Mike A.
09-14-2003, 09:45 PM
Hello all. Sorry this is so long. I've been lurking on this site for a couple months now. Very knowledgeable group. I've been reading several of the available books on building boats in plywood/epoxy and I'm ready to make a final decision on which boat to build. I've been a hobbiest woodworker/furniture maker for several years and I fish for speckled trout and ocassionally redfish out of a 22 ft. Triton Seaflight center console. I live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Gulfport. Our local waters are much shallower than the east coast or west coast and I think of them as 3 distinct areas. 1). We have a set of barrier islands about 12 miles offshore and the waters are 10-15 ft deep. This area has no swells thanks to the barrier islands but the seas can get pretty choppy and the waves are steep and breaking with anything over 15 kts. 2) we have another set of islands about 25 miles offshore called the Chandeleur Islands. Fabulous place. No inhabitants. Good speckled trout and redfish areas. We mostly wade fish these waters. They extend about 25 miles. We hardly know how good we have it. These islands are shaped like a cresent and until you get there provide little protection from the open gulf. The waters on the way to these islands are around 15-30 ft deep and they can get particularly choppy on top of the swells which due to the shallow waters are quite short. Wave ADP's around 2.5-4 secs. 3 or 4 footers can get dangerous since the swells/chop tend to break in winds over 15 kts. I never leave in these conditions but frequently return in them. We get southeast winds in the summer and northwest winds in the winter. Yes, we fish year round. 3) Once you get to the Chandeleurs the waters are 1-4 ft deep and you can easily find a place to anchor and spend the night. At least you could if you had a boat with a proper cabin. The next day we motor into 2ft. and begin wade fishing. Hense the problem. Finding a boat which can safely get me to and from the Chandeleurs, can handle our local choppy seas, can comfortably sleep 2 or 3 people, can run 15 kts in the 3 foot chop or 30 kts on the flat days and can navigate and anchor in 2-3 feet water. All the bottoms are sand/mud. No rocks. I've read lots of posts concerning big, long swells but not a lot concerning short, choppy seas running on top of short swells which are the rule for us. I had narrowed my choice to the Tolman Jumbo, and the the Surf Scoter but now I think I need to add Mr. Tom Laythorp's (sp?) design and the 22-V also. Any help is appreciated.
Mike A.
p.s. If there are any owners of any of the above boats within a couple hundred miles of me please let me know. I'd love to see your boat.
Mike A.
p.s. If there are any owners of any of the above boats within a couple hundred miles of me please let me know. I'd love to see your boat.