing just how hard it was for me to maintain a
steady course and to just keep the oars in the water. I angled closer
and closer to shore. Long and short of it is that we made it back
okay, but talk aout tired! Whew! I slept like a rock that night, very
much knowing that I had learned the limits of the Pointy Skiff and a
couple of important lessons.
Take a hard look at the weather and chop and if in any doubt, don't
do it. And if you do do it, head in at any weather change. Remember I
was inland and close to shore. Someone said to build the Diablo. I
agree that for adventures off shore, you would be safer and have more
fun in a larger, more stable craft. Learn from my stupidity of not
listening to my first instincts(mistake #1) of heading in and calling
it a day.
Good Luck,
Rich
Have you been in any chop with that skiff yet? I have and believe me,
you don't want to be far from land when the waves pick up.
Here is what happened with me. I was out fishing with my daughter
last month (on an inlet off the St. Johns river in Florida). When we
started out the water was like glass. After about an hour of no bites
I started to head back to the beach (wind was picking up). We really
never went farther than about 100 yards from shore at any time and I
was rowing, no motor. Well, I let my daughter talk me into staying
out a little longer...(mistake #2) so I row past our launch point and
headed farther into the inlet. I didn't go more than 500 yards and
the wind really started to blow. Chop was, I guess to be, 1-1/2'to
2'. Boy Howdy! The chop just appeared out of nowhere. My daughter was
having a blast, not knowing just how hard it was for me to maintain a
steady course and to just keep the oars in the water. I angled closer
and closer to shore. Long and short of it is that we made it back
okay, but talk aout tired! Whew! I slept like a rock that night, very
much knowing that I had learned the limits of the Pointy Skiff and a
couple of important lessons.
Take a hard look at the weather and chop and if in any doubt, don't
do it. And if you do do it, head in at any weather change. Remember I
was inland and close to shore. Someone said to build the Diablo. I
agree that for adventures off shore, you would be safer and have more
fun in a larger, more stable craft. Learn from my stupidity of not
listening to my first instincts(mistake #1) of heading in and calling
it a day.
Good Luck,
Rich
--- Inbolger@egroups.com, sonicwonder@h... wrote:
> Hi gang. I've been having a ball going fishing with Skiffy in the
> Newport Bay but I have yet to catch anything. I guess my
> boatbuilding skills are better than my angling skills :( I have a
> question for those of you who are familiar with the California
> coastline and prevailing near-shore conditions. Many kayakers
manage
> to paddle a good distance from the shore (2-3 miles) to fish and
that
> strikes me as quite foolhardy. However, I have been considering
> launching Skiffy from the beach to reach nearby kelp and rock
> structures up to a mile off-shore. Given that Skiffy has about
300Lbs
> positive floatation (very similar to the kayak), would it be
> unreasonable or unsafe to use it for this purpose assuming calm
seas?
> Payson himself said he planned on using his Pointy Skiff for
lobster
> fishing shortly before he gave up fishing. Lobster traps on the
> Pacific are placed about 1-2 miles offshore. I am assuming that
> Payson planned on doing his fishing in the North Atlantic, which
> typically has rougher seas than the Pacific waters.
Out here in Montauk, I fish a mile or so offshore in my teal. A great
way to troll for stripers and bluefish. I wish we had kelp beds to
keep the water smooth near shore. Beating into a 3 foot swell and 2
foot chop in a boat that doesn't have any extra floatation will keep
you sharp. I don't go out when the wind is hard offshore.
I grew up in Southern California (La Jolla) and routinely rowed my
sabot (8 foot punt) out to the kelp beds to fish for calico bass. A
gang of my Father's friends had home built boats which years later
when I got Payson's books I realized were "instant boats" or gulls.
This was all long before kayak fishing became popular. We had the
inside water to ourselves and it was grand.
If you do this be prepared to lose all your gear, your boat, and swim
back to shore. If you're okay with that, I *highly* recommend it. Try
bouncing a squid on a scampi jig off the bottom. If you don't
understand the rhythm of the waves, learn.
Take a whistle and a life-vest. If you get a small type III vest,
it's more convenient (and safer,) to wear it than it is to have it
getting in the way in the bottom of the boat. A wetsuit adds another
margin of safety for both floatation and warmth.
I envy you. The Socal kelp beds are one of the nicest places in the
world. In the summer, you might even trick a yellowtail into biting.
The go as big as 40 pounds and they're great eating! I read about
another guy that caught a 200 pound thresher shark fishing off his
paddleboard. Took 1.5 hours and towed him 5 miles, but he landed it.
Another *great* eating fish, and what a tale to tell!
Lastly, be honest with yourself. If you can't swim a mile in 59
degree water (Socal winter temp.) then don't do it. If you're not
willing to lose your boat and gear, don't do it. As Payson says, "You
can't through bull with the ocean, she won't listen."
Best Luck,
David
134 W.26th St. 12th Floor
New York, NY 10001
(212) 243-1636
way to troll for stripers and bluefish. I wish we had kelp beds to
keep the water smooth near shore. Beating into a 3 foot swell and 2
foot chop in a boat that doesn't have any extra floatation will keep
you sharp. I don't go out when the wind is hard offshore.
