Longest trip in 270

luvinlife

2018 will be our second season with our 270 FV. Our boat is in Portsmouth RI in the Narragansett Bay. I have visions of trips to Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard and possibly the CT River. The 270 has a decent sized holding tank and water suppy and we have two newer strong batteries, two VHFs and two GPS units and all USCG requirements. Obviously we will watch the weather and travel early morning before the windskick up. We will probably stay in Marinas most nights. Who has taken long trips in their 270? Suggestions? 

Handymans342

What is your gas capacity and mile range

luvinlife

100 gallons, conservatively 1.5 MPG. I would be comfortable with 100 miles between fill ups. 

Handymans342

Is that at cruise speed?

luvinlife

Yes about 24 mph. 14 gph estimated 

Handymans342

Well you will need to stop at a marina every 100 miles to fill up. You could make it all the way to NY city

luvinlife

Wondering if others have spent multiple days traveling in a 270 and how did it go. Seems doable, large enough for our stuff and seems to have the right amenities for enough comfort. 

Willhound

Not huge but the Admiral and I did 4 nights last summer on a trip to Georgian Bay with no issues. But docked each night in a Marina so pretty easy. Longest run between gas stops was only 40 miles. As far as comfort though it was great!

Handymans342

I dont think a 270 would be big enough for me and the wife. That's why we have a 342. Plus I did 180 miles on 120 gallons which is a half a tank at 32 mph so we have more range. Does your 270 have AC and a generator??

GMSLITHO

All you really need to bring is lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

skennelly

Biggest trip I've done 140 miles.  However we stopped at different harbors along the way to spend the night and fill up.  I wouldn't be comfortable getting past 1/4 tank or so reserve fuel.

That's each way so 280 total miles.

Stodge

We did 16 days on our 342.  Seems like a good reason to upgrade. 

As long as you have good places to dock along the way you should be fine.  We made a point of getting off the boat at every stop.  Most dinners were in port.  

luvinlife

Stodge I agree. Dinners and some time ashore will help. 

Willhound

Our longest day was 6 hours, most of it traversing locks and narrow channels in heavy traffic. Was bagged by the end of the day. Wouldn't do it again without splitting it up. Too stressful on the nerves and brain. And back.

Stodge

Agreed @Willhound.  I tried to keep my time at the helm to no more than 6 hours.  Most days we were doing 100 miles (4 hours) or less.    

Next year our long trip will be 287 miles over 10 days going to 6 ports.  Stroll in the park. 

luvinlife

My first two destinations (Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard) are 55 and 65 miles respectively. Big trips for us but we are psyched to try them. Actually I am. The Admiral is very nervous about this plan. 

GMSLITHO

took a boat from Nj to Fla before the days of cell phones and gps ran the outside to Virginia then the ICW the rest of the way some days we caused for 6 hrs some 12 never in the dark stayed in port every night some marinas had golf carts we could use to run into town.In Thunderbolt Georgia the guy just threw us a set of keys to a old station wagon .It was a trip of a lifetime and would do it again in a minute ...but that was 30 years ago I was just married with no kids .made the trip with 2 couples  on a 40 foot president 

Dream_Inn

Luvin, you'll be fine with the plan.  Sounds like you'll have everything planned out, which is most important.  Our 1st boat was a 24' and we would do 2 sets of 10-day trips on it each year, and at one point with two kids in diapers!   Planning is key and having alternative places and an extra day for every 3 or 4 days to allow for weather.  Especially know of places you can duck in if the weather changes or it gets too rough.  Also, plan where you may get some groceries along the way (as needed).

Also for us, with kids, I find not having long travel days back to back.  Actually, we usually start out real early morning (while kids sleep) and then have at least 1-2 days between travel days if possible.  For us it makes it better than short travel days ever day.  Last August we did an 18 day trip on the boat, over 300 miles.  Our typical 10 day trips cover about the same distance.  Gotta say, the 18 day was much more relaxed due to less mileage covered on an average daily basis. 

Stodge

Might help put the admiral at ease if you get a vessel safety check.  Might also work with her to file a float plan.  You can use something like http://floatplancentral.cgaux.org/download/USCGFloatPlan.pdf

Lastly, if you have not already gotten an MMSI number and programmed it into your VHF radio, you may want to consider that.  Having that and a connected GPS make it really easy to be found when you hit the distress button.  

Given good weather and a good experience first time around will make it lots easier to do the next one.

Our very first "long trip" was supposed to be with a group but the admiral got sick.  We had just gotten our 280 and were supposed to go about 65 miles up to Lexington Michigan.  After she was better we decided to go for it.  We went to Lexington, then Harbor Beach another 30 miles up the coast, then back to home.  Had a little trouble with docking and managed to need some gelcoat repair but had the first "long trip" in the books without incident.  The next time we went to Lexington was the first time we hit 6 footers and had a heck of a ride.  I had to keep telling the admiral to sit down, but she insisted on taking pictures by unzipping the canvas and leaning out with the camera. 

luvinlife

Stodge great advice and love your stories. I will look into an MMSI number. 

Stodge

https://www.boatus.com/mmsi

http://wow.uscgaux.info/content.php?unit=V-DEPT&category=i-want-a-vsc

luvinlife

Thanks Stodge. Hopefully my VHF is DSC capable. It’s the original 2006 radio. 

