How does/did the max draft effect your boat selection? I suppose it probably has a lot to do with your cruising grounds, but was max draft a factor in selecting your boat? We plan to cruise the AICW and Bahamas, where there is a lot of skinny water, but if I use 5' as a max draft, then so many great boats get ruled out right off the bat. Anybody else ever have this quandary?
Boat Selection and Draft
- Thread starter Jklotz
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Jeff F
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- Escapade
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It affected mine. Air draft mattered as well, as I was planning lots of river/waterway cruising. I wanted to stay well under 5 ft.
I traveled the AICW and Bahamas a lifetime ago in a sailboat with a 6' draft. Found bottom many times. Returning recently with my 4' draft trawler to the Bahamas was a joy, and we spent most of our time on the banks. And transiting the AICW was stress free.
To my mind bottom configuration is just as important as draft. If you can escape - and tolerate - minor groundings with no major damage you can work with deeper draft in those areas.
I traveled the AICW and Bahamas a lifetime ago in a sailboat with a 6' draft. Found bottom many times. Returning recently with my 4' draft trawler to the Bahamas was a joy, and we spent most of our time on the banks. And transiting the AICW was stress free.
To my mind bottom configuration is just as important as draft. If you can escape - and tolerate - minor groundings with no major damage you can work with deeper draft in those areas.
psneeld
Guru
Yep...best recommended max draft for ACIW and Bahamas is 4 ft and has been since cruising these waters since the '70s.
10 ft draft is fine if your yacht is 100 ft and anchoring in open water is just about always OK and you have a 20 ft dinghy...but the two cruising grounds discussed has some great protected anchorages if you have a full keel and 4 ft or less draft.
Boats are always a tradeoff.... great anchorages or pretty good ones with a boat that has more space.
10 ft draft is fine if your yacht is 100 ft and anchoring in open water is just about always OK and you have a 20 ft dinghy...but the two cruising grounds discussed has some great protected anchorages if you have a full keel and 4 ft or less draft.
Boats are always a tradeoff.... great anchorages or pretty good ones with a boat that has more space.
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