Barnegat Light Reef - First time boater looking for guidance

[B_Darling]

Hi All,

I am officially the new owner of a 1995 GW Adventure 208 with 2007 f150. For many reasons, I will be keeping my boat at Ocean Beach Marina in Lavallette, NJ (yes, I know, a little far from the inlets). This is my first boat and I am anxious to get out on the water this season and do some cruising with family and most importantly do some fishing. With the understanding that my boat is only 20', is not a rocket ship, and that I am a boating beginner, I am searching for someone in the area who regularly takes the short trip out of the inlet who would not mind buddy boating. Yes, I know, its only a few miles out and some may say I am being too cautious, but I do not want to test myself and my boat for the first time when I am solo. Heck, I am even interested in taking someone else out on my boat if they have a lot of experience and are willing to teach me the ropes of boating and fishing offshore. I will be taking the NJ State police boating safety test this weekend and April can not come fast enough.

Thank you in advance for any advice or feedback or offers.

 

[CJ7Rob]

I basically have the same boat (1989 204) and launch out of Mantoloking since 2018. Its a great boat, Barnegat bay can be choppy, partly b/c windy and lots of boat traffic going back and forth. Hit up Tices Schoal for family fun. I've never been out of that inlet, but I hear it can be rough at times. Curious what do they get for a slip at Ocean Beach Marina? Thx

 

[B_Darling]

Thanks for the info. OBM gets $100/ft with a 10% discount for new customers. I know i can find places half the price elsewhere, but the proximity of the marina to the family beach house was the reason i chose it. Do you ever take your boat offshore?

 

[SkunkBoat]

Welcome to BOATING! Best advice I can give a new boater is "take your time" and learn your boat.
Start close and widen your range as you get comfortable

I started plying Barnegat Bay in the 80's in a 16ft aluminum boat. I went to a 20 footer for 18 years. Running out of Barnegat Inlet for a few.
Now I run as far as the canyons in a 26' grady. I dock in Manasquan River to avoid Barnegat Bay and the Point Pleasant Canal.
Docking in Manasquan River is twice the price and worth every bucket of cash.

Don't let anything below scare you or bum you out. Boating and FISHING is the best thing in life.

This is just 40 years of observation...

Get out early...on weekdays.. Barnegat Bay (BB) is beautiful...until 11 AM when most people get moving.
A typical summer day will start off dead calm at sunrise. Boat wakes become annoying by noon.
By 2 pm the SW wind will kick up and add to the boat wakes of EVERYONE headed home at the same time.

Learn the wind. It will tell you where to go to have an enjoyable day.
East wind- East side..but usually thats a crappy day, West Wind - West side, North or South wind - Silver Bay, Toms River or Metedeconk river, NW wind- outside along the beach.

South winds suck for fishing.

Barnegat Inlet (BI) can be daunting at times.
GPS/Chartplotters have made finding your way through the approach to it in Oyster Creek Channel less insane.
You will see people cutting corners. Don't do it. Depending on tide you might find a beautiful sand bar to get stuck on for 4 hours.

DO NOT TRY TO USE DOUBLE CREEK CHANNEL. Last 3 times I tried it wasn't a channel it was a cul du sac...its been a few years...

Learn BB. its not deep. The East side, south of the Seaside Bridge, is very shallow.
In summer, floating Eel Grass mats can be brutal..

"Back in the day" in the tin boat we caught weakfish in Toms River and behind Island Beach from the first hint of light until 8 am.
Sometimes again in the evening after a T storm sent everyone home and it all glassed out before sunset. All by ourselves. It was awesome.
Not sure how that is now but you can only keep one weakfish now.
Bluefish will flood the bay in late April-May...even some 15 pounders.
Stripers near the bridges.

BI inlet is always dredged and deep on the north side. The south side is shallow.
There is always a sand bar just outside and a swell will cause an ugly breaking wave on an outgoing tide.
There was always a safe way out to the north around the end of the jetty
The end of the north rock jetty gets covered at high tide and every year some dope rides right over it. Don't be that guy.

BI will teach you a lesson about fast moving water. Its wide. When there's not a lot of traffic, use it to learn how to handle your boat in a fast current.
The Point Pleasant Canal will teach you a lesson about fast moving water and "standing waves". Don't use the PP canal to "learn".
Both of these places will be beautiful for an hour around the hi & lo tides. On a new moon the PP canal is class 5 rapids.
When learning BI and the PP canal, do it with a fishing buddy not your wife & kids.

