I just bought a house with a 40 foot dock. Most in the neighborhood use shallow draft fishing boats so the channel to the Intracostal is not much. My question is just how much water do you need to safely motor a Hunter 24 or 27 water ballast sailboat. Will two feet hack it? How about the rudder kicking up? Thanks for any comments on this. I like the Hunter water ballast much more that the Mac 26 and sure hope I will not have to go to the Mac 26. A sailboat with a 50 HP outboard is pathetic, lol. Thanks for your comments. Tip
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Cutting it awfully close
With the centerboard up, the ballast empty, and the rudder floating horizontal, you can manage 2 ft. However, the boat will handle like an empty oil drum. Definitely no sail up under these conditions. The challenge will be if you get to the Intracoastal and flood the ballast, you need some way of pumping it out to get to your dock. Otherwise, you will need to come and go with the high tide. Good luck
With the centerboard up, the ballast empty, and the rudder floating horizontal, you can manage 2 ft. However, the boat will handle like an empty oil drum. Definitely no sail up under these conditions. The challenge will be if you get to the Intracoastal and flood the ballast, you need some way of pumping it out to get to your dock. Otherwise, you will need to come and go with the high tide. Good luck
Specs
The board up draft is 1'-9". I believe this figure assumes a full ballast tank. See link below. Steering is very tough with the rudder horizontal.
The board up draft is 1'-9". I believe this figure assumes a full ballast tank. See link below. Steering is very tough with the rudder horizontal.
How far to deep (5ft+)water? To motor (or sail) at hull speed you need the rudder down, so that will be your biggest limitation. You should be able to motor anywhere your neighbors go with the board and rudder up; however, as already noted, handling under these conditions sucks. It is possible this is one situation where the M26 handles better than the H240.
H 240 depth
My 1.5 cents worth (motoring only). 1. for a H240 I would not recommend for a second moving off the doc without filling the water ballast. You will only gain a few inches for the sake of loosing a lost of stability and safety. 2. I have had to leave areas/docks around 2ft depth, with the rudder up and i have the steering linked to the outboard the turns are slow and straightening/response is even slower (but i manage easily with planning and knowing the steering is minimal). If the motor is independent you would do a lot better steering. 3. I have a nice setup where the rudder kicks up in the shallows inadvertently, however with it kicked up (trailing in the horizontal) it is difficult to turn and puts way to much strain on everything and not recommended as an option unless you want to go straight
. The depth of your outboard is approx depth of you centerboard up for mine anyway.
My 1.5 cents worth (motoring only). 1. for a H240 I would not recommend for a second moving off the doc without filling the water ballast. You will only gain a few inches for the sake of loosing a lost of stability and safety. 2. I have had to leave areas/docks around 2ft depth, with the rudder up and i have the steering linked to the outboard the turns are slow and straightening/response is even slower (but i manage easily with planning and knowing the steering is minimal). If the motor is independent you would do a lot better steering. 3. I have a nice setup where the rudder kicks up in the shallows inadvertently, however with it kicked up (trailing in the horizontal) it is difficult to turn and puts way to much strain on everything and not recommended as an option unless you want to go straight
. The depth of your outboard is approx depth of you centerboard up for mine anyway.
the Shrimpers...
had to laugh at that one. That's the kind of practical advice we need more of on this board!
had to laugh at that one. That's the kind of practical advice we need more of on this board!
H260 will do it
I had a 240 first and now a 260. We regularly go back into a channel with shallow water to reach our favorite restaurant. We have steering linkage between rudder and outbord which helps, also you can use the rudder angled down about 35 degrees or so. I keep it there with the downhaul line cleated in place. You will want to motor only but with a full ballast tank. Never had a problem.
I had a 240 first and now a 260. We regularly go back into a channel with shallow water to reach our favorite restaurant. We have steering linkage between rudder and outbord which helps, also you can use the rudder angled down about 35 degrees or so. I keep it there with the downhaul line cleated in place. You will want to motor only but with a full ballast tank. Never had a problem.
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