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Coastal boating on a Tri Toon - Is this possible?

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mikenolte

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I'm trying to make a boat selection and your experienced input would be very helpful. I live on the lower Chesapeake Bay and I don't see many pontoons of any sort. However, some of my best boating days were spent on a friends 27 foot TriToon on a large lake near Atlanta. Should I expect a Bennington Tri Toon of sme configuration to effectively/safely operate in open water bay chop? It seems that in a monohull, at least a 22 to 24 boat length with a deep vee hull shape is needed to handle the sea conditions of the Bay.

Your thoughts or suggestions would be very valuable.

Mike
 
Welcome Mike!

There is a video on YouTube here that shows someone in 3' seas on Lake Erie with a 2575 ESP.

Maybe that will give you some idea and good luck with your selection!

Tom
 
Dang......sweet video !!!! Love the way that thing jumps up on top !!!
 
There are guys that use pontoon boats in the Caribbean.

Here are my suggestions...

1) Start with a 25 or 28 foot pontoon. It will give you more stability.

2) Definitely select the ESP package. The twin ellipticals and the traditional 3-log boats will give you more speed and just as much stability on a lake, but for your application you would want an ESP setup which behaves like a mono-hull.

3) Big engine. 250hp or better outboard and frankly, I would seriously consider an I/O for the added stability the weight would give you.

4) Get the extra gas tank option and the in floor storage.

5) Bennington has some options/packages for any boat that will be in contact with sea water. Buy 'em.

6) Equip your boat with real emergency and safety equipment EXACTLY as if you were going out on the open ocean. That means a real marine radio and in my opinion, a GPS and a fish finder, which can also find the bottom for you the EASY way. I haven't sailed the Chesapeake, but I have heard that you have to really pay attention to the tides and that sand-bars can be an issue.

7) Life jackets and all the proper safety equipment, including a flare gun, are MANDATORY.

Now don't get me wrong...

If you pay sensible attention to the weather and tides, you shouldn't EVER have any problems.

But if things go wrong, they can go wrong in a big way. You want to be able to run away from it (bad weather for instance) and you want to be ready if things really go sideways.

Where I boat the SOP for when you find yourself overboard is to stand up.

Where you're going, you need to take safety seriously.

Other than that, I think it's a FANTASTIC idea, and you'll make more than a few other boaters jealous.
 
Everything Eric said, he's a smart fella!
 
I would still REALLY be leary on the bay, I was on a 45' fishing boat and we got tossed around like rag dolls, ...... I LOVED it, but the others without sea legs, not so much. Can u say "chumming" the water ..... LOL !!!!!!
 
Grew up in Maryland and have been on the Chesapeake Bay countless times in anything from a 40 ft. charter fishing boat, (for those tasty Striper Rockfish) a 24 ft Grady White, to a little 16 ft. skiff w/a little outboard on the back. The bay can be as calm as a no wake zone on your favorite lake or as rough as the Atlantic ocean. We have seen pontoon boats out there but mostly on the tributaries leading to it like the Patuxent and South Rivers.

We had a 19 ft. Maxum bowrider w/an I/O when we lived there and we put in at the South River just south of Annapolis. It was a gorgeous calm day and we decide to go out in the bay north under the Bay Bridge and into the Patapsco River where Baltimore's Inner harbor is.............Bad idea............we were nearing the bridge and all of a sudden it got windy and that was it. The waves started breaking over the bow and we were in for a wet roller coaster ride. We had to snapcover the open bow, close the windshield, and make our way back to the South River. It was scary to say the least and we learned our lesson. We were trying to take our "lake boat" that had all of the required safety equipment except for a real marine radio (like Eric mentioned) out in a body of water that we really didn't belong in.............

Would I ever take our Bennington out there in the open Chesapeake? Probably not. But it can be done. I'm content w/our beautiful calm lake tubing, skiing, wakeboarding and just hanging out.............

Good luck w/your boat selection Mike...............

Check out this video of a pontoon boat on the Chesapeake I came across...............the water's not that rough and they still get soaked..........

 
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Mike I use my Bennington from the Chickahominy River to Hampton Roads. I have been in Hampton Roads with the wind blowing 20 knots. Call me if you would like to talk. The boat handles much better than I thought

Dean 703-309-0461 mobile..
 
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