New to this forum - Boat draft question

[DoubleOught-BMA]

Hey everyone... I'm brand new to this forum and it looks like I've stumbled on a goldmine of information here. I've fished West Bay off and on for many years but always as a guest of my father in law. They have since sold their house in Pirates so we now fish Trinity bay mostly. My question is this... I'm actually looking to buy a little house somewhere in west bay within the next 12 mo. Here's my boat quandary though... I have a wife and 3 kids who will want to cruise and I will want to go offshore for day trips and occasional overnights. I'm looking at a 30-ish ft. express fish type of boat.... several options there. All I can remember from when we ran my father in law's boat is that he seemed to run aground quite a bit. Granted... I'm sure if he was a bit more careful that could've been avoided but I still have concerns about running a deeper drafted boat from west bay (Jamaica beach, pirates, etc.) to the gulf. What do you all think? I love the idea of taking family and friends up to Clear Lake on a cruise when not fishing... but recognize that running 32" of draft (motors down) might not be practical. Thoughts? Opinions? Any advice greatly appreciated! Can't wait to explore this forum more. Nothing beats a tight line...

[DoubleOught-BMA]

Addendum to my post... I (unlike my father in law... whom I love dearly) am a meticulous planner. The safety of everyone around me as well as the environment are priority number 1 for me. I'm not like some of the cowboys we used to see just blasting from point a to point b. If the secret to trouble free navigation in west bay is slow and steady... I'm good w that! Plus, I'll have a substantial investment to protect! Cheers.

[WestEndAngler]

The bay can be tricky to navigate a lot of areas are 2-3' deep and if you get outside the channel or cuts you will have a heck of a time. Once in the deeper water you should be good as the old ICW can provide a good route to the ICW (deeper water).

Be sure to invest in SeaTow for when you breakdown or get stuck.

We would run an old 22' Robalo from Pirates out 60 miles off shore. We would always run through the jetty and never SLP.

[BlueDawg]

DoubleOught. I had a similar problem in that I wanted to fish skinny, not get beat to heck in the bay, go offshore (on other than perfect days), and have seating for friends and family. What I learned is that boat does not exist today. In most cases if you are running in West Bay you will be fine. SLP will present a challenge but doable. If you wanted to run east I would just jump in the ditch and avoid carrachua and deer island reefs. I am new to West Bay myself. I am sure you will get some solid advice from some more seasoned West Bay vets. Heck I hope I learn something.

[kenny]

Keep the boat at Pelican's Rest on Offats Bayou

[Ibtsoom]

Yeah that's a whole lotta boat - especially if you run it aground on something. I'd for sure stick to marked channels to start and get someone to go with you that knows the bay before you venture into shallower areas. I've never run out through SLP but it looks treacherous to me most of the time. Lot of people do it though.

[dreilly]

There are guys running large boats with twins or triples in West Bay but I see them struggling with the shallow channels around the subdivisions. They can't get their boats out in the winter when the tides are low. Kenny's recommendation is spot on. The channel at SLP moves from year to year, so beware that area - you can go from 10' to 10" in an instant.

[Robalo]

3' draft is an issue.

Have you thought about a smaller boat-like a 23-27'?

Unless you have the ability to take the boat offshore during weather windows like on weekdays, you are buying a lot of boat that will not be useful that often offshore since about every other weekend at most will have decent small enough waves for a comfy ride during the summer. I would think about usefulness versus times able to use what it's for. I doubt the wife and kids want to be pounded in 3-5' seas.

Maybe try smaller and more 'dual use', plus think about fuel expense-you won't be trailering it, so marina gas is what you'll buy at $4 or more a gallon and running twin 250 or 300s will drink some gas even in the bays.

A 25' whaler can easily make the Pass and has a good range and safe for the most part, but even a good used one is $$$$$.