How slow is too slow? (long)

O C Diver said:

Well that's one I've never heard before, taking the boat to go play golf.

Ted

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That is silly. We take ours to play tennis. lol

The way I've been hitting the ball in recent years, I can't imagine a better way to spoil a beautiful boat trip .

TDunn said:

Perhaps one of my best boating days ever was done with the engine off. I simply let the tide carry me for about 4 miles down a beautiful inlet. It was a wonderful afternoon.

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Some of my favorite outings on the boat have been just that. Drift fishing with my wife, brother & sister in law on a balmy morning & afternoon.

Too slow is when the autopilot can no longer steer.

Too fast is when concentration is required to not ground.

FF said:

Too fast is when concentration is required to not ground.

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On the road there's a ticketing offense known as "driving too fast for conditions." I think the same thought should apply to one's boating. It's not just grounding, it's everything around you. I think of Biscayne Bay on the night of July 4 fireworks as everyone leaves. Anything over a fast idle is too fast. There are too many boats and too much is going on. Definitely I have been in areas too where depth was so suspect and shoaling so extensive that idle was the right speed as we were keeping careful watch over our depthfinder and our sonar.

Now only on expressways to we have minimum speed limits. I've only been two places on water where I can recall minimums which were necessary to keep up with others. One was the Panama Canal and the other is the Land Cut Section of the Cape Cod Canal. In both cases a tow is required if you can't make it. Only a few sailboats ever have an issue. On the Cape Cod section it reads, "Vessels of any kind unable to make a transit through the Land Cut portion of the canal against a head current of 6.0 knots within a maximum time limit of 2 hours 30 minutes must shall be required to obtain the assistance of a helper tug at the vessel owner’s expense or await favorable conditions."

FlyWright said:

Shucks....2 more hours in that KK42. Don't you hate it when that happens?

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It's like driving around in your living room.

7-8 hours at the helm is generally enough for me, so 50 nm is usually my limit.


Jim
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"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."
Mario Andretti

I'm sorry guys, I've never gotten over my need for speed.

HopCar said:

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."
Mario Andretti

I'm sorry guys, I've never gotten over my need for speed.

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Get on a race track then. Or get a high powered boat and a huge life insurance policy and go out beyond all the other traffic.

We love speed. What we can't deal with is the possible consequences. We have two of the fastest cars around and neither has ever been over 90 mph nor more than 5-10 mph over the speed limit. Our dream boat today is a Nortech 80 Roadster. It's not really fast though, only 65 mph or so. Maybe a 47' Fountain instead at 90 mph? No, the fountain would be good for a day, but not for regular use.

I'd love to get in a race car and run a few laps, but I'll never do so. I'll leave it to the professionals. But when they do it, 200 mph looks so easy.

"Get on a race track then."
I used to run an inboard hydro that once hit 107 mph before I owned it.
I never pushed it past a hundred but boy was that fun. That got me a bunch of second place trophies.

I wish they'd bring racing back to the Marine Stadium, but it won't happen any time soon.

Now I get excited when Possum hits 16 knots.

"I'd love to get in a race car and run a few laps, but I'll never do so."
Why not? They have a driving school down at the Homestead Speedway.
You can go for a ride with a professional driver or better still drive it yourself with the pro sitting next to you.

The instructions for Nascar and Hydro racing are the same. Go Fast. Turn Left.

HopCar said:

"

The instructions for Nascar and Hydro racing are the same. Go Fast. Turn Left.

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Except road courses.

I thought Nascar only ran on ovals. Shows you what I know about car racing.

HopCar said:

I thought Nascar only ran on ovals. Shows you what I know about car racing.

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No, they run a few races in each division each year on road courses and do them counter clockwise.

So, I take it you won't be going to the final race of the season in Homestead next weekend?

No I don't follow NASCAR. I probably would enjoy it if they are going to go down into the infield and turn right once in a while.

HopCar said:

No I don't follow NASCAR. I probably would enjoy it if they are going to go down into the infield and turn right once in a while.

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Well, the do that at Watkins Glen and Sonoma, so you'll have a bit of a drive to see it.