I grew up in Southern California (La Jolla) and routinely rowed my
sabot (8 foot punt) out to the kelp beds to fish for calico bass. A
gang of my Father's friends had home built boats which years later
when I got Payson's books I realized were "instant boats" or gulls.
This was all long before kayak fishing became popular. We had the
inside water to ourselves and it was grand.
If you do this be prepared to lose all your gear, your boat, and swim
back to shore. If you're okay with that, I *highly* recommend it. Try
bouncing a squid on a scampi jig off the bottom. If you don't
understand the rhythm of the waves, learn.
Take a whistle and a life-vest. If you get a small type III vest,
it's more convenient (and safer,) to wear it than it is to have it
getting in the way in the bottom of the boat. A wetsuit adds another
margin of safety for both floatation and warmth.
I envy you. The Socal kelp beds are one of the nicest places in the
world. In the summer, you might even trick a yellowtail into biting.
The go as big as 40 pounds and they're great eating! I read about
another guy that caught a 200 pound thresher shark fishing off his
paddleboard. Took 1.5 hours and towed him 5 miles, but he landed it.
Another *great* eating fish, and what a tale to tell!
Lastly, be honest with yourself. If you can't swim a mile in 59
degree water (Socal winter temp.) then don't do it. If you're not
willing to lose your boat and gear, don't do it. As Payson says, "You
can't through bull with the ocean, she won't listen."
Best Luck,
David
>Hi gang. I've been having a ball going fishing with Skiffy in theCRUMBLING EMPIRE PRODUCTIONS
>Newport Bay but I have yet to catch anything. I guess my
>boatbuilding skills are better than my angling skills :( I have a
>question for those of you who are familiar with the California
>coastline and prevailing near-shore conditions. Many kayakers manage
>to paddle a good distance from the shore (2-3 miles) to fish and that
>strikes me as quite foolhardy. However, I have been considering
>launching Skiffy from the beach to reach nearby kelp and rock
>structures up to a mile off-shore. Given that Skiffy has about 300Lbs
>positive floatation (very similar to the kayak), would it be
>unreasonable or unsafe to use it for this purpose assuming calm seas?
>Payson himself said he planned on using his Pointy Skiff for lobster
>fishing shortly before he gave up fishing. Lobster traps on the
>Pacific are placed about 1-2 miles offshore. I am assuming that
>Payson planned on doing his fishing in the North Atlantic, which
>typically has rougher seas than the Pacific waters.
>
>
>
>Bolger rules!!!
>- no cursing, flaming, trolling, or spamming
>- no flogging dead horses
>- add something: take "thanks!" and "ditto!" posts off-list.
>- stay on topic and punctuate
>- add your comments at the TOP and SIGN your posts
134 W.26th St. 12th Floor
New York, NY 10001
(212) 243-1636
Sonic,
I would not recommend going out of sight of land. Launch in calm
conditions, come back in 6' surf? Kayaks, in the hands of experienced
paddlers are probably the most seaworthy boats afloat. An open boat full of
water may float, but bailing one out in order to gain control of it and get
back to shore could be next to impossible in the sea conditions that filled
it up in the first place. Kayaks are fully covered with spray skirts
sealing the cockpit area. The directional stability of a Pointy Skiff is
not what I want when running before any surf. Kayak, different story.
Give this some serious thought. You could always build yourself a sea
kayak.
Jim
I would not recommend going out of sight of land. Launch in calm
conditions, come back in 6' surf? Kayaks, in the hands of experienced
paddlers are probably the most seaworthy boats afloat. An open boat full of
water may float, but bailing one out in order to gain control of it and get
back to shore could be next to impossible in the sea conditions that filled
it up in the first place. Kayaks are fully covered with spray skirts
sealing the cockpit area. The directional stability of a Pointy Skiff is
not what I want when running before any surf. Kayak, different story.
Give this some serious thought. You could always build yourself a sea
kayak.
Jim
> -----Original Message-----
> From:sonicwonder@...[mailto:sonicwonder@...]
> Sent: Monday, December 11, 2000 10:59 PM
> To:bolger@egroups.com
> Subject: [bolger] Open Water Boating with Pointy Skiff?
>
>
> Hi gang. I've been having a ball going fishing with Skiffy in the
> Newport Bay but I have yet to catch anything. I guess my
> boatbuilding skills are better than my angling skills :( I have a
> question for those of you who are familiar with the California
> coastline and prevailing near-shore conditions. Many kayakers manage
> to paddle a good distance from the shore (2-3 miles) to fish and that
> strikes me as quite foolhardy. However, I have been considering
> launching Skiffy from the beach to reach nearby kelp and rock
> structures up to a mile off-shore. Given that Skiffy has about 300Lbs
> positive floatation (very similar to the kayak), would it be
> unreasonable or unsafe to use it for this purpose assuming calm seas?
