Baldwin County, AL / Mobile Bay Area - FSH 190

[Ben C]

Hi Everyone,
I'm new to the forum and have found a wealth of info here. Thanks everyone for all of it! I've seen several threads on the FSH 190 and the general consensus is, like most boats, they are not perfect at everything but good a lot and a good compromise overall.

I just sold my old boat this past weekend. It was a 18 foot deep v aluminium Starcraft that was good in Wisconsin where I grew up but not very family friendly now that I've got a 5 year old.

I live in Fairhope, AL near Mobile Bay and the gulf and plan on using the boat in the bay, feeder rivers, and venturing offshore/nearshore when the weather permits.

I've never owned a jet boat before but been on plenty of wave runners and am not worried about adjusting to handling a jet boat vs a traditional prop boat like my old one.

I was wondering if anyone fishes/boats on these waters and how its worked out for you here.

It will be mostly used for me fishing solo and/or with the five year old or with a couple other adults. We'll also likely use it for cruising the inter-coastal from here to Orange Beach/Perdido Bay/Pensacola area to see family and friends.

Thanks!
Ben

 

[Blindduck]

I put in at Weeksbay every week weather permitting and go all the way to orange beach and the pass with no problem. It does fine with me, my wife and my two boys but anymore and you will have to adjust accordingly to get on plane efficiently. For fishing you will want a trolling motor. But it has been an all around good boat.

 

[Westbeach Bum]

When you venture down to the Orange Beach area you will see a lot of jet boats. From memorial Day to Labor Day the public boat launches fill up fast, so you will need to get there early. @Bennie knows the south Baldwin county boat launches very well.

 

[Ben C]

thanks for the info. i dont plan on having any more than that on it regularly. how long is that cruise from weeks bay to orange beach?

 

[Ben C]

ive put in at weeks bay and the causeway a bunch but never down in OBA. I know theres a launch by Publix that looks good. Do you need a launch permit for those? Maybe a baldwin county one or something?

 

[Ben C]

and do you guys do anything special to clean the boat with the lovely special shade of brown the brackish water around Mobile Bay produces?

 

[Bennie]

@Ben C - First welcome to the forum! It'll be great to have another jet boater in the area.

Let me see if I can answer all of your questions:

how long is that cruise from weeks bay to orange beach?

Depending on traffic (especially at the 'no wake' zones at the bridges) I would say no more than 45 minutes... usually less. It's a very nice ride too!

ive put in at weeks bay and the causeway a bunch but never down in OBA. I know theres a launch by Publix that looks good. Do you need a launch permit for those? Maybe a baldwin county one or something?

Personally we like to put in at the top of Wolf Bay. Its a $10 ramp off of CR20. The ramp you are talking about I believe is the Cotton Bayou ramp. @Westbeach Bum puts in down there - I think. Personally I prefer to put in a less crowded ramp and ride the boat down to my destination. imho

and do you guys do anything special to clean the boat with the lovely special shade of brown the brackish water around Mobile Bay produces?

CLEAN your boat the SAME DAY you take it out! We just use soap and water and have a pressure washer at home for the stubborn spots. It's not really too bad. Just make sure that you flush that brackish/salt water out of the engines. (engine on, water on, water off, engine off)

I sure to do hope that this helps. Hope to get to boating with you soon!

 

[Ben C]

@Bennie, thanks for the welcome and as a fellow Ben, I'm sure you're an above average guy!

I always flushed my old outboard after running it but noticed you said do it this way

1 - engine
2 - water on
3 - water off
4 - engine off

With the outboard it was muffs on the intake, water on, run it for a while then shut it off.

I googled for an explanation and watched a @JetBoatPilot youtube video on how to flush but it as well but still don't follow why you start the engine first. I looked some more and found some inconclusive results about water staying in the motor somehow/somewhere. Can someone educate me here?



I was reading some of the other Orange Beach/Gulf shores posts and sew several things about snorkeling spots. I know I can get fishing reef coordinates online and load those into my gps but do you know if there is a similar list for snorkeling spots?

 

[Earfixr]

Ben C i fish those waters about once a month. Bon Secour, Wolf Bay, Little Lagoon, Ono Reef, Mobile Bay and the rear shore rigs on calm days. That little boat is great for your area.

I use SaltAway to flush the engine and trailer. Almost 2 years on the 190 and she still looks new. I’ll be down there for Easter if you want to go for a ride. GSPS can take you on a test drive too.

