Would you take your boat?

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It really depends on the boat, the weather and you. I have run my 15 ftr off shore (4-5 miles) on a lot of occasions but it was built for coastal conditions- similar to a Boston Whaler, I would not get caught in the intercoastal with a bass boat. My guess is your F/S has too low a freeboard and does not drain well enough for me to consider it of off shore. The next question I would have is, is the boat big enough to handle the divers and gear. About the max reasonable number of divers is 4 on a boat that size, 2 diving and 2 boat sitting, no way on earth would I consider all of us diving with the boat unattended. Way too many things can go wrong for that......and attended means that someone on board is a competent captain, not just a body. They must know how to use a GPS, marine radio, can operate the boat as well as you and have experience off shore. Speaking of equipment, do you have a marine radio (not a hand held) and GPS on board?? If not, then you are under equipped. On a good day with a reasonable boat, the right equipment and divers on board, I see nothing wrong with venturing a little ways off shore however you really need some offshore experience before going far. It can get choppy and rough, knowing how to deal with rough conditions is important and it's not something you can learn on an inland lake. You need to spend some time close in dealing with inlets and waves before venturing very far. While it can get rough out there fairly, if you are only a few miles from the inlet you can make it back before it gets too bad, it may be uncomfortable but not that dangerous IF you and the boat can deal with the waves.
 
All of these are great points, and I thank you all for your input. What I had envisioned was to use it to hit spots within places like St. Andrews Bay where the seas are relatively light and protected. I certainly have no death wish, and do not have a boat capable of rough seas. Heck, I've taken a couple of waves over the bow of my boat on my local lake that made me worry, I'm not crazy enough to risk it a couple of miles out! I do have a GPS, but currently have no marine radio, but know better than to go without one. My boat is 15 years old, and although it hasn't let me down yet, I have only owned the boat for 2 of those years, and know its just a matter of time before it leaves me stranded.

Anyways, I had no grand illusions of cruising 15 miles out in it, or anything crazy like that. I figured inside bays and inland waterways, and no further than 2 miles out, if that. I think I've pretty much made up my mind that I'm not going to risk it, its probably cheaper in the long run to rent a spot on a cattle boat. Its a long way to trailer from Atlanta to the panhandle just to save a couple hundred bucks (which I'm probably not really saving after gas, etc).

Of course, I am always open to the option of someone taking me out on their boat!
 
There are some good six packs that are not much different than going out on your own once you get to know the owners and the regulars that dive with them. I own a capable boat in PCB, but I still enjoy going with my regular group. I don't have to clean the boat, put gas in it, etc. I just meet at the dock and have stress free diving. And if you are pulling it from Monticello you may save money in the long run. I think you'll enjoy going with some of the local guys and getting to know them.
 
Kalik- Before some of us had 36' Newtons we had smaller boats and a two decades of boating to draw experience from. The boat I have used my whole life to get to and from Carrabelle to Dog Island is a 17' Dual console boat with a 70HP Evinrude. This boat has a steering wheel and 4 seats, thats it. It was my grandfather's and was last USCG safety inspected in 1977. It has no electronics and not even a compass. We have used it to go offshore several times over there throughout my life. It was always a bad idea but we survived everytime and even had several near misses. FYI the weather inside Appalachicola Bay is often too bad to run a 17' boat in when the wind is blowing.

The whole idea of picking your days and watching the weather sounds really nice but is not something that can be done during the Summer time as the Storms pop up too fast and move randomly for you to dive. How do you watch the weather while you are under? I would consider diving in the Summer Gulf in a boat that you are not prepared to ride out a serious storm and 4' or larger short period seas in.

Snuff- Obviously you've stated that you intend to stay within the St Andrew's bay system which is definitely inline with what I would suggest for that boat. You can have a great time with the family hanging around some of the stuff in Spanish Shanty and messing around on Shell Island. I still do this with my friends and family and have a blast everytime.
 
Sorry Capt. Green didnt want to step on any toes just stating my opinion and my life experiences. And as I stated I could be wrong.
 
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