Planning on a 6 hour boat trip this summer - FV 270 - any tips?

J3ff

Well after a rough start (new engine required) with my 270, we've rented a house for a family vacation in a location that's about 6 to 7 hours @25mph from my home base.  Hoping maybe I can keep the speed more up to 30, but using 25 as a safe estimate. 

Because of the Bravo III heat issues, I've bought and installed a drive shower.  I'll be planning on stopping for fuel when 60% of the tank is empty.  There will be about an hours worth of time when I'll be exposed to ocean size waves...think 6 foot+ if it's a bad day.. 

The other day a friend said "well the boat isn't really seaworthy" where he meant he wouldn't want to be on the open ocean with it.  Am I over confident that this thing can take some waves? 

Has anyone been out in the open ocean with the 270? How did it handle?

Anything else other than a drive shower for a 6+ hour journey? 

I plan on stopping at a couple of places on the way, maybe even going three hours and stopping somewhere overnight.. not sure yet... anyone who's gone on a small journey with your 270 please chime in! 

Handymans342

Your brave doing that trip with one gas motor. 

J3ff

Lol you guys and your twins.  I've had a few boats, all singles and they've all run hundreds of hours... Pretty sure a brand new 383 can handle a six hour ride... 

diggin2day1

I've taken my 270 on a 5hr cruise to Block Island the past 2yrs. The 16 mile crossing from Montauk to Block is open ocean and can get pretty snotty. My engine has just under 800hrs and we're planning on going again this season. On a calm day last year we cruised around 28mph from moriches inlet all the way there. Make sure the boat is loaded properly and go for it. Make sure your SeaTow membership is current. 

J3ff

What does loaded properly mean to you? 

rinker270nb

I got caught on 5+ footers on lake Michigan in my 270 and was tossed like a toy.  Aside from the wave height and wind, the constant beating was relentless. The entire boat was soaked by the time we got to our harbor.  I am told that Lake Michigan's​ waves are closer together (frequency) than ocean waves.  I draw the line at 4+ waves but I am conservative on risk in large water.  Welcome to the 383 club, btw.

reneechris14

J3ff your 1st 2 hours are in the sound so after the that pick your weather,and always have a safe place to hide in.try to keep your load low if you can,I would take my cooler out of the back and put down on the floor in the cabin,it seams the more I put in the bow the better she rode.good luck call if you need help.

[Deleted User]

Even a three hour tour has its challenges. Remember Gilligan, the Skipper, Mary Ann, Ginger, the Professor and the Howells.

Andy

reneechris14

Ginger is the key word.

J3ff

Honestly I'm not really that concerned about it, I'm just looking for some tips and tricks from guys who have already made a 6+ hour trip on a 270... you know, something that might have popped up on them that they didn't think about?

I'm doing a 2.5 hour trip in June... kind of a dry run for the bigger trip. 

Cableguy Greg

Where are you running to and from? @tniggel and I did a 5 hour trip on his 270 and my 232cc. The difference is that we had to stop for locks on the river.

J3ff

reneechris14 said:

J3ff your 1st 2 hours are in the sound so after the that pick your weather,and always have a safe place to hide in.try to keep your load low if you can,I would take my cooler out of the back and put down on the floor in the cabin,it seams the more I put in the bow the better she rode.good luck call if you need help.

That's the idea.. I've got a friend with a dock in Newport and then another one in cuttyhunk... but this trip is partly about just bouncing around the sound and having fun on my own, never gone on a trip by myself.. have three weeks to do it, and one of them will be meeting up with the family in MA

diggin2day1

Loaded properly... keep the weight low and up front. I put my cooler, Honda 2000i generator and other heavy items in the v-berth under the table. I have bungee anchors against the front wall under the table to keep things in place. 

luvinlife

J3ff, where are you located? That trip sounds great.  My 270 is in Portsmouth RI and we plan to take it to Martha's Vineyard and Block Island this summer. Only about a 2 or so hour cruise but they will be our big trips for our first season in the 270. We have been cruising the Narragansett and Mount Hope bays in a smaller cuddy and in a bowrider for years.  Newport, Wickford,Potter's Cove and Bristol are our favorite destinations. Maybe we could meet up to say hello if you make it to Newport. 

J3ff

Great, ordered some anchors and bungees. Thanks for the idea.. do you run your AC on the 2000i?  the previous owner told me that if you run the AC on anything less than a 30 amp plug it'll "burn it out" - he might not have known what he was talking about though. 

J3ff

luvinlife said:

J3ff, where are you located? That trip sounds great.  My 270 is in Portsmouth RI and we plan to take it to Martha's Vineyard and Block Island this summer. Only about a 2 or so hour cruise but they will be our big trips for our first season in the 270. We have been cruising the Narragansett and Mount Hope bays in a smaller cuddy and in a bowrider for years.  Newport, Wickford,Potter's Cove and Bristol are our favorite destinations. Maybe we could meet up to say hello if you make it to Newport. 

