Where is the best area to go boating with 23ft Seafox wa? (Morehead City: renting)

[mkozlpn]

We moved down from NY last Oct, renting on N. Topsail Beach while looking for an area to settle in. We bought a piece of property in a gated community in Sneads Ferry with a "deep water access" and boat storage. We are in no hurry to build as we have a great deal on the ocean, but needed a place to store our new boat. We found on our first trip out into Alligator Bay that the water is barely two ft deep at high tide and we were unable to get back later that day and had to bring the boat in under the High rise bridge. We have no boating experience and have only gone out with an someone with boating experience so far. We want to be able to go out and relax, drift around do some fiishing but so far it seems just to dangerous in such a large boat. When we try fishing in the New River we are constantly drifting into shallow waters. The inlet out to the ocean seems especially dangerous and difficult. It is also pretty shallow getting out. We realize now we should have gone with a smaller boat that didn't draw so much water, but let our grown children talk us into something capable of going out into the ocean.
Are there any areas north or south of here that have better conditions?
Mostly we just want an area to relax, drift around but also have easy ocean access so our sons can do some deep sea fishing. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[dsobotta]

Originally Posted by mkozlpn

We moved down from NY last Oct, renting on N. Topsail Beach while looking for an area to settle in. We bought a piece of property in a gated community in Sneads Ferry with a "deep water access" and boat storage. We are in no hurry to build as we have a great deal on the ocean, but needed a place to store our new boat. We found on our first trip out into Alligator Bay that the water is barely two ft deep at high tide and we were unable to get back later that day and had to bring the boat in under the High rise bridge. We have no boating experience and have only gone out with an someone with boating experience so far. We want to be able to go out and relax, drift around do some fiishing but so far it seems just to dangerous in such a large boat. When we try fishing in the New River we are constantly drifting into shallow waters. The inlet out to the ocean seems especially dangerous and difficult. It is also pretty shallow getting out. We realize now we should have gone with a smaller boat that didn't draw so much water, but let our grown children talk us into something capable of going out into the ocean.
Are there any areas north or south of here that have better conditions?
Mostly we just want an area to relax, drift around but also have easy ocean access so our sons can do some deep sea fishing. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

The safest inlet to go out is Beaufort Inlet, but that is a long hike for you. You will find most of coastal North Carolina has more than its share of shallows. That's why many of us favor skiffs. It sounds like you have figured that out for yourself.

We live in small subdivision on the White Oak River. Our inlet out to the river has three feet of water even at low tides. During these lunar high tides, mostly it has been four to five feet. There is a very good marked channel down the river from our location. There is plenty of water in that channel, almost always six to seven ft or more. It takes us about ten minutes to reach the Intracoastal Waterway and another eight to ten to get out to Bogue Inlet.

Last year the area just outside of Bogue Inlet was a great place to fish and relax. We had some memorable days out there. However just along the beaches outside the Inlet most people anchor or operate under power while trolling I have drift fished Swansboro Harbor when there are few boats there. We have stayed inside the Inlet except for one time this year. We usually anchor to fish and have a great time. We also enjoy dumping everyone on one of the low water beaches and letting the skiff float in the shallows.

Bogue Inlet itself has proved to be a challenge this year. One shrimp boat has been lost on the shoals and a 20ft+ skiff was stood on its end by waves and flipped.

In the last couple of weeks the Coast Guard has adjusted the channel buoys but the local papers have had plenty of warnings that the channel between the first and second buoy is narrow. The Coast Guard's advice is that if you see breaking waves between the first and second buoy don't go out. Their other piece of advice is that if you get in the channel and it gets rough don't try to turn around since putting your boat sideways is a good way to have it flipped. They suggest instead of trying to come back in Bogue Inlet you should head east along the beach and come back in by Beaufort Inlet.

There are plenty of boats still going out Bogue Inlet into the ocean, you just have to watch yourself and really know what you are doing. We are hoping the Inlet improves by the fall fishing season.

Stan Jarusinski of Stella, which is just up the river from us, just had a letter published in the Swansboro Tideland News. In the letter which for now is accessible at this link, he offered some up to date tips on navigating Bogue Inlet and a link to the most recent mapping of Bogue Inlet. His information looks really good.

We have a tremendous amount of fun in and around Bogue Inlet, but we just have a twenty ft skiff which was my choice after lots of research three years ago.

Here are some pictures of a morning trip out Bogue Inlet and another trip in behind Bear Island-Hammocks Beach. The last link has a lot of pictures since it was designed as a navigation aid.

As you can see from this photo with a couple of our routes on it, we have plenty of shallow water also, but this area is relatively easy to learn where you can and cannot go. We have never had trouble getting home because of a lack of water.

By the way, the images in the aerial photos are out of date, the sands of the Carolina coast change on a daily basis. The most effective knowledge is passed from boater to boater.

Good luck, I think you would have fun in and around Bogue Inlet, but there is no question Beaufort Inlet is a much better access to the ocean. That's why most of the large boats are based in Morehead City or Beaufort.

If I were you, I might consider switching boats and trying to enjoy the waters where you are.