Looking for the height of my boat.

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

ahab4000

.
Jul 10, 2013
1
Balboa 24 Seattle
Hello everyone. I just bought a 1981 Balboa 24 and I am looking to sail it under some bridges to get to my new slip. I can't for the life of me find information about the total vertical height of my boat. I need this information because I am going to be going under three drawbridges in the Seattle area to get to my new mooring and I want to know if I can get under them without having them raise.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have looked all over the place online. The only info I was able to find was on sailboatdata.com but it didn't tell me the overall height. I understand that this height fluctuates with the amount of weight aboard, but I am looking to try to go under a 30' bridge.

Thanks in advance!
 
S

Steve Dion

.
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Hook a line to your jib halyard and raise it to the top of the mast. Measure the length of the line that you raised. Then measure from the deck to the water and you should get the measurements that you need.
 
S

StinkBug

.
Dec 26, 2012
359
MacGregor 25 San Diego
Might wanna use the main halyard instead of the jib if it's a fractional rig. Not all Jib Halyards go all the way to the top of the mast.
 
Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi

Jerry Clark H356 SV Persi

.
Mar 3, 2003
710
Hunter 356 Grand Rivers
You also need to add for lights, wind instruments, antenna, etc at the top of the mast. That can add several feet depending on what you have installed. It can also be very expensive to replace top of the mast items that could get damaged if you hit the bridge.
 
tkanzler

tkanzler

.
Sep 5, 2007
689
MacGregor 26X Rochester
With a "P" dimension of around 25 ft, and a similar luff dimension based on a few sail makers' sites (no surprise - just confirmation), I'd guess that you're at or above 30 ft bridge clearance. Bridge clearance fluctuations with boat contents will be minor, but bobbing on waves/wakes can get you stuck between bridge beams, or mess your mast up. Too close for my taste unless you're in very calm water and you can sneak up on it super slow. But do pull a tape up with the halyard or topping lift (if it has one), stand way back, and estimate how much higher the mast and attached equipment is, then add some room for error.
 
rgranger

rgranger

.
Jan 19, 2010
12,941
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
I have a Balboa 26. My bridge clearance is 35ft. So you are probably less than that. Try the Coastal Rec. list serve on Yahoo.
 
Ross

Ross

.
Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
you can measure it directly or you can apply some math and use a sextant. You must also consider the tide. All bridges have a board on each entrance indicating clearance above the water.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top Bottom