Single or Twins

[opaleski]

single and sea tow

[VeroWing]

If it were only the river and an occasional 4 or 5 mile trip nearshore, then a single with a kicker and seatow or similar should suffice. But 40 mile offshore runs, trip across, etc., to not have twins, just doesn't make sense to me. If you don't think 4 strokes break down, look at the cars on the side of the road when you go to work tomorrow.

I personally grenaded an Evinrude 225 on a 22 Grady in the Long Island Sound. Had a 10 hp kicker on a bracket, dropped it down and headed to ramp under GW bridge, an easy 10+ miles away. Once I hit currents that kicker was like using an oar. Completely overwhelmed. Now think about having to do that out in the gulfstream, while waiting for seatow to find you. That kicker will be fine for big lakes, bays, etc., but way offshore, where weather and water can can change quickly, why would you NOT have twins?

Plan for the worst, and hope for the best. Mike

[prowlersfish]

will Sea tow go 40 miles off shore ? And will your VHF reach them ? Max range in apox 25 miles and thats with a very tall antenna .

[TooReel]

Interesting responses. I'm not worried about vhf range as I have a sat phone.

My first choice is a twin powered boat but the funny thing is I've been on two boats that had to be towed in. One was a single diesel and the other was twin powered. Both were newer boats and well maintained. I just wish I was not size limited because there are a lot more boats in the 26-28 foot range that would suit my needs perfectly.

will Sea tow go 40 miles off shore ? And will your VHF reach them ? Max range in apox 25 miles and thats with a very tall antenna .

[Slough]

Single, Tow boat/seatow

[Madpoodle]

Twins for offshore. As far as fuel economy, a pair of twins can be quite efficient when propped correctly. Our 25 Whitewater, twin 200 HPDI's uses 13 GPH @ 43 MPH. Can I get it to burn 55 GPH? In a heartbeat, but I'm running 61 at that stage. Took a lot of tinkering with props to get it where it is, luckily I'm a dealer and had a bunch of boxes in stock.

Under normal loads (couple / three guys, gear) it will plane on one engine, albeit not real quickly. Of course, when I lost a lower I had 7 people, plus gear, no way it would plane, but we did come in under our own power semi-planed.

[Cuzwecud]

I remember the days when it all to common having boats with singles making trips offshore before the twin, triple, quad engine set ups of today. I am not disagreeing that two is one and one is none makes sense, but having an EPIRB/satellite phone/SSB radio works for safety & security of you boat & crew with singles at the very least pair up with another boater for offshore ventures. Oh and don't forget to pack Common Sense into your ventures whether inshore or offshore.

[espurling]

I remember the days when it all to common having boats with singles making trips offshore before the twin, triple, quad engine set ups of today. I am not disagreeing that two is one and one is none makes sense, but having an EPIRB/satellite phone/SSB radio works for safety & security of you boat & crew with singles at the very least pair up with another boater for offshore ventures. Oh and don't forget to pack Common Sense into your ventures whether inshore or offshore.

I would say you definitely do not need a second engine....until you do.

[Drailey]

None, the safest is call boatus, let them tow you out, when you get finished drift fishing, call'em again and tell them you need to be fetched. They do offer "unlimited towing" don't they?

[CEMSGUY]

The boat search continues........................

Still searching for a 23-24 footer. 75% of it's use will be cruising the Homosassa river and hanging out at the springs. 15% of the time will be scalloping and fishing 10-15 miles from shore. the last 5% will be going to my honey holes 40 miles or so offshore. Other thoughts are that I would like to take it to the Keys to do some dolphin trolling and lobster grabbing. Maybe venture to Bimini since I've heard it was a nice trip.

My gut feeling is that a single and Sea Tow are all I need. What do y'all think?

I agree with a single and sea tow, with the proper safety equipment.

If you are leaning towards a boat with twins, it may be worth considering a 22-23' power catamaran. They have a lot of space for their size, easy to swim/dive off of, easy to dock in limited space and you can get them with twin 115 4 strokes which will get you pretty good economy. Depending on the manufacturer, some offer dedicated batteries, fuel tanks and fuel filters for each motor.

Some people hate catamarans, I happen to like them.

Ours is a 22.5' World Cat that drafts 12", so we can get into ~2' of water while under power. We use it regularly to scallop, fish the flats, pull the kids on the tube, checkout manatees and fish offshore.

Email or PM me if you are interested in a test ride. I am in Crystal River.