Oregon Coast Boating....?

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

We just returned from five days on the Oregon Coast (boatless), which prompts a general question to other members about their experiences--good and bad--running smaller boats along that gorgeous stretch of oceanfront.

Our stay was focused on the village of Oceanside, near Netarts and Tillamook. In the past we've trailered a small boat to Depoe Bay and gone out into the ocean from that small seaport, and we plan to do some outboard boating in the future out of Netarts Bay and Tillamook Bay (crabbing and fishing there is excellent), but what are some other prime candidates for boating along the Oregon Coast?

We really love the river-mouth estuary areas...and there are obviously a ton of them up and down the Coast.

Any recommendations would be much appreciated!

Attached below is a shot of rocks just off of Oceanside, taken from outside our room yesterday morning. What an incredible place!

- Marty

[Skagitguy]

Marty, Look at the story i posted about coming up the West Coast at this time of the year called "Holy Crap" ! I think the Oregon coast would be a lot better than Washington state coast line and that would be in the middle of summer? Hum.....? Maybe Tom in Newport can comment on it since he lives in that area. Best,Chuck

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Cruising the Washington and Oregon Coast

Cruising the Washington and Oregon Coast

I think a lot of people are going to tell you it can't be done. My intention is to do it. They named the Pacific Ocean Pacifico for a reason: "Peacful"! Most of the time it is realitvely calm with rollers of course. .

There is a book out on the topic. I don't have it but intend to add it to the Saratogan's library: Cruisng the Northwest Coast by George Benson.
George has cruised the Oregon and Washington coast extensively in a small sailboat. Yes, you have to be mindful of the weather and be especially careful of bar crossings. But the West coast is very doable in a small boat.

See you in Portland in the Saratogan.........

My two cents worth...

McSkagit

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Cruising the Northwest Coast

Thanks for the excellent tip, Tim.

I just found Benson's book on Amazon, used and in good condition, for $10 and ordered a copy. Will offer a book report when it comes...

- Marty

[skagit 25]

See you in Portland in the Saratogan.........

I dare you..........please.

[Tim McCrain]

If anyone could do it ...

I'd put my money on Mr. Jones.

:GoodJob:

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

Portland in the Saratogan

The problem with the Saratogan is that I can't leave the helm even for a minute at cruise (17 knots).

I've got to change over to hydraulic steering with a back-up tiller before I do any ocean running.... Don't trust the 50 year old Marmac push-pull cable steering. I thought about it long and hard when the boat was in the shop. Couldn't afford to change then.

I saw a Marol rack and pinion hydraulic steering ram on Craig's a week or two back. Think I'll check that out....

Balanced rudders would be nice too, but may not need them with hydraulic and antifeedback valves. Not in the budget at the moment. Don't hold your breath. Some day!
So far, the farthest I've been is Jones Island...about five miles down the channel...

[Helmar]

With all the larger boats just being left to rot, you would sure think that one could jac the steering from them for a song.

My 24ft Fiberform is all hydraulic steering and can be ran from inside the cabin if the weather is too nasty.
Me, too many years of riding in the cold and wet weather to have to do it now..

[hhaynes]

hy steering

I have 28' 73 Carver Monterrey twin 302 's. I switched from push pull two stations (became great effort) to Teleflex Seastar Hyd. I figured out what parts I needed and watched Ebay for the Helms I wanted and the Ram. bought both for 1/2 price and then bought the Duel station kit and hyd tubing (nylon) and installed it. More trouble to remove the old than to install the new. WOW! What a difference! You have one station I believe. The installation would be a cinch. Mounting the ram the only engineering needed.
No feed back and stays on course. My boat is in Scappoose Or. Anytime you are down this way call me or email and I will come up and show you. (We all will take any excuse to show someone our baby.

Howard

73 28' Carver Monterrey
60 G3 62 Merc 700
10' Livingston Merc 6
2 place Kayak
15' Canoe

[Dick Dow]

Oregon Cruising - Hydraulic Steering

Marty,

I've not cruised "outside" on anything other than a boat where they serve five meals daily and the bar is always open...

..but it intrigues me. My brother Jim has a home down in Manzanita, OR, just south of Cannon Beach, where they have a great town on a spit, with an airfield, camping and a river behind that looks to me as if it would be a real doable. It may be a good place to give it a try!

As for steering, so far I'm resisting the $$ outlay, but hydraulic is very likely in the Tolly's future, so any input people have will be appreciated, as to systems, sources, etc. The two big old cables will have to do for now.

