Posted: 7/6/2007 4:57:39 PM EDT
|
I have always thought a boat would be the best way to get the hell out of Los Angeles if SHTF. Drive a short distance to the water's edge, launch the boat and you are on your way. In my mind, this compares very favorably with trying to drive out of the LA and San Fernando basins in ANY direction on any manner of wheeled vehicle. Here are the questions: What boat? What navigational gear do I get? Where do I store it? I already know how and where to launch it, as I live less than a mile from the marinas & beaches. BTW, I imagine the marina launches are going to be a mob scene. Launching from the beach is probably the way to go. Any thoughts? |
|
If you're launching from a trailer at the beach, I'd go with a center console, Triton, Ranger, etc. as brands. 20 - 22 foot in length. Extra gas. Fishing gear. Marine GPS and a good marine radio. Storage can be at a U-Store or similar. Center consoles have a LOT of deck space but they are also relatively exposed to the elements. They are also pretty ideal for shallow water launches and landings, and are pretty durn stable in mildly rough conditions. If you can launch from a marina, I'd go with the Nordhavn 47'. 
|
| Maybe think about sea kayaks. You can store them under your deck or hoisted up to the ceiling of your garage, carry them on your car roof or your shoulders, launch them from any beach. No noise, no gas, no maintenance. And, while you wait for the S to HTF, they're a lot of fun and good exersize. |
|
I have a hard time imagining a scenerio where a boat would be of any use. At least not one that isn't capable of several hundred miles of travel and sleeping quarters. Even then, I am not so sure. Think of the logistics here. First of all, do you have a place to store it? If so, can you get it to water in the midst of an evacuation. If its at the marina, are you going to be able to depend on getting to it? Just how far can you run in a boat? How are the ocean conditions? Can you really make it to safety in a 23' boat on the Pacific? I'll admitt that during some parts of the year, you can make it to Caralina, but if the Santa Anna winds are up, you're hosed. Just how far North or South can you travel in a boat that size? Even if you can navigate to the safety of Santa Barbara or other points North, how will you get the fuel? Outboard engines only get 2 to 3 MPG, maybe 4 if you slow down. Even if you can make it to the edge of danger, then what? Do you have property, a car, supplies and anything else in place at your destination? Now, if you have a long range sport fisher, that's another matter. That could be self-sustaining for quite a long time. You could make a run to Mexico or even Canada. We're not talking about a small investment in either money or time and skill. Most boats of that capability are run by a crew or at least a very experienced capitan. It would indeed be quite useful if the SHTF, but only if you were already familiar with it. |
|
I personally know 4 adults who have sailed to Europe and South America(and back) on one reasonably sized sail boat. Something similar to THIS I'm not sure how much the one they own costs but they aren't exorbitantly wealthy. The couple that owns it can sail it by themselves. |
|
I've read that the traditional thing for Cajuns to do when hurricanes come is to load up the jonboats with family, pets, chickens, valuables etc and run up river as far as possible. Places like the Outer Banks, I think it makes sense as its well established that the roads have insufficient capacity during peak tourist season. Plus if you live there and have any brains, your boat ought to be more expensive than your car anyways, so you'd be saving a more valuable asset. I wouldn't want to tow a boat and launch it in SHTF conditions. A kayak or canoe maybe, but what do you do if some nitwit manages to launch his boat and SUV at the ramp? Launching from the beach, aside from sea kayaks, seems iffy to me. In LA, if you can afford to keep a boat in a slip that'd be your best bet for getting out of Dodge, with some provisos. You'd need the boat to be absolutely theft-proof. Pull the distributor cap or battery off the engine, take the tiller or wheel home with you, take the mainsail home etc. And expect lowlifes to burgle your boat. If it has a cabin, expect the cabin door/hatch to get crowbarred, so have an alternative means of closing off the hatchway. I'd also think about a way to lock the fuel caps. And I'd have at least two BO destinations already chosen and tested. You'll want someplace with a substantial free anchorage, as well as grocery store etc. As already stated, you'll need to think thru the distance/fuel problem carefully, and most importantly perform a variety of test runs so you know how far a tank gets you in various conditions. Navigational gear? Most important is skills with compass & charts. The US Power Squadron runs courses on basic navigation. You can find waterproofed "atlas of charts" books at places like West Marine. Next is piloting, i.e. navigating by visual landmark. A depth sounder is excellent for providing a sanity check to your position. Then I would suggest a GPS in conjunction with charts; lots of marine GPS units have color charting on their screens, but the affordable ones have small screens with not so great resolution. |
People have singlehanded 20' sailboats from LA to Hawaii and singleshanded around the world on 23' to 27' sailboats. From what I have read, you just need the right design of boat. Price: I have seen 21 to 27 foot sail boats sell for 2-5 grand in serviceable shape, with decent sails and all the boating equipment needed to go sailing. For less the 10k you should easily be able to get a decent sailboat. |
|
