Those who own a boat know exactly what I'm talking about. Boat fever is a serious disease that affects almost all boat owners. It occurs when an individual purchases a watercraft. At first, the symptoms do not show themselves. The new owner will feel normal, probably happier than usual due to their new purchase, but then everything begins to change. The symptoms may begin as soon as the first voyage. The boater will look at boats and begin to think about their purchase. "Did I buy a big enough boat?" "Did I buy a big enough engine?" You may believe this to be buyers remorse, but it is not; new boat owners love their boats. They are very content with them but they always wonder what the next step could be. When these thoughts turn into the desire to buy another boat, boat fever has already set in.
I have experienced boat fever and am still within its grasp. Last summer was my first summer with a boat -- a Boston Whaler Montauk 170, to be exact. It was a truly remarkable experience being able to explore the intercoastal waterway the way I did, but as I saw more boats, I couldn't help but wonder what I was missing out on. I desired to go beyond where I had ever gone before and explore the open ocean. Luckily for me, my father felt the same, and within that same summer we had purchased a Key West 230 BR.
As amazing as the Boston Whaler had been, its size and hull design were huge obstacles for going out in rough seas. The Key West was not only capable, but also blazingly fast and it still is. I have been "captaining" the Key West for a few months now and it's truly an amazing boat. Six feet may not seem like a lot, but in the world of boats, it make all the difference. Waves that once had sent me flying are now swiftly cut through and cause very little disturbance while cruising along. For a moment, I believed that my boat fever may have been cured but that was more wishful thinking than reality. I recently took my new boat offshore and now the fever is back.
The journey had high goals. The reef was 30 miles offshore and although the seas were calm, there was still 1-2 foot swells. The way out wasn't bad and we averaged a solid 30 mph and it was bumpy but manageable. It's truly amazing how the open ocean looks, the water is so blue, so clear, and it seems as though it goes on forever. I love looking around out there but what I love more is getting big sharks. When you're that far out and start chumming the water it's hard to keep your line in the water without a bite and our time out their was amazing. It was also the first time I felt like my boat may be a little small. Whenever we were hauling it more than one fish it even got a little stressful. Anchoring in 65 feet of water with small swells makes for a lot of back and forth on a boat. So basically if you weren't hanging on or sitting there was a good chance you were going in the water. I could get by the crowding, I could deal with the rocking but I couldn't deal with the trip back.
The weather picked up quickly and we began seeing 4-6 foot swells. This may not be a big deal for many boats but fighting through it in a 23-foot boat is scary. I had my trim tabs all the way down and the nose of the boats crashed into wave after wave with the sea spray completely soaking everyone aboard. At first, I didn't think it was a big deal, but that quickly changed.The big swells started showing up more often and the winds began picking up even more. Instead of a harsh ride, we were getting pummeled. The only way to make the ride bearable was to zig-zag along the path home. I would go through the waves at a shallow angle for as long as I could before turning hard and cruising with them to make up for how far off course we were moving. It was slow going and it exposed the limitations of my boat. There was never a question of getting in, but it really made me think. This boat is perfect for the intercoastal and even capable for offshore fishing, but it didn't exactly ease my mind out there. For the first time since the purchase, I thought I needed a bigger boat.
So now the fever has returned. What boat I will chase after next is a mystery but I have high hopes to find one capable of more offshore adventures.
