I run a 23' CC upward of 65 miles offshore in New Jersey. Here's what I've learned: 1. Buy an ePirb and a SPOT. Redundancy is key. 2. Buy a VHF Marine Radio and a handheld backup. Redundancy is key. 3. Buy an inflatable safety raft and have a ditch bag. 4. Become a student of weather. High pressure with the right wind direction is key for small boats. 5. Never turn your engine off and make sure you have more than sufficient fuel for the trip. 6. Don't be stubborn. If weather conditions materialize differently from forecast, abort mission. Hope this helps. Tight lines!

I would add: Sea Anchor. If you lose power and the waves are big, hook your sea anchor to the bow. It will orient the boat bow into the waves so you don't take one broadside or over the transom. Lightweight and folds up small.

The Coast Guard's primary means of communication with the public is via VHF-FM. In most places you can still communicate with the C.G. over 30 miles offshore. Out Of Step is correct in redundancy is the key. I only spent 27 years in the CG looking for people that didn't make it back to the boat ramp.

one thing we have found to be essential is a float plan.

Very good video but the only thing I would add with regard to safety is whether you're boating, biking, hiking or even going out of town is tell someone what your plans are. There are lots of people like me who like to venture out alone so if you're not heard from for a length of time at least someone knows where you were headed.

A membership with Sea Tow or Tow boat USA was 125.00 when I was fishing an 18 ' McKee Craft off N.C. was and inexpensive piece of mind insurance. Nothing beats common sense and expirience. When you get out to your destination always remember your only halfway. We tried to get out early when the wind was usually calmer and get back in early afternoon before thunderstorms typically develop. I fished over 10 years, admit I was scared twice and once was when I didn t listen to that voice in my head during a hot king bite and running in with lightning bolts hitting around was no fun nor joke. Never made that mistake again. Remember that can happen at anytime though.

Sea time is a big one for me. Ive been on the water for 17 years now and im still learning new things about boating and implementing them. Great video there never to much knowledge to have.

Your video has made a very significant contribution to our knowledge of inshore boaters going offshore. For me, your statement of having dual engine redundancy speaks volumes. I appreciate your efforts.

The first 2 things everyone should do is put on a life vest and keep it on. 2nd thing is strap the epirb to you and dont take it off. If you dont do these 2 things well, the rest is irrelevant. Once the boat flips all your goods are going to the bottom. Assume the worst, if it happens you will have a vest and your epirb. At least you can float and call for help. Im amazed at how many people never put a vest on while on the water. Just heard of a local fishing boat that got run over by another boat that was under autopilot control and no one at the helm. Stupid for sure. Fortunately no one was killed. The pont is, you can somewhat control your boat, but rest assured you cant control the other persons boat. Good info for sure, thanks for posting.

Always good to have a ditch bag set up no matter the size of your boat. They come in different sizes. Add high reflective tape on it. Have a submersible handheld radio in it. Always keep it handy and a face mask is good to keep onboard. If your boat flips you can swim under and see what you may need. Keep rope in it as well along with suntan lotion water and an extra hat and sunglasses. There are many small items you can add but you need to watch the weight. Great video

Very nice video. Great refresher. I am from the Midwest, and travel to marathon a few times per year, and it takes me a day or so to get back in the swing of the ocean with current and wind. I would also recommend the coast guard auxiliary do boat inspection every year. It’s not mandatory for most, but reminds you of the smaller important things. The PLBs/EPIRBs are great, but remember they have to be registered and updated every couple years. If they’re arent registers it may delay a help by several hours.

Great video! I would mention getting the bow up in larger waves and approaching wakes from larger vessels. Many people don't understand that concept. Love the video, great job!

This was a very informational video. Thank you for explaining everything so easily. Keep posting!

I really like the tracker idea. Gonna be adding one to both my boats forsure👍

Hello from England! VHF range varies greatly. Can be line of sight or 40 miles. Flares are really important: red for distress, white for collision. Fire extinguisher. Stay safe!

Some nuggets of wisdom in this video. Thanks!

Truer words have not been spoken. Great video Clay !!

I award you the best charismatic stylish honest boat presenter 2021!

Thank you Clay for doing this video. I’ve learned a ton from your channel and I’ve used that knowledge to keep me and my family safe.

I love this video! So informative and to the point.... well done!

Thank you Clay, very informative and on point.

