Memorial Day Weekend Bimini Trip Report - 5/25/11 - 5/30/11

jballen1 said:
Great post!! sounds like you had a lot of fun. How much fuel did you burn getting there in bad seas?

Is the rub rail gap only on certain years for the 260's? I have not noticed that on my 04 but I will be checking this weekend.
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We used right around 50 gallons to cross which is really bad for my boat. On the lake I average 2.2 mpg at 26 mpg. I was getting 9.5 mph at 6 gph before we hit the current then I got 7 mph for 6.5 gph.

Coming back we got 1.75 mpg with the current and wind to our back. I had to run 30 mph coming back (gps over land reading) for the 4 footers to be comfortable and not knock us off plane.
 
Sounds like a great trip. I hope we can make it sometime. Thanks for the pictures, they were great. Let us know if you get the video up to youtube.
 
Kendall, Great trip! I'm glad you all made it back safe! I'm thinking maybe next trip you convoy with some other boats. That's a whole lot of water to be transversing in a 260!
 
Pictures are great. Thanks, and am glad you guys had a really good time. Looking forward till i see those waters in about 6 weeks! JC
 
Gunn said:
Kendall, awesome writeup. Knowing that you were all safe and sound from the start I couldn't help but laugh at some parts of your situation and how you wrote it.

As far as posting that video, just put it up on Youtube.com . They can handle pretty much any file size and format taking out all of the complexities. I for one would love to see it!

Tom
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Tom:

I only have one video and I have uploaded to youtube at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU3UIVlCE74

This video is taken heading out of Port Everglades before we hit the rough stuff but you can probably tell it already doesn't look fun.
 
Great recap of the trip and pictures! Thanks for sharing.
At high tide could you have retrieved the boat without dropping off the ramp?
 
Thanks for sharing. We crossed the Saturday before Memorial Day over to West End (Grand Bahama) and then to the Abacos for a week. We left early (7am) and had no problem, however on the way back (this past weekend), we got stuck in West End since the winds were up from the ENE. Bottom line is that you need to be flexible in your schedule when you cross to allow for proper weather. I have crossed the stream many times and I know how quickly it can turn into a washing machine. Glad you made it safe- you have some guts to cross in a 26 footer without another boat with you.
 
Mystic Dreamer said:
Thanks for sharing. We crossed the Saturday before Memorial Day over to West End (Grand Bahama) and then to the Abacos for a week. We left early (7am) and had no problem, however on the way back (this past weekend), we got stuck in West End since the winds were up from the ENE. Bottom line is that you need to be flexible in your schedule when you cross to allow for proper weather. I have crossed the stream many times and I know how quickly it can turn into a washing machine. Glad you made it safe- you have some guts to cross in a 26 footer without another boat with you.
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Not sure it can be called guts...maybe naive....we had other boats with us but they decided they could plane out and bash themselves on over. I don't think there was any time we could not see another boat on the crossing. If I would have been smarter I might have tried to ride in the wake of some of the bigger boats but that is frowned upon here at the lake....

Our trip would have been fine just long if it were not for my 260 taking on water through the rub rail seam....:smt021
 
Kendall said:
Not sure it can be called guts...maybe naive....we had other boats with us but they decided they could plane out and bash themselves on over. I don't think there was any time we could not see another boat on the crossing. If I would have been smarter I might have tried to ride in the wake of some of the bigger boats but that is frowned upon here at the lake....

Our trip would have been fine just long if it were not for my 260 taking on water through the rub rail seam....:smt021
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Glad you were safe and that you now have the experience of a crossing... I bet a few cold Kaliks while in Bimini helped during the debrief of the trip across. I am bringing my boat back to St. Pete via the Keys next week... that too is another great trip.
 
Glad you guys made it back safely. I would consider installing a second bildge pump in your engine compartment (as well as having a back-up).

I had a similar issue on my 220 SD. I now have the factory pump as well as a second Rule 1100 GPH automatic (no float switch) pump. That way I know the pump is always cycling every 2-3 min's. My factory pump float switch does not work anymore. I do not like this design as much as the old fashioned kind that cycles.
 
