# boating tips for a novice



## hnt4food (Oct 28, 2009)

What advice would you give to a novice boater for the bigger reservoirs in utah? I recently moved to the salt lake area from southern utah and have small 16' alumacraft with a 25hp outboard. I have taken it out on the smaller reservoirs in southern utah a lot but mostly stayed under wake-less speeds and never really experienced rough water. This year I have gone out to some of the bigger waters around here (Utah lake, Strawberry, Pineview). These bigger waters have much rougher water than I have been on before and I am trying to get the feel of the best way to navigate through it. I mostly just stay a couple hundred yards from shore and take it pretty slow. I would like to get to some of the more far reaching areas, however at areas like pineview with all the ski boats even on nice days I feel like i'm on the high seas with a canoe. Any do's and dont's you could recommend would be appreciated.


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

Do a weather check before you go.
Try to take your boat out on days that won't have the recreation boats out playing.
Use the boat on wakeless waters on weekends.
Have proper safety equipment on board and use common sense on the water.

As far as how to navigate the boat in waves, go slow and try to cut straight through the waves.
When you see waves starting to develop from the wing, get back to the ramp ASAP.
Wait it out and you may be able to get back on the water in an hour or so.

Your 16' boat and 25 horse motor should be good enough to be safe in many windy occasions.
Just get it off the water when you see white caps.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Utah lake with wind is perhaps the scariest lake in the state. You can't believe how bad it can get in that shallow water.

Stay calm, follow Grandpa D's advice. Wear a PFD's, keep something to bail with (or have a bilge motor), definitely have something to signal with incase your motor dies (flags, air horn etc). Worse case scenario just go with the wave direction till you hit shore, beach it and wait it out. If you loose your motor in a big storm, set a anchor tied off the bow to drag (NOT ANCHOR OFF!) to keep your bow into the waves so you dont yaw sidewas into the waves (a bucket thrown out as a makeshift driftsock works too).

Big storms can be spooky for sure! I've had waves crest the stern of my 17ft ski boat at strawberry during a bad storm.


-DallanC


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

I would add, don't go out farther than you need to. Try to launch the boat as close to you fishing area as you can. That way if you do have a problem or weather, you can make it back to your rig quickly.

Also, regarding fuel, 1/3 of your tank is to get to your fishing ground, 1/3 to get back, 1/3 for emergencies. This will apply more in very large/long lakes (e.i. Lake Powell or Flaming Gorge), but still important to keep in mind. Also very applicable if you have a small fuel tank.

If you are trolling all day, make sure to check the fuel level often.


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

Growing up on Lake Eire I never was in the school that hit waves straight on- you can - and you can beat your boat and everything in it to death also you can end up being one wet dog. 45 degree angle or best you can do.
You don't want to be going too slow and you certainly do not want to be going too fast- Both are recipes for a capsize.


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## berryhunter (Jul 18, 2010)

Everyone has given you some great advice. Can't stress enough PFD's for everyone on board. I spent many a year on the berry with a 14' gregor and a 25 johnson. Just my personal opinion, I would rather be rescued from the shore a long way from the dock than be recovered from the bottom. Trust your instinct, if it doesn't feel right or the weather looks questionable, head for the ramp.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

Always have a contingency plan in mind. Study maps well before heading out, and its wise to observe those maps while on the water so you can identify landmark locations. This comes in handy at places like Strawberry where there are lots of coves to escape the wind and waves while waiting out a storm. It never hurts to be prepared to spend the night if you plan on going out of sight of the boat ramp or civilization. Just remember that the weather changes fast, for both the good and the bad, and plan your outings accordingly. Have fun!


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## KennyC (Apr 28, 2010)

Don't ever think you have to go all the way back to the marina to be safe. Get to the nearest shoreline and beach it and follow what everyone above has stated.


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## hnt4food (Oct 28, 2009)

Thanks for the tips. They have been helpful. Another question. My boat keeps the bow up longer than I would like before it levels out on plane. Would this be a weight distribution problem? Should I add some weight to the front? would those fin stabilizers help minimize this?


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## Dodger (Oct 20, 2009)

Is your motor an electric start or does it have electric trim? You may have to adjust the trim with a fixed pin that goes in the motor. You won't be able to adjust the trim underway (at least very well) so what I have to say may not help too much. But, if you do have a pin, move it a hole or two and see if it fixes your problem. Either that or give it more gas when you are trying to get on plane.

If your boat is struggling to get on plane, you can use the trim to change the angle of your prop in the water. No trim would be your prop on an angle that is directly parallel to the direction of the boat. Trimming the motor up will cause your prop to angle down driving your bow out of the water. Trimming the motor down will cause your prop to angle up driving your bow into the water. When you are trying to get on plane, trim the motor down to force your bow down earlier. Once you are up on plane, trim the motor up (relative to where it was - pointed down) until you are cruising easily across the top of the water. If you have a lot of extra weight in the boat (lots of passengers), you'll have to trim the motor down to stay comfortably on plane.

It sounds complicated but you'll get a feel for it as you play around with it. Also, be mindful of where and how the weight is distributed in your boat. When I go to a boat in camp ground and the boat is very heavy, it can be difficult to get on plane at all. If I distribute the weight properly, I can still do it but it takes all the trim my boat can muster.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

Our weather comes from the west 99% of the time, look that way most often to see what is coming. One paddle does you no good, keep two on board.


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