Great video!! Thank you for the tips. I just bought a Boston Whaler Guardian 25 foot. Still learning how to safely go offshore. Took notes and practiced daily. Your videos helped me a lot.

I do not know if you have anything like this but in the UK we have the Royal Yachting Association’s Yachtmaster courses, they do one for powerboats, I think everybody should take one if they are going to sea. Now in UK you do not have to, but it’s not a bad idea to take one ! My tips ? make sure you stay warm, hypothermia does not help, take a kicker if you can, if not take something that will keep your boat’s head into the wind , like a drogue or a heavy bucket. If everything goes shit shaped and you can, try and stay in deep water and ride it out.

Also one great thing to always do is wear you kill tether. No matter how big or small the boat things can happen. Its a life saver and something super small to do.

Thank you guys for sharing your adventures ,I can't stop watching you guys , I leave your channel on all day lol. You guys are living my dreams 😊

Hi, I'm out here on the west coast, and things are a little different. Offshore for me is about 45 to 60 miles, mainly chasing albacore. Invariably weather, and seas are from the NW running about 6ft, not scary, but enough to slow you down to 18kt going out. This condition is quite manageable at trolling speed, however if the wind turns to the south it doesn't take much to push the sea up to over 8ft, and tight. My advice is to carry plenty of extra fuel, also have alternative ports marked on your GPS , and carry a paper chart of the area in case your electronics go down. Not a bad idea to buddy boat too.

Top notch 👌information. Thanks You ! I've just learned a lot from this video. Just in the process of buying a Mako 18LTS 115hp boat for bay & lake fishing.

Also for a better ride and greater fuel efficiency remember to trim up your motor a little bit after getting on plane. Then you can adjust your trim tabs.

Definitely epirb and vhf are a must. Another important aspect is making sure the boat is sea worthy and this is apparent when you risk going offshore and realize you knew your batteries were iffy or your bilge pumps needed replacing. I run a 35 donzi cc to the bahamas and the basics always get you guys. Good job captain.

Good video made some very good points the major point is Safety first great job

Really good, informative video. Thanks from South Jersey

Saw them at the hog heaven in islamorada. Very cool people. Love your videos, keep em coming.

Great job man. Very practical advice and no bad info. Your point about weight distribution is especially useful and often overlooked. My 21 ft center console is a little light compared to some brands. But adding weight to the bow lockers before going off shore makes a huge difference in performance! Well done sir! 👍🏻

Another great video. I have a 22' bay for about 1 year (next door to you) and when I get down have been doing what you describe in the video. The phrase I have heard, use, and works, is 'pick your days'. Another great thing about the Keys, if the ocean is rough, particularly in a bay boat, you can turn around and head into the back.

Make sure your bilge pump(s) are working and make sure your batteries are fully charged.

I know this is an older video but to go along with your safety items, I've never seen a boat/off shore channel talk about using Ham radio. Yes you have a VHF radio but those are short distance. With the proper antennae for Ham radio you can reach across the planet but for a small boat in the middle of the ocean you can at least send that signal multiple more miles that it might save your life.

Great video I plan on buying a boat in the near future. Very informative and helpful. Great job 👍🏾

Just began the early stages of the boat buying process. Saving for a down payment on a new boat to keep the monthly payment low. All these videos have my so excited to get back to the keys for mini season. 2022 will be in my own boat!

@Life by the Bow Clay, Love your channel. Thank you for all you do. At about 2:39 you talk about GSP trackers. I wonder if you can share which trackers you use. I was going to use TILE but I am curious which you use. Thanks and keep doing what you do.

Very good mate, definatly made me double check my safety gear and do some upgrades. I am also still learning, unfortunately sometimes the hard way. I'd just like to add to always check your battery terminals before each trip they are on properly and tight as sometimes they can work loose from vibration over time and pop off in rough seas. Learned from experience and not fun at all in the dark in rough weather. Also learn where all your fuses are and what they are for, have spares on hand. Take a small bag of tools you might need to get you going again. Everyone in the boat should have a good idea where all the safety gear is as well in case the skipper becomes incapacitated for some reason. Lastly you should always have a suitable anchor ready to deploy with plenty of rope should your motor stop for some reason. You need to be facing the waves as quick as possible in rough seas to avoid getting swamped from behind or the side. The ocean is so full of wonders and is the best place to make memories but it can also be extremely unforgiving and demands your deepest respect every time you head out to play. Safe boating and tight lines 🙂

I'm buying a boat this week. Sea trial is actually Tuesday. If that checks out she'll go home with me. I'm buying an Avid21FS Magnum. 21.5 feet x 102 inches wide. Not as big as your bay boat but close. Much lighter though since it's aluminum. Thank you for this video. It really helps me to understand what to do when it comes to coastal boating. I'll inshore fish along the FL, Ga, SC coasts. Looking forward to it. And your videos help me with that. Thanks!

