Taking my Saturn 12.5' out on the ocean... Good idea?

[ben1000]

Howdy...

I have a fairly new Saturn 12.5' inflatable with a 6hp Tohatsu motor. My family of 5 fits just perfectly in the boat, and we love tooling around the lake a 5-10mph. We're obviously not in it for the speed

Next week, we're heading to LA for a family vacation, and I'm really looking forward to taking the boat out to Newport and putting around Balboa and such.

My question is: Is it reasonable to leave Newport and head down the coast to Dana Point? We'd be no more than a few hundred feet off shore I would imagine. Back in the day, I used to go diving in small inflatables off the coast of Monterrey, but that was with 3-5 adults, not 3 small kids. Plus, that was 15 years ago for me, so I may not be remembering if the ride was difficult, or if we got that wet (we were diving, after all).

So, we're not looking to go wave jumping or anything, just a sight-seeing cruise just off shore and down the coast.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences of taking a small craft like this with a family on board..

Thanks for the advice.

Best,

Ben

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Taking my Saturn 12.5' out on the ocean... Good idea?

So, what is the capacity rating of the boat? Persons & pounds?

On a really calm day, you might be able to do that. . . . Dana Point is about 15 miles from Newport Beach . . . got enough fuel to run the loaded boat for 6+ hours?

Are you familiar with the waters in that area?

I'm thinking you may want to plan a shorter trip.

 

[jondavies]

Re: Taking my Saturn 12.5' out on the ocean... Good idea?

First off, if you have enough gas and the motor is running well, there's no reason the boat won't make the journey.

The thing to be aware of is the wind. It's been blowing fairly consistently at ~10 knots for the past month or two and the wind chop has been 1-2 feet. If those conditions hold for your trip, that will make for a fairly bumpy ride in an inflatable even at moderately low speeds. So it really depends on the comfort level of your family.

On the positive side, as you can probably see from the map, Newport is a huge harbor. It takes about 45 minutes to chug at wakeless speed from the ramp to the harbor mouth, so if you get out into the open ocean and find out that it's too bumpy for your comfort, you can always head back into the harbor and spend the day exploring the more protected waters.

If you do decide to go, in addition to PFDs for everyone, I'd recommend having a handheld waterproof VHF radio -- you probably won't be out of cell range of the coast but it's a lot easier to summon help on the water with a radio (also they work when wet unlike cell phones).

Here's a link to the NWS forecast if you'd like to keep an eye on the weather conditions:

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClic...837890625&site=lox&unit=0&lg=en&FcstType=text

Have a great trip!

 

[csaephanh]

Re: Taking my Saturn 12.5' out on the ocean... Good idea?

my first post heheh. i have a saturn 12ft model and i take it out on the salt a few times with no issues. constantly check the marine weather because it may change on you instantly. 1-2 ft is doable. anything above that, especially with the wind speed above 10mph will be uncomfortable. i live up north in alaska where the water can go from glass to choppy within minutes. i would say you are a little under powered for the salt with the 6hp motor, a 15hp minimum should be considered since you are loading the boat with a few people. have fun on your trip.

 

[CapeAnn]

Re: Taking my Saturn 12.5' out on the ocean... Good idea?

We used a 11 foot Zodiac with a 6 HP in Alaska too. A little underpowered if you are hauling a lot of people around. It'll do the job, but it won't give you much gidde-up for your run to Dana Point. Then again, you have kids and they probably don't weigh too much.

I'd make sure to have marine radio etc with me. Best with your Saturn.