rough water

[malibuboats4]

we were out in some rough water the other day and boy was it scary... they were about 2-3 foot swells. what is the best was to drive in this situation? to get on plain and go perpendicular to the chop? or at an angle to the chop?

[BuFootin]

I found it best to run perpendicular to the chop, at a speed that is just fast enough to take the bow of th boat from swell to swell. Also with the high winds this time of year in DFW, you could hug the shoreline as much as you can to get back in too. Your'e in a pretty big & safe boat so it would take alot to swamp it. Even safer though....is not get caught out on the lake in bad weather.

[txwakejunkie]

We went out this weekend also, we had some 3-4ft stuff. If we had been in our boat we would have turned around and went home. We were with riverrunner in his 240 enzo and had no issues driving right against it. got over to the south side where there was some windblock and got our on!! I LOVE my malibu but that will sure make you think twice when it comes time for a new boat. We were bracing for the waves and felt nothing, we looked at each other like where did the wave go? He didnt even know that his boat would handle the rough stuff that well.

As far as how to drive it, I have learned that if you want to stay some what dry, load up some rear ballast to help get the nose up and 15mph is usally about as fast as you can go and still be smooth, after that you will start to take a beating and a shower.

when it is 1ft and smaller load up some mid ballast and maybe even a little bow ballast depending on your crew, and it will ride much better.

Edited April 28, 2009 by txwakejunkie

[ande2407]

I'll second the 'stay out of the bad weather' comment.

Big waves can cause problems if you hit them too fast. I accidentally clipped a big wave while cruising towards the marina and completely jumped the boat. Messed up the prop shaft, battery somehow dumped out of the holder and dumped acid inside the boat, which ate away the vinyl under the bow cover, and I had a fuel line leak.

Any chance of big waves, and I am definitely at the bow out of the water but safe speed these days. And of course I pay more attention after the $3000 worth of repairs.

[Baddog]

Can't speak about the bigger wake boats, but for a lowly Sunsetter, my rule is: "this is a crappy boat in rough water". If I do get caught in it, my best option is to hit the waves at a very oblique angle.

[zad0030]

Just plow, speeds of like 15mph. Get the bow up!!!!

If you can try to run against the waves at an angle. We use this at Lake Of the Ozarks when one of those big suckers drives by. We call it "rolling" with the waves. But if they are too big its probably best to head straight into them. Going at an angle just takes some of the bumpiness out, and you indeed, roll.

But yes, If the weather is bad stay home..

[jcaksume]

We went out this weekend also, we had some 3-4ft stuff. If we had been in our boat we would have turned around and went home. We were with riverrunner in his 240 enzo and had no issues driving right against it. got over to the south side where there was some windblock and got our on!! I LOVE my malibu but that will sure make you think twice when it comes time for a new boat. We were bracing for the waves and felt nothing, we looked at each other like where did the wave go? He didnt even know that his boat would handle the rough stuff that well.

As far as how to drive it, I have learned that if you want to stay some what dry, load up some rear ballast to help get the nose up and 15mph is usally about as fast as you can go and still be smooth, after that you will start to take a beating and a shower.

when it is 1ft and smaller load up some mid ballast and maybe even a little bow ballast depending on your crew, and it will ride much better.

I agree Cameron, the Centurions handle rough water well. My 91 skier sucks if its just whitecapping.

[Coach Mike]

Our '02 was rough in waves so I used to take them at an angle and slower speed to ease the ride. The '08 is much better in chop and haven't had any issues but seems to be okay taking waves straight on compared to the '02. Just take it slow whatever you do to avoid serious problems with the boat and crew.

[wakeup]

Neither our old 06 Vride nor the new 08 VLX do very well in rough water and gets very tiresome hitting those waves. My wife hates it. Plus we usually are only on the BU when we are going wakeboarding in good smooth water.

I had the following on file which may pertain to larger waves like on an ocean, but I'll throw it out there for what its worth. This was something I had from a boaters course:

If you're heading directly into the wind (and therefore the seas), you'll be going up and over each wave, and then dropping into the trough. Adjust your speed so you aren't going too fast, either at the crest of the wave (you want to rotate over the top gently) or in the trough (too much speed will bury the bow in the oncoming wave). It's a good idea to keep your hand on the throttle at all times and keep adjusting the speed to each individual wave.

As the waves grow larger or steeper, the motion from going directly up and over the waves will be uncomfortable, and quartering the waves will be more satisfactory. This means steering so that your boat meets the waves at an angle rather than perpendicular to them.

If your course takes you in the same direction as the waves (called "running before the seas"), it's important to maintain enough speed to stay ahead of the crests, particularly those that are breaking occasionally. A powerboat's square stern puts it at a disadvantage when running before large waves, since a sea can push the boat forward and cause a loss of control, so the forward face of the wave is a danger zone.

One important difference between inboard boats and both stern drive and outboard-powered craft must be understood. The rudder on an inboard boat is more effective at controlling the boat on the downward face of a wave, because the underwater drive "legs" of an outboard or stern drive need to have propeller thrust for good control. As an outboard or sterndrive boat accelerates down a wave, the propeller thrust (relative to the passing water) is reduced and steering becomes less efficient. You may need to increase the throttle setting to regain control but this can be tricky, since you'll be going too fast at the bottom of the wave. If at all possible, simply stay off the downward face of the wave.

The ideal position for a small powerboat is on the back side of the wave ahead, with the skipper adjusting the boat's speed to stay with the waves. Going too slowly will let the sea behind you catch up, while going too fast will push you over the crest of the sea ahead and you'll again be in the danger zone.

If you need to steer parallel to the waves, you'll have an uncomfortable and generally unsafe ride since you'll be rolling wildly with each wave. Even if the seas are not big enough to be dangerous, you'll find this a very wet course from the spray. A better plan is to zigzag toward your destination, quartering into the waves for a while and then running with them so that your boat rides easily.