Dick Dow

[McSkagit Tim Jones]

West Coast Cruising / Steering

I'm sure there is some great cruising along southwest Washington and Oregon. Be interesting to see what George Benson's book has to say.

AT the moment, I'm looking at power assist for my existing push pull cable steering system. I did this on my aluminum tow boat. Solves a number of issues and expenses. Don't have to change out the rack along with the univeral joints from the steering wheel and greatly reduces the loads on the push-pull cable. Lastly, adds antifeedback to existing system.

The transmissions I have have a mount pad for a hydraulic pump. May go that route or belt drive a conventional pump....

McSkagit

[Sammamish1]

My Grandfather always said this prayer aloud when he cast off from the dock. It could be an extra life preserver for those who challenge the sea. :Skipper1:

"Dear Lord, be good to me. The sea is so wide and my boat is so small."

It must have worked, he went to sea on a whaling ship in Bath, Maine as a cooks helper at 14. His father, a ships Master, was lost at sea and he needed to help his mother and sisters survive. He remained a merchant seaman, until he died.

I think we "modern" men forget that there was a time when men feared the sea for good reason.

[Marty Loken (Norseboater)]

Cruising the Coast

I just read George Benson's book, Cruising the Northwest Coast from The Golden Gate to Port Angeles ($10 barely used copy found on Amazon.com), and it's invaluable for anyone considering a trip up (or down) the West Coast.

Most folks to cruise the open waters stay far offshore, and avoid landfalls except when absolutely necessary. (Mo skippered a sailboat from Puget Sound to southern California years ago, battling storms and unbelievably heavy seas for most of the way, and the last thing they wanted was to get close to land, but author Benson prefers near-shore cruising aboard his 25-foot sailboat, and in the book offers a brief tour of every potential anchorage and/or harbor between San Francisco and Port Angeles.

The book is fairly small, 144 pages with 125 black-and-white photos--mostly views of various coves, harbor entrances and marina facilities taken from offshore. Many of the photos would be invaluable when trying to find tricky harbor entrances.

By combining Benson's book with a copy of the Coast Pilot and copious NOAA charts (Benson lists every one you'll need), most anyone in a smaller boat could cruise sections of the California-Oregon-Washington coast with a bit more confidence--as long as you follow the many cautionary notes regarding harbor entrances, ideal times to come and go from various channels and bays, and weather patterns to avoid.

Benson points out that August and September are his favorite months for calmer-water cruises up or down the coast, and mentions that near the shore there's a prevailing current from south to north, and winds typically from the northwest....meaning that sailboaters will be bucking the wind northbound in summertime, but enjoying a mild push from northbound currents near-shore.

The author's coverage of each anchorage and/or harbor is quite brief--one to six paragraphs, typically--but the details and photos are invaluable if you're thinking of going offshore.

Personally, we've taken small boats out around Tatoosh Island from Sekiu, and into the ocean from the little harbor at Depoe Bay (the "World's Smallest Harbor," with an entrance only 30 feet wide--very exciting when rollers are crashing shoreward from the open ocean.) Armed with Benson's book and some charts, we're hoping to make an open-ocean run next summer in the Netarts Bay-Tillamook Bay section of the Oregon Coast, assuming conditions permit crossing the bars. (If the water's too rough at bar entrances, we'll just launch at the various harbors and explore estuary rivers and bays, without racing between them via the open ocean.)

By the way, Dick, we enjoyed a lunch stop last Saturday in Manzanita--a great little oceanfront community.

- Marty

[Lowell]

Good insurance.

Last summer I was paddling South along the coast between Neah Bay and LaPush in my sea kayak. I took along a Garmen handheld GPS chart plotter. For kayaking it really wasn't needed unless we encountered a fog patch but in a power boat it would be a good tool. It shows you where you are and what is below you. A real plus if you have to hang out in a small bay on the hook but to get to the bay you have to tread your way through a reef to get there.

Using this tool last summer made me a believer in them. If I go on the outside in Rebel I'll have my GPS on so I can get close to the shore and enjoy the wildlife on the sea stacks and reefs.

Marty, your plans on boating on the coast sounds like alot of fun.

[56glasspar]

Cruing the coast

I have taken one bost out over the Yaqina Bay bar. that was 30 yrs ago when I was young and foolish. We took my 15' shell lake with a 75 evenrude out on a rare day when it was like glass to go water sking.

Many people take there <20' boats in the summer for fishing and get back by noon before the winds come up.

Tom