New Jersey ICW with 5' draft sportfish?

We're closing on a 58' Viking in CT this week and want to bring it down to the Annapolis area over Columbus day weekend.

Our nominal plan is to stay outside, at least from sandy hook to cape may. but we don't have much flexibility to wait on a weather window.

Family will be on board so we won't proceed in anything dangerous for this class of boat, but i suspect anything above tightly spaced 3-4's could be uncomfortable for a ~5-6 hour passage.

If we're getting beat up too much outside, is the New Jersey ICW an option we should even consider for this class of boat? Everything that I've read in forums suggest even 3.5' draft boats have touched bottom.

In terms of experience, i've transited the ICW between Norfolk and FL in its entirety 3 times (albeit in smaller 4' draft sportfish), but have never been through the Jersey ICW at all.

I doubt we'll have flexibility to wait for optimal tides. It looks like low tide in cape may is around 5pm the day we'd be coming in, so we'd likely be transiting the ICW from high tide on the way to low, getting pretty close to low by the time we get to cape may.

Ok thanks for the responses. Will keep outside where this boat belongs anyway

That’s what I’m hoping! We’re stepping up from a 38’ Bertram, which is a great head sea and decent following sea boat for her size but a bit “corkscrewy” in quartering and beam seas - even tightly spaced 2-3 chop got miserable after a couple of hours. I’ve tried not to overset expectations for my wife and girls but I suspect this Viking is going to be a decent upgrade.

…although as soon as I say that…looking at the forecast i’m seeing a front passing through with 5-6’ beam seas at 7 sec. So may be testing the wife right off the get go…

I certainly take your point but the family isn't exactly new to offshore boating....just to this boat. They've been with me for numerous offshore passages of similar length in our 38' bertram. And as stout as that boat was, it would have been miserable in the forecast conditions.

I just don't have a feeling for how that experience on a considerably smaller boat is going to translate to being on a 58' enclosed bridge viking SF. In equivalent conditions, it certainly seems the ride will be considerably improved, and it certainly seems they'd be able to handle another 1-2' in size over what we were willing to do in the Bertram.

Hopefully the forecast will improve and it'll be moot.

Maybe its like you say - just have to get a feeling for it over time.

I have pretty detailed info/records on that stuff and feel as good as I can about the boat being ready for the trip south. I've also contacted the man service provider who has maintained the engines to get a full set of filters, impellers, etc. for the boat. But the point is still valid, especially with marginal (at best) sea conditions. Forecast now calling for 6-8' ...not exactly family friendly boating weather.

Related - assuming we can't get the boat home this weekend, I may need a delivery captain. If anyone has any suggestions i'd much appreciate it. Bonus if its someone who like to fish out of Virginia Beach and/or the Outer Banks who we could use for fishing trips in the future.

Great question! Most of the pics i have right now are from the survey and stuff i wanted to follow up on, but here's a good glamour shot:

Thanks for this fantastic perspective - and TBH I wasn’t really considering venturing out in 6-8’s for 5 hours. Forecast has steadily been getting worse. Sometimes it’s good though because when it’s marginal you have to think about it, when it’s obviously no good, makes the decision easier.

May also be a blessing in disguise - unless things suddenly trend a lot better, maybe now we can use the weekend to do a little shakedown cruise to block island or montauk or something reasonably close and protected to get a feel for the boat.

Just curious, how would you compare the ride of the bigger Viking vs the 42 Bert?

The engines are the 1200hp v12’s. AKA black hole that you pour diesel into.

Engine room is palatial, at least for a sportfish, and certainly compared to what I was used to. I’m spending my first night on the boat tonight and considering putting a blanket and pillow down on the outboard side of the port engine.

Boat currently lives in mystic and Bayside has maintained the engines for the previous 16 years. I keep hearing good things about them, including from my local man shop (Hild’s). Knowing the iron has been well cared for by a reputable shop was an important selling point for me.