Sounds great! Would love to hang out for sure.  Leaving from the western part of the sound..  I'm having lunch with someone today who offered a dock for an overnight stay somewhere near Portsmouth, will ask her where it is and will report back! 

diggin2day1

J3ff said:

Great, ordered some anchors and bungees. Thanks for the idea.. do you run your AC on the 2000i?  the previous owner told me that if you run the AC on anything less than a 30 amp plug it'll "burn it out" - he might not have known what he was talking about though. 

I haven't even tried to run the AC off of the Honda. I bring the generator for (2) reasons... 1.) Just in case my batteries get completely depleted I can charge and go. 2.) So my wife can blow dry her hair. Don't judge me. 

Cableguy Greg

I have a 2200 Watt Ryobi generator that I use to run the AC unit on my 280EC. It does a good job of running it. The only thing that I can't do is run the generator in eco mode. When the AC kicks on, the generator doesn't like it and then the AC unit resets. In normal mode, no issues at all.

randy56

. 2.) So my wife can blow dry her hair. Don't judge me. If moma ant happy nobody's happy

reneechris14

If your going to do it,you my as way look good doing it.
I thought the 2000i had a 30amp breaker.

reneechris14

Just looked it up 13.3amp on Honda 2000i
A/C 6000btu average draw 5.9 on heat,lower draw on A/C.

craigswardmtb

I did a few long jaunts on my old 270. Lindenhurst to Mystic; Mystic to Cuttyhunk; Mystic to Martha's vineyard; and many trips to Block. Biggest piece of advice I can offer is plan out your fuel stops and have a backup. I remember showing up with 1/4 tank and they had hose issues and couldn't give me fuel. I was on fumes by the time I found another fuel station. If you want any local Intel up in the mystic area let me know. Same goes for Cuttyhunk. It's one of our favorite spots that we visit every season. 

P.s.- I look forward to your feedback in the future with those drive showers. Everyone in my marina convinced me against it. They said our waters just continually fouled em up. If im doing a long trip i just run for an hour or so and then drop her off plane for a quick bit then back on plane. 

bazza

280 EC 5.7 300 hp vp duo props s steel, I traveled between 70 and 80 miles between Swansea and Neyland South West Wales UK, encountered ocean swells as I was close to the Irish Sea, I was able to maintain 25 to 30 mph all the time due to the large distances between swell tops and flying off the top of these often great fun and my boat seamed to enjoy the battening more than me, it is solid, stopped only once to view dolphins and what seemed to be a small whale, could have been a sea lion, started with a full tank 378 ltrs I know because I removed the fuel gauge sender to check as it was the first time I had used the boat, approximately 120 ltrs left in tank, very happy with my boat, I would say to keep an eye on the engine water temperature, it's a good guide to the general engine condition.
cheers Bazza

Handymans342

@bazza how much fuel did you burn?

craigswardmtb

As for chop anything bigger than 4ft and closer than 4-5 seconds apart is not fun. Once I was making a mad dash from mystic to the CT river a couple days before hurricane Irene hit and was in 4-6ft waves stacked on each other. Which rarely happens in long island sound.  I was burying the bow bad and couldn't even think of getting on plane. The boat was fine but I was a bit nervous. The 270 is a good ocean boat and will handle a lot imo,  but that doesn't mean you want to be in anything too big. Waves are all about the spacing. I was in 8 ft swells in block island sound before a big storm but they were spaced probably 15 seconds apart so it was a non issue. Don't let your schedule make you push the limits. The great thing about the northeast is there are so many nice protected harbors. One is always pretty close by.  If you find yourself in mystic I always have plenty of boat drinks to share. 

bazza

I burnt approximately 250ltrs 

rasbury

Yep, 6 hours in flat water is nothing! It's the other that's the problem...

Trashman

I have an 80 mile trip planned this summer also that I'm stressing about.  What will be different is Ill be loaded with supplies

bry1429

I have been on dozens of trips across Lake Michigan in my previous boat with a single screw from upper Wisconsin to upper Michigan.  (1993 Bayliner) 110 mile one way trips out in the middle with no land in site. The key is to have some wiggle room in your plans if you have to delay departure or return for somewhat calmer seas. I have had to leave the boat in other marinas, take a train home and return the next wknd to cruise it home in calmer waters.  No one wants to get beat up by rough waters (NO FUN !) You can cruise any size boat if you plan wisely and monitor the waves-n-weather. There is no nicer moment than cruising out in the middle of a calm body of water to your destination.  tunes playing, drink in your hand, warm wind in your face, stop every so often to take a dive in. visiting other marinas and towns. GOOD TIMES! 

luvinlife

Amen Bry, that is why I love boating!

cassiola

I've done several runs on open ocean along the NJ shore from Manasquan Inlet to NY Harbor. Most of the time it was nice and calm but a couple of times the swells were up.
The 270 handled it fine, once I had following seas so had to adjust the angle a bit as I surfed down the wave but then it felt like the back dug in with the next wave. 
Another time had waves off the port bow with wind from the same direction. Didn't have the canvas up and once the water cleared the bow, the wind would blow it in my face. Didn't have time to stop and put up the front glass, so I would say if you're going into the wind, put the front glass up!!
The boat rocks etc but I've never felt un-safe.