Dealing with large boat wakes and swells with jon boat

I should start off my post by saying that i love this site and have been looking for something for aluminum boats for years. My problem is that unlike most people on this MB i am a saltwater fisherman. I fish the flats along the intercoastal and sometimes the inlets around st augustine florida. My main concern is that i;m fishing a 14 ft flat bottom jon boat around these areas which are prone to have large boats (25-40 ft) passing by on full plane. Also if i go into the inlet i'm dealing with ocean swells that run through on occasion (1-3 ft) My question is what is the best way to traverse these swell when running down the ICW. I went out yesterday and hit some 1-2 ft swell and made it up and over the first few waves fine but then when i approced that last waves i got rocked pretty hard and was afraid the wave was going over the bow. i have'nt had any major problems yet but just wondered what you guys thought was the best techinique to get by these waves. Also what about when i'm not moving but anchored and these swells approach, will the boat just bob up and over or is their a possibility of being flipped. here are some pictures of my boat. https://tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2233 also getting another boat is not an option and yes i know i'm crazy for fishing in an inlet is a jon boat.

thanks

I'm glad your here man :beer:

Its nice to get a report from saltwater flats fishing and Floida too!

That's is the one disadvantage to a flatbottom. They don't cut the waves like a V and will beat the dog out of you. I fish freshwater lakes so I don't have to deal with ocean or gulf swells but on windy days it can get pretty rough. I have had a few scary rides when trying to get back from duck unting. It might be dead still at 4am when setting up but be blowing 30mph when deciding to pack it in mid morning. I tend to hit the waves at an angle and that lessens the blow some. But not much.

I'm not to worried about wind chop since i usually check the weather before i go and pick my days wisely. My main issue is the waves, i have seen giant yahts go by which throw out about a 2-3 foot wave that tempts me to grab my surfboard. I usually head straight into them or if possible dip into a protected creek if i see thm coming. Is thier a better technique to getting over these waves; slow down, speed up, stop all together, air over the first wave and hold on for dear life? :shock:

Ouachita said:

...I tend to hit the waves at an angle and that lessens the blow some. But not much.

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As mentioned in the quote, I also try to approach them at a slight angle, but not too much or it could possibly flip you if it's a large one.

you might try building some sort of dodger for your bow i know it works for displacement type hulls look up barneget bay sneak boats and youll understand what im talking about really helps when water comes over the bow as far as when you are anchored im not sure while hunting we will leave our anchor lines tight with no slack in hopes we pick up anchor in the big rollers from barges and such good luck

Man you have got big ba**s lol I fought the waves today with the wind causing small (to you) whitecaps and can't imagine 2-3 ft waves. For your sake though I hope you wear your life jacket and kill switch chord, as we ALL should.

When you are under power you want to cut your throttle and then punch it as the bow is about to hit the wave to lift the bow and ride up and over. It takes a little timing skill but once you have it down you shoudl be able to glide over the waves.

As far as when you are at anchor - those big boats are required to slow down - but I am sure very few do. I fish the Delaware coast and there are always a few crazed people, such as yourself, fishing the bays and inlets in jon boats. I ALWAYS slow down for them especially if they are anchored!


Some of the guys here have a technique for getting the attention of the idiots throwing unsafe wakes - they use a 10 foot surf rod and a 3 oz bank sinker

Try not to leave too much slack in your anchor rode and always anchor from the bow. If you see a larger wave coming amidships quickly power up and let out rode so you can turn the bow.

Be safe

anchoring is where i get confused, i was under the imprssion that by having some slack in the line it would allow the bow to rise and fall with the wave. to me it seems that by having a tight anchor line i would be more susceptable to having the bow being pulled under the wave if the anchor doesn't free itself. thanks everyone for thier ideas and help.

santander said:

anchoring is where i get confused, i was under the imprssion that by having some slack in the line it would allow the bow to rise and fall with the wave. to me it seems that by having a tight anchor line i would be more susceptable to having the bow being pulled under the wave if the anchor doesn't free itself. thanks everyone for thier ideas and help.

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You got it! Toght anchor rode will inhibit the boats ability to ride the wave