| Offshore fishing is the stuff of legend, and | | | | the Coast Guard to come and get you! |
| brings about daydreams of hours-long battles | | | | |
| with huge sailfish ala Hemingway. To realize | | | | In general terms, the bigger your offshore |
| those dreams, one must first own the right | | | | boat the better off you are. Of course, this |
| equipment, including an offshore fishing | | | | is a moot point to those of us not rich |
| boat. Offshore fishing boats are not your | | | | enough to buy one of those huge cabin |
| everyday boat. They are much heavier and more | | | | cruisers that we all dream about. Trade-offs |
| rugged than the average lake runabout you see | | | | may need to be made...Just make sure that you |
| in many of your neighbor's driveways. In | | | | are aware of the risks and take them under |
| fact, you are highly unlikely to see any kind | | | | consideration when purchasing your boat. As |
| of offshore boat in anyone's driveway as most | | | | might be expected, offshore boats are the |
| are not trailerable, though some of the | | | | most expensive of all leisure boats due to |
| smaller ones are. | | | | the increased ruggedness and sheer size of |
| | | | them. Offshore boats range in size from about |
| Safety is a primary consideration when | | | | 26' in length to just about any length you |
| purchasing an offshore saltwater fishing | | | | can imagine and you can expect to pay |
| boat, as you can't just take any boat out | | | | anywhere from $40,000 on up to a cool |
| into the open ocean. These boats must be able | | | | $500,000 for a good offshore boat. Anything |
| to withstand some rolling ocean waves, and be | | | | more expensive than that is a yacht and is |
| able to protect the occupants in case of | | | | nothing more than a status symbol! |
| sudden inclement weather. I'm not saying that | | | | |
| your boat should be able to plow through the | | | | The smaller offshore boats will be equipped |
| perfect storm, but at least be able to get | | | | with either single or dual outboard motors. |
| out of the rain and expect to come out alive | | | | Most offshore motors will be of the |
| should a few waves come along. Other safety | | | | high-horsepower variety, due to the need to |
| concerns includes having bilge pumps, radio | | | | power through rough waters. On larger boats, |
| contact with the shore, and radar to detect | | | | you can expect to have an inboard diesel |
| oncoming vessels who may not detect you, | | | | motor of many hundreds of horses. The overall |
| especially if you should happen to be one of | | | | price of the boat, of course, is directly |
| those crazies who likes to fish close to | | | | related to the amount of power that is packed |
| shipping lanes. Having an adequate supply of | | | | into the motors. |
| food and water is also a primary concern | | | | |
| should you be forced to camp out for a while | | | | This article gives a general overview of some |
| due to a conked out motor in the middle of | | | | of the items to consider when shopping for an |
| inclement weather. It may take a while for | | | | offshore saltwater fishing boat. |