Boston, MA ==> West Babylon, Long Island

G

gnealon

New Member
Apr 8, 2009
570
West Babylon, NY
Boat Info
2005 280 DA, Garmin 4208
"Ship Faced"
Engines
Twin 5.0L Merc BIII
I am taking a pretty large trip in a boat I just bought in Boston. I am planning on driving it down with a few other experienced boaters to West Babylon, LI. Have a few questions for anyone...

1. Has anyone ever done a trip like that? If so, how was it?
2. Any idea on travel time? My boat cruises around 25 MPH
3. Do you recommend going between the forks? Along the coast and into Shinnecock canal??
4. Stop over? Needed? If so, what do you think about staying in BI for the night?

I have a 280DA... twin 5.0 Mercs. If that helps.

I understand a lot is going to depend on sea conditions... so I guess lets just all assume decent seas. I have been checking the buoy statistics often, highest I have seen in the past week or so is ~2 footers.


Thanks for any advice!!!
 
We just did a portion of your intended trip, we left Russo Marine in Boston and drove a new 40 Sundancer to Norwalk CT. You have to watch the weather and plan alternates. The water from Boston to the canal can be challenging, canal does have a 10 MPH speed limit, then Buzzards Bay can kick up some nasty seas, If you have the weather on your side and day light I would try to get in to Long Island (maybe even Montauk) rather than stop in Block and have to deal with getting off Block the following day and have to make that 14 mile trip to the tip of LI. That’s about as far as I can help.

We experienced on our trip 3-5 ft. seas between Boston and the canal, in Buzzards Bay the further west we went the nastier it got, we had to ditch in Newport RI because the seas were a steady 5 and getting tighter. We had 20–25 kt winds gusting to 35, not the ideal weather for this trip but we had limited time to get the boat down.
 
Larry said:
We just did a portion of your intended trip, we left Russo Marine in Boston and drove a new 40 Sundancer to Norwalk CT. You have to watch the weather and plan alternates. The water from Boston to the canal can be challenging, canal does have a 10 MPH speed limit, then Buzzards Bay can kick up some nasty seas, If you have the weather on your side and day light I would try to get in to Long Island (maybe even Montauk) rather than stop in Block and have to deal with getting off Block the following day and have to make that 14 mile trip to the tip of LI. That’s about as far as I can help.

We experienced on our trip 3-5 ft. seas between Boston and the canal, in Buzzards Bay the further west we went the nastier it got, we had to ditch in Newport RI because the seas were a steady 5 and getting tighter. We had 20–25 kt winds gusting to 35, not the ideal weather for this trip but we had limited time to get the boat down.
Click to expand...

Thanks Larry... its funny, I am coming from Russo Marine as well :) I have to tell ya, you not have a great trip in a 40DA is making me nervous driving my 280 DA hahaha. I know it is highly dependent on the weather. I think I am going to take your advice on getting to Montauk. If the next day gets snotty, I can always go home in the bay.

Thanks again.
 
I dont know where West Babylon is, but I will guess you have a 200 mile run.....With that said, you should be looking at a 12 hour (+/-) run depending on seas, fog, etc..You also have a new boat so you should be varying your rpm's on route.....If it was me, stopping over 1/2 way down would be ideal....You will need fuel at some point....You could stop in Red Brook Harbor (nice marina and restaurant) at the west end of the canal if it is a sloppy ride or you could push it to newport, then onto LI.....Good luck.....
 
wetpaint said:
I dont know where West Babylon is, but I will guess you have a 200 mile run.....With that said, you should be looking at a 12 hour (+/-) run depending on seas, fog, etc..You also have a new boat so you should be varying your rpm's on route.....If it was me, stopping over 1/2 way down would be ideal....You will need fuel at some point....You could stop in Red Brook Harbor (nice marina and restaurant) at the west end of the canal if it is a sloppy ride or you could push it to newport, then onto LI.....Good luck.....
Click to expand...

