I have just purchased and 18ft cuddy cab chivers f/g boat with an 85 johnson on the back, im new to boating and admit im a novice on the water.
I follow seabreeze weather maps and take the boat out usually when its low wind and swell. Im looking at the projections for this weekend around mandurah and wondering,
When is it reasonably safe to confidently go out on the water, ie wind and tide levels?
and when looking at the report realise i have a hope in hells chance of taking the boat out.
As a general rule for comfortable boating use 15. That's no more than 15 knots of wind and 1.5m of swell. Once you go over that it gets pretty uncomfortable.
Do you have your Skippers Ticket?
Yeah i have my ticket but on the day of getting it i really learned very little. Its been suggested that i do a Bowsuns ticket but i hear they are a couple of grand to complete
Cut your seafaring legs in the estuary!
When its gets a bit rough you can run to the safe harbours of the river Murray and head upstream to the Sandy Cove Tav, or The Clansman or the Ravo or Redcliffe or Pinjarra 
Or make a beeline for the cut and the Irish Pub.
Or holler "Pub ahoy me 'artys!" at the main entrance channel in the center of town!
I'm guessing you get the idea of what I do whenever I'm out on the water in Mandurah - on my cousins boat 
) you can take me out boating.
Like most things it's about experience. Just spend time on the water, start in protected waters then when that gets boring head out into open waters on a nice day. You'll get to know your boat and what conditions you feel comfortable in.
Do things slowly, most boaters I know nearly always drive too fast for the conditions. Usually just five knots or so slower and the ride is much better for everyone.
^^^Re; Zuke's advice - spot-on!
You'll find you'll get more comfortable with time. Start by staying close to shore & listening to/watching wind/weather warnings. Maintain a high level of awareness of the weather & the conditions and keep in mind that the ocean & weather are also unpredictable, so keep your boat regularly maintained & serviced - especially your marine radio, because you will need it sooner or later.
I started 18 years ago with a 14' runabout, after spending every holiday of my childhood on the river with my parents, so got to know about boats & outboards. I then progressed to a 17' cuddycab and began to venture out into the open ocean...now with a 20' aluminium cuddy, it's a great day heading out to the shelf for some tuna/mako action or bottom-bouncing for a blue-eye or grenadier.
Check out www.buoyweather.com for accurate marine/boating reports & forecasts.
