CONTINUOUSWAVE

It's that time of year now that we start talking about going bigger. I really like my 220 Outrage, but would like more room. We do in-shore and near-shore fishing--weather permitting--and cruise the [AIWW (Atlantic Intra-costal Water Way)] with friends around Charleston, South Carolina.

[I am considering buying] the 280 Outrage and really like the new forward seating, but also like the 270 Dauntless for its versatility. Any thoughts on the offshore capabilities of the 270 Dauntless?

Would I be giving up anything from the 220 with the shallower draft?

Have there been any 270 DAUNTLESS boats make the Bimini crossing?

Is the 280 OUTRAGE that much more boat? And does it [do] all?

Thanks for your thoughts.

To answer your question:

Have there been any 270 DAUNTLESS boats make the Bimini crossing?

I am bemused when "the Bimini Crossing" is used as some sort of standard of achievement for a boater making a long passage.

The open water distances of some notable recreational boat crossings:

--Miami to Bimini = 53-miles
--Ludington to Sturgeon Bay = 53-miles (Lake Michigan)
--England to Ireland via the Irish Sea = 62-miles
--Copper Harbor to Washington Harbor = 69-miles (Lake Superior)

So I am most pleased to tell you that a 190 DAUNTLESS has made the 53-mile-run between Ludington and Sturgeon bay, and several Boston Whaler 18, 20, and 22-foot boats and a 190 DAUNTLESS have made the 69-mile-run to Copper Harbor from Washington Harbor. On that basis, I'd wager that someone in an 270 DAUNTLESS has made a jump of 53-miles--the distance to Bimini from Miami--across some type of open water. Being able to go 53-miles is not a problem; the boat will have plenty of fuel endurance. If the sea state permits running on plane, you can probably make a 53-mile passage in two hours, so the weather window needed is short. Yes, you might be crossing the Gulf Stream, but modern navigation will let you know where you are and what the set and drift of the current are doing to your position. The most important consideration is to pick the right day and the right two hours in the day.

Is there some insight on the two hull and boat designs that I can take from this?

Chasvalve wrote:Is there some insight on the two hull and boat designs that I can take from this?

The insight offered was a 270 DAUNTLESS likely has the capability to make a 53-mile passage in open water. So does 280 OUTRAGE.

Just last week I asked a Boston Whaler dealer how the ride of the legacy Outrage 270 compares to that of the Dauntless 270. He stated that the Dauntless 270 "probably has a better ride because it is a newer hull design".

I doubt the hull characteristics have changed that drastically.

Re the capability of the DAUNTLESS series to handle open water: see

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/cetace ... age76.html

for the story of a DAUNTLESS that crossed the Atlantic Ocean, west to east.