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

124»

Comments

  • J3ffJ3ff Member Posts: 4,054 ✭✭✭✭✭
    made it to cuttyhunk before the rain came through... the toilet lid snapped off and I've got some screws that are ready to fall out from the bimini :)  - the out drive DEF. starts to groan at points... voicing it's displeasure. Going to have to check the oil, seems like that will need a nice service/replacement this winter. Time to get some lunch and take a nap!
  • luvinlifeluvinlife Member Posts: 501 ✭✭✭
    edited July 2017
     Jeff glad you  made it to Cuttyhunk.  Sounds like you must have been banging through the waves based on the toilet problem and the Bimini screws.   I sure hope your outdrive  is OK
    Post edited by luvinlife on
  • J3ffJ3ff Member Posts: 4,054 ✭✭✭✭✭
    LoL, yeah, well.. if it's not I'll leave it here till it's fixed and take the train back when it's ready. 

    Went to the top of the island, pretty cool, everyone here is very laid back, starting to get a good dock crowd.. going to go sample the local pizza. 
  • reneechris14reneechris14 Member Posts: 3,134 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Glad to see you and your boat made the trip safely. Now it would be interesting to hear your suggestions for things needed. I would also like an estimate of hours,feel burn,miles,fun factor (1-10)and scare factor (1-10).
    2005 Rinker FV342  Pawcatuck river,Ct
  • J3ffJ3ff Member Posts: 4,054 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2017
    Alright - yes, made it there and back without issue, which seems like it was a great feat and I'm thankful the boat performed as it should!! 

    Both straps from the window to the bimini ended up falling apart and I had to fix them on the fly.  This was during the worst part of the trip as far as waves go.  Luckily I had planned ahead for events like that and had some extra straps ready to go. Slowed down for a few minutes and fixed them as needed. 

    What I would say after doing is to go down to your boat, look for things that could fail easily while you sit there and have a drink.. as I did a month or so before the trip.

    I brought a full tool box, only needed the screwdrivers and the pliers. 

    Here is the trip I made.. I'd say it was more like 16 hours total, due to waves.
     


    I haven't added up the fuel just yet, it was 3.29 a gallon everywhere except block island, it was 3.80 there.  I honestly don't want to know till tomorrow how much was spent of fuel :) and will add it up then.  What I can tell you is I've got 100 gallon tank, and it felt like each hour of running at 4000 rpm equated to a 1/4 tank of gas.  At best I was getting 1.7mpg according to the VVM app.. 

    Fun factor was an 9... mostly due to the people I met while making a trip like this alone. 

    Scare factor was an 11 between number 2 and 3.. I was very prepared, with an auto inflate life vest, VHF with GPS/DSC and PLB tied to the life vest and a 5 person tube with a quick release knot attached to the swim platform (I was assuming the worst, say I hit my head on something and fell off the boat unconscious) but that run between Block Island and Cutty hunk was one that I would wish on no one.  Screws backed out of their screw holes, vibrations showed up that I've never felt before (and are still present!) 

    If I could have controlled all factors, I would have been sure to only go WITH the tide, but in my case I had to stay ahead of storms that were coming up the sound and fog as well.. as I just dont boat in fog. 

    Next year, if I do this again, I'm going to skip staying overnight at Westbrook CT and Block island.  Instead I'll head to Newport for a night or two and then go up to the cape and do the same thing on the return.  I did see a lot of boats doing the same kind of run (and will post pictures and videos this week) but they were pretty big, def not a 270.  

    Keep in mind I switched props to the hill marine 4x4 20p's while on vacation. That would have made the ride between 3 and 4 much less scary. 

    I would say going forward just assume the worst for the water off of Rhode Island. 

