Last weekend I took some friends up to La Jolla (launched in Mission Bay, SD). Came upon the kelp beds and decided to go slooow. Alarm sounded; motor overheated. I shut it down for about 10 minutes then started back up with no further problems. Some say it's best to power through kelp at cruising speed. Others go slow. What's been your experience?

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Lots of boats out that day and LOTS of kelp!

I avoid them. Pretty easy to see where they are, and they never extend more than 3/4 of a mile or so out to sea, so I just go around them.

Once or twice when I have been in the edges of it, I go slow and try to avoid hitting the really big clumps of it. Hit reverse every so often to get the kelp off the skeg, or you will be dragging lengths of it behind the boat.

Only reason I can see to be in the kelp paddies is if you fish.

No real experience, just my opinion...

1st, I agree with Troop and would go out of the way to avoid it.

2nd, If no avoiding, I'd guess powering through would give a better chance of just cutting through it. Going slow seems it would give a better chance of getting tangled up.

Hockey, the problem isn't really getting tangled up, it's the prospect of having 'chunks' of kelp get sucked into your H2O intake and then clogging your water-cooling passages.

Or a big piece of kelp entirely covering your intake, like a plastic bag is prone to do.

hmm.. well, Like I said, no experience. Guess I'll just keep going 'round it.

OK, Charles & Mary, enough about kelp. Where are the pics of La Jolla??????

Semper Fi 75

It was a rough day. Windy, choppy. Didn't hang around long. But comin' back along Pacific Beach we had a pod of dolphins playing with us for about 10 minutes (must've been 15-20.) Very cool! My friend was shooting pics. When I get 'em I'll post 'em.

Best,

I don't even know what Kelp is?

hey chuck just a thought, if you check out a saltwater fishing site bloodydecks.com and read the part about proper etiquette and some of the problems associated with running over one in terms of taking your life into your own hands with the roid raged fisherman you may decide like I have if I see one stay 20 to 40 yards away and have weapons in hand. O and me I really clear water under my boat with three different water pickups to plug up.

Kelp is seaweed that grows vertically from the sea floor along the coast of San Diego. It reaches the surface of the water and is a great place for divers to view the nautical wildlife. It's harvested and used in a multitude of products. Bet you didn't know that kelp is used as a "stabilizer" in ice cream products. When you're on the beasches along the San Diego coast line you can see the kelp harvesting ships doing their thing.

It actually grows along the entire CA coast...