Wetpaint... very close ~220 miles. The boat is a 2005 so I don't think i have to "vary my rpm's" (not really sure what that means). I heard of keeping the rpms down on a new car in the beginning?!?! Thanks for the tip on that marina.

I have one more question i need advice on... Do you think I should just ship the boat? haha People are telling me its going to cost me 1500 bucks on gas to drive ~220 miles. I got a quote of $950 to ship (and i may have to pay a little to a marina to drop it in the water). For what I have been reading from other 280DA owners w/ twin engines, they get around 1.6 MPG at cruise. Thats 220 miles / 1.6 = 137 gallons of gas. At around $3.50 a gallon, that trip would cost me 480 bucks. I know i wont always be at cruise, and i may be in some snotty seas sometimes... but could my efficiency be THAT bad where 480 turns into 1500?!?

Thank you all for the advice!!!
 
Larry said:
We just did a portion of your intended trip, we left Russo Marine in Boston and drove a new 40 Sundancer to Norwalk CT. You have to watch the weather and plan alternates. The water from Boston to the canal can be challenging, canal does have a 10 MPH speed limit, then Buzzards Bay can kick up some nasty seas, If you have the weather on your side and day light I would try to get in to Long Island (maybe even Montauk) rather than stop in Block and have to deal with getting off Block the following day and have to make that 14 mile trip to the tip of LI. That’s about as far as I can help.

We experienced on our trip 3-5 ft. seas between Boston and the canal, in Buzzards Bay the further west we went the nastier it got, we had to ditch in Newport RI because the seas were a steady 5 and getting tighter. We had 20–25 kt winds gusting to 35, not the ideal weather for this trip but we had limited time to get the boat down.
Click to expand...


Larry, would you mind if I asked you what your fuel costs where? How many miles was the trip total, do you know? Curious what your MPG is also. Thanks again!
 
If it were me, I’d just have the boat shipped home. I’d hate to think the shakedown cruise on a “new-to-you boat” would be a 200+ mile trip in unfamiliar (and potentially nasty) waters.
 
jhild said:
If it were me, I’d just have the boat shipped home. I’d hate to think the shakedown cruise on a “new-to-you boat” would be a 200+ mile trip in unfamiliar (and potentially nasty) waters.
Click to expand...

Thanks jhild... but i should have mentioned I am going w/ 2 guys who have done the trip before. I definently agree with you, I certainly wouldn't be attempting it on my own!:grin:
 
Larry...Its about the journey and the boating....You have a car to drive down route 95.....Enjoy the challenge, traveling through the canal, stopping for fuel and lunch, staying overnight, etc.........We all take trips that might make us feel out of our comfort zone, but the rush when you complete it is well worth it....
 
I would plan on 3 fuel stops. While it's possible to make it 100 miles on a tank, all it takes is some 2' chop to knock that down to about 75 miles. If you have rollers, you'll get about 60 miles and start sweating for a fuel dock. with 3 fuel stops, you could add 3-4 hours to your trip depending on how far out of your way you had to go to fuel up, so i would break it into two legs, with a possible 3rd day if the weather isn't great.
 
I have done the trip from Boston down to Newport RI and Block Island several times. As others have said, with nice weather, its a really nice trip AND a great way to learn about your new boat.

As WetPaint suggested, you should plan a stop-over at the west end of the Cape Cod canal. It will like take you between 3-4 hours to get from Boston to the canal and then up to another hour to get thru the canal (you can only go 10 kts thru in the canal). Also, at that point you will most likely need fuel. Red Brook Harbor (called Kingman Marina) is a great stop over place. I also keep my boat there. It is very well protected and there is a restuarant and clean showers and facilities. Kingman is NOT the best place to get fuel, as the prices tend to be a little higher than most of the other fuel docks in the area. You can get a slip for the night at Kingman pretty easily. AFter 4-5 hours the first day, you'll be ready for a stop, something to eat and a hot shower.