I once lived on the coast and wanted a sailboat (wind chaser) like crazy. Then one day on a charter I was in 25 ft seas in a 40' boat and that cured me. From then on, I wanted something that could get the hell out of the way of bad weather. This is "Quicksliver" named for its 350 cu/in 250hp V8 and Bravo III twin fullsize counter rotationg propellers which gives her a 3 mpg at a quick for a cruiser 25mph min on plane cruise. That's 180 miles on its 65 gallon tank. Wanted to add here for those not use to boats, 3 mpg is about the same as a bass boat. That range on this boat is due to the two big props on a single IO unit.  Without going into alot of detail, its like a one bedroom apartment on the water with all the comforts of home. I keep two weeks of food on it at any given time. Hotwater tank it piped to the engine coolant and two battery banks run its electronics. Though currently I keep it at a marina due to ease of use, I never really stay in the marina. It is a pocket cruiser a term often associated with about as large can get and still legally trailer. If I kept it on trailer, I'd keep its two battery banks charged with a marine solar charger. As is, it works for me since I have about 128 miles of water without going through a dam lock. If the locks are working then the world is mine within boat capability (<6' seas). I can almost double the range by taking spare fuel on deck. Now when you consider most mass exodus events are temporary in nature, its a viable bugout option especilly here where I can go up into the mountains by water to isolated areas or tow to where I can use it to a better advantage. BOV boats, I have two not counting the big one. First is a inflatable raft which doubles on "Quicksilver" as a dingy but can be used to cross a river if my BOV is stopped. This is unlikely since it is limited in use. More likely is my Coleman 15' RamX canoe which is 36" at the beam with keel and transom. What the means is it can hold alot of gear and support a motor. I use a Gamefisher 1.2 hp air cool which pushes the canoe a tad fater than two men can paddle and gets a whopping 12 hours on one gallon of gas. Beauty of this setup is if you hit an obstical like a dam, you simply carry it around it. I've done a hell of alot of camping on that setup. Electronics, I like a marine radio which all have the weather channels. This allows you to not only track weather events but communicate with other boaters and the authorities in an emergency. I also use a handheld GPS, both map and standard used with charts. Combined with a good compass, you can navigate about anywhere. Another key piece of gear is a strong lighting system so you can see flotsum in the water etc. On Quicksliver I use a remote 300 watt on the bow to spot logs etc. and a handheld 1,000,000+ candlepower handheld (both cord and cordless). I use this on both. By using the bow light for logs and the handheld to spot bouys, while everyone else is creeping, I'm at full plane. On my wish list is a sat phone (want to do a trip to the Bahammas), ERIB, and radar. Radar has come way down in cost the last few years and not only will let you see ahead in fog or the dark, but has anchour alarm (comes on periodically and if your position changes by a programmable parameter then it will alarm waking you up) and new object alarm which will wake you up to let you know a Super Tanker is in the area so you can move before the sleep assholes run you down. These I would want for salt water. Now I just stay in isolated coves that the big boats can not come and nowhere near a channel or shipping lane. The biggest complaint I hear from folks about boats as a BOV is security. As soon as I hear that I know they haven't spent alot of time on boats. Simply put, there is no sneaking up on a boat. Where a road is four lanes wide, bumper to bumper, and someone can walk right up to your window, rivers are often five times that distance and you can see someone approaching from a long distance. I feel far safer in my boat than I do in my home. Boats btw with a galley, head, and bed can be considered a second home with all the same rights as a primary home including search laws and IRS tax decudtions on interest. (Requirement is 14 nights a year on board and separate address than your primary residence.) Its also a business write off for entertainment. Odd as it sounds, I have found a few truisms boating the last two decades. First, the size of a boat is usually the inverse of its use. The larger the boat the more it sets for the most part. Second, though you would think recreational boaters are natural survival types, they aren't. Lastly, if you take the time to learn the rules of the sea, the thing you notice most is almost everyone else didn't take the time. Though I often recommend things for SHTF just in case, boat options are not one of them. It is a great option for those into the water but for the novice it can be a very bad option. It DOES take experience. Now if you have a love of water and want it as recreation and SHTF, go for it. If you have any specific question, please ask for I haven't found many boats of any sort I don't like and have experienced many types even took the time to learn to sail. Tj |
|