Stodge

Should be fine.  I want to say any marine VHF made after 2000 is required to have it.

diggin2day1

For the past 3 years my wife and I have taken my 2002 FV270 from the south shore of Long Island(Blue Point) to Block Island. Trip is 105 miles one way and takes anywhere from 5-6 hours(depends on if we stay inside the bay, through Shinnecock Canal and out between the forks OR if we take the ocean the whole way). Either way the 16 miles from Montauk Point to Block Island is the scariest part for us. We stay at anchor in the Great Salt Pond for 5 days(dink back/forth to land). We look forward to it every year. There’s enough room on the boat for the two of us and we’re pretty good at packing only the necessities... just go for it!!

reneechris14

I did many 25-30 mile over night trips in my 270 I had four 4 years. You have plenty of fuel capacity for your legs in your trip. The harbors all have pump out boats but you have to be patient. Only travel when nice out especially when you want to cross Narragansett bay. Ask @J3ff he did it by him self last year, he can add some pointers.

luvinlife

Diggin what did you have for a dinghy on it 270 and where do you store the dinghy engine? I am considering getting one this spring. My swim platform has davits on it. 

diggin2day1

luvinlife said:

Diggin what did you have for a dinghy on it 270 and where do you store the dinghy engine? I am considering getting one this spring. My swim platform has davits on it. 

I have a 9’ high pressure floor Saturn dinghy(got it from Boat2go.com) and a 3.3 Mercury 2-stroke engine that is stored under the aft cockpit seat(fits in there like socks on a rooster). Do a search for FV270 Davies and you’ll see the post about how i transport it. 

skennelly

On all our long trips I have rented an EPIRB as well.  My wife felt good having it.

J3ff

The main thing that I would have to add has already been said. The pace of my trip was a little exhausting.  Left roughly around 9am every morning with the goal of cracking my first drink (and slowing down to enjoy the scenery) by 1pm when the destination was in sight.  Then dropping an anchor somewhere close by, eating lunch, getting docked and then cracking drink #2.. it was kind of a nice way to operate. 

Cruise speed on my 270 was usually most comfortable at 27/28 avg of 1.7/1.8 mpg... it sure drank gas though, it was roughly about 1000 dollars in gas for Fairfield, CT to Westbrook CT to Block Island, to Cutty Hunk MA, to West Dennis MA, a week in west Dennis on the Bass river, then on the return went to Newport/Portsmouth RI, then in one day made it from there to Fairfield CT. 

Maybe 1000 doesn't sound like much to the big boys, I'm still in that young person view of $$  

So back to the point. If I could have done it again I would have made it so that I had a day to explore places between moving locations. What was hard was going out with random friends I met along the way and being able to wake up at 7, get showered, get breakfast and get moving.  On the trip up I lived on the boat for 3 days, meeting family at Westbrook and going sailing on their catamaran and then going out after (to the most hillbilly looking place I've ever been) got me off the boat there.  Someone I met at the bar that night had a two lady friends who were on a sailboat in Block Island who showed me around that place the next night, made friends at the dock at Cuttyhunk and went exploring with them.  I'd say getting off the boat and doing something like that is a must, with something the size of 270.

Up in cape cod,  I slept on the boat for a week straight (got yelled at by a local for my A/C discharge.. she was not happy with me for polluting her water). My family had a house..so most of the time I was up there. On the way back I ended up on a mooring in Newport harbor but a friend from Portsmouth came and got me... so that was nice. Then decided to make the six hour drive all at once (had to stop for gas at Westbrook CT to refill) from Newport RI to Fairfield CT. 

 The MOST important thing in all the places I stopped was a nice big bathroom with a real shower.  IMO the 270 bathroom and shower is kind of like camping in the woods.  First of all I am not a huge guy, but I'm not small either, 230 and 6 2 - but I would not trust that toilet after a night of drinking and eating everything in sight. The showers also proved to be kind of not great, at least the inside one.  A camp shower that had been heating all day would have been awesome, except it was cloudy everyday of my traveling days on the way up.  Point is a real bathroom became a goal to seek out. 

 Secondary concerns would be A/C on the mooring, luckily the night that I was on a mooring in block there was a huge rainstorm and the breeze was strong after that, it allowed me to crack the front hatch and have a nice cool air coming in.  Not sure it would have been as nice having to run the generator all night to keep the A/C going.  What I decided about this was that it was worth the $$ to find a dock with power, nobody wants to be listening to a generator run all night and we also don't want to be sweating.. I found docks on dockwa (an app) that were all between 80 and 120 a night including power, some had really awesome clubhouses, kitchens to use and pools (brewers in westbrook lets you cook your own food in their club house)... 

for safety my "ditch" plan was that I had a tube with a quick pull knot in the line on the swim platform inflated, a vhf with dsc, a cooler on the backseat with 5 gallons of water and cups in it and an auto inflate life-vest. If I did it again I'd have a PLB with me.  Oh yeah and even though sometimes it wasn't possible, always try and go WITH the current, going against it just isn't as fun! 

If you come down to the CT river let me know! I have a cousin that lives up there that wants to go boating, maybe I'll meet you up there! 

luvinlife

J3ff thanks for taking the time to write that excellent post on your long trip. You captured the highs and the lows and it looks like the highs far outweighed the lows. I agree on the shower and jabsco toilet.  I rebuilt my toilet last summer and it’s as good as it will be. I also agree on the shower. I would shower on the swim before I would try that little shower. We would do marinas the first trip so that issue solved anyway. We should try to get that get/together planned for us MA and RI Rinker owners. 

J3ff

The good def outweighed the bad, it's pretty awesome to be able to remember all the fun times throughout the trip!! 

I just spent a few mins making a quick album if you're interested https://photos.app.goo.gl/Jgl8xpEoC3bKPGtz1

Also put in some comments so you would know where all the photos were taken...