I am not exactly sure where West Babylon LI is (or how to get there by water) but I am guessing you may have another 6-7 hour day the next day. It usually takes me about 3 hours to get to Block Island from Kingman (cruising around 22 - 25 kts). You mentioned that your boat cruises around 25 mph. I think you would be very lucky if you could cruise that fast thru Buzzards Bay and the coast of RI. If the seas are really calm, you could probably go that fast, if not you should plan for a much slower pace. I've done this trip in my old 29 Cruisers and in my friends 29 ft and if you are trying to go that fast (unless the seas are really calm) you will get the snot knocked out of you.

I live in the Boston area and keep my boat at Kingman, so if you wanted company on the first half of the trip (Boston to Cape Cod) I would be willing to go along with you. The second half of the trip, you're on your own.

Let me know if you want the help.
 
I agree with Wetpaint! If you feel prepared with a good crew and a capable vessel, I'd do that trip in a heartbeat. It could be the only time you'd get a chance to make that type of journey. Trucking the boat down is the easy way, and I would recommend it if you didn't feel you were experienced enough, or if the mechanicals were questionable.

And I'd definitely make a cruise of it. Stop over for a night and enjoy the ride. If you have the luxury of picking the day(s) for the trip on short notice, watch weather patterns. If weather looks like it will be stable for 3 consecutive days, bust a move and take advantage.

Live for the journey, not the destination! (and make sure you have unlimited towing from TowBOAT/US)
 
I would fear the leg of the trip that takes you the length of LI from west to east on the south shore. That's open ocean. Any storms, even 200 miles away, will make that ride treacherous. You will at least be somewhat protected in Cape Cod Bay, Buzzards Bay, and LI sound. You'll rough it through those areas if the conditions are less than ideal. See if you can get info about the south shore LI leg from other experienced boaters. It might be better for you to go across the north shore and backtrack east from NYC.
 
I'm guessing your home port is on the south shore (South Oyster Bay? Great South Bay?) My south shore of LI inlet knowledge is rusty - trying to figure out how long you'd have to run on the "outside" before ducking in and taking the "bays" west. Would you go out at Shinnecock and back in at Moriches (about 15 miles)? I do recall the water is REAL skinny along the south shore bays.
 
Last edited:
In my previous post I mentioned about getting to Montauk, I forgot the range on the 280 was just under 100 miles. I would stop were I think Wet Paint mentioned on the west side of the canal for fuel first then maybe Montauk. I think your fuel burn sounds about rite. The seas are going to play a BIG part of this trip, it is a great trip and you will learn allot about your new boat. Just make sure you have atleast one back up GPS with you. You can experience allot of fog along this trip.
The trip from Russo out to open water is a fairly long run (about 45 minutes) then I believe it is about 45-50 miles to the canal.

Good luck!
 
I've made the outside run in my 27' and 30' a few times from jersey to BI, Newport and MV. Anyway, if the weather is good, make the outside run down to Fire Island Inlet. I would not think anything is going on at BI so early in the season but Newport would be a good stop. Fog is the real problem and I've run into it a few time. Trying to find Shinnecock inlet in the fog was a treat.

Good luck with your trip and plan 3 days. If you do better, great.
I would also hug the coast since the boat is new to you in case you have some mech problems or bad seas. You can duck in many places until you make the run to Montauk.

Good luck with the new boat.
 
Guys... just had a baby so haven't been able to read all the replies! Great advice here, truly appreciate it. I never knew fog is that big of an issue. My buddy who does a lot of boating in my area suggests running along the ocean side of LI and ducking into the Fire Island Inlet. Of course weather permitting.

Thanks again everyone!
 
Not sure about the Mass. side of the trip, but your best bet is to cross the sound (pick a spot, New Haven, New London), and plan on a stopover in Greenport. From there its an easy ride across the Peconic Bay and through the Shinnecock Canal. Then it's due West in the protection of the Great South Bay. Heading west through NYC and east again adds a tremendous amout of unneccessary distance and burned fuel.
 
New London maybe, but New Haven is way off the rhumb line.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,186
Messages
1,428,171
Members
61,097
Latest member
Mdeluca407
Back
Top