Quote:
Originally Posted by lsbrodsky
I have been sailing Pamlico Sound for over 10 years now and I'd like to think I know it well.There are places you simply cannot go with draft close to 6 feet. That really does not apply while you are sailing, only to entrances to anchorages or services. The shallow depth in many places is compounded by wind driven "tides" that significantly lower the water level when the wind is strong from the prevailing SW. I have a shoal draft 31 and I know where my keel has had minimal clearance. There is one boatyard that you cannot even think about getting into with 6 feet at certain times of the year. It just depends on how much exploring you want to do around the Sound.
It may not be fair to say this, but I have to believe that PSC will negotiate for the 40. The boats they have were built from the materials they acquired in CA, mostly. Almost anything is going to be profit, as opposed to a boat that they would build from scratch in the future. If I could afford a 40, I wouldn't bother with the 37. The creature comforts are much better and the 40 design is the only one with a bit of owner input.
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Thanks for the comments!
They also have a shoal draft 31 available that they built for the trade show. I haven't seen it yet, but for offshore, don't you think a shoal draft 31 would be a little on the light side? I plan to sail offshore some, but, certainly Pamlico Sound will be a biggie. Don't you think I could reach Ocracoke, Manteo, Cedar Island and perhaps New Bern? I also expect I could sail up to Elizabeth City, but you're probably correct about Oriental and a few others. In other words, it would be nice to gunkhole Pamlico, but I'll settle for those destinations.
I have searched and read as many comments about the shoal draft versus standard as I could find and I am truly torn. There are several articles in this forum regarding the pluses and minuses of both. While the standard draft does seem too way too deep for the sound, I think I want to have something really stable for the ocean, particularly if I head to the Bahamas and elsewhere.
BTW, looks like the 40 footer with the bulb keel draws less than the standard keel of the 37 footer.
Alan