Boating weather: is today a good day to go out?

One rating for getting out on the water in anything small: a jet ski, a fishing boat, a kayak or a paddleboard. GoDay scores every daylight hour, then finds the best 2-hour window of each day.

What it weighs, most important first

  1. Wave height
  2. Wind
  3. Water temperature
  4. Wave period
  5. UV
  6. Rain
  7. Air temperature
  8. Gusts
  9. Visibility

Also on the page, but not in the score: wind direction, tide (a model estimate), moon phase.

What holds the score down

A thunderstorm holds the score at 2, and one due within the next two hours holds it at 4. Gusts over 60 km/h (37 mph) or fog under 1 km hold it at 3.

Daylight counts too: at dusk the score is held at 5, and once it's dark at 2.

Questions

How windy is too windy for a small boat?

Under 10 km/h (6 mph) is glassy. Up to 20 km/h (12 mph) is still good, up to 30 km/h (19 mph) gets choppy, and past that GoDay calls it rough. Gusts count too: past 40 km/h (25 mph) they pull the score down fast.

What wave height is OK?

Half a metre (1.6 ft) or less is excellent, and up to 1 m (3 ft) is good. The wave period matters as well: short, steep waves under 6 seconds make a bumpy ride even when they're small.

Does it show the tide?

Yes, as information: a sea-level model's estimate of whether the tide is rising or falling, plus the moon phase. Neither changes the score, and neither replaces local tide tables.

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