Boats don't have tires touching the ground. They don't stop or turn like a car.
Approaching slow and bumping in and out of gear is your friend. Manage your momentum.
If the water is moving and/or the wind is blowing, you have to understand what is happening. That takes experience and "feel".
You can't steer if the water is going faster than you.
The motor is the lowest thing in the water. A following current will push the motor around.
Learn to back up. Sometimes thats the best and safest way out of a situation.

 

[CJ7Rob]

Excellent advice up there^^ very true

 

[B_Darling]

SkunkBoat,

Wow. Thank You very much for the thoughtful and detailed response. I appreciate your 40 years of wisdom. I definitely will be taking it slow and will eventually make my way out of the inlet(s) when the time is right. In the meantime, your advice regarding BB and the inlets is exactly what I was looking for. I will heed your warnings and have fun while doing it.

Thank You.

 

[Jargon]

Skunk, that was awesome!

I sure hope when I get to the OBX I have someone who knows as much about their water as you do yours.

Priceless!

 

[RussGW270]

And post tons of pictures.. even fake ones.. we just like pictures!.. lol

R

 

[B_Darling]

I have to give the people what they want...Here you go Russ. More will come, once she is on the water.

 

[RussGW270]

Lol.. nice

I thought about mounting a 2nd screen up top like that... but would block my hula-monkey

R

 

[B_Darling]

Thanks Russ, I agree, hula-monkey visibility is critical.

 

[SkunkBoat]

You'll be all salty and catching bluefins at the Atlantic Princess by next year

 

[cool change]

SkunkBoat,

Wow. Thank You very much for the thoughtful and detailed response. I appreciate your 40 years of wisdom. I definitely will be taking it slow and will eventually make my way out of the inlet(s) when the time is right. In the meantime, your advice regarding BB and the inlets is exactly what I was looking for. I will heed your warnings and have fun while doing it.

Thank You. best advice I can give you is be safe be safe be safe !!! take your time and respect the ocean , O one more thing practice parking , I was horrible LOL

 

[Whazzup]

Best advice I received as a new boater (about a year or so ago) was to hire a captain for a half a day to learn how to handle my boat. You can read all you want, watch YouTube videos all day, but nothing beats being out there with an experienced operator showing you the ropes. Hiring a third party captain who does this all day and has a training protocol is priceless. I have 100+ hours under my belt and I am still very nervous about docking, especially around other boats. Close quarters operations and proper trimming of the motor are two areas where I gained invaluable experience from having others with me.

I did not venture out of the inlet until I felt real comfortable with my boat. I entered the inlet three times before I finally went out the fourth time. There's plenty to do in the Barnegat Bay. I second the motion on the Canal - it can get hairy in a small boat. It's labeled a "no wake zone" but that doesn't mean anything in peak summer times. Take an experienced mariner with you the first time you venture up the Canal.

Since I joined the ranks of the boating world, I now believe there are two seasons each year: boating season and I can't wait for boating season. Enjoy and welcome aboard!! See you out on the bay.

 

[Bdsp1234]

Wow!!, skunkboat really nailed it. I will add a few pointers as well. Living in Island heights/ Toms River I will tell you to NOT try to learn this Barnegat Bay with your family on board during the weekends. Also, pay attention to all of the channel marker and stay within the channels until you get to know the Bay. It very shallow in place you might not expect. As an example, I’ve seen many guys try to cut the channel getting into Oyster Creek Channel and end up getting grounded.

DO NOT attempt going out the BI inlet on an outgoing tide until you are EXPERIENCE. it’s a washing machine effect. Once you are experienced enough , and decide to make the run out the BI , DO NOT GO NORTH TOO SOON. go all the way past the tower on the north side and then go hard left. You’ll avoid a lot of crazy wave action. Especially in a 20. And when coming back in early sure to understand how to ride the back side of the incoming waves. Do not stay in front of the waves. Disaster.

Late afternoon and early evening cruises can be wonderful on the Barnegat. For the most part, the channels run the western side of the bay so an evening ride on a west wind is just spectacular.


Just go slow , learn your boat and don’t take any chances. You’ll be fine. Good luck and welcome to boating. A boating buddy is a great idea.

 

[MAF]

Hey B_Darling - I have the same boat and also just got it as a first boat last summer (late). I’m in the Boston area and would love to hear how you get on. I’ll be learning right alongside you....

 

[B_Darling]

Hey B_Darling - I have the same boat and also just got it as a first boat last summer (late). I’m in the Boston area and would love to hear how you get on. I’ll be learning right alongside you....

Congrats to you also. I look forward to following along and learning from you as well.