I have a 5.6m boat which I've owned for nearly a year. It's been great, no dramas. My problem is that  I have a strong aversion to swell even if conditions are otherwise good. It comes from 5 years of kayaking and 7 years of jetski fishing. 

From the kayak days, I remember that feeling of surfing down the swell was often followed by an unplanned swim. Now, even riding a small swell in a bigger, heavier vessel, I find myself shifting my position (like it's going to do anything!), clenching buttocks and sweating!  

I'm not talking about bar crossings, just regular days when there is any swell over a metre. I understand where the boat should be in relation to the waves, but most other boaties seem to gun it home regardless.

I'm keen to do some more game fishing, so need to get on top of this!

Any thoughts?

Last time out,due to travelling with swell ended up quartering it rather than dead downhill,travelled slighty further distance but found it more comfortable.(wife waiting on back surgery so got to take it easy)

Thanks. It is all about control and that's what I'm struggling with. Might try quartering, but don't want to broach. I normally head for land to get out the swell and then make my way home, but that obviously won't help offshore. 

Thanks for the reply. I have a FC560 CC with a Mercury 115. I have no doubts about the boat, just the captain! 

Whangarei Harbour entrance can be gnarly, often worse than the open ocean, but if the swell is NE, that at least isn't too much of a problem. A direct E swell can be very unpleasant and I nearly got caught out on the jetski once. 

I'm far happier going in to swell than a following sea. 

It may be a silly question, but if it's a big slow rolling swell, do you just sit behind a wave even if it takes you a long time to get home?

And another question, I find it really hard to judge where I am in relation to the top of a large non-breaking wave. Any hints? 

I've always found that swells in open water were travelling faster than my boat was.  I don't fancy surfing down the face of a swell and for that reason I let the swells give me a bit of a push but happy for them to pass underneath me.  The longer the swell period the faster it's travelling.  A 20 second swell period is travelling at 30 knots.  

If you get swamped or rolled having a popular "safe" pontoon boat brand will not save you from a swim . Having a deep v and fine entry will not  https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=597709555&rlz=1C1CHBF_enNZ1079NZ1079&sxsrf=ACQVn09E_ha5g-UR0gllRNOEbZg1ZkVNNQ:1705036388267&q=necessarily&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwicrYHCi9eDAxV8sFYBHcp0BPMQkeECKAB6BAgIEAI" rel="nofollow - necessarily  be the best option  when it gets knarly if it is inclined to dig the bow in and broach or try's to bury the bow  and become a submarine .

I'm out wide off Tuts heaps. Old boat 5.5m now 6m. Experience is all you need. Know how your boat handles various conditions. Let the sea catch up and give you a push then slide under you. Be active on the helm. What may happen is you end up "stuck" on the back of that wave but just change direction/speed or wait and it will move on for the next push. How a boat handles has a lot of variables including the height of the swell and the wind on it. Following sea is more dangerous than head on IMHO so you are right to be cautious.  If the swell is big enough to make you surf DOWN the face you are in danger. 99% of the time you don't go if the conditions aren't favourable. Swell on the East coast isn't usually big enough to be an issue on it's own. When I'm looking at going I'm way more concerned on the wind forecast than the swell. Wind against swell is not pleasant either as it stands the waves up and creates a "confused" sea. 

I’m in your area MB and about to do some game fishing as well in trailer boat, yell out if you want and we can team up for contact and shared info while out there. 

Nothing wrong with going out with someone like that specifically for some intensive training and experience. IE leave the rods at home. You'd gain far more competence and confidence per trip that way and then you can build on it with experience...

Another option could be to talk to Andy  https://powerboat-training.co.nz/" rel="nofollow - Powerboat Training (powerboat-training.co.nz)  about some own boat tuition. Not only does he know his stuff, he knows how to teach it. These are 2 different skill sets.