Crossing The Bar.

[Bri The Pom]

Could anybody explain to me about crossing the bar and what effects it has on a boat.

I know it's the sand bar below the surface.Is it the height of the waves,if so can you follow a bigger boat out and do they mind.Do you have the same problem getting back.

I have a 4.1 with a 25 will that str

[rumrunner]

well it all depends on the bay in mention?

if it is the gold coast seaway then not much chance of pooping(hitting sand when wave washes out from under you) there!

but i would not be crossing bars like jumpinpin or south passage in a boat with only 25hp!

if you intend on crossing a bar for the first time i recomend to do it with another boat for safty resons like i did a few weeks back, i have now done the seaway 5 times and on the last crossing we had a bit of a nervous reentry:unsure: due to an out going tide and 15k winds so i also recomend to keep a strong eye on the weather reports before going and mabe even while you are out there?

try look for a day with conditions like 4ft at 11 sec with 8k winds or anything lower and you should be fine!

hope this helps?:dry:

Ian.

[ryno1983]

Mate have limited experience but can share what a few of the guys have told me.

So it depends on the bar your crossing. Decide what bar you want to cross then some of the guys will explain how to do it. Southport seaway will be the best start. Look under an old post of mine and Brian explains how to cross it.

Bigger boats dont mind you following them out. But like Ian said just pick your weather well. look at www.seabreeze.com.au.

Your boat is big enough the few times ive been out ive seen your sized boat out there but that has been under 10 knott winds 1.5m and over 6sec wave periods. But then some of the experienced guys would head out in worse conditions than that.

My advice pick a good day for it. Put a life jacket on. Register with the coast guard and go have a play.

[ellicat]

To add to the tips - try not to be heading through it on the stronger part of the run of an outgoing tide. This is when you'll get pressure waves that \"stand up\" on you.

[rumrunner]

ellicat wrote:

To add to the tips - try not to be heading through it on the stronger part of the run of an outgoing tide. This is when you'll get pressure waves that \"stand up\" on you.

and then you do a diffrent sort of pooping like i did :blush: lol:lol:

[Nastymind]

Definately follow bigger boats out....

except for rumrunner, he's a mad bastard lol

[rumrunner]

nah im not mad:blink:

i think ya need to drink those cups of concrete you were talking about nastymind?

lol.

[Gazza]

Bar crossing can be really scary I Know

:pinch: but gain as much local knowledge as posible and watch the pro boats .

we purposly wasted a day and watched the bar and how boat's did it (my first bar crossing Narooma Bar) did all the right things from Locals feedback and never been a prob

my advice research local's

with this information and common sence you can tell if it's worth the try or not

Gaz

[Bri The Pom]

Many thanks to you all.

It is the Seaway at Southport i intend to tackle.I often go to the spit to watch,but,do i look at the route,the speed,im not sure what to look at.Is the bar between the rocks ie the spit to south staddie or further out.What tide is best to go out.

Is it worth just keep going out then in and do this for a couple of hours.

Cheers

Bri.

[Fisher_90]

As long as you dont turn around half way through then you can go out and in a few times but get right through before you turn around.

[AZZA]

Yes Bri pick a tame day and pratice ,in coming tide closer to the top, the better. Drive up the face of the wave under enough power to be in control, as the bow crests the wave back off, and the boat will lay gently onto the back of the wave,then get staight onto the power driving up to the next wave backing off again as you crest the top. then on the power once more. Coming in sit the boat up on the back of the wave DO NOT DRIVE DOWN THE FACE OF THE WAVE ,just take your time. If when going out you have to take on whitewater drive up to it quickly then off the power just as the bow goes into the whitewater as soon as the boat settels back on the power and up to the next wave. hope this helps any questions just ask.AZZA PS once commited to go DO NOT TRY TO TURN AROUND you wont have time always take on waves square on

[atolo4]

i just recently completed the bar crossing course with Bill Corten. i definately recommend everionne do it as it can save your life. the day that we went on the south passage bar the conditions were horrendous, with huge pressure waves at the main channel. it the time i sh@t myself but i am glad i learned in those conditions as ot cant get much worse than that.

i too have a 4.1 m stessl with a 30hp yamaha and even with the knowledge i gained i would still only cross the bars on perfect conditions. definately not on runout tide and not on low tide.

i am still waiting to cross the noosa bar. hopefully before new year ill do it.

good luck

[Bri The Pom]

Any details of a bar crossing course would be very welcome,preferably on the GC seaway if i can.