 

[Blindduck]

ditto to Bennie and earfixr on the advice. It takes about an hr to go from weeks bay to pass just depending on how fast you want to go, boat traffic and idle zones. I use a brush and car wash soap to clean the muck off. the inter coastal is nasty oily water lol.

 

[Tailwaters]

Boy and I complain about my 20 minute ride through the river to the big lake.

 

[JetBoatPilot]

You want to get in the habit of starting the engines first because if you don't you may forget to start the engine after the water is running and that could lead to real problems. You have about 30 seconds to get water running on a hot engine and about a minute on a cold engine. Just some lessons I've learned from my mechanic over the years.

 

[blacksapphirez]

join us on the Alabama Jet Boaters facebook page! Link in my signature

 

[Bennie]

@Ben C - I'll be headed out on the water this weekend. Give me a PM and we'll get you a first hand look/feel of a jet boat, as well as the local waters.

 

[Bennie]

I was reading some of the other Orange Beach/Gulf shores posts and sew several things about snorkeling spots. I know I can get fishing reef coordinates online and load those into my gps but do you know if there is a similar list for snorkeling spots?

@Ben C - first let me start with a disclaimer - I am not a diver. I only snorkel with the kid on occasion. That being said we do most of our snorkeling around Panama City Beach, FL. Around here the visibility is rather poor (10-15ft). Some people will dive/snorkel at the jetties at the pass, but there is just too much boat traffic out there for me. If you are good swimmer and don't mind diving down to 20ft there is the "Whiskey Wreck" that is about 150' out from Bahama Bob's in Gulf Shores. Here is a list of dive/snorkel sites around us.
http://www.divebuddy.com/divesites_search.aspx?State=AL

We have found though that a nice trip over to Destin or Panama City Beach will provide a much better snorkeling experience as the visibility is much clearer.
Here is the site we use. Our favorite to visit is the "Simpson Tug".
http://diversdenpcb.com/wrecks-and-reefs/

However all of this said.... I have found that snorkeling really messes up my Bushwacker, so I rarely put my flippers and mask on.

 

[Josh Cooper]

Ben C i fish those waters about once a month. Bon Secour, Wolf Bay, Little Lagoon, Ono Reef, Mobile Bay and the rear shore rigs on calm days. That little boat is great for your area.

I use SaltAway to flush the engine and trailer. Almost 2 years on the 190 and she still looks new. I’ll be down there for Easter if you want to go for a ride. GSPS can take you on a test drive too.

@Earfixr I am new to the Mobile Bay area. Any suggestions on boating/fishing Mobile Bay and Dauphin Island? - just bought an FSH 190 and hope to take it out over the next few weekends.

 

[Bennie]

@Earfixr I am new to the Mobile Bay area. Any suggestions on boating/fishing Mobile Bay and Dauphin Island? - just bought an FSH 190 and hope to take it out over the next few weekends.

YES..... take me with you!!
I'll bring beer!

Also beware of the areas just out of Week's and Oyster Bays. Those places are super shallow. We've hit bottom with our 242 a few times there.

 

[Blindduck]

Dixie bar at Dauphin island. The point near the grand hotel at point clear right off the piling. Weeks bay is shallow in spots if your going into stay to the left there is a sand bar at the mouth on the right and when you get in there is a channel marked by white stakes hang to the left. There are quite a bit of Oyster bars out in the bay marked by poles sunk. Just depends on what your fishing far. In weeks bay you have magnolia river to the right that goes toward a natural cold spring you can see the water temperature start dropping fast and it gets deep in spots a hang out for swimming. And then fish river there is a pile of fishing and exploring in there along with a place to eat called big daddy’s with descent food. Be safe out there.

 

[Maven]

join us on the Alabama Jet Boaters facebook page! Link in my signature

Hi there! Is there also one of these for the Pensacola/FWB/Destin area?

I am looking to possibly buy a 19' or 21' myself and done some reading on jet boats.

Is it possible anyone could take me along for a ride one day? Thanks!!!

 

[blacksapphirez]

Hi there! Is there also one of these for the Pensacola/FWB/Destin area?

I am looking to possibly buy a 19' or 21' myself and done some reading on jet boats.

Is it possible anyone could take me along for a ride one day? Thanks!!!

I am not aware of anyone int he immdediate vicinity but any dealers should be able to give you a water demo for you