21' Flats Boat Across The Atlantic

Hi,

That sure is an adventure, I was surprised by their choice of a Suzuki to push it all the way it is not an engine brand that I associate with reliability from the old days.

I guess they have done a lot better with the Four Stroke line of engines than their two strokers.

Hi,

It seems these guys were not alone in crossing the sea in a strange craft, check this one out.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2838681/Men-drive-van-across-Cook-Strait

Great advertising. The words that come to mind though are reckless, foolish and downright stupid. What were their plans for a rollover?

Hi,

Don'y worry NYCAP, they had an escape plan according to their website:

I am very comfortable with the seaworthiness of the DreamBoat Intruder. I know there is real danger, just like there is in everyday life, I know that in the event of disaster, I trust my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I know my soul will rest in Heaven.
It is not how good I am, but rather the
Goodness and Forgiveness of God.
Ralph Brown

Not trying to mimimize their feat, but I question records like this one.
Looking at the course map, did they really cross the Atlantic, or just go from land mass to land mass and end up on the other side? To me, crossing the Atlantic is CROSSING THE ATLANTIC!
Leave Florida to get to England or Spain or Germany should be going in a straight line or follow the curve but not hopping it along. I knew a guy who would fly to Europe, crossing the Atlantic. But he did it by flying to Maine for fuel, to Greenland, then down to the UK.
I guess they did cross the Atlantic, but for the record I feel that a particular route needs to be followed, and one that goes across, not around.

Hi,

Would that be Rhumb Line or Great Circle routing?

You seem to have over looked the fact that Florida does not stretch the entire length of the western side of the Atlantic, leaving from Savannah or somewhere in the Caribbean which is in the Atlantic for most calculations especially the Hurricane Season would be just as much a feat if it were done in one shot.

Also on the other side of the "pond" there is France, Ireland, Scotland.Portugal and Holland plus a few other smaller places north of Scotland that can all be reached in one shot from the Atlantic.

They had an escape plan. They went from point to point to point. So it was not solo; not the smallest; not the fastest; not non-stop. What exactly was to point of this other than an uncomfortable advertising stunt? And I'm not in the least impressed by his preaching. Watched too many of those hollier-than-thou jerks go to jail as child molesters, thieves and worse. YF is not the place for religion.

I agree, but still think it is an amazing feat to do in a 21' Flats Boat. I don't think there is ANY way you could do a true transatlantic crossing in that boat due to logistics. Maybe if you towed another 21 flats boat full of fuel, and then dumped it when it was empty.

Didn't Tohatsu or someone do a stunt like this about 20 years ago as a promo for a diesel outboard? Sure it's a feat, but it hardly accomplished anything note-worthy. I think it even missed as a marketing stunt. If I were in the market for a flats boat I'd be more interested in hearing how fast it is, how stable it is, how shallow is its draft, bait storage, fish boxes, etc. Somehow I don't think their target audiance is planing to run that boat in the ocean.

I was wondering about the amount of fuel needed as well ....

Not sure about a diesel crossing but there was a Japanese guy who lived in Sweden who did it non stop from Canaries to Antigua with a 2.5 hp Tohatsu. I saw it in Antigua.

Here is what I think Fishtigua was talking about a while ago.

http://www.tohatsu.com/news/seiko.html

a 2HP? He must have brought a lot of books to read along the way.

"He did not bring any reading materials with him so that he could keep his mind focused on the trip."

Hi,

When you PM'd me about posting a link I looked for what you were on about and couldn't find anything.

I did a quick search this morning and it was No 2 in the result string.

Grouch!

Dave, we keep pics under 640 pixels wide so people on smaller screens don't have to scroll sideways. Keeping pics within these specs also enables faster thread downloads. Remember, it's not the physical size of the photograph, it's the bandwidth it consumes. There are some other reasons as well, but best not discuss in an open format.

Thanks!