v20 seaworthness

T

throwback

Member
Ok can hear the screaming already but Although V20s are great little boats but are marginal as open ocean boats. Twenty foot is twenty foot. Boats have some waek points the windshields are crappy take a hard look the Inboard boats are not selfbailing and at least the early boats have limited floataion. Evan a 1200 gal rule is not much help if your swamped. Also the batteries are prone to getting drowned alsa no pump power. No I am not bashing a fine little boay just suggesting that you don't expect to musch from a 20 footer. Wrote an article last year for Big Game Fishing Magazine about fishing offshore in a small boat included a picture of my 27 footer nda 24 albe in rough weather. Seas were flat all morning blew up around 11am into 7 foot seas. Conditions not foorecast a 20 footer would have been history. MJ was very lucky that another wave did not roll over them or the story would have bbe different. Believe in Murphy I do
 
As I see it, your points are as follows:
1) The V20 has limitations and it's a good idea to be aware of them. (I agree with that.)
2) Your 27 foot boat is safer in rough water than a 20 foot boat. (Ok, I'll buy that too.)
3) "Sh!t happens", and MJ was lucky that things didn't go from bad to worse. (I agree with that as well. Of course the same could be said of anyone who survives an ocean mishap regardless of the size of the vessel involved.)

Congratulations, you are officially a master of the obvious.
 
I think all of us should be VERY aware our V-20s are just that...20 ...as good as 20 gets, but still...20

But one other consideration is, there's a LIMIT for EVERYTHING THAT FLOATS...history has proven that time and time again ... MJ was luckier than most of the souls aboard the Titanic (considerably larger than our 20s ;))...

Just as commercial boat Captains and Commercial Jet Pilots gain as much information about the conditions awaiting them, we need to do the same ...
 
As was stated, SH!T HAPPENS!!! I've been 7 miles out in a 14' jon boat with no lights, bilge pumps or NOTHING!(of course I'm not quite right in the head) I've been 50 miles out of MONTAUK on a 43' TORRES in true 6-8 footers and got the SH!T KICKED out of me! It's all a roll of the dice, you never know what's going to happen tommorrow. I've been 50 miles out in an 19' ANGLER bay boat in 8-11 footers and felt more comfortable than another guy out there in a 50 footer due to the wave duration(I was able to ride up and down em, he was hitting the next one before the last one passed). It's luck of the draw. If there's one thing I've learned in life it's that you never know when it's your time, but when it is you CANNOT stop it from happening. So live life, don't live in fear. I'm only 26 but I can't tell you how many times I should have died. I can tell you that ER doctors told me before to say goodbye to my family it would be my last chance, yet here I am today still goin.
 
Throwback, what kind of 27'er are you running? ;)

I'll agree that any 20' boat has limitations. I fish many of the same waters as you, out to 20 miles on a regular basis and 38 or so a few times a year when I'm convinced of the weather patern over a few days time and can buddy up, which is most any day.

MJ was a victim more of a rogue wave as much as rough seas. He would have been fine all morning in 3-4, if not a bit uncomfortable.
 
throwback said:
Ok can hear the screaming already but Although V20s are great little boats but are marginal as open ocean boats. Twenty foot is twenty foot. Boats have some waek points the windshields are crappy take a hard look the Inboard boats are not selfbailing and at least the early boats have limited floataion. Evan a 1200 gal rule is not much help if your swamped. Also the batteries are prone to getting drowned alsa no pump power. No I am not bashing a fine little boay just suggesting that you don't expect to musch from a 20 footer. Wrote an article last year for Big Game Fishing Magazine about fishing offshore in a small boat included a picture of my 27 footer nda 24 albe in rough weather. Seas were flat all morning blew up around 11am  into 7 foot seas.  Conditions not foorecast a 20 footer would have been history. MJ was very lucky that another wave did not roll over them or the story would have bbe different. Believe in Murphy I do  
Click to expand...

Hmmm. First off, I think you mean SEAWORTHYNESS. Secondly, 30 knot winds with 7 footers breaking over the bow of my v-20? Sounds like a normal winter day off of Wasaw Sound here. ;)

Marginal as open ocean boats? ?!? I would have to say your open water experience in a v-20 is very limted then. To say a 27 footer is going to be more seaworthy than a 20 footer is like saying, "you know, that water stuff sure is wet." And to say a v-20 is a "marginal" open water boat just means you have never spent much, if any time on a v-20 on the open water.

