Is my boat tuna ready?

[trickydogshow]

Originally Posted by Mo

There is lots of good info to be had here on Bd. How did you find us?

Welcome to Bd.

There is a lot of good info here.. I cant remember exactly how I found the site. I believe I was googling something fishing related! seems like its mostly tuna and halibut, is that right?

[bassassin00]

Originally Posted by Keta

How did you transport and transfer the extra fuel? Some ways are far safer than others and gasoline is not a safe fuel.

Only way that we could, gas tanks in the back. Rigged up an extra fuel funnel inside the boat so that we wouldn't spill anything. This is one of the reasons why I'm looking for a nice big boat ready to roll. Got my eyes on a 28 foot Blackfin from Florida that is completly ready to go with a nice tuna tower that is 18 feet off the water. If I get it I'm more than willing to let Trickydogshow jump on board.

[Mo]

Originally Posted by trickydogshow

There is a lot of good info here.. I cant remember exactly how I found the site. I believe I was googling something fishing related! seems like its mostly tuna and halibut, is that right?

No it's anything that swims in the salt and will eat a hook, at least on the Wa forum. Check out all the other forums on here. Tons of good info !

[Mo]

Originally Posted by lancaster

just like tuna head said. hook up with some guys and go for it.Start with a few island trips to get comfortable and when your ready try the 302 and each time you will feel better. don't let these dorks examine your skill level and open water experience level. May be get a 5 gallon plastic tank with the hose and ball already hoohed up so can unplug one and plug in the next check the weather get vessel assist AND HAVE FUN!But be advised your life and your marriage will be changed for ever.

Are you from Cali ? How much open water time do you have off Wa with an 18ft boat? Green water here is alot diff.

Vessel Assist? Not here. We do have the Coast Guard, but you better be in the shit before you call.

Has everyone forgot what happened during Halibut season off LaPush ?

Listen...
http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=273411

[Chasin' Tail]

Originally Posted by lancaster

just like tuna head said. hook up with some guys and go for it.Start with a few island trips to get comfortable and when your ready try the 302 and each time you will feel better. don't let these dorks examine your skill level and open water experience level. May be get a 5 gallon plastic tank with the hose and ball already hoohed up so can unplug one and plug in the next check the weather get vessel assist AND HAVE FUN!But be advised your life and your marriage will be changed for ever.

THis guy obviously has no clue on fishing out of washington....

And yeah.. "try the 302"... Umm thats 25miles out from Mission Bay CA...

Back to reality....

Your boat with only a 115 might really be pushing the envelope when you consider what gear you are going to need to be packing on the boat.
200# ice, then the potentail for another 200-300# of tuna, then you and crew, then coolers for the tuna... etc.. It would be like packing 6 200+ pound guys on the boat...
I had a 20' alloy boat w/ a 140 and i felt I was really lugging the boat when it was loaded like that. I needed all the HP i could muster.

I do think your boat is Doable, but I think the best advise is to stick around this site, and jump on someone elses boat next summer.

What I envision if you try and go it on your boat before gaining experience is this: You are a green capt. Your crew would probrably be more green than you are. This combination is not a good one for a 50 mile offshore adventure.
Learn how your boat handles bigger water. Start out fishing the straight. Halibut will open up there before tuna season. Get some time in on that level of big water. Graduate to close in salmon trips to westport. Learn what it takes to cross the Bar, when to go, when not to go. Learn about the forcasts for Offshore, get redundant systems on your boat:plotter, FF, VHF, an epirb, Backup Bilge pumps.

If you went to the salmon U seminar, Im sure you learned a good deal of what Keiser says is good safety equiptment.

But the biggest thing is Experience... Reading the conditions and reacting and controlling your boat is the biggest key.

Start saving now, because once you get out there, the 2-4 foot itis is gonna come a-itching... It did for me, and im glad i upsized to what I have now. Big enough for tuna, yet still trailerable to other places I like to fish the other 9 months of they year...

[Tropicana]

just replying storing gas on the boat, i think that the safest way is with LC gas cans, we use them for our quads, they have on and off swith valves and extra hose length so you dont spill fuel. Here is the link where i found them at.

lc fuel cans - Google Product Search

[Keta]

CT,
Or he can do what I do and limit his harvest to what his boat can safely handle pluss the other things that it takes to come home with properly cared for fish. With the right captain and on the right day his boat can do it but it's close to the edge and I prefer a bit more safety margin.


Boo,
Safer is a "drop tank" or fuel blader.

[Chasin' Tail]

on the topic of gas. i had a 4 stoke 140 on my 20foot boat (had a 50 gallon tank). The furthest i went out for tuna on that boat was 54 miles. Round trip including troll was 134 miles. I burned 34 gallons of gas, and had close to 20 tuna on board. I'd imagins a 115 Yamaha would be close to the same in economy. I carried an extra 9 gallon portable boat gas tank(I got about 4mpg).
Something like this in 9 gallons: Moeller Marine Topside Gas Tank - BoatersWorld.com

I added a quick disconnect to the Water fuel seperator on my boat. It comes with 2 inflows for gas. One for the main tank, and since I had a single, I added the quick connect to where the 2nd inlet would be if you had 2 tanks.. SO just plug in the Aux tank, no spillage, no fuel transfer, just a standard connect like to a kicker. You just have to add a shut off ball valve to the main tank at that same point. I never had to use it, but it was there if nesessary

I carried it up in the bow, strapped in out of the way..never had a problem

I also agree that limiting the catch is a good idea. But oh, is it hard to do when you get a couple of quad hookups in minutes..

On a trip to Depoe Bay we put 19 fish on the boat in 30 minutes from the time we set or first line out.. we were done, Plugged(overloaded actually). It was hard to stop.

[lancaster]

fuck it dude don't go it just sounds to scarry.

[Keta]

Go away!
We're not trying to scare anyone here. We are attempting to help him become a competent ocean captain with out having him become another fatality during the process. You ever been in the North Pacific when she's upset, it's not nice.
We often have the swell running 45° to the wind and there is no pattern to the chop.
We also have to enter the ocean across bars that can be very dangerous at times. PEOPLE DIE UP HERE DUE TO STUPID HUMAN TRICKS, DO NOT ENCOURAGE THEM TO DO STUPID THINGS!!!!

[ronzob]

You tell em Lee.

Earlier in the year there was some talk of Tommy and Todd doing a seminar that might be specific to chasing Albacore off Westport.

My quote to Tommy was: "I've been fishing tuna for about 45 years...I'd really like to see a quality seminar (with emphasis on weather and water) before some dipshit in a 20' sled dies 40 miles off Westport chasing albacore." (Nothing personal, just a colloquialism).

So hopefully after the holidays we can get back to the idea of a instructional seminar on the finer arts of crossing the bar, reading the weather and water and keeping the newer guys safe out there.

R

[lancaster]

you are right. I am from Cali when I posted I did not know he was in WA. My mistake I do not know anything about WA. I fish off S.D. and Baja, and when the fish are in town its no big deal to go get them and I thought you guys were scaring the hell out of some one in my area,so go ahead and keep scaring I mean teaching your guy about the rough and tough WA. coast line.