schrater
Senior Member
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2016
- Messages
- 130
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Matilda
- Vessel Make
- Ponderosa (CHB) 35' Sundeck
I'm in the Pacific Northwest, home of the infamous Columbia River Bar and frequent challenging weather systems. When contemplating crossing the bar and venturing into cruising along the Pacific coast, the common advice is always, "Be patient and don't venture out into rough conditions." But what is the threshold for rough conditions? Especially since boats vary so widely in size, shape, and power, it can be hard to apply one person's Nordhavn in Florida to another's CHB in Washington.
My Taiwan-style Ponderosa 35 with a semi-displacement hull and a single Ford Lehman 120hp engine *should* be able to handle reasonable coastal conditions. Anyone with similar style boats have any rules of thumb you use to determine what is reasonable? I heard one formula: sea swells + wind waves <= 10. Has anyone pushed beyond that, and if so, what were the results? Looking to build my knowledge before "learning the hard way".
My Taiwan-style Ponderosa 35 with a semi-displacement hull and a single Ford Lehman 120hp engine *should* be able to handle reasonable coastal conditions. Anyone with similar style boats have any rules of thumb you use to determine what is reasonable? I heard one formula: sea swells + wind waves <= 10. Has anyone pushed beyond that, and if so, what were the results? Looking to build my knowledge before "learning the hard way".