24' Bay Scout

[flogator]

My son just purchased a 2007 24ft bay scout with a 250hp yamaha 4 stroke. Has anyone had any experience with this boat? We plan on doing some grouper fishing out of Keaton! what is your opinion of the seas this boat will handle? 2-4 should be okay.

[silverking]

Scout makes a great boat. One of the best production boat companies out there.

You will be fine in 2-4 seas, as long as you take your time and exercise caution. Trim tabs should be standard and always keep the bow up and use your throttle to stay on the back side of the waves to avoid stuffing.

Enjoy the boat. It'll also do well for drifting the flats and working the shoreline with a trolling motor at high tide.

[Tidedancer]

At 24 feet and 102" beam you have enough hull for a 3 to 5 trip. The depth of the boat is where you are lacking for ruff seas. But from what I have seen that boat will take 2 to 3's well as long as you have a captain that has a brain and not a lead foot and you don't stuff it.
Enjoy the new ride.

[Carlabear]

from what Ive seen 3-5s are rarely 3-5s ride with care, Carlabear

[carramar]

If you are going for enjoyment, be sure the forecast no more than 1 to 2 feet. Remember that most of the people on this forum are inshore fishermen and women. The last offshore boat I had was a 30' Grady center console. I almost never went out when the forecast was 2-4 foot. The other thing to be very careful about is DO NOT stand at the gunnel to bottom fish! Don't ask me how I know. Lean against the leaking post, or sit on the console seat or aft deck. A bay boat is much better at trolling for grouper than bottom fishing.

[Harmsway]

I know what you're getting at, flogator; how sea-worthy is the boat. I hope not to over-analyze you question, but 2 to 4-foot seas . . . Well, there's a big difference between a 2-ft sea and a 4-ft sea (average change in elevation between crest and trough). Adding complexity to the sea-worthiness of a vessel is the sea's average wavelength (from crest to crest) and its average period (time interval between arrival of consecutive crests). All that just to make the point that all "2-4 foot seas" are not created equally, and your boat will perform differently depending on the actual character of the sea.

I'm with the crowd that urges caution and live by cliches such as:

Never go out on purpose in conditions worse than those you have already been in by accident before.
Better safe than sorry.

My opinion is that your 24-ft Bay Scout is a fine sea-worthy boat that will get you back to the hill if you get caught by surprise in a building sea. But it is still a bay boat, and you should choose your off-shore days carefully, and run for the hill at the first sign of building sea or storm.

I'm thinking that boat falls in the following categories:

1-foot: Yahoo, hammer down.
2-foot: Yahoo, safe to operate at most speeds.
3-foot: Cool, glad this is a big sturdy boat.
4-foot: Wow, what am I doing here?
5-foot: White-knuckle time, bet I'm going to make it though.
6-foot: Yikes, hope I'm going to make it.

[leesburgga]

There is a lot of great advice in the above posts. I have a 19' bay boat and a 26' CC. The truest statement on here is Harmsway suggestion that all 2-4's are not created equally. Harmsway gave the "scientific" answer, but a couple of trips in 2-4's of varying degree and the science will not matter -- you will know it all too well. I find that 1-2's are by way, way, way more comfortable than even 2-3's. Having a fulltime job, I have to fish when I can rather than I when I should and when I would like to -- sure that is the case with many on here. All of that being said, I don't plan trips beyond 2-3's and the wife will bow out if it goes beyond 1-2's.

Biggest recommendation is to be safe and the second biggest is to have fun. Enjoy!

[Stock05]

I have a scout 24 and it's a great boat but it's very wet. I bought a new windshield for it but decided to install a full splash guard instead. If you need a brand new windshield for the boat. I have one. Paid $220 for it. You can have it for $50 plus shipping.

[MudDucker]

from what Ive seen 3-5s are rarely 3-5s ride with care, Carlabear

True dis!

[Carlabear]

Thanks mudducker! Im not sure what the comment above meant when he said" Most of the people on this forum either flats fish or or women.... It sounds a little sexist to me. I do both and have boats for off shore and on shore and have fished problably longer than most of the forum have lived. I do know I am the exception though. Fished ecofina for years by my self in my key west. I know you can usually add about 2-3 feet to the forcast! I don't clean fish but we catch our share!

[Sea Fox]

I think Harmsway,s scale is dead on. Ive been through every stage and would suggest getting to know your boat and your skills with rough seas. I think in some cases the boat will handle more than the captain.

[flogator]

3-17-2012 Ran boat in 1-3 with SW wind/flow. Boat was somewhat dry, but still got a little wet from spray. My son had a some what heavy hand @ 30 MPH, could probably slowed down and a smoother ride. Best place to sit behind the console was a good ride, in front of console was a little bumpy. All-in-all boat performed very good, but is not an offshore boat. Pick your days!

[FUTCHCAIRO]

ABOUT THE ONLY WAY YOU WILL KNOW IS TO GO OUT INTO 2-4. THE OFF SHORE BOAT I OWNED WAS A 36 FT. STAMAS, AND EVEN IN A BOAT THIS LARGE SOME TIMES 3-5 WOULD BE REALLY ROUGH, YA JUST HAVE TO USE COMMON SENCE AND USE CAUTION WHEN IN DOUBT.
PA
SEMPER FI