need help convincing my wife

[djetok]

dl

 

[robert843]

Your 21ft boat will make it just fine just don't overload it. @chris24 has taken his the last two years no issues.

 

[Eric Ballard]

stay with the 21 footer and add trim tabs to it.

i really like the idea of trim tabs if it means the family can come with me on the boat instead of flying them in due to rough water. $800 to fly 3 people in is probably more than trim tab cost - maybe. who knows what trim tabs cost to have installed?

 

[robert843]

can you fly into bimini?

like fly them there and me drive there from largo?

You can fly from ft lauderdale executive airport to Bimini. @veedubtek did that this year due to mechanical issues

 

[Mainah]

The key to convincing ones wife or husband is to make him/her think it was his/her idea. If that fails jewelry for women; beer, electronics, tools, or carnal desires for men. Lets face it guys; we are easy targets.

 

[Andy S]

plenty of 21' have been on the Bimini trip, @justason and @upperdeck are just a couple besides the one listed above.

 

[bronze_10]

Don't let my wife see those options... we will never get to bimini!

 

[Bennie]

@djetok -

I say fly them, I'll fly my family and you can go over there with me!!
(my wife wants to go to Bimini but not take a rough ride)

 

[robert843]

amazingly jetti g around the ocean seei g different things around is very intriguing to them. Are there scuba shops to rent gear and get tanks filled there?

You can rent scuba tanks just make sure there full before you leave the shop.

 

[jameskeller76]

ok so i am making headway. we are down to flying them from okc to bimini and back or 2 weeks in oahu , big island and maui. been there down that.

I'm going to drive from Austin solo and the wife and kids are going to fly into Ft. Lauderdale. It's more for my sanity than anything else. Have you gone onto YouTube and watched all the Vids? My wife watched a few and was convinced in no time.

 

[Bruce]

My family is towing from Hot Springs, AR so not far from you.

Your 21' boat is plenty. A 2015+ 240 would be more comfortable but less than 3' is not that big of a deal.

Trim tabs make for a better ride but are unnecessary.

There is indication that a new and more reasonably sized ferry will be running from Miami. That may be the best option if they are unwilling to cross with you but I would wait until we have wave forecasts to make that decision. We could have really nice water.

Have you read Emma's essay from the 2014 trip? It may help with convincing your wife https://jetboaters.net/threads/emmas-bimini-2014-essay.4449/

You could call and let your wife and kids talk to mine over the weekend. Mine are excited about 2017 and will pass that on.

This was some of the roughest water that we experienced in 2016. You can see that my family was relaxed.

 

[Bruce]

I also highly recommend watching @MrMoose's 2015 video. They traveled from Houston.

 

[Bruce]

hehe i think im in!!!! Now my wife is talking about crossing in the boat.

She could win a photography award. The scenery is helpful

 

[Gym]

hehe i think im in!!!! Now my wife is talking about crossing in the boat.

That's a pretty quick turnaround @djetok. A few more videos and she may be willing to swim over.

 

[Bruce]

she just doesnt want to drive from okc to key largo.

Fort Lauderdale is a little closer than Key Largo.

 

[ncnmra]

Wow; this would be a bucket list item for me. Anyone want a crew member? LOL

 

[captras]

I also highly recommend watching @MrMoose's 2015 video. They traveled from Houston.

Just out of curiosity. ...what was your average speed?

 

[MrMoose]

Just out of curiosity. ...what was your average speed?

Hi @captras
Speed depends on two factors, wave conditions, and tolerance. In 2015 (an anomaly) we crawled across at about 12 to 16 mph after losing a couple of boats on the first attempt earlier that morning. In 2016, my group targeted around 30 mph on the way to Bimini. We were the last group to leave and we missed the optimal conditions. 24 mph would have been a better speed, but I was worried about a storm coming in from the north, so we went as fast as we could.
Here's a short-ish video clip to give you an idea of how rough it was on the way there in 2016. When the music stops in the video, pay attention to the engine rpms. When they blip up, the boat is more or less airborn, and landing onto the next wave. I believe that @chris24 crossed earlier at a faster speed, but I also believe that he had better wave conditions. I think that he and another boat in his group damaged their windshield on the way down due to wave impacts.

On the way back we targeted around 26 mph, and experienced a much much much smoother ride. In my opinion, if there is no weather concerns, it would be nice to focus on comfort, BUT, there are always risks, and weather can change, so on the other hand it's generally a good idea to get across as quickly as possible.

 

[Bruce]

Just out of curiosity. ...what was your average speed?

This year my group crossed to Bimini around 24 mph. Which equated to a range of 21 to 27. I judged the reasonable speed based on how the group was keeping up. The return speed was probably a mile or two faster.

@MrMoose's group was trying to average 30 on the way to Bimini after waiting on a boat that had issues. They suffered a beating at that speed.

@chris24's groups average was crazy fast. They suffered inside out windshields but claimed the title for highest speed on the crossing.

 

[captras]

Hi @captras
Speed depends on two factors, wave conditions, and tolerance. In 2015 (an anomaly) we crawled across at about 12 to 16 mph after losing a couple of boats on the first attempt earlier that morning. In 2016, my group targeted around 30 mph on the way to Bimini. We were the last group to leave and we missed the optimal conditions. 24 mph would have been a better speed, but I was worried about a storm coming in from the north, so we went as fast as we could.
Here's a short-ish video clip to give you an idea of how rough it was on the way there in 2016. When the music stops in the video, pay attention to the engine rpms. When they blip up, the boat is more or less airborn, and landing onto the next wave. I believe that @chris24 crossed earlier at a faster speed, but I also believe that he had better wave conditions. I think that he and another boat in his group damaged their windshield on the way down due to wave impacts.

On the way back we targeted around 26 mph, and experienced a much much much smoother ride. In my opinion, if there is no weather concerns, it would be nice to focus on comfort, BUT, there are always risks, and weather can change, so on the other hand it's generally a good idea to get across as quickly as possible.

Thanks. ..my wife would hate a ride that rough