Boating Season Ended

A conversation among Whalers
jimh
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Boating Season Ended

Postby jimh » Thu Oct 03, 2019 11:27 pm

We put away the boat for the winter on Monday, September 30, 2019. It wasn't raining, the weather was still warm, and the sun was out. We got the boat and engine prepared for winter storage and into the storage building ahead of the rain. The forecast for the three days to follow was for nothing but rain for hours and hours and for high temperatures barely reaching 55-degrees.

Although I have had my E-TEC engine since 2009, and this was the 11th time I winterized the engine by using the self-winterizing automatic procedure, being able to winterize the engine powerhead at a push of a button still makes me smile. That feature of an E-TEC is something that I just love.

I know there will be a warm and sunny day in late October with calm winds, and it would be fun to get out boating, but I won't be getting the boat out. Once the boat goes into the seasonal storage building, it isn't coming out until Spring. So if there is a perfect day in late October, I will have to go out on someone else's boat--hint-hint.

With the raining approaching on Monday, I forgot to get the engine hour reading. I don't know the number of hours the engine ran this season, but it probably wasn't very many. But every hour we did get on the water was enjoyable.

Jefecinco
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Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby Jefecinco » Fri Oct 04, 2019 9:24 am

I remember winterizing the boat when we lived up North in Virginia. Often the Thanksgiving weekend provided a good opportunity for that two to three day job. We kept our boat in a marina so arranged to haul and block the Wednesday before. I don't miss those colder winters.

The daily high temperatures in the Mobile Bay area have broken many long standing records and in some cases all time records in September. We are also in an official drought condition with only 3/8 inches of rain. The only personal impact has been much higher than usual water bills due to irrigating the grounds thrice weekly. Boating and fishing has not been impacted except the waters have been clearer than usual. No major storms have hit us so far this year so we are grateful for that. Tropical storms and hurricanes are no fun and require a lot of preparation.
Butch

Oldslowandugly
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Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby Oldslowandugly » Fri Oct 04, 2019 10:04 am

It is always a juggling act to squeeze the most fishing days out of the season before the really cold weather clamps down. My marina wants you out by early November but that is prime time for Bass and Blues. Luckily the Dockmaster is flexible on this and will let you linger if the fishing warrants it. It is still a gamble because cleaning and winterizing in the cold is no fun at all.

jimh
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Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby jimh » Fri Oct 04, 2019 12:21 pm

Jefecinco wrote:The daily high temperatures in the Mobile Bay area have broken many long standing records and in some cases all time records in September. We are also in an official drought condition with only 3/8 inches of rain.


We just bailed out early on an extra week up north due to the cold temperatures and excessive rain.

I do not recall a single day this summer when the temperature reached 90-degrees, and just a few days were above 85-degrees. It has been raining so much that I shut off the irrigation system a month ago, but the lawn is still very green and growing. Usually it is has mostly browned out by August. On Monday this week a big thunderstorm system moved across our region with high winds and low pressure. There was a seiche on Grand Traverse Bay and the water level rose about 8-inches--that is 8-inches higher than where it was already unseasonably high and within 1-inch of the all time record. The water receded about an hour later, back to the near-record level. All that water is from rain. We have been dodging low-pressure systems coming across from the West ever since July.

Even down here in SE Michigan the air temperature today is 56-degrees-F at noon. It is a nice Fall day, sunny, but it looks like some weather is blowing in from the West and we'll get more rain.

ConB
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Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 2:52 pm
Location: Suttons Bay, MI

Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby ConB » Fri Oct 04, 2019 4:29 pm

I have put boats away when it was snowing on us. Not fun.

My boats are put away now and when we get some Indian summer days I'll sit around soaking up the sun not rushing around putting boats and stuff away.

Con
!987 Outrage 18 / 2011 Yamaha F150
1969 13 / 30hp Johnson tiller

El Rollo
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Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby El Rollo » Fri Oct 04, 2019 11:20 pm

One of the few reasons I like Southern California: my only winterization is a new tarp over the Whaler to keep the occasional rain-squall off her. Otherwise it is 365 days of Whaler action.

jimh
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Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby jimh » Sat Oct 05, 2019 8:58 am

The northern Great Lakes are certainly a region with four seasons. I can handle that. Pure fresh water and no earthquakes--that's a fair trade.

If I could use my boat year-round then my 11-year-old engine would have 2,200-hours on it instead of 550-hours, and I probably would be buying a replacement. That gets expensive.

Masbama
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Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby Masbama » Sat Oct 05, 2019 9:30 am

I live in the same area as Butch and I can tell you the best time for boating is almost here. Highs in the eighties and little rain with a small chance of thunderstorms. In addition, the fall fishing is tremendous as the salt water creeps up Mobile Bay and the white shrimp moves with it creating an incredible fishing scenario as the speckled trout and redfish (as well as fresh water species) congregate to feast on the shrimp. Even I can have a good day fishing.
Image

Jefecinco
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Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby Jefecinco » Sat Oct 05, 2019 9:57 am

Yes, Fall is great for fishing in the Bay, delta and tributaries as well as the back bays around the islands.

Although our Montauk is for sale we will be going after the trout very soon. If a potential buyer sees a little blood on the deck it will just show what a terrific fishing boat he/she is seeing.
Butch

Oldslowandugly
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Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby Oldslowandugly » Sat Oct 05, 2019 10:26 am

One perk of living at the coast is that after the boat is put away the surf action heats up. While I have harvested the most fish from the boat I have always beached the largest from the surf. Really big Bluefish and Striped Bass prowl the Fall surf feeding eagerly. I have been the guy out on the water freezing my butt off as well as the guy on the beach who can just leave when I want to. But I will keep the boat in the water as long as the fishing warrants.

biggiefl
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Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby biggiefl » Mon Oct 07, 2019 10:40 am

I'm waiting on fall weather so I can start going out on the boat: hot summer.
On my 24th Whaler. Currently in the stable: 86 18' Outrage, 81 13' Sport(original owner), 87 11' Sport, 69 Squall(for sale cheap).

Tacky79
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Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby Tacky79 » Mon Oct 07, 2019 8:51 pm

My wife asked me today if we are moving the boat up to the inside storage facility for winter. I told her that I'm stubbornly keeping it in the driveway until we've exhausted all our opportunities to boat. Last year, that meant that I had to winterize it with my boys when it was 34 degrees and windy, but it was worth it. We'll still have a few 70-degree days in Denver, so I'm going to try to sneak out when we can.
2017 Boston Whaler Montauk 190 w/ 150 Merc/Fish Pkg/Bowrail delete/aft seating
1979 Boston Whaler Harpoon 5.2 sailboat with sails and a tiller :D

Oldslowandugly
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Location: Queens NY

Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby Oldslowandugly » Tue Oct 22, 2019 6:49 pm

I'm still in but no Bluefish in a week. I got a short Striper yesterday but if that is all then I am considering leaving soon.

Oldslowandugly
Posts: 717
Joined: Fri Jan 15, 2016 11:19 pm
Location: Queens NY

Re: Boating Season Ended

Postby Oldslowandugly » Tue Nov 05, 2019 7:10 pm

Done. No fish. No reason to stay.