Many thanks to you all so far very informative.

Bri.

[AZZA]

As aloto4 said Bill Corton is the man to see his details are in bush & beach you will learn heaps plus its buckets of fun about $400 but considering whats on the line money well spent.

[AZZA]

Bills number 0447 233 247 the only draw back to doing bills course is you will want to go out and drop about 80k on a big cruisecraft what a sweeeeet rideB)

[Dazzamcgee]

Bri it's a matter of picking a spot on the horizon and slappin that 25hp on the ass....:evil:

[goldnugget]

:laugh: did that the other night and got a slap in the face......oh hang on this is boating and fishing:blush:

[AZZA]

Dazzamcgee wrote:

Bri it's a matter of picking a spot on the horizon and slappin that 25hp on the ass....:evil:

Yeh you could do it this way and one day you will get your self on the 6 o'clock news

[Dazzamcgee]

:laugh: :laugh: :dry:

[Yellow Peril]

all good advice on bar crossing so far, but the Gold Coast Seaway is not a real bar. In the sort of weather you would want to be going outside in a 4.1, the seaway will be flat and you will be able to just cruise on out. If there are any waves breaking across the seaway, it is a rough day when only the biggest boats will be going out.

I know boats do get rolled in the seaway - either rough conditions or inexperience, but it really is a piss-weak bar. Try crossing South Passage, Tweed, Caloundra etc when there is a bit of swell running and you'll soon learn. Try it as a passenger on an experienced skippers boat first!

[atolo4]

yep i agree with yellow. GC seaway bar is not really a bar. its nice and deep, however you can get in trouble with pressure waves. Shallow bars like the ones mentioned above and including Noosa are a bit of a prick to cross even on nice days, and especially as they constantly move.

regards

[CrayfishMates]

Bri The Pom wrote:

Could anybody explain to me about crossing the bar and what effects it has on a boat.

I know it's the sand bar below the surface.Is it the height of the waves,if so can you follow a bigger boat out and do they mind.Do you have the same problem getting back.

I have a 4.1 with a 25 will that str

Hi mate. I gather the 4.1 is a rear control unit? The gold coast sea way you will only have issues with if you are coming back in on an out going tide as the pressure waves will give you some grief with not much weight displacement.

The good thing is your unit will be very manuverable so you can zig zag your way out and dodge any stand up waves (breaking) and you will have to do that. DO NOT hit any of the swell sets head on or you just may flip the unit or at the least become air borne and land stern first, which will swamp the unit and set you up for tipping on the next wave.

Rule of thumb if you are starting out, measure from the bottom of your unit to the top of the bow (pointy end) vertically and if the seas are bigger than that or even close, don't risk it. Going out may be fine but nine times out of ten the swell will have picked up by midday as it does during the warmer months.

If it is forward or center control unit then the tactic is the same just the risk of landing stern first after hitting a swell of stand up wave head on is smaller. On the stand up waves, you will have to hit them head on, never cross stand up waves on an angle or broad side. Definitely don't do it with the swell sets.

Basically, pick the smallest wave, remembering that the BOM site only measures from a zero point (sea level) up and do not include the wave trough. What goes up must come down. So you will be looking for the significant wave height, which is the peak of the seas plus the peak of the wave height X 2 (to add the down side of the wave and swell (trough)). If that is bigger than the bow of the unit, pick another day.

It is more ideal for you to go out in your boat and let a mate that is experienced with that bar do the skippering so you get the idea of what happens in the bar and how your unit feels and responds..

Don't forget all your safety gear and to log in with the VMR nearest to the bar you intend to cross.

Hope that helps. Unfortunately with bar crossing, experience is the greatest teacher and nothing we can write will get it spot on for the day...

Remember lots of sphincter puckering and tight lines. [img size=500]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/boatboat_064sm.jpg

[Bri The Pom]

Many thanks to all for the info.

Does anybody live on the Gold Coast and would like to assist me,either in their boat or mine to cross the gc seaway.Obviously the time would suit you and the tide.We can do a few crossings or stay out and have a fish.

Bri.