I live right on the Chesapeake bay and have a little experance with boats. Years ago two friends and me sailed a 27 ft sailbot from Md. down to Fla. on the intercoastal waterway. Had a small British sea gull outboard which we didn't have to use much at all. I don't remember for sure but if we used 20 gal. I would be surprised. These small outboards will run a long time on a Gal. of gas but then we mainly sailed and used the engine mostly in marinas, congested areas etc. ... I sailed a small 14 ft. Gaf rigged punt for 100s of miles including in some pretty rough water. I have no doubt if i had to and had the time i could have sailed it to Fla.I bought this boat for $200 by the way ...Had a wooden 14 ft Whitehall rowing boat which I rowed across the Cheasapeake Bay in several times. Somthing like this that had a sailing rig and outfitted with a small outboard you could go just about anywhere as long as you watched the weather , staid faily close to shore and knew what you were doing.. I have a friend that just finished building a replica of the 20 ft. Shallap that Capt. James Smith brought over and it is being sailed [and rowed] all over the bay for 100s orf miles just like the original was I don't visalise me "Bugging Out" by boat or anything else but i am thinking about getting me another small boat. Still have a nice old small motor and am thinking about looking for a square stern canoe. Somthing I could take out fishing and hunting with. Easy to launch , I can walk to the bay, as well as easy to carry on the roof of the truck.....Todd |
Take a look at the Coleman Scanoe. Nice square tail, wide at the beam, with a strong keel. They have been around long enough, they are quite cheap used and will take up to a 5hp. As for long distance small motor crafts, very fond of the small trailerable trawlers. With a yanmar diesel and 55 gallon drums on deck, I figure 1,800 mile range which is usually the domain of a yacht range wise. Nice little boats. Tj |
|
I haven't yet had a chance to read all teh material posted but i wanted to say this. If a nuke goes off in the LA basin, going out to sea and either up or down the coast (it doesn't matter which) is THE SAFEST thing to do. There will be NO way to drive out. Along the coast is cross wind. Out to sea is up wind. These are the directions you want to go in. The only way to go in those directions is in a boat. That there will not be TEN MILLION PEOPLE (literally) trying to go that way also (at least not initially), is an added benefit. We work close to home. We can be out to sea in less than an hour, thirty minutes is not unrealistic, too. How about an inflatable to minimize the storage problem? |
They work but not very efficient. They're very hard on gas and good for a very short distance at best. BTW, If I was on the west coast. A boat would be high on my list just for the reasons you posted. Tj |
I've been looking at a 14' porta-bote for a brown water bug out for a while. http://www.porta-bote.com/14pb.htm            they have some nice options like a sailing package and a sun screen that might help for blue water.       
|
|
Interesting thread. I've literally spent a goodly portion of my life in and on the water, both for grins,and professionally. Until about 7 years ago, I spent 20+ hours a week working on the water, year round. Then a lot of time just fishing/crabbing/goofing off for grins. The British Seagull OB brings back memories.(and glad to see another MD boy) I have a friend up in Annapolis who was from a LONG line of shipwrights. As soon as he got out of the Marines,20-25 years ago, he set out to fulfil a dream: build his own skiff.to cary on the family tradition. We drank a LOT of beer planning,then finally building that thing. It was a work of art.On one side. Not the most symetrical thing, but it floated. Then we hauled out his Grandpas old Seagull,and got her going. She wasn't fast,but we had FUN! As a foolish kid,I'd often cross the Chesapeake in boats I had NO business being out there in. A few times,had unplanned "overnighters" when the weather came up,or the motor died.Lucky if I had one oar. It amazes me that I survived,and that parents were OK with it,but we were raised to think and act pretty independently, within reason. I've thought about using a boat to get out of Dodge, as traffic would stop most any other method. I've got family on the eastern shore,one brother in particular, who has a "compound" if you will. And it's on a creek. So I can get there from here,weather permitting.  ETA: Last week, I picked up a 8' Walker Bay dingy at the dump. It's in perfect shape. Figured I'd let the kids play with it. Light enough to easily toss around,yet decent capacity. Appeared to be ready for sail,rudder,keelboard.Checked the website and they are all offered,although pricy. Will fab my own. Maybe. Other than skipjacks,I've never set foot on a blow boat. Was taught at an early age to "stay away from those folks". |
|
I have to say, I have a healthy respect for the ocean. Honestly, I wouldn't think that Portaboat worthy as a BOB. I would want a boat that could get us out no matter the weather or ocean conditions. If the surf's up or there's wind-driven chop, or whatever, if it's time to get out of Dodge, it's time to get out of Dodge! We just don't get hurricanes, cyclones or any other types of severe weather the way you do in the Gulf or the Eastern seaboard. We do get storms and we do get red flag warnings but only a few times a year and only in the winter. The thing that concerns me the most about a bug out boat is the lack of protection once aboard. There is neither cover, concealment nor shelter (shielding from radiation). If or when a firestorm causes a wind shift, you would have to flee as you have no shielding. |
How about a Zodiac F470?  165lb without motor/tank, folds up to an 18"x12"x24" bundle plus floor boards.  Two people can assy and launch in about 20 minutes, faster if you use a 12v compressor. Here's the -10 on it: usmc.boats.dt.navy.mil/crrc/zodiac/FSM%20Cover.pdf |
|
I'm thinking a kayaks or canoes rigged with outriggers, sails, and some sort of sun screen.... wind power rules in the PACIFIC, the distances are simply too vast for motors.... unless the sails are solar panels and the engine is electric. That said, maybe a motor to get beyond the surf, then sails to move up or down the coast... paddles for emergencies. But if the problem you're fleeing from is nukes or earth quakes, I'm thinking the best plan is to hunker in the bunker, not put out to sea. |