Benefits of Shoal Draft
 

I like to tell people I'm spoiled, my last few boats have been pretty
close to perfect. Right now we have two, both are relatively shoal
draft. The "big boat" is a 36' trawler that draws about 3' 6" (1.1m)
and the other is a sailboat with a ballasted daggerboard that draws
10" to 5'.

We sail & cruise mostly the south-east coast of the US, including the
NC river & sounds, often visit the Chesapeake. I know a lot of people
with much deeper draft boats that say, "We can go anywhere we want to"
but of course the key is that they don't want to go a lot of the same
places we do... that's good, cuts down on the crowding!

One of the biggest (and often overlooked) benefit of shoal draft for a
cruiser is the wide range in choice of anchorage. A shallower boat can
get closer in to good shelter, can choose different holding ground,
can swing very securely in a much smaller circle on much shorter
tackle.

Another benefit of shoal draft for small/medium sailboats is that they
can sit on trailers, avoiding slip fees, more secure in hurricanes,
and can reach new cruising grounds dead to windward at 50 knots.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Benefits of Shoal Draft
 

wrote in message
...
I like to tell people I'm spoiled, my last few boats have been pretty
close to perfect. Right now we have two, both are relatively shoal
draft. The "big boat" is a 36' trawler that draws about 3' 6" (1.1m)
and the other is a sailboat with a ballasted daggerboard that draws
10" to 5'.

We sail & cruise mostly the south-east coast of the US, including the
NC river & sounds, often visit the Chesapeake. I know a lot of people
with much deeper draft boats that say, "We can go anywhere we want to"
but of course the key is that they don't want to go a lot of the same
places we do... that's good, cuts down on the crowding!

One of the biggest (and often overlooked) benefit of shoal draft for a
cruiser is the wide range in choice of anchorage. A shallower boat can
get closer in to good shelter, can choose different holding ground,
can swing very securely in a much smaller circle on much shorter
tackle.

Another benefit of shoal draft for small/medium sailboats is that they
can sit on trailers, avoiding slip fees, more secure in hurricanes,
and can reach new cruising grounds dead to windward at 50 knots.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King


I think the only real advantage to the full keel is offshore. Other than
that, I don't see any advantage. There must be something else... just can't
think of it after being tuckered out from sailing all afternoon on a small
swing keel.



--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

Benefits of Shoal Draft
 

On Sat, 12 Apr 08, dougking wrote:
a sailboat with a ballasted daggerboard that draws
10" to 5'.

I especially like the fact that you don't have to jump overboard and
push when you run hard aground lol!
A swing keel can be a nice Depth Alarm when halfway down.
What kind of sailboat do you have?

Rick ---- former Catalina 22 owner, among various other swing keels

Benefits of Shoal Draft
 

"Roger Long" wrote in message
...

What if I won the lottery and could design and build myself a new boat?

She would look a lot like the E 32. I probably would make her 33 - 34,
primarily to get less shaft angle and some space between the coupling and
stuffing box. I would add 6 - 9 inches of beam because I think I could do
it without losing the qood qualities of the hull. The biggest change
would be the keel which I would make 1/2 - 3/4 the width so as to raise
buoyancy and further increase sail carrying power. It's great width is a
legacy of the original centerboard configuration. I would keep the level,
flat bottom that makes hauling so easy and accidental grounding safer.

You could leave it as it is and use the space to put in a layer of ballast
along the bottom part which, I would think, would give you greater increase
in sail carrying power and still leave room for the items you have installed
in the keel area at the moment.

Benefits of Shoal Draft
 

Benefits of Shoal Draft
 

"Paul Cassel" wrote in message
. ..
I agree. When I sailed in the North Pacific, the draft of my full keel
boat didn't matter as the shore seemed to drop right off wherever I was.

However, my next boat was in the Atlantic and drew 6' (mod fin keel). I
spent time in the Intercoastal and tried getting to certain places close
inshore. Time after time I was frustrated at how often interesting places
were closed to me.

That got much worse when I got to FL / Caribbean. I never even tried the
Keys or the west coast of FL either which I suppose would be just that
much more annoying.

