A Lot of Firsts

[Jimmy]

I have been meaning to make this post for a long time but I have been really busy with work.

Some of you may remember me from the few posts I have made. I use a power wheelchair and had a 24’ Starcraft with an ETEC 90. I keep it on a small lake in WI and use it mostly for fishing. My family and I go down to Key Largo once or twice a year and it is always difficult for me to get out fishing. So, this is what I did.

In early April I traded my boat in for a 22’ Starcraft tri-toon with a 150 Opti. I wish it was a 24 but I couldn’t pass up the price. From there I added a Min-Kota electric anchor, a Min-Kota Terova trolling motor with I Pilot and Co Pilot, a Humminbird 800 series gps with side scan and a Power Arm electric bimini. I had them remove most of the furniture except the port/bow seating that holds the batteries and charger for the trolling motor. Because the seating was gone I had to add speakers back on the boat. We mounted good quality marine box speakers. Lastly I added a Shorelndr dual axel trailer.

Well, two days after I picked up the boat we headed down to Key Largo. I have a customized 2009 Chevy ¾ ton (gas). When I started out on the interstate I was white knuckling it and not going over 50. By the time I got to Miami I was weaving in and out of traffic going 70! Aside from gas mileage (8.2) pulling the boat was NOT a problem.
The place we stay in the Keys has a small marina. I had reserved a slip for a week. Once we go there we quickly realized that accessibility in the marina was going to be a big problem. I would not be able to get on or off the boat during half of hi tide and half of low tide. This particular location was fluctuating more than 4ft for each.

Plan B (and remember, I have yet to board or start this new boat!) we headed to Pennekamp State Park to see if they had any slips. I can’t tell you how great these folks were. They have one of the best facilities in the Keys. Further, they go out of their way for people with disabilities. Got a slip for about $17 per night. Time to dump the boat in the water. Wife removes the hold downs, unhooks the bow winch line and gets in position to drive it off the trailer once wet. I line it up and put it in reverse and the surge breaks lock up! No problem, we carry extra back up fuses for the truck. Switch it out and quickly realize that isn’t the problem. At this point we kjust wanted to get it in the water so we disengaged the brakes on the trailer with the lock out and got her in. The marina is beautiful. They allowed us to tie up on the floating dock so it was really easy to get on and off. Got on the boat and was able to take a look at the boat and all of the add ons for the first time. I was quite happy with everything. It was getting late so we decided not to go out that night.

The next day we took it out. Now, I have been going to the Keys for 20 years. I know the area very well from the water but have never driven the boat as they were always charters. Holy crap! The water really moves through the mangrove channels. At times it can be difficult to control the boat when you are going with the current in a no wake zone. For those of you who know the area we went out south channel went out about 4 miles. I was using the Navionics chip for southern Florida/Bahamas. The boat did really good. Great ride and great power. I felt very safe. We probably had 2-3’ seas that day once we got to deeper water so no big deal. I came back in a mile or so and anchored off a patch reef in about 8’. The anchor I had is a river anchor, not very appropriate. The electric anchor worked great. It seems to have plenty of power. The boat held fine with minimal rote. Caught a few fish.
The next day I went north into Largo bay, then through Adam’s cut, a man made channel that connects the ocean side to the bay side. Navigating this channel is like boating in boiling water. The water is running quickly and churning when it hits structure on the bottom. Went bayside to a favorite bar, then off to Jewfish creek for Trout.

I won’t bore you with the rest of the time but I was out fishing almost every day. I wanted to write this as a lot of posters have asked questions about anchors, trolling motors, no furniture… So here are my opinions…
Boat, I love it. Top speed about 35 with the bimini up. Very stable in the water. There is a very noticeable difference with the furniture removed and it isn’t speed. The boat actually lists more without furniture. It must be because the extra weight holds it down into the water more? Not sure but not a big problem.

Trolling motor – Love it. Really moves the boat around. Some days I never even start the outboard. I never used it in Florida, though. Two minor complaints, the motor doesn’t keep up on windy days. It is very hard to maintain a course. And, I still can’t figure out how to play back a recorded course. Back to the instructions…
Anchor – works great, no issues. Plenty of power.
Bimini – What a cool toy. I really like it and glad I have it as I can’t get a normal bimini up and down. That said, it is an expensive toy.
Humminbird – I really like it but haven’t spent the time to learn the functions. I would not recommend the $200 Navionics chip. It showed very little more than the base map.
Overall, a great trip. Many thought I was crazy to pull the boat that far. I will be doing it again in November!

[Red555]

Excellent writeup. Thanks for all the good info. Glad you had a good trip.

What were the roughest seas you experienced and how was the boat in them?

[GregF]

Be careful about anchoring on a reef. It is illegal. You need to anchor off the reef in sand and drift back over the reef on the rode.
(maybe you did that)

As for the "listing" did you set up center console? That is the best way to have no furniture since the normal starboard side console puts you off balance. You can move your storage boxes, fuel tank, battery etc to the port side to level it out.

The ADA mandates that at least one pier in any marina open to the public SHALL have an accessible dock. There are guidelines about what accessible means but basically you need a 60" wide path down the dock that can be interrupted with 48" narrower spots periodically.
There needs to be an accessible route from the handicap parking lot spaces.
They may not have heard of that in the Keys yet. Pennekamp is a government operation so they know.

[haganjeff]

Enjoyed reading. Sounded like a great time even with the hiccups!

[Texoma Toon]

Great write up on your trip!

We always like pics too.....

[Old Dog]

Enjoyed reading your post. Thanks for sharing.



Cheers!

[lakerunner]

As a disabled boater I feel your joy.

[jeffybear]

Nice write-up Jimmy. Sounds like you had a great time and you have nice equipment to boot.

[MichaelB]

Excellent Jimmy! And congrats on the new boat!

[Flanker]

Great job Jimmy!
I boat from a manual chair, so I have a good idea of what you went through. Takes a lot of guts and determination to make that trip.

[Mosnowman]

Enjoyed your trip log! Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a great trip!