The number is only accurate for the first inch. It changes for each additional inch.
Google isn't necessary - the link is in the post before yours.
Draft question
- Thread starter Yellowjeepman
- Start date
Google isn't necessary - the link is in the post before yours.
Safer than what?
This, as you can imagine, is a recurring question.
Some skippers like waterline, some like bottom of keel.
I just gently nudged my boat onto a soft mud bank, deliberately, once. The depthsounder read 4.4. That's all I need to know, no math required. It simply answered the question: What does my deptsounder read when we touch?
Your boat, your choice.
lol i had a power boat one time with the depth alarm set at 3 ft ...was running a channel out of beaufort sc on way to broad river .....well we run aground and at that very moment of impact the alarm went off and my buddy and i both in our suprise looked at the depth sounder as if to say what took you so long so no matter what you set it at you better have a mental note of where you are at all times ...yes stu you are right ...safer than what ....lolSafer than what?
This, as you can imagine, is a recurring question.
Some skippers like waterline, some like bottom of keel.
I just gently nudged my boat onto a soft mud bank, deliberately, once. The depthsounder read 4.4. That's all I need to know, no math required. It simply answered the question: What does my deptsounder read when we touch?
Your boat, your choice.
That's what you get for living in a frozen wasteland rather than a Canadian paradise.
Move to the coast. The sailing is better too.
Currently 10 degrees Celsius at 9 pm in Victoria Harbour - 50 F for our US friends.
How many even know that the to them mid-mast light means the sailboat is running under power ?
Sigh. Don't remind me.That's what you get for living in a frozen wasteland rather than a Canadian paradise. Move to the coast. The sailing is better too.
In thinking about this post I will give you two thoughts of mine.
No matter what your draft is, you WILL run aground. It happens to everyone.
If it is a close call on the charts and the tide is not high, AVOID it!
When you have to go skinny, go slow. It is better to bump bottom then to slam into it.
Always round your depth up. My Catalina 30 had 3'10" of draft. I always said I had a 4 foot draft. My current boat, Compac 23, has 2'3" of draft. I say I am 2.5' for draft.
No matter what your draft is, you WILL run aground. It happens to everyone.
If it is a close call on the charts and the tide is not high, AVOID it!
When you have to go skinny, go slow. It is better to bump bottom then to slam into it.
Always round your depth up. My Catalina 30 had 3'10" of draft. I always said I had a 4 foot draft. My current boat, Compac 23, has 2'3" of draft. I say I am 2.5' for draft.
Beer draft
My wife and I bought our Hunter 35.5 ten years ago and were delighted that its' draft was listed as 4.5 feet because the West coast of Florida has a lot of skinny water. Then, in preparation for a lengthy cruise, we put 200 more feet of chain aboard, two more anchors, filled the sixty gallon water tank, filled the 22 gallon fuel tank and four 5 gal. fuel containers, brought lots of food, clothes cleaning supplies and tools, loaded cases of bottled water, soda and beer - and in the back of a shallow harbor, we stopped moving forward when the depth finder read five feet. We have since reduced our loading but raised our bottom paint level.
Another approach could be to plug the scuppers and dump 100 gallons of water into the cockpit. Grab a fishing pole and hang a bobber just off the water surface from off the stern. By looking at the boat from the dock before and after, you should have a fair idea of what the waterline will look like with 3 times that weight in it after you pull the plug. (or six times for that matter @8 lb/gal)
I like this, it's much more nautical than saying "we're experiencing air turbulence".
Restricted
Maneuverability
That's a real straightforward answer & excellent advice Stu. Now if we could only patent this
Nah, nobody is ever going to admit to that kind of activity. Nope. No sir. Never happened.
Didn't see it, don't know anything about it, wasn't there, can't blame me for any of it.
:naughty:
This will proablely not be terribly helpful, but boats are designed to float on their lwl, loaded water line, so draft should be calculated from there. What load is used to determine lwl? Well it depends. I would suggest trying to find a owner's manual, many O'Day manuals are on line, which may give that information.You could unload the boat, measure draft, and load the boat measure draft and figure the difference, subtracting tide movement during the time it takes to load and unload the boat. Sometimes designers use a light load so waterline is shorter for racing ratings, but I don't think O'Day is in that mode. I am hoping the information for LWL is at least somewhat helpful
Lou
Lou