Great information. I'm getting ready to buy my first serious boat and transition from fresh to salt water. I plan to fish the intercoastal and bay to start with. I really don't have the desire to fish blue water in a 26 foot bay boat. But, I might reach the point when I'm confident enough to fish blue water.

Clay, great video. Thanks for not assuming that your viewers know all those details. Some of us are not from the Florida area and boating is completely different. I would love to see a video on the different species of bait that you use and what you use them for. I hear you talk about Pilchards, Ballyhoo, Pinfish etc but I don’t know the difference.

Honest and fun to watch...good job

You may want to add a float plan Cap. Great vid thank you.

Solid info Clay. Thanks!

Thank you for taking the time to make and produce this video. Top notch,

Good stuff, thank you

Great tips. Leaning well from yr video. Thanks

Excellent video!

Good common sense. I've not spent much time on the saltwater except sailing the San Juan.s in the PNW but I used to fly. Bucking the weather with a bad case of get-home-ites will eventually make you dead. I've personally known several pilots that succumbed to that.

Great video.. We have a pathfinder 2400trs... love there boats

Great video, I would add using the rule of 3rds for fuel and never leave the dock without spare parts and a decent set of tools.

You right, simplicity the key for happiness and success, les fuel , less maintnance ,less problema csame results👍🇵🇦

Thank You for posting this video. I'm looking to buy a boat and will be 1st time owner. It definitely gives me a lot of things to keep in mind. I will take a beating safety course so I know of all the laws. But this video gave me an education on things I wasn't thinking about. Hope you'll do some more when you have time. Shawn Fort Lauderdale

Of it gets too rough you don't want weight forward you might stuff the bow

Great video.... had to sub after watching it!

Took my 99 hydrosport 22 Bay sport with a 99 Johnson 150 from Miami to Bimini June 2019 took my GPS tracker radio and hoped for the best

Excellent, informative video!

I just aquired a 17ft boat .. it looks like a cape horn .. but its actaully made by a company called r&h fiberglass .. aka mr b's boats in liousana .... its a 2005 .. i got some work to do .. but im hoping to take it out a little ways on calm days .. thanks for your content. It helps guts like me.

Great video 👍🏼 very nice meeting you guys at the marina tight lines

Just happened upon this. This really is an outstanding video. Nice work.

I rrun my 23 to the Hudson canyon 97mi out of Jerz. And I run my 16ft tin to the 28mi wreck and cigar all the time. Id rather burn 16gal of gas then 125 haha. I've gotten pounded a bunch but never had an issue. Need to trust your instincts and not fly. There is always a comfortable speed and an inlet to enter running at a good angle. Would rather run 10 miles more to be comfortable. And always be perm to the conditions

Great video man.. appreciate all the info.

The seat time bit goes for anything with a motor you could drive. I wish more people knew that. Many folks just think oh I know my car/etc. but really have no clue what they're doing.

Awesome video. Lots of good info. Thank you

Hallelujah and thank you kindly for reminding me to inspect my safety gear and update any necessary equipment like flares, fire extinguishers, etc. Sometimes it’s easy to overlook all that when you’re focusing on chasing big fish. Can you please let me know a little more information about that little PLB shown early on in the video? Cheers!

That’s good advice for smaller boats

For a fam that mostly likes pulling up to the sand bars and reefs ect.a big thing for me is having three anchors. Front ,back and back up. I’ve had boats cut off my anchors .I’ve lost it just throwing it over board because the rope came undone with mercy waters where I lost it completely that can ruin your day and have to head back home if you don’t have back up anchors. Marine thrift stores have great prices .for something that can be helpful when you least expect it.

Clay when you say a good day what do you consider a good day? What type of waves are you comfortable with?

Outstanding video man.

I boat in the "grave yard of the Atlantic" - off shore in the Carolinas. My boat is a 21' CC with a single engine outboard. The number one rule is - don't go out too far for the equipment you're running and KNOW the condition of that equipment BEFORE you run it. In other words, PRETRIP your boat. It's much better to find a fault while your sitting at the dock than 60 miles offshore. If you've just bought the boat, go have it professionally inspected by a marina that does both dry land and in water inspections, preferably BEFORE you buy it. And remember, every boat can become a submarine.