    Yesterday I opted to skip and overnight on the return trip at westbrook.. and I'm very glad to have done that, waves on the sound today were out of control!! Which leads me to my next point. Build in enough time that you can be delayed for a day or two while waiting for good weather.  My run from block island to cutty hunk was the worst part... but I saw with my own eyes (after hiking to the top of cutty hunk) that the R.I. sound water that I had just crossed was FLAT CALM just a few hours after I crossed it battling 4-6 footers.  What I should have done was a 180 degree turn after coming around the north tip of block island and found a cove to drop the anchor till it calmed down. 

    To be continued. 


    Post edited by J3ff on
  • craigswardmtbcraigswardmtb Member Posts: 1,015 ✭✭✭
    Sounds like a great trip!  Yes that run from Block to Cuttyhunk can be snotty.  The eerie part is you are in the most open waters during that leg.  Fortunately there are some active shipping lanes that cut through there, so hopefully you get picked up quick if things really went array.  The CG station boats out of Block are in those waters often too.  We also had one of my worst rides ever going from Old Saybrook to Cuttyhunk.  As soon as we got past Narragansett we hit a pop up storm that kicked waves up over 6' with heavy rain and poor visibility.  That was an adventure, or if you ask my wife she would say ****.

    Did you not dig Block, hence skipping it next time?  Its the total opposite of Cuttyhunk, as the harbor is always jamming with boats.  You gotta catch it on a nice day too and then explore town and the beaches.  You can't beat the beaches of Block.  Also on a bad weather day the harbor is so big that it is more affected by weather than most, especially the anchorage seeing it is more exposed to the southwesterly winds given its location on the Eastern/northeastern side of the harbor.  None the less its our favorite spot to anchor for long periods.  The marinas are a zoo in Block, so we typically avoid those.

    We leave next week for our big summer trip.  We are doing 3 nights at a Marina in Menemsha on Marthas Vineyard (Menemsha is the sleepy harbor of the Vineyard where they filmed the notable Jaws scene of the shark entering the channel/harbor); then 3 nights at the marina in Cuttyhunk; and end the trip with 4 nights under anchor in Block Island; then back home to Mystic.  Hoping for good weather.
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,218 ✭✭✭✭✭
    wow, none of my trips have been that "exciting" and I'm not sure my admiral would step foot on a boat again if so. She does not like the waves from other boat, much less an angry sea!
  • Dream_InnDream_Inn Member, Moderator Posts: 7,552 mod
    Looks like a great trip and glad you had a great safe time!  That is really wonderful going for it on a 270!  Reminds me of the days on our first 240 and people just thought we were crazy with two small children (both in diapers one year) doing a couple hundred miles on a boat for 10 days. 

    Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express

  • J3ffJ3ff Member Posts: 4,054 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Did you not dig Block, hence skipping it next time? 
    I think it's more about the water between westbrook and block, and then block and cutty hunk has me not interested.. also now that I've seen that I can leave from my original point and make it to Newport in one day, that'd save a lot of time and $$ from the equation..  maybe next time it would be Straight to cutty hunk, not sure!
  • LaReaLaRea Member Posts: 7,505 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @J3ff - this one trip probably taught you more about boating than most boaters bother to learn in a lifetime.  Well done.  
  • reneechris14reneechris14 Member Posts: 3,134 ✭✭✭✭✭
    @LaRea is right and I hope the 1400 people that read this post also learn something.I know I did,some great suggestions and ideas.
    2005 Rinker FV342  Pawcatuck river,Ct
  • J3ffJ3ff Member Posts: 4,054 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 2017
    Added up the gas, it was 903 dollars in gas and I had a half a tank left when I got home.

    Considering it was 400 a day to rent a boat in Capecod... 903 seems "okay" to have a boat with you to go enjoy the bass river almost everyday. The trip was fun as well, stopping at the various places, meeting other boaters and seeing friends. The cost of gas seems like a small price to pay for all the experiences.
  • gtyeegtyee Member Posts: 168 ✭✭✭
    What a great sounding trip. I'm still planning mine and appreciate the tips and advice.
Sign In or Register to comment.