General advice on boating and sea conditions

[YZ250]

Hi All,

I am new to boating and currently fish estuaries and lakes in my 3.5m tinny.  One day (hopefully relatively soon) I will upgrade to a 5m boat to poke outside in.  I am mainly interested in flathead drifting, fishing Montague Island and heading out to the Fads.

I am keen on some advice on what the sea states are usually like around the south coast of NSW at various times of the year as this is where I will be putting in 90 percent of the time (JB, Batemans Bay, Narooma - possibly Eden).  I understand that under 1m is considered a very small swell - but how often does this happen?  Is it common?  What is an average sea state or swell size around the South coast and what is a bad sea and how often do these occur?

I know there is a million variable to consider like season and weather but I am just trying to get an idea of what these areas are like and how I could use that to narrow down the search for my next boat.

Also - I have heard that 90hp as a good starting point in a 5m boat to head out like I want to do.  Is that about right?  Again - apologies as I know there are many variables but I am starting from zero knowledge base so would be grateful for any input.  

Don

[anthman]

Can't help you with how the seas are in those areas, as I havent been out in them.

Re: HP - as you might know, there is a recommended HP and a max HP rating for most boats which could be different depending on the design of the boat (heavy, deep v VS a shallow hull) so would be better to hit the max power rating for the hull you land on. Looking at the distance of Montague Island to the nearest shoreline (7-8km) fully exposed, i know I would want as much power at my fingertips and that 5m, to me, feels like one of those "pick your days" kind of boats. 5.6m+ feels about the right kind of starting size. 

Also, why not pop out of the heads a little bit to see conditions on a good day? (On a bigger boat) that way you can see how a similar sized boat handles on certain conditions.

 

[Rebel]

Before I bought my first boat I did a lot of research. Like you, I didn't know. So I went to a boat show and listen.The best place I found was at boat ramps with experienced boat owners. You will learn from these guys.

Good luck.

[PaddyT]

Man-if anyone could predict the sea states for anywhere other than whats up on the Bureau of Met site right at this second -then theyd have millions in their bank account. Having said that-most of the east coast of NSW follows these trends-Summer-calm mornings with NE sea breezes in the afternoons of varying strength depending on lots of things. These sea""breezes"" can vary from breeze to frightening.These conditions are interspersed with fairly regular southerly changes which again vary in velocity from mild to gale. Autumn is similar but more stable with generally weaker afternoon seabreezes and less Sthly changes, however mornings towards the end of Autumn can have strong westerly breezes until the middle of the day- these westerlys become more prevalent into winter and the further you go out-the stronger they are. In the cooler months low pressure cells can form off the coast and these generally come from the South and can be very scary things! By Spring the east coast lows are less in number but the morning westerleys remain gradually switching back into summer mode by about October. Also- swell is not something to worry about- unless you have a bar to cross (eg Narooma)- you can fish in a large long period swell if you have the stomach to cope in a very small boat. Ive been out in 4-5 m swells when there has been no wind without any issue-in a small boat its wind that will kill you (not counting crossing river bars). A really good plan of action in a small boat is to look at the predicted wind pattern for the day that you plan to fish and head out in a direction that will enable you to come home down sea eg. in summer with a NE seabreeze predicted-head north in the morning and come home with the breeze. As for boat packages-make friends with an experienced fisho and take him with you to view boats-dont listen to salespeople. 90Hp is about right for a 5m tinny -but as a rule of thumb-dont go below 80% of the max HP rating of the hull, an underpowered boat is usually a pig to drive and is potentially a danger to life and limb. 

[YZ250]

Hi All,  thanks very much for the replies. Some excellent advice there. definitely keen for a boat show and also to get out to in as many craft as I can to get a feel.

paddy thanks very much for the weather info. It’s just what I was after. I had a laugh at this bit: 

“you can fish in a large long period swell if you have the stomach to cope“

My sea legs are a bit suss. I’m absolutely fine underway and never feel remotely ill, but the green goblins a definite possibility If I’m bobbing around in shit and trying to tie rigs and stuff. If I can keep my head up and move the boat every 20 or 30 mins Im normally fine.

re wind - how much warning to you get when it’s about to go to shit? For instance If a southerlys about to roll in. Is it a matter of watching BOM carefully or do you get other clues? 
 

Don

[Hoods]

My advice is to join a local fishing club and enjoy the benefits they have to offer.

Plenty of like minded fisho's and plenty of mates out on the water when you might need them.

Just don't ask them for their numbers (fishing GPS marks)!!!

They will be your best source of local knowledge. Short of that give Darren Redman at Bermagui a call - very experienced local.

[YZ250]

Thanks Hoods, that’s great advice.

[PaddyT]

Learn to use the BOM website-Meteye is excellent on there. NE seabreezes generally just build throughout the day- they can lull you into complacancy a bit- as an eg, I got caught a couple of years ago when chasing marlin solo- i intended to fish north of the harbour becuase of the predicted  fresh NE for early afternoon but didnt get any life until about 10am when i heard a boat on VHF report a lot of bait around the Peak- which is a bit south of the harbour- so i ran down there and hooked up straight away-lost that fish- noticed a few white caps- but put the lures back in and hooked up again- fought that fish for about 30 minutes before pulling the hook- looked around and there were LOTS of curling whitecaps- so i got bashed and very wet all the way back to the harbour-nothing dangerous but becuase i was preoccupied i hadnt noticed the change in conditions. Southerlys on the other hand can go from Zero to frightening in a very quick period. The other thing to do on days when a Sthly change is predicted is keep your eye on the weather south of you-use the BOM radar, the Coastal Observations page, MArine Rescue will also let people know if the change is getting close.  Learn how to read a synoptic chart and become a fanatical weather watcher-all the best fisho's do.