I think you are right. My boat was in Florida when I bought it and I do not
think it had been much used there since it was brought down from the Great
Lakes area, because it draws 7' and they even ran it aground going to the
shipyard to haul it out for me.
Now in Norway the problem is more often finding somewhere shallow enough to
drop anchor.
People in many places here can moor a 40' deep keel yacht to a small
pontoon at the bottom of their gardens and just step aboard.

Benefits of Shoal Draft
 

"Paul Cassel" wrote
.... Time after time I was frustrated at how often interesting places
were closed to me.


I don't know who to attribute this to, but here's one of my favorite
quotes: "Shoal draft allows one to run aground in much more
interesting places."


That got much worse when I got to FL / Caribbean. I never even tried the
Keys or the west coast of FL either which I suppose would be just that
much more annoying.


The funny thing is that many people just assume these areas are closed
to cruising, whereas in fact many old time cruisers & even the early
mass-rpoduced racer-cruisers (modelled after the hot CCA-rule ocean
racers of the day) where shallow draft vessels.


"Edgar" wrote:
I think you are right. My boat was in Florida when I bought it and I do not
think it had been much used there since it was brought down from the Great
Lakes area, because it draws 7' and they even ran it aground going to the
shipyard to haul it out for me.
Now in Norway the problem is more often finding somewhere shallow enough to
drop anchor.
People in many places here can moor a 40' deep keel yacht to a small
pontoon at the bottom of their gardens and just step aboard.

I understand that a lot of cruiser up your way carry pitons so they
can tie up overnight, rather than anchor.

The Great Lakes are deep but have a lot of shallow spots, and lately
water levels have been dropping & many channels are restricted. There,
and places like the Pacific North-West, the water is deep and shores
mostly cliff; however I have cruised some in both areas and have come
to believe that there are always a few coves & creeks around that
would be nice to explore *if* your vessel can get in there.

Just to be fair, I'd like to mention the benefits of an old fashioned
deep full keel.
1- strength, the keel member can be an enormous girder that gives the
hull near-infinite rigidity. Impervious to grounding damage and can be
set up on a sloping shore at high tide for hull scraping or other
maintenance.
2- seakindliness, a full keel with a long ballast casting distributes
the weight such that the boat will have a nice slow pitch (although it
will pitch more & thru more oscillations, all else being equal). And
of course having the ballast weight down low gives stability & sail-
carrying power like nothing else can.

My ideal is the lifting keels with ballast bulb, even with ballast
ratios of 30% they can generate the same righting moment as fin keels
with BR~50% and go to windward like Roger's boat with engine
running ;)

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Benefits of Shoal Draft
 

"Edgar" wrote in message
...

"Paul Cassel" wrote in message
. ..
I agree. When I sailed in the North Pacific, the draft of my full keel
boat didn't matter as the shore seemed to drop right off wherever I was.

However, my next boat was in the Atlantic and drew 6' (mod fin keel). I
spent time in the Intercoastal and tried getting to certain places close
inshore. Time after time I was frustrated at how often interesting places
were closed to me.

That got much worse when I got to FL / Caribbean. I never even tried the
Keys or the west coast of FL either which I suppose would be just that
much more annoying.

I think you are right. My boat was in Florida when I bought it and I do
not think it had been much used there since it was brought down from the
Great Lakes area, because it draws 7' and they even ran it aground going
to the shipyard to haul it out for me.
Now in Norway the problem is more often finding somewhere shallow enough
to drop anchor.
People in many places here can moor a 40' deep keel yacht to a small
pontoon at the bottom of their gardens and just step aboard.



Now that people have shown the benefits of a Shoal Draft, what are the
benefits of a longer draft say 6 - 7 feet?

Benefits of Shoal Draft
 

a sailboat with a ballasted daggerboard that draws
10" to 5'.


wrote:
I especially like the fact that you don't have to jump overboard and
push when you run hard aground lol!
A swing keel can be a nice Depth Alarm when halfway down.
What kind of sailboat do you have?

Rick ---- former Catalina 22 owner, among various other swing keels

It's a Santana 23 with a 250# ballasted daggerboard. There is another
850# of lead in a slab along the bottom of the hull, where it is far
less effective as ballast. If I ever get the rest of the boat projects
done, I am thinking about building a new daggerboard with about a 600#
bulb that would increase righting moment and reduce dead weight.

Where we sail, there are lots of shoals & sandbars and being able to
just haul on the lifting tackle to get off is a great convenience.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Benefits of Shoal Draft