Rough Water Speed?

[low277]

I am from NW Minnesota and fish on Lake of The Woods, a large lake for my area. Common wave conditions are 3 foot rollers spaced about 10 feet apart or choppy / confused waves 2 - 4 feet high.

Common boats are 16 - 18 foot aluminum boats, such as Lund, Crestliner, Alumacraft etc.

My question is to the guys who live in areas that fish / boat more than we do here, our season is about 6 - 7 months of open navigable water.

How fast do you typically run from place to place in conditions like this? My boat starts to pound at much more than the upper teens in mph. I run a Lund 1750 Tyee.


Thanks

 

[Don S]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

How fast do you typically run from place to place in conditions like this?

Safe, Comfortable speed.

There is no set speed, it depends on hull shape, weight, and the direction you are headed. Sometimes you may not even be on plane.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

I'm not a lake boater, but... light boat, shallow 'V'. What you're experiencing sounds about right to me.

 

[TyeeMan]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

Howdy,

I'm from lower state Minnesota but I do 90% of my fishing boating in the Brainerd Lakes area, , Gull Lake, Mille Laces. I currently run a 1850 Lund Tyee inboard outboard. Like Don said, whatever is safe and comfortable. In my book there is no reason whatsoever to pound the heck out of your boat just to get to a fishing spot.
I'm sure you've found out that your Lund, like mine hits the waves pretty hard when your tacking into them at say a 45 degree angle. However, if your going directly into the waves sometimes getting up on top of them is pretty smooth.
If the waves are 2-3' with my IO alot of time I can get up on top of em and comfortabley move out at 20-30 mph. I had a 1750 Tyee IO that was similar. Strange but the extra foot really made a difference.

If you haven't already, learn to use your trim on your motor to better find the comfortable cruising range.

I'm envious bud, I wish I lived up in your neck of the woods.

 

[Philster]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

How fast do you typically run from place to place in conditions like this? My boat starts to pound at much more than the upper teens in mph. I run a Lund 1750 Tyee.


Thanks

I didn't see your last line, but was about to say that I can't imagine anything over 15-20 mph or just minimal planing speed would be do-able... so your limit seems totally reasonable.

But for 4'-ers, you are basically off plane and getting tossed around like a cork because you've not heeded some small craft advisory from NOAA.

 

[low277]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

Thanks for the response. There are times when conditions allow me run 35 - 40 mph, but not very often. I fish mostly for walleye and they seem to prefer the windy days.

45 minutes from my garage to the public access at Warroad, MN.

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Rough Water Speed?



A couple of years back I was taking a cruise to Baltimore (2 hours) in the 15 footer in these photos. My son was driving and he only knew one speed--pedal to the metal. No amount of yelling would get him to slow it. The water was rough and the boat was jumping like a salmon going upriver. I actually had to hold myself down onto the seat. When we got home my butt was sore. Later, looking in the mirror before a shower, it was bruised.

That was about the last time I let him drive until he grew up (matured) some.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

But for 4'-ers, you are basically off plane and getting tossed around like a cork because you've not heeded some small craft advisory from NOAA.

^^^^ no kiddin, huh?^^^^

A 17 footer in 4' waves ... that's one buckin' bronco

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

On Erie the conditions vary to the point of what is normally a 20 minute run can take an hour and a half. I won't beat my machine like that on the waves. It knocks important things loose.

 

[low277]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

I don,t head out from the launch into 4 footers but 2 - 2.5 foot is pretty common. " Walleye Chop " as it is called locally. I don't drive very fast in this stuff. I have been in boats and seen/heard others when they are pounding across the lake. I have always felt safe driving slow in the rough stuff, not sure why some people beat their boats so hard.

 

[JB]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

I have spent many hours on LOTW in the conditions you describe. Always in the NW angle and Ontario. Either guide boats (18-20') or my own Boston Whalers from 13' to 17'.

