Single engine with a kicker is a great setup. I have always said 5 mph is way better then no mph. Run the kicker motor on a regular basis and dont run it too hard and it will work out for you.

looks like a good boat!!! I would go 50 miles out with 100 gallons of gas you can make the trip twice. I plan on going out of Venice Louisiana for tuna next spring in my 18 foot CC with the 200 and 40 gallons of gas. I see guys in old cheap bass boats past the oil rigs out there... another thing there is a lot of traffic, you can get on the radio channel 16 in an emergency.

advice like this could get you killed. period.

I don't plan on going more than 25-30 miles out, and I will only be going that far when I can buddy up with another boat..The guy I got the boat from went 55 miles out of port aransas....Not for me....All of the modern bells and whistles on this boat still don't make me that brave, or dumb...

just remember the 1/3 rule. 1/3 fuel out, 1/3 in, 1/3 in reserve.
gonna take a few trips to figure fuel burn, best cruise rpm, conditions, etc before you will have an accurate idea how far 1/3 will get you.
Stay conservative, stay safe. PLENTY of great fish to be had inside 20m of Port A

I was figuring 1/4 tank each way, but I guess I am a little more cautious than some....There is no way I would venture 50 miles out, even though the previous owner did...I kind of doubted he did, until I started playing with the gps....I will mainly be fishing out of Freeport/San Luis Pass area and Galveston..

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As with most things, start very conservative. As you experience more time on the water and get to know the reliability of your systems, evaluate weather you want to go further offshore.

On the kicker. I say 15 hp. 60 hp will not get you on plane. It will burn more fuel. Get a kicker that is electric start, it has the potential to charge the battery and start the main motor. Pick one that burns the same fuel as your main.

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I regularly go 10 miles with my bay boat, and have gone 30 on good days, but not without a buddy boat. No matter how much traffic you have out there, I do not trust a single engine. At 10 miles, I still get cell contact at most of the rigs that I hit and have my radio as backup.....

Nice boat you got their. Ive got a 20 ft Skipjack and its been out 50 miles or so to san Clemente Island off of California. Ive got a kicker on it as well for a little back up. Just moved out here to TX and cant wait to get it out here to me, its still in CA at the moment. Ill certainly be hitting Venice, LA for some of that tuna they got their!!

I am looking foward to getting my boat offshore soon....I am learning the in's and out's of my boat before I take it to the coast.....Maybe I am still a little too precautious....

you have a bigger set than i do going out on one motor. We have two motors and have limped in on one motor twice in the last two years. Had transmission problems on one trip and had a water pump go out on the other. Both were brand new and easy fixes when you are not bouncing up and down in the bottom of a boat with the right parts. I dont know what a tow costs, but i would guess you could get a kicker motor set up just as cheap!!!