Boat Selection and Draft

[Jklotz]

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?

 

[Jeff F]

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.

 

[psneeld]

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.

 

[PierreR]

I wanted a full displacement boat with about 4' max draft and 15' max air draft that had tons of room.

 

[Blissboat]

I suppose it probably has a lot to do with your cruising grounds . . . 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.

You sound as though you already know that, given your intended cruising grounds, considering boats that draw more the 5' is a poor use of your valuable time. Take heart - so many great boats are out there on the market drawing 5' or less that your head will spin.

 

[mijmoto]

We have a 5' draft and 14.5' air draft and full keel and protected prop. Draft made a difference to us on boat selection. There is always going to be place that you can't go in a big boat no matter the draft. Pick your numbers and go shopping! Jim

 

[NCheaven]

Draft is important in NC's lovely Albemarle and Pamlico, the ICW and tributary river systems, so draft was a consideration. At 3'3" draft, our Camano is well suited, and the engine in the wide and deep keel keeps the stability manageable, so it's a good design, not a compromise. The Aligator River/Pungo River and Dismal Swamp canals can be challenging for unprotected props, so our keel protected prop design is an advantage. Of course, there are other boats with moderate drafts and keel protected props, so there are quite a few well designed and well built boats in new and used markets for our glorious, wild and beautiful North Carolina cruising grounds.

 

[dosched]

You want 4' draft and a protected prop. My 1979 Mainship has that and I feel quite safe in the Bahamas as well as the intracoastal.

 

[La Sirena]

I think having a fully protected prop and stabilizers for what you want to do is more important than draft. Fully protected prop for the AICW and stabilizers for the Bahamas. I have a 6'-9" draft and have had no problem in the AICW except for a couple places where I need to time the tide. I do get jealous of some shallow draft boats in the Bahamas that can get close to shore.

I have come across plenty of boats with exposed running gear that gets bent by logs and other debris in the AICW.

 

[HeadedToTexas]

I would love to have a really shallow draft cat with protected props, especially for the Bahamas. Sneaking around those sandbar shallows is very appealing as is sitting flat on the sand at low tide. As with all boats, there are compromises and that just didn't work out for us. This time, anyway.

 

[slowgoesit]

We bought our boat in the PNW with the intention of bringing her around to Florida, and to go to the Bahamas. The boat we bought draws 5.5' fully loaded, and has an air draft of 28' due to the stabilizer poles for the paravanes, and the fixed mast.
I would love to have a 4' draft . . . until it gets rough . . . but at 5.5 feet, we can still go pretty much anywhere in the Bahamas we wish to go, we just may not be able to go as direct as someone with a 4' draft. We can live with that. The only real bummer of the 5.5' draft, is that we can't do the Trent Sevren Waterway in Canada. . . .

 

[SteveK]

Best answer was depends on where you boat. Where I am, never had to concern myself with draft below or above the waterline so I find this topic interesting and will follow.

My holiday in BVI on a 45 cat convinced me that power or sail in those waters I would want a cat as opposed to mono hull.

 

[Comodave]

While you didn’t mention the TSW, if you draft more than 6’ you can’t go through it. If you draft more than 5’ you have to sign a waiver. It is awesome.