H27 Not Offshore, but Coastal?

[rufus1138]

all the talk about storm tactics brings up something i remember from my calculations before i moved to the 33, the major drawback to me with the h27 isnt the strength, its the ocean speed capability, realistically you will be doing good to make 150mi/day, that would be pushing hard, in reality i think you would average out significantly less. consider this when asking yourself what she can handle and what you want to deal with.

 

[braol]

... realistically you will be doing good to make 150mi/day, that would be pushing hard....

More and more as I have been thinking about great destinations around Lake Michigan I have been looking at those speed numbers. Plain and simple, my boat goes 4.8-5.2 kts every time I go out, unless it's really blowing. I base all my calculations on that 4.8 kt number and the results are always a bit disheartening. The difference between my boat and a 40-footer is only about 2 kts...but that's 50 miles in 24 hours and that's a big deal! Even a 30-footer will get you 1/2 a knot more.
What I'm leaning towards is a folding prop. Word on the street is that it gets you more bang for the buck at the lower wind speeds...essentially allowing you to approach speed sooner and allows you to carry your momentum through a tack. It is alot of money but my biggest complaint is that my boat's a dog in light breezes. I think a folding prop might allow me to at lest get over 5kts on a regular basis and maybe hit 5.6-6. I know that things really wake-up around 5.8 or so...nice vibration, stiffer wheel, soothing hiss of water down the side.... We'll see.