Moving a boat north

Sea Gull said:
This time of year weather plays a bigger roll and you are limited to about 11 hours of daylight. Depending on your boat you may run out of fuel before running out of daylight.

Our normal itinerary would be Charleston to Beaufort, NC. Then to Norfolk, then Cape May it AC, then home.

If those offshore jumps are too long you could stop in Georgetown, Southport, or Wrightsville on the first day. On day 2 you could push past Beaufort to Oriental. If you can’t make Norfolk, Coinjock is an interesting stop. Then North of Norfolk you could stop in Ocean City, MD, or just go up the Chesapeake for even more choices.

If weather keeps you on the AICW then it might take an extra day or two, but there are good stops along the way.
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Thanks for the route ideas.

I think I'll be OK on fuel for an 11 hour day. The boat has a big tank and is pretty fuel-efficient. At 2600 rpm it will do about 27 mph. Using 90% of the 300 gallon tank, the range is 380 miles. That calculates out to be 1.4 mpg.

If I slow down to 24 mph the range is 400 miles and 1.5 gph.

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If you are asking me, then the answer is heck no I don't mind. I would love to ride a Back Cove. I have been on so many different products lately, I don't even look at the brand until I get off, after I decide whether I like it or not. They are all different, some better than others but when asked what my favorite is...I always reply, it's the one you own!

Like my Grandad would say, "everyone is different boy, if we were all the same then they would all want your Grandma". He owned a Barbershop in Auburn, Alabama for as long as I can remember, and what a joy it was to sit in there all day listening to those men solve the worlds problems with their poetic philosophies.

Stay in touch!

R
 
I am speculating, but the further north you go the more likely marinas (fuel stops) are closed for the season.

When we had a slip in the Chesapeake, by now water was cut off to the docks. Fuel dock was only open certain days - not every day and hours were curtailed.

Warm weather running along the coast or in the ICW I would be comfortable with a 20% reserve. I don't really like to pull tanks down to the last few gallons.

This time a year - I would want more reserve than 20 %. Places that do have fuel and are open are closing earlier, etc.

Rusty would have much more insight on changes this time of year than most people. @Sea Gull has probably run this more than most.
 
b_arrington said:
Thanks for the route ideas.

I think I'll be OK on fuel for an 11 hour day. The boat has a big tank and is pretty fuel-efficient. At 2600 rpm it will do about 27 mph. Using 90% of the 300 gallon tank, the range is 380 miles. That calculates out to be 1.4 mpg.

If I slow down to 24 mph the range is 400 miles and 1.5 gph.

View attachment 95145
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The efficiency of those boats is amazing. Very nice looking boat. Enjoy.
 
Pretty boat. Others have really said all. I would be very diligent about your fuel planning. The Covid spike is changing everything. Be well planned going North. Run inside most of the trip. If possible run outside Georgia. I would also try to run on rising tides during the day so you have less worry about the shouldn't in the ICW in SC through VA.
 
The Back Coves are beautiful boats. My friend just bought a 32.

You will have no trouble with range on my suggested route. You will find good fuel in every one of my suggested stops, even at this time of year.

The biggest issues for you will be weather, and the possible uncertainties of a new to you boat. On this route you will never be more than 30 nm offshore, but could also opt to stay closer to shore or take the AICW. On bad weather days you can sit and wait, or take the inland route. But even inland on the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River can be rough.
 
When we go north either in SeaRay or do a norther river in Jetboat we know where we will get fuel. We know fuel consumption rates and have a contingency fuel supply. You can easily get saved. It is not like us where the next community could be 300 miles away. If I were doing a tip like yours weather would be my main concern along with running out of Hot Chocolate
 
FootballFan said:
Wow - very nice. Are Backcove and Sabre made by the same company?
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I'll expand on @Ididntdoit 's answer a bit.

Back Cove was started when a bunch of Sabre dealers asked the company for a boat that was smaller and less expensive than Sabres in order satisfy customer demand. It was also a way as an entry point to move up to Sabre. At the same time, Sabre was looking to more fully own their hull molding process. While Sabre designed the boats, they outsourced production of fiberglass items to a Maine company called North End Composites. Sabre bought North End, and at about the same time created the Back Cove sister company. Technically, the manufacturer list on the origin certification of every Back Cove is North End Composites.

