Bad to be Up on Plane?!

DDD

DDD

New Member
Oct 27, 2012
268
Tampa, FL
Boat Info
2008 45
Engines
Diesel
Cruising question.Need some opinions. Was in the Intercoastal Waterway last weekend, a bit north of Venice, FL. Speed limit there is 25 mph. I was going about 22 mph.Felt I was doing it safely. Was running straight, not zig zagging around other boats. There were boats out there, but I certainly didn't feel that it was crowded, or I would have been off plane. A guy gets on the radio on 16. Calls me out by describing my boat and says:"There is no reason for you to be up on plane with this many boats out here". Now I truly am not a hotshot. I am safe. But of course I wondered whether I was doing something wrong. Tough to comment without being there, I know. But anyone come across this people like this? Safe boating!
 
might have been a concern for your wake rocking their boats and not so much of a concern about maneuvering your larger boat in a crowded space....

cliff
 
Hard to say….I wasn't there, but I can tell you that a 45ft diesel cruiser makes a hell of a big hole in the water when she is just on plane. What may seem safe and under control from the helm seat can look a lot different if you are along the edge of the ICW trying to dock a boat a tight spot or between some pilings, etc. Remember, you are responsible for any damage your wake causes even if you are operating slower than a posted speed limit.

Having said that, you will find that a lot of operators will make such a call on the radio when they are secure behind the anonymity of a VHF microphone. Around here it seems to be sailboaters and guys anchored in 65ft who will make a blind call like that. Now, if they hail you properly giving your vessel name and theirs, then have the courtesy to respond to them and hear them out, but getting into an argument on the VHF never serves any useful purpose.
 
if there was a 25 mph speed limit then obviously there is no wake restrictions, and you are free to run on plane. i'm always annoyed at the guy sitting and fishing in the middle of the ICW channel when there isn't a wake restriction.
i recently watched a 60 plus foot sport fish cruise on plane right by a 100 plus yacht rocking the huge yacht something terrible. the yacht called out yelling at the sport fish over the radio saying he had all kind of damage inside. the sport fish replied what marina he was heading towards and would be perfectly fine having a talk with the yacht captain and the sport fish captain told the yacht captain that he took a picture of how he had anchored right in the middle of the channel, and would be more than happy to discuss the rules of the sea. the yacht captain didn't respond.
 
I know the area your speaking of - I hate making that trek through there on the ICW. Even though the speed limit may be 25 I feel like I am responsible for the wake I create if it effects other boats.

Richie89 - understand your comment about fishing in the ICW - and I agree it is an annoyance if I am on a boat wanting to come through. Even worse. One of my beefs is Hawks Channel. After you pass Ocean Reef going west, at times you are running in between reefs that are fairly close to the marked channel. Invariably there will be a 16ft flat bottomed boat with 3 adults and a kid fishing sitting 100 yards away from the channel. But they caught a fish there 3 years ago so they are going to sit right there.

Hawks Channel is a heavily traveled route - yet when the season starts - it is full of lobster pots.

We were coming down the ICW around Deerfield beach. Area where the channel was not all that wide. 20' boat trying to teach a kid how to water ski. They would get out of the water - go 100 yards then fall. Ski boat would circle around, skier in the water, What do you do? Couldn't go around. I had to pull the Admirals hand off the horn button finally.

It's a big ocean that we all share. But I still come back to, I am responsible for my wake no matter what the posted speed limit is.

Mark
 
I know the area your speaking of - I hate making that trek through there on the ICW. Even though the speed limit may be 25 I feel like I am responsible for the wake I create if it effects other boats.

Richie89 - understand your comment about fishing in the ICW - and I agree it is an annoyance if I am on a boat wanting to come through. Even worse. One of my beefs is Hawks Channel. After you pass Ocean Reef going west, at times you are running in between reefs that are fairly close to the marked channel. Invariably there will be a 16 flat bottomed boat with 3 adults and a kid fishing sitting 100 yards away from the channel. But they caught a fish there 3 years ago they are going to sit right there.

Hawks Channel is a heavily traveled route - yet when the season starts - it is full of lobster pots.

We were coming down the ICW around Deerfield beach. Area where the channel was not all that wide. 20' boat trying to teach a kid how to water ski. They would get out of the water - go 100 yards then fall. Ski boat would circle around, skier in the water, What do you do? Couldn't go around. I had to pull the Admirals hand off the horn button finally.

It's a big ocean that we all share. But I still come back to, I am responsible for my wake no matter what the posted speed limit is.