I generally slow to displacement speeds and quarter the waves. Otherwise I get severely pounded. A different pilot tried planing my 17', pounded so bad it ruptured an ulcer and I dang near bled to death before he got me to the clinic in Roseau.

Nevertheless, I believe that LOTW is the finest fishing hole on the planet; well worth driving two days from Texas.

 

[Oshkosh1]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

I generally slow to displacement speeds and quarter the waves.

Best advice I give to people headed out on Lake Winnebago also. Although it's very shallow(24' at the deepest) and we get some REAL confused "sea" here, so it can REALLY be a kidney puncher during Walleye Weekend and Otter Street tournaments!

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

Anybody who drives a boat like a PWC.............Should NEVER BE ALLOWED TO DRIVE ANYONE ELSES BOAT.

Franks son is a PWC driver...........If Frank had a heat attack.................WOT with junior driving him, Frank, back to the ramp & ambulance.

" Hey junior. Why is your fathers body black & blue all over ? "

NEVER let PWC people drive a boat in any emergency. You may have a bigger emergency as a result.

 

[Philster]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

Best advice I give to people headed out on Lake Winnebago also. Although it's very shallow(24' at the deepest) and we get some REAL confused "sea" here, so it can REALLY be a kidney puncher during Walleye Weekend and Otter Street tournaments!

Shallow water is actually more prone to confused seas and also faster building waves heights and such. The energy bounces off the bottom and comes right back up, whereas in deeper water the energy has more room to dissipate.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

Thats the way Freighters almost sank me in the Saint Lawrence River. I call it the " Sunami effect ".
The massive bow pressure wave is only 18" to about 24" as it leaves the ship.

If you are approach the ship from water 10 to 20' deep And ALMOST reach the 160' drop off ledge. A 4 to 5' wave appears in 5 to 6 waves. NO possible escape. Not in a 19' bow rider. I did neutral then 1/3 reverse, then paniced as I went down the back of the 2nd largest wave in the group.I am in full reverse with the engine rpm limiter surging rapidly. Then a 45 degree slide down into the base of a DEEP DARK GREEN BOTTOMLESS pit...Looked like a 5' wave with white foam above us. It starts to roll over the bowcover & up the wraparound windshield to about 6" from the top. Start to rapidly drop back to the bow. FEAR, PURE FEAR for several seconds. My wife said nothing. Neither did I. Good thing the Chaparral is VERY HIGH BOW with a big engine in the stern. No water came into the cockpit.

Oh yes. I finally stopped the SCREAMING engine. Then slumped down a little.

 

[low277]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

I was unaware of the shallow water relationship to choppy/confused waves. According to google Lake of The Woods is about 1680 sq miles making it the 6th largest freshwater lake at least partly within the United States. The US side is fairly shollow maybe 40 feet max, with many miles of the sw section being less than 30 feet deep.

I have read about guys on the coasts cruising through 3 -5 foot waves / swells. Where I fish that is damn rough!

 

[thesignguy]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

My wife gives me that look..... that's when I slow down.

 

[MRS]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

My wife gives me that look..... that's when I slow down.

Oh ya that is my speed gauge also..

 

[southkogs]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

I have read about guys on the coasts cruising through 3 -5 foot waves / swells. Where I fish that is damn rough!

Open water swells are different than rolling chop. I've been more on the inland choppy stuff, but I've gotten into the swells on the Great Lakes and once on the Pacific. If you're not in weather on those swells, they can actually be kinda' fun.

 

[cyclops2]

Re: Rough Water Speed?

A good way to seperate chop from swells is impossible with small boat owners.

In a 18' boat, chop is breaking over the bow & water is going into the boat.
Swell would be anything that does NOT allow water into the boat.
It allows your boat to ride up & down the front & back of each wave. But never take any water into the boat.
As you see there is NO wave size or frequency that can be used for different size or shaped boats.

I have seen 1 mile long swells do nothing to any ship except a large USA air craft carrier. She was shoving 1/3 of her flight deck below the swells. Screws & rudder would come out of the water. We rode smoothly up & down on a destroyer.