Yeah, what he said! or a cat yawl. COnsider a sharpie too!
You're in an area which historically used shoal draft round to
flat bottomed schooners too! Learn the joys of depthsounding with
a centreboard (or bilgeboards). Don't even think of
daggerboards.

N1EE wrote:

You need a catamarran or a Cat boat

There are three pretty catboats in the
local marina. One of them needs work, and
I've been toying with the idea of getting
one--just what I need another boat. I found
one that is being offered for free--Hmmm!

They have a wide beam, a centerboard. Most
use an outboard. I've seen one with an
inboard diesel.

For shoal draft, you can't beat a centerboard.

Bart

"katysails" wrote

Sheesh...over 750 posts while I was gone..

Well, here's the news...we won't find out until the end of the week about
the job situation, but it looks very good. The bad thing: very very
shallow....if we did take Chanteuse down, we'd be sitting on her keel half
the time and half to sail 15 miles offshore to find water deep enough for a
good sail...The good thing: lots of sailing in the area, just need a much
shallower deaft boat...the Fort Myers area isn't nearly as built up as I
thought it would be...not anywhere near as "throbbing" as St. Pete/Tampa
area...lots of hummocks and estuaries, etc to explore. We stayed on Estero
Island (yourist trap...) which is just south of Sanibel (bigger tourist
trap) A lady was wading in a canal on Sanibel and offered herself for lunch
to a 15 ft alligator who ended up being euthanized for his efforts (heck, if
she was dumb enough to wade in a crick...)Went to 3 different nature
preserves, rescued a whelk and a sea urchin ( very tricky, sea
urchins...trying not to get stung, that is...) watched a pair of dolphins
fishing and playing about 30 feet offshore in low tide...really having a
grand time of it....found a poor little manta that must have been clobbered
by a gas hog...saw the biggest red ant I've ever seen in my life and hope to
gravy I never get bit by one....found a cute black snake about 2 ft long
with a pretty head (not a pit viper configuration...going to have to look
him up in a book...) ate grouper almost every day. Didn't get sunburned
until the last day, when I listened to Mr Sails who said: You could stand a
bit more sun...Was a big shocker getting off the plane in Grand Rapids at
midnight...40F from 87F and cold rain...was ready to het right back on the
plane...and then I had to be up at 6am for work this morning! But I had a
great time!

--
Flying Tadpole

-------------------------
Learn what lies below the waves of cyberspace!
http://www.internetopera.netfirms.com

"katysails" wrote in message
...


We asked about that and were told that wing keels are not good on the
shoals...that they tend to bury themselves and you can't get off without
Sea
Tow or someone coming to give you a shove....
katysails
s/v Chanteuse
Kirie Elite 32
http://katysails.tripod.com

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax
and get used to the idea." - Robert A. Heinlein

Never heard that one before. I don't know if it would be feasible, between
the cost of conversion and having the boat trucked down there.
John Cairns

felton unwisely said:
Sounds like a Coronado 27 is in your future..

Methinks you need to join Scotty in Plowville....you probably thought he
chose to be there....not....
--
katysails
s/v Chanteuse
Kirie Elite 32
http://katysails.tripod.com

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax
and get used to the idea." - Robert A. Heinlein

Bart said: You need a catamarran or a Cat boat

I'm not much for catamarran's at all but we have talked about a
catboat...saw one we really liked at the boat show in February....also
thought maybe something like a Point St Jude, which would be great for
gunkholing around, too, but still sail nicely....but then, there is that cb
Elite sitting down there....

--
katysails
s/v Chanteuse
Kirie Elite 32
http://katysails.tripod.com

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax
and get used to the idea." - Robert A. Heinlein

Actually, I kinda liked the shrimp boats....you think they would go if you
rigged sails across all the downriggers?

--
katysails
s/v Chanteuse
Kirie Elite 32
http://katysails.tripod.com

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax
and get used to the idea." - Robert A. Heinlein

John said:
I don't know if it would be feasible, between
the cost of conversion and having the boat trucked down there.

No..it wouldn't....7k for conversion plus 3K for shipping makes the whole
thing unacceptable...
--
katysails
s/v Chanteuse
Kirie Elite 32
http://katysails.tripod.com

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax
and get used to the idea." - Robert A. Heinlein

"katysails" wrote in message
...
felton asked: How shallow a draft do you need?
They're saying no more than 4 ft...and that's getting "iffy".....the
municipal marina is only 5 ft and the mooring fields at low tide are at
4-5....

What is the tidal range?



Regards


Donal
--

Tides on the Florida west coast are about 2 feet. I was very happy to only have
a 3 foot draft when we went through there. Most of the primary channels are 6+
feet, the secondary channels are often 4 feet or less. There are large areas,
like Pine Island Sound, which includes the resort islands of Captiva and
Sanibel, where a 6 foot draft would only work in the primary channel, and you'd
probably take bottom a few times trying to get into the marinas.

This holds true south through the Keys. The Florida Bay side of the Keys is
largely 5 feet in the channel. Its also crystal clear, so you have the illusion
of gliding a few inches above the bottom.



"Donal" wrote in message
...

"katysails" wrote in message
...
felton asked: How shallow a draft do you need?
They're saying no more than 4 ft...and that's getting "iffy".....the
municipal marina is only 5 ft and the mooring fields at low tide are at
4-5....

What is the tidal range?



Regards


Donal
--

Donal asked:
What is the tidal range?

Looks to be between 1 to 1.5 feet depending on whether it's winter or
summer...
--
katysails
s/v Chanteuse
Kirie Elite 32
http://katysails.tripod.com

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax
and get used to the idea." - Robert A. Heinlein

"katysails" wrote

No..it wouldn't....7k for conversion plus 3K for shipping makes the whole
thing more than our boat is worth...