Mark
 
Some people are nuts. I was at Anna Marie Island the other day, on a 14 foot rental, and some one on a 40' gave me the slow down sign while I was up on plane in the ICW. WTH? If you're on the water, yer gonna rock and roll at some point. I slowed down, BTW.
 
I would rather a boat run by me on plane than going slower creating a big hole in the water. Bigger the hole the bigger the wake.
 
BleednBlue said:
I would rather a boat run by me on plane than going slower creating a big hole in the water. Bigger the hole the bigger the wake.
Click to expand...

Less wake when on plane. Agree completely... I do understand boat safety and making sure your not a nimble nod on the water but some people might take it a bit far. If it says no wake zone then follow the signs... If it is open and you are anchored near the middle... No reason to get upset.
 
I'm not at all familiar with the areas y'all are talking about, but I live off the ICW in the Upper Labuan Madre, on Padre Island Texas. It's fishing heaven here, I get that. Unfortunately the fish are often next to the ICW and what we call the spoil islands, which separates the ICW from our canal community. I happen to live on a point and see all the fishing going on.

I get frustrated when I'm on the ICW and there are little boats (flats and even pontoons) fishing the middle of the ICW. I usually slow down WAY before, so my wake doesn't hit them. But I wonder, what happens when one of our many barges come by? They certainly don't slow down, of course they aren't going that fast, but their wake is something to see!

We have ski canals for people to ski in, areas to anchor and hang out, so why in the middle of the ICW? All I can say is fishing.....

Like many of you, I know I'm responsible for my wake and try to be courteous of it, but sometimes..... LOL!

Matt, Hifirush


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Wasn't there so won't comment on the right and wrongs in your situation. When cruising on step, I agree the wake is much less than when off as has been brought up. I also agree that a person should not always have to back off cause someone has decided to drop their hook or their fishing line in a high traffic area. You can control your wake to some degree though by making a slight bank or turn while passing the other boats and pushing it away from them. It is a judgment call you have to make. In this part of the world, the fact you have shown you put in some effort will give you a hand wave with more than 1 finger.
 
I can see both sides of it since I'm normally on a twin engine cruiser going from one place to the other on plane, but I also often fish locally on my Uncle's 22' boat, and sometimes run around on my kids 18' bowrider.
It can be a pain in the neck to have to come off plane to avoid swamping someone on a smaller boat, but it is also scary as he!! when I'm fishing or out on the smaller boat and some guy in a massive boat is coming your way throwing a wake the size of a tidal wave. Even worse is the floating condos that can't seem to get up on plane but plow along anyway with a whirlpool trailing them while they're guzzling beer as the crew is dancing around in a drunken stupor to music so loud they wouldn't be able to hear a rocket taking off as they passed a launch pad.
So when cruising on plane I tend to either go out of my way to steer around slower moving or stationary vessels that I might otherwise swamp, or come off plane in a narrow channel until I'm far enough past them to get going again. It's sometimes annoying, but ultimately I know that I'm responsible to operate my boat at a speed that is safe for conditions regardless of the presence, or lack of, a speed limit, and I also have to be responsible for what my wake does to other people places or things.
Plus, this is NY where tempers flare easily and people are not above throwing things at you as you blast past them, and there is no sense in foolishly escalating a fun day on the water in to an ugly shots fired situation.
In the end (I might look at it differently if I were boating for a living and had to keep to some kind of schedule) but I boat for fun and probably shouldn't be in that much of a rush to get anywhere.
 
I almost always slow down even if someone is being stupid. There are times I am tempted to maintain my speed when an inconsiderate paddle boarder is hanging out in a 25mph channel.
 
Richie89 said:
i think the key is having our wives smiling and waving while we make on plane passes.
Click to expand...

This works for me... Next time I plan on asking my wife and daughters to wave at the men fishing in the middle of the channel....
 
Very similar situations here in South Jersey in the ICW just North of AC. The ICW is very narrow in a lot of spots, sometimes only 30 -40 ft wide. Many , many times there will be some knucleheads in small boats fishing right in the middle of the channel. I always slow down as to not cause them any harm, knowing I'm responsible for my own wake. However , it really pi$$es me off as how some of these guys know they are in the channel and still give dirty looks as we pass by. They might as well park in the middle of the turnpike. Just my $.02 worth .
 
Whew! I was worried for a second there - I'm flying tomorrow. Thought I was in danger of deep vein thrombosis or something.
 
If your fishing in or next to channel don't count on me slowing down. Plenty of better fishing elsewhere in my area. Just saying.
 
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