> Payson himself said he planned on using his Pointy Skiff for lobster
> fishing shortly before he gave up fishing. Lobster traps on the
> Pacific are placed about 1-2 miles offshore. I am assuming that
> Payson planned on doing his fishing in the North Atlantic, which
> typically has rougher seas than the Pacific waters.
>
>
>
> Bolger rules!!!
> - no cursing, flaming, trolling, or spamming
> - no flogging dead horses
> - add something: take "thanks!" and "ditto!" posts off-list.
> - stay on topic and punctuate
> - add your comments at the TOP and SIGN your posts
>
>
I think this is a bad idea.
Payson lives on a relatively protected bay in Maine where the lobster
pots are typically set in 20-30' of water just off shore. Therefore
tending them is an inshore activity and not in an exposed location.
Pointy Skiff is not a rough water boat. All it would take to flip it
is to encounter 3-4 footers in the chop, typically found along our
southern coast of New England, beam to, and you are over and out.
Kayaks work on a much different principal than a flatiron skiff. The
are essentially narrow beam, round hulled craft that depend a great
deal on the kayaker and the oar to roll the craft under them in such
conditions. If you fall out of a kayak, they are difficult to get back
into, but not impossible since the hull is easily righted. However,
if you roll your Pointy Skiff, I seriously doubt that you will re-
right it without dragging it ashore and flipping it back over.
If you want to venture a mile or less offshore, build a Diablo and
pick your weather. I have been to Monomoy Island and fished the south
coast of Cape Cod, Hingham Bay, Boston Harbor, Newburyport in Diablo.
Lots of stripers, blues, fluke. . . but, the weather was always fair
with light winds and negligible chop. I always work upwind and come
home downwind when the winds increase. Diablo would work as a lobster
pot tender for inshore work if you took care to glass the inside to
protect the hull from the inevitable abrasion from your lobster gear.
Hauling pots by hand is "hard work"! I recommend a 22'-30' boat with a
davit for this kind of stuff. Novi style? . . . .
Payson lives on a relatively protected bay in Maine where the lobster
pots are typically set in 20-30' of water just off shore. Therefore
tending them is an inshore activity and not in an exposed location.
Pointy Skiff is not a rough water boat. All it would take to flip it
is to encounter 3-4 footers in the chop, typically found along our
southern coast of New England, beam to, and you are over and out.
Kayaks work on a much different principal than a flatiron skiff. The
are essentially narrow beam, round hulled craft that depend a great
deal on the kayaker and the oar to roll the craft under them in such
conditions. If you fall out of a kayak, they are difficult to get back
into, but not impossible since the hull is easily righted. However,
if you roll your Pointy Skiff, I seriously doubt that you will re-
right it without dragging it ashore and flipping it back over.
If you want to venture a mile or less offshore, build a Diablo and
pick your weather. I have been to Monomoy Island and fished the south
coast of Cape Cod, Hingham Bay, Boston Harbor, Newburyport in Diablo.
Lots of stripers, blues, fluke. . . but, the weather was always fair
with light winds and negligible chop. I always work upwind and come
home downwind when the winds increase. Diablo would work as a lobster
pot tender for inshore work if you took care to glass the inside to
protect the hull from the inevitable abrasion from your lobster gear.
Hauling pots by hand is "hard work"! I recommend a 22'-30' boat with a
davit for this kind of stuff. Novi style? . . . .
Hi gang. I've been having a ball going fishing with Skiffy in the
Newport Bay but I have yet to catch anything. I guess my
boatbuilding skills are better than my angling skills :( I have a
question for those of you who are familiar with the California
coastline and prevailing near-shore conditions. Many kayakers manage
to paddle a good distance from the shore (2-3 miles) to fish and that
strikes me as quite foolhardy. However, I have been considering
launching Skiffy from the beach to reach nearby kelp and rock
structures up to a mile off-shore. Given that Skiffy has about 300Lbs
positive floatation (very similar to the kayak), would it be
unreasonable or unsafe to use it for this purpose assuming calm seas?
Payson himself said he planned on using his Pointy Skiff for lobster
fishing shortly before he gave up fishing. Lobster traps on the
Pacific are placed about 1-2 miles offshore. I am assuming that
Payson planned on doing his fishing in the North Atlantic, which
typically has rougher seas than the Pacific waters.
Newport Bay but I have yet to catch anything. I guess my
boatbuilding skills are better than my angling skills :( I have a
question for those of you who are familiar with the California
coastline and prevailing near-shore conditions. Many kayakers manage
to paddle a good distance from the shore (2-3 miles) to fish and that
strikes me as quite foolhardy. However, I have been considering
launching Skiffy from the beach to reach nearby kelp and rock
structures up to a mile off-shore. Given that Skiffy has about 300Lbs
positive floatation (very similar to the kayak), would it be
unreasonable or unsafe to use it for this purpose assuming calm seas?
Payson himself said he planned on using his Pointy Skiff for lobster
fishing shortly before he gave up fishing. Lobster traps on the
Pacific are placed about 1-2 miles offshore. I am assuming that
Payson planned on doing his fishing in the North Atlantic, which
typically has rougher seas than the Pacific waters.