You have any photos of the 6-7 ' waves? Would like to see that because from the photos they look about 3-4 maybe. I know they feel alot different when you out there and photos don't show height real well either.
 
trit21 said:
You have any photos of the 6-7 ' waves? Would like to see that because from the photos they look about 3-4 maybe. I know they feel alot different when you out there and photos don't show height real well either.
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Like I said these were the waves when we idled out of Port Everglades. No one thought to film the gulf stream waves as I had my hands full at the wheel and my buddies were laid out sick.

I would guess the waves in the video were 3 footers with the occasional 4....just my guess as I was just trying to point the pointed end of the boat towards Bimini.
 
Kendall said:
Like I said these were the waves when we idled out of Port Everglades. No one thought to film the gulf stream waves as I had my hands full at the wheel and my buddies were laid out sick.

I would guess the waves in the video were 3 footers with the occasional 4....just my guess as I was just trying to point the pointed end of the boat towards Bimini.
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I know exactly what you mean. When I first got the 280 (September???) I took the Admiral out Ponce inlet. We were recording the new "boat" and great she rides! I was too busy to see that the boat traffic that was coming back towards me was actually the people we had been following in the long azz no wake zone! It was so rough they (center consoles 24' and longer) were turning around! Well I kept heading out like I have done for years thinking "I'm in a Sea Ray...lol" About half way out going roughly 7-8 knots the 280 stood straight up and we were looking at the sky...and mean straight up!!!! I looked out my side window and all I saw was air!! I yelled at the Admiral to HOLD ONNNNNN!!! I was very surprised at how smooth she came down and in awe at the wall of water that shot up from both sides and the head on wind brought it right in the boat! I throttled and rode up the next one flipped a u turn and literally "surfed" on top of a wave back in!! The recording stopped before the "big one" so I have no proof! All I can tell you is I have been coming out of this inlet for years and have never seen water like this year! The Sea Ray was for sure smoother on the decent than my Pro-Line!
 
That's a funny story Donnie!! I remember one similar to that in my old 250 out on the Chesapeke Bay headed toward Baltimore Inner Harbor sticking the pulpit right through the center of some 6-8 footers!!!:wow:
 
floriduramax1 said:
I know exactly what you mean. When I first got the 280 (September???) I took the Admiral out Ponce inlet. We were recording the new "boat" and great she rides! I was too busy to see that the boat traffic that was coming back towards me was actually the people we had been following in the long azz no wake zone! It was so rough they (center consoles 24' and longer) were turning around! Well I kept heading out like I have done for years thinking "I'm in a Sea Ray...lol" About half way out going roughly 7-8 knots the 280 stood straight up and we were looking at the sky...and mean straight up!!!! I looked out my side window and all I saw was air!! I yelled at the Admiral to HOLD ONNNNNN!!! I was very surprised at how smooth she came down and in awe at the wall of water that shot up from both sides and the head on wind brought it right in the boat! I throttled and rode up the next one flipped a u turn and literally "surfed" on top of a wave back in!! The recording stopped before the "big one" so I have no proof! All I can tell you is I have been coming out of this inlet for years and have never seen water like this year! The Sea Ray was for sure smoother on the decent than my Pro-Line!
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I never knew you could catch air in a boat at 7-8 mph....but now I do! :thumbsup:

These waves in the gulf were just so steep and close together...I'm fine with the 8' rollers we have in the BVI's on the way to Anegada but these smaller waves were much tougher to ride over/through.....

Everything that was nicely stowed in the cabin was all on the floor when we arrived. :huh:
 
Hey Kendall, Might try to catch up w/you and Jason at T-Bones later this summer. We are headed that way to do so some ridin' on the Harley sometime around Aug/Sept.:grin:
 
susanandlance said:
Hey Kendall, Might try to catch up w/you and Jason at T-Bones later this summer. We are headed that way to do so some ridin' on the Harley sometime around Aug/Sept.:grin:[/QUOTE

Sounds great. Let me know when you guys are in town...would love to meet more CSR members!

Harley fan too....we will get along just fine!
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