draft

[scottmillington]

How deep of a draft would be maximum for the middle and upper chesapeake bay for cruising?

[Jeff_H]

I would say that 6'-6" to 7'-0" is a practical limit. After that there are a whole bunch of places that you can't get into. I ended up with 6'-4" draft and that has worked quite well. I have also raced and cruised on a boat with 8 Foot draft and that hasn't been a deal breaker but it certainly less than ideal.

Jeff

[justified]

Scott
I have been from the C&D down to Hampton Roads last fall and and stopped at several spots to anchor and I do not think you would have any problems if you are at 5.5' to 6' draft JMHO. you should be checking the charts for the areas you want to go, if you don't have them all a good resource is Activecaptain.com you can view all the NOAA charts. I'm not connected with them in anyway just a satisfied user. It is a wealth of info for planning your trips. That part of the Chesapeake is a beautiful area I would love to spend more time cruising there my self.

Peter

[JohnRPollard]

You will be boxed out of more than a few nice places with more than 5-5.5' draft (some real shallow water sailors would say 3-4'!)

But there is a lifetime's worth of anchorages in the Bay that will accommodate 6'+ draft.

What size boats are you considering? A 40'+ monohull will likely sacrifice a lot of upwind performance with 5' draft (assuming no centerboard). On the other hand, a 25 footer could easily get away with less draft without sacrificing performance.

[scottmillington]

The draft is 6'2" on 35'. Would love the performance, but my perfered marina would be in Rock Hall. What do you guys think?

[JohnRPollard]

Originally Posted by scottmillington

The draft is 6'2" on 35'. Would love the performance, but my perfered marina would be in Rock Hall. What do you guys think?

For comparison sake, our 31 footer is the "standard draft" version at 4'10". The shoal is 4' even. I would not mind 6'2" in a 40+ footer (acceptable compromise for the additional comfort and speed of a larger boat). On a mid-30-foot cruising boat, it would be a much tougher call.

Everything's a trade-off, there's no one right answer.

Also, check with the preferred marina. It might be fine, or might require a more expensive (longer & deeper) slip.

[wwilson]

Originally Posted by scottmillington

The draft is 6'2" on 35'. Would love the performance, but my perfered marina would be in Rock Hall. What do you guys think?

Scott,
I've been in and out of Rockhall dozens of times over the last ten years with a 6'2" draft boat without incident. I have a good friend who keeps his 6'4" draft boat at the Sailing Emporium.

On entry - favor the red.

Wayne

[scottmillington]

thanks for the help, how about
Swan Creek. i like Osprey point
because of the floating docks.

[wwilson]

Hmmmm - I thought you said Rock Hall. I chartered an IP350 in Swan Ck back in the 90's and stuck her slight 4'6" draft in the mud on return.

I think Dave of s/v Auspicious has drug his 6' of lead into that Ck with better results though... Dave?

Wayne

[scottmillington]

I used to keep my old boat on Swan creek,4'6" draft and generally did not have a problem. There are some larger boats back there including a Hylas 54 which I figured has to have at least a six foot draft. Appreciate anyone else opinion.