Smallest boat for Vancouver to Victoria and back on infrequent basis ?

JAC said:
Sure its all good to have but not many people have a epirb in a 16' boat unless its a commercial life boat or something.
Click to expand...
Agreed JAC and certainly would be more than most are familiar with but if I was running a 16 footer from Vic to Van, at the very least, a DSC VHF, and my boat registered with an MMSI. A PLB or Epirb might be overkill, until you need it. ;-)
 
I've never done it, but if you pick only the best weather days, I am guessing that Vancouver to Victoria could be easy. I picked a perfect day and took my 16 foot Double Eagle (main motor and kicker) from Esquimalt Anglers to Port Angeles and back - 18 nautical miles each way. It was a beautiful trip. So calm you could have paddled across. I recognized that weather can change really fast, so I didn't spend a lot of time in Port Angeles, but it was a piece of cake both ways. VHF, GPS Chartplotter (handheld backups of each), AIS receiver, iPhone was it for electronics. I was also ready to retreat at any given moment if the weather changed.

The US border guard who met me in Port Angeles just about fell over when he saw my boat. He said it was extremely rare for such a small boat to ever venture across.

No trip is risk free, but if you pick your weather carefully, are prepared to bail out of the trip if necessary, and prepare with good safety equipment, I don't think a trip like mine was an outrageous risk. I think Zurk sounds like he's being careful. Is his route much longer or more difficult?
 
zurk said:
I can drop the sail area on demand (hence the side dropping) so should not be an issue.
weight distribution should be even front to back and side to side as well.

in the electronics/safety department was thinking of getting a :
seastar hydraulic steering with DIY autopilot
ACR ELECTRONICS GlobalFix Pro CAT1 EPIRB, GPS no Disp (Requires hydrostatic release unit replacement for $70 every 2 years and battery every 5).
LOWRANCE HDS-8 Gen2 Fishfinder / Chartplotter Combo
83/200 kHz OB/IB Shallow Water w/Temp XD
Lowrance Broadband 3G Radar
STANDARD HORIZON GX2200 Matrix AIS Fixed-Mount VHF
SHAKESPEARE Mariner 8900 8' 6dB VHF Antenna with Silver-Plated Elements & Gold-Plated Connector
REVERE SUPPLY 4-Person Coastal Compact Life Raft with Canopy
PARA TECH Parachute Sea Anchor for Boats to 25', 8,000lb
Mercury MercMonitor engine monitoring

That should be enough i think. Anyone have any opinions on the safety/electronics ? I could go better but i think this is the minimum to get what i need.
Click to expand...

If you're careful with your weather choices you're very unlikely to wind up in the water. However, even if you do, if you're in a good float coat and float pants your survival time in the water is around 4 hours. With a PLB and a handheld radio on your person, the time to rescue should never exceed 1hour along that route. So I'd invest in the float coats and float pants and not bother with the life raft. Also on a boat that size with a small engine and "infrequent trips", the hydraulic steering and autopilot seems like overkill to me. I'd definitely get the radar and AIS radio however, I note that in that region you should never be out of cell phone coverage and you can also get AIS information (with a 1-2 minute delay) on your mobile phone through the internet. Finally, I note that you're into several 1000$'s in electronics and safety gear alone and more once you buy the boat, trailer and motor. You can take a lot of ferry trips between Vancouver and Victoria for the cost of all the stuff especially if you only plan to go infrequently.
 
Question for the OP...have you ever done this run before and if so, under what conditions (flood, ebb - big or small, NW, SE, W winds, winter, summer) and in what kind of boat. What route did you take, what other options do you have? I run a 16DE for personal use (and I know the boat inside and out) but run bigger and more far capable boats very often and you won't find me doing that run in any 16 anytime. Adding hydraulic steering and a bunch of other equipment simply doesn't escape the fact that you are planning on running a small boat in a body of water that can get very nasty, very quickly. Short stacked waves will overcome limited freeboard quickly and just bacuase you have a bilge pump doesn't mean you should let it happen!

With all that being said, on a glass flat day in the summer I see no reason not to try it for an adventure but you better have all your basis covered. Never catch me doing it. I'd save my pennies and take the ferry.
 
I have not done it before (hence the Q). Currently I run my well equipped inflatable up and down Pitt Lake and the fraser and out around the UBC beach areas and pretty much all the lakes around vancouver up to whistler. inflatable has been on 4ft seas on pitt lake in a rainstorm with no problem but i wouldnt trust it across the strait as it is only a 10.5ft with a 15HP single motor. currently run 2 GPS, 1 fishfinder, VHF handheld, 2 fuel tanks, 2 batts + trolling motor + oars + auto + manual bilge pump + auto + manual inflator on the inflatable. Normally wear wet suits and life jackets from start to finish but no problems yet.
freeboard is 28 inches on the 16ft tinny. i'll likely run it not only from van to vic but also all around georgia strait and small islands around nanaimo etc so its not possible to go to those places by ferry anyway. van to vic would probably be the longest stretch though.
i found this for weather conditions : http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/Library/487-14.pdf - says wave heights dont exceed 10-12 or so ft. i'll avoid NW winds, low tide (around noon) and keep to days where the forecast is < 15 knots of wind. that should be ok, i think ?

autopilot is not for any great safety but more for convenience - find a nice spot, have the boat take you there on its own on a later trip without having to bother about navigation. AIS is built into the radio anyway.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I do apologize for the next statement but...I think you are in naive to think this is a good idea. I would encourage you NOT to do it but it seems clear that you are set. Good luck.
 
not really set as I have not bought the boat yet - so im just soliciting opinions.
Q since youre familiar with the waters - in a 16ft tinny would there be a problem assuming < 15 knots wind forecast (SE), no NW winds and high tide for the trip and return trip ? if so, why ? do storms blow up suddenly despite no warning from env canada ?

and also assuming you had to do it what is the smallest size boat you would choose ?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Saxe Point said:
That's a useless contribution, and without explanation. I guess you don't get out on the water, unless it's the ferry.
Click to expand...

It was meant to discourage him obviously, and if he is going to do it might as well do it in a performance bass boat or Rib at 90+ mph on the infrequency that he is saying he wants to do it.

I don't think the investment is worth his while just to use as a personal ferry, I have countless hours of safe fun time on the water.

Thanks for trolling

NS
 
Sounds like you need a good sized cruiser there Zurk. Why not hold out on some of that very expensive equipment your thinking of buying and get a larger safer boat. Look at used ones. Sounds like you plan on doing all sorts of boating through out the Georgia strait. Do you have a family you plan to be taking with you? I ve been in some nasty scary water out there and my boat go me through it and home safely, not the fancy electronics on board.
 
Well, I had forgot you were limited by weight, but I would get the most amount of boat that your SUV can tow. I guess the largest deep v aluminum to save on weight that your budget will allow. Others on here will have good suggestions if your open to them. JAC seems to be the master of finding good deals on boats of all sorts.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
are you serious ? its a foot shorter, doesnt have a deep V and is not a rib. those "tubes" are closed cell foam which absorbs water since it is located on the waterline. in 2-3 years or so that boat will have around 200 lbs water on the side foam tubes.

the second one is exactly like the one i plan to buy new lol.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
That safe boat is self bailing, you wanted a safe boat you can tow with a small SUV thats the options I was looking for you. As I said way back in this thread buy a bigger boat. That safe boat is no joke And I'm very confident it would be safer when the 16' hard top idea your planning. Being low profile, lots of flotation and would draw little windage it would be very seaworthy, self bailing super important for boats that want to push the limits
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top