What happened to MJ was a freak accident. And, surely does not reflect on the seaworthyness of his boat. I think it's a testament to the toughness of the hull and the skill of the captain that he made it back.


Besides, if he had been in a Mako or Grady he probably would have been swimming. ;) ;) ;) ;D
 
not yet hammer. I need to start one up.
I have her all torn apart right now. Tryin to get the transom done, but it's raining buckets here lately. So not much work gettin done.
 
If you read my reply in MJ's posting of the events you know how I feel about it. The V20-21's are great all around in shore boats and more sea kindly than most their size. That being saidthey are of course in-shore boats and used within their limitations which all designs have they are tough to beat. If you want to run out 20,30 miles from shore on a regular basis they are not the appropriate boat IMHO. Not because they can't handle rough weather but because they are not designed to be an off shore boat. Off shore boats are generally larger, are heavier and wider. They have large multiple scuppers in them or wide open transoms to allow large volumes of water to flow out of them almost as fast as they take it in. Generally speaking they are twin engined and preferrably with diesel for the fire safety reasons. Their windshield arrangments are stout.
This does not mean that many other boats with different designs won't do. For example the contender, regulator and that ilk have gone another direction which generally revolves around the premise of speed and the ability to cover nautical miles fast enough to get you out quick and of course the reverse.
But if you do as Airslot says and watch your weather window and your limitations you can shoot out for off shore run. But again like MJ's event shows us the weatherman is full of sh!t a lot of times. So you roll the dice.
But if you want an all around multi-species fishing boat that is tough dry and comfortable with an astounding amount of room for a 20 footer then we have one of the best. And you can do it economically, put it in a berth for a season without taking out a loan or trailer with many common vehicles. It will hold a super model or two and your fishing buddies if for some unknown reason you would bring them along for that trip. You can bring the CEO and the children and have a dry safe ride for them.
Tough combo to beat in-shore, off-shore grab the dice ;)
 
I agree Willy.  But what I and I think Ferm are really saying is, we each have our own limitations.  I don't feel like I'm rolling the dice at all taking a v-20 30 to 40 miles off.  But that's just me.  I've been to the stream(70+ miles each way) in a friend's 26 Regulator countless times.  I don't feel any safer in that boat than I would in my boat at 30 - 40 miles off.  

Now the 34 venture I fished the stream on a couple of months ago with triple 275 Verados feels a little safer. ;D ;D ;D  And faster :o :o :o
 
cbe, you gotta post pics. of your transom rebuild. You doing it from the inside or taking off the outer skin.
Hook us up with some Pics. ;D
 
Hammer,
I've been re-reading old posts. I have found a pattern reminds me alot of when guys had a crush in 6th grade. Rather than actually TALK to the object of their affection, the 12 year old guys would punch them in the shoulder. I notice this pattern occuring again and again on this forum. Mike, I think CTT has a crush on you and is jealous of Lisa. Don't tell him though. He probably isn't aware of it himself. ;D
 
I'll bet the fishermen in the "Perfect Storm" would still be alive today,
if they were in a fleet of V's, (just being fececious)

But really, watch the discory channel sometime,
and you may catch the show about rouge waves.

There were two cruise liners off the coast of Argentina
and close to AntArtica.
The first got hit by a rouge wave and destroyed the helm area.
This was no small ship.
The second was right behind the first and by the time the wave got to that one,
it was nothing more than a big wave, no damage at all.

My point is a rouge wave is a rouge wave and can pop up anywhere.
 
Ok, I guess I missed something that MJ had posted about getting caught in some rough conditions and I could not find his post. I glade I read this becaus I had no idea that my V had limitations and I guess I'll have to cancel my trip to run 100 miles off shore next week.
 
I think throwback was just stirring the pot amongst other things. Seamanship goes everybit as far as boat size. Weather too playes a huge part, pick your days is my motto. But with all this said, the v is a good fairly stout boat. Hard to beat in shore on the bay or yes even 40 miles out. They ride well handle the big water and you don't hear many stories of them ending up visiting Davey Jones now do ya.

All this said, some of the points he raised have been addressed here as how to improve our boats. It's all about what we like, and can afford.

P.S. Buddy just picked up a 25' aquasport walk around cuddy, I'll post pics asap. You won't believe the deal he got that lucky sob LOL
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top