Great Video. Just bought a 21 foot bay boat as a new boat owner. A lot of helpful advice here. I definitely want to get out there and take it easy and get comfortable with operating it before trying to go offshore or anything like that. I really enjoy yalls vids...keep up the good work.

Great informative video!

I would add anchor with adequate anchor line.

Awesome video, thanks 👍🏼🙏🏻

Great Video I have a bay boat. When I go off shores we don’t leave the house with out my satellite phone.

Love these videos

thanks for the tips.

Thanks good information

Floridas offshore is different from Texas offshore. (Texas) i own a 247 sportsman and the farthest ive gone in the boat is 65miles, it was probly my 3rd trip on the boat in 3-5ft, bruh it was miserable, now i dont go out there if its 2ft seas or higher. and sunny all day😎. but lesson learned.

Excellent video lord knows I need all the help I can get. What about life jackets with reflectors is that mandatory?

New Subscriber, great video Clay, love all your videos, regards, Danny ;-)

Great stuff. Forget sometimes what you ocean boaters have to deal with. It's much easier here in Croatia with the Adriatic sea. Not nearly as rough waters as in the oceans

It doesn't have to be a windy day for the sea to come. 6 to 8' swell can happen out of the blue.Then you have head it it even though you might be going in the wrong direction. ALWAYS have a heap of fuel on board. this was in a 36' 15 ton boat, and water was running up the windscreen . Np waves but massive swell, and not far apart..

Excellent presentation

A moderate tool kit with a few extra parts. Like spare plugs, plug wires, lights, fuel hose and filter.

VHS radios are line of sight. Basically, the horizon, but that is with the best antenna, etc.

XM satellite weather on my Garmin saved my tail a few times. T top or bimini for sure. Couple gallon jugs of water just in case. Of course full fuel on every planned far offshore run. Extra rode, like at least 100 feet, in case need tow. Better yet, buddy boat. Defintely tuned in compass. In our blazing hot summer runs to the rigs in Texas, I would buy the crew a whole watermelon and leave on ice all day. For the run back in, or seasickness, planting your face into a cold slice of melon #1 boosts your sugar intake naturally and what a great feeling when dried to a crisp. Another savior from heatstroke was a 5 gallon bucket loaded of ice and fresh water with squeezed lemons, and dabs of bleach in the brine. Soak your towel and drape around neck. The nose engulfs the lemon/bleach aroma and perks you up, plus cools the upper body. Repeat as needed, and keep ice in bucket all day for fresh brine. Also a 5 gallon bucket can handle a toilet seat perfect. Perfect porta pottie, and just dump and rinse easily. Saves weight over heads in CC and allows more storage in CC 's. I will add, seasickness comes on fast when trying to stay inside a CC to take a dump in hot rolling boat. I ran a 23'CC Hydrasport with single yammie 225, but splurged for 24' Robalo twin 150 yammies for safety, range and built like a tank. Usual runs 50-75 miles out one way .. Twins are a must IMO for long offshore runs.

Good video!

Number one risk out at sea is fire! Don't forget you are on a highly flammable craft combining fuel, electricity and fiberglass. Also always save a third of your fuel for emergency use only.

WILL YOU GUYS HAVE A SPOT AT THE BOAT SHOW NEXT WEEK IN FT LAUDERDALE? WOULD LOVE TO THANK YOU GUYS PERSONALLY FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK.

Cool video, nice to have a Cameraman on the boat! That’s something I’ll be working on soon..

22' Shearwater flats boat 25 plus miles out of Sebastian inlet on days that are 2ft or less all the time but we are prepared

Awesome video 🔥🔥🔥

New Capt here in Destin, thanks for the help,Perry

Number one thing for boating and in life trust your gut it always tell everybody where you're going

Excellent video my friend

Awesome video man! You're better than some professionals. I'll be getting my first boat here soon, maybe you could do a video for noobs? Maybe show us how to navigate? I heard it's best to hire someone to go out with you on the first few times, what are your thoughts? Maybe the content is video worthy? Thanks again!

Very informative! Will be down down in marathon for two weeks in October with the boat of course! Any recommended spots for sandbars or snorkeling with the family? We have been to alligator reef and sombrero reef but always interested in new spots!