I have a 12ft tinnie with a new 15hp Yami and I am fairly comfortable in taking it out in 15knots provided it is not too far offshore as the ride is not the best and can be a bit slow.

 

Havn't been more than a couple miles from land in it so far (as have been fishing the shallow foul areas) but wouldn't hesitate to take it further if I knew the wind was not going to get up and cause a slow trip home.

 

Obviously don't want to be stupid and go miles offshore if you the wind 15+ etc.

 

Also if you know the wind will be against the tide later in the day make sure you are home before that happens to avoid the messy water

 

 

 

Sounds like you have a great little boat and motor there and with the raised transom freeboard all the better.

I got steered towards a pontoon and ended up with a 3.6m Mac with a 25 HP Honda.

Took me a while to get it sorted, but now that I have I have absolute confidence in it.

I never go out unless swell-map is 6 or better, not because the boat won't handle rougher conditions, rather I just don't enjoy fishing in lousy weather.

 

Mine's a forward steer so I don't get wet - ever - and it is completely dry now that I have extensions welded on the transom to stop any slop coming aboard.

Macboats, who did the job, said my motor was way to heavy for my hull, and that was the only reason for getting slop over the back.   

 

Needless to say, I love mine. 

 

You're welcome to come out with me for a trial if you want - PM me.

 

 

A basic rule I use is that you will normally be able to cope with 5 km of wind per metre of boat length. This doesn't take the wind against tide scenario into account as somewhere like the Motuihe Channel or Tiri will soon test your nerves even with about 20km of wind. Also, from a safety perspective, I have also worked on 1 person per metre of boat. Your manufacturers plate should give you a weight limit so add up the weight of all the stuff on board e.g fuel, anchor, chain, bait, ice etc and see how many kg you have left. You may then be down to as few as 2 on board depending on the size of the people.

 

You see many a 12-footer in Motuihe with virtually no freeboard. That is fine as long as the water is calm. However, even a wake can cause the fertiliser to hit the fan in a small boat. With each litre being another kg, it doesn't take much to cause hassles. Even more so if the water begins to move around inside the boat, as this can quickly destabilise the boat. The good thing about most Stabis, even with low gunnels, is that you can get the water off quickly through the duck bills as long as you can stay moving.

 

If you are in any doubt about the conditions, my advice would be not to launch or head home if aready at sea.