The first Back Cove model was the Back Cove 29. It was more of a utilitarian fishing / cruising boat than than the current line up. It was more open, had more fiberglass, very little wood, and had a single inboard diesel. Next was the BC 26 in the same vein. The BC 30 replaced the BC 29 and introduced a new design aesthetic that continues today. The boat moved up market with more creature comforts and is overall more upscale. With this change the brand started to come into it's own as separate from Sabre.

Fast forward. The Sabre and Back Cove brands actually share a head designer (Kevin Burns) and an engineering teams. They switch back and forth between working on Sabre and BC designs. 100% of both brands hulls are produced at the North End Composites factory, where BC is also headquartered. Both use the same advanced hull construction techniques. The Sabre hulls are sent down state for completion while the BC hulls head over to the production line in the same location in Rockland, ME. There is so much cross over it seems more like one company than two separate groups.

Sabre started as a sailboat maker. When they introduced power boats their goal was to make a power boat for sailors. As a result they typically had smallish salons, larger spaces below, and oodles of varnished wood. Today the salons are bigger but retain extensive wood joinery. Basically the whole inside is stick built using wood. As a result they can accommodate a significant amount of customization. All Sabre power boats are powered by twin engines and all current designs use pod drives.

Back Cove makes extensive use of molded fiberglass construction and far less joinery vs. Sabre. This means that there are far fewer opportunities for customization. It's more of a production boat. The hallmark of BC design has been simplicity: less wood and the simplicity and reliability of the single inboard diesel engine. BC customers are typically OK with this power train while trading off some top end speed. Target top end is 30 knots and cruising at 20-24 knots. That said, BC is targeting a new market with the 2018 release of the twin outboard-powered BC 34o, and the 2020 introduction of the BC 39o using triple outboards. These new boats are quiet and fast; the 39o tops out at 50 mph, but burns 108 gph doing it. It's popular though: hull no. 1 was just splashed and they already have a 3 year's worth of orders. According to head designer Kevin Burns, these outboard models are attracting a new customer base looking for a different set of features than is sought by the traditional Back Cove buyer.
 
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Maybe if I'm lucky Back Cove will come out with a BC 26o (outboard powered 26 foot). :) The BC 34o is a bit out of my price range.
 
b_arrington said:
Before the end of the year I might be moving a boat north from Charleston SC up to Long Island. I haven't done this type of trip before - I'd like some advice on routes to take from folks that have done it.

How long should I plan for the trip to take, figuring it can travel at 25-26 mph? Good routes - inside, outside? I'm already planning on using a weather routing service to help out.
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Capt. Rusty Higgins said:
Let's Roll !

replied to email and would be happy to help....except, I am a southerner and do not own a pair of long cotton drawers, burrr!

Capt. Rusty

post script.....thanks Fred!
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Any updates Guys?
 
techmitch said:
Any updates Guys?
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Quint4 said:
....still waiting for the spectacular photo montage.
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You guys are too much! Did you know I was looking for this thread tonight?

Well, I can't send photos of a trip that hasn't happened. I had wanted to bring the boat up late November or early December. COVID put a wrench in those plans. I was having some upgrades done and ran into supplier delays. The work wasn't completed until mid-January. By that time it was simply too cold for a trip and my yard was closed for haul out for the winter. It might have been a good thing though, because despite not going anywhere my whole family started to get COVID after Thanksgiving weekend. My son was first, then 2 weeks later my wife and I had it. I felt like hell, but my wife got it bad - she was sick for a month. Boat plans were on hold for a while.

However....I'm now getting my GoPro ready and packing some supplies because Rusty and I are bringing the boat up starting this weekend!

I'm driving down to Charleston with my son and father inlaw, arriving Saturday. Rusty's meeting us there. We'll all stay aboard then begin the trip home Sunday morning. Route and stops are still TBD, but it looks like stop at least in Wrightsville Beach and Coinjock. We'll leave Rusty at Liberty Landing for his flight home and head down the LI Sound. All depends on the conditions though. I feel pretty glad I kept in touch all winter and got the dates settled, because he's in high demand next week. Apparently the good Captain turned down a running a couple of 66 footers for my "little" 37.
 
It's amazing that Coinjock made the itinerary! How ever in the world would that have happened?
Sounds like a great run - Enjoy the trip
 
That trip is worth every penny. Enjoy the ride up in the new boat.
 
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