How much keel is OK for the Bay?

[foxglove]

We're pretty brave since our draft is under 5' but we still hit bottom in many places.

It seems that almost every entrance shoals up every few years. Knapp Narrows, where I have bounced off bottom in the past, was recently dredged I hear. But it will certainly shoal up again someday. The north entrance to Kent Narrows was impassible until recently and it too will, someday again need dredging. We only try the Little Wicomico (Smith Point) on a rising or full tide because we got stuck there recently although we got free ok. We've hit bottom in the Wye a few times despite giving the markers a wide berth.

There are also a few restaurant piers, in the Patuxent for instance, where we can tie up but only because of our draft.

In short, your cruising freedom is, in my opinion, is inversley proportional to your draft.

[BrianInIraq]

Originally Posted by foxglove

In short, your cruising freedom is, in my opinion, is inversley proportional to your draft.

I think that goes both ways though... my first boat - a wing-keeled Catalina 27 with a 3'5 draft - could get WAAAY up Swan Creek to my own little secluded anchorage away from everybody else. My new 40' - with a 5'2 draft -will never see that cove. However, the 40' has so much more of a daysail's range that I'll be "discovering" new coves that I never would have seen in the 27'

It's all about tradeoff. Of course, if you have the $$$, you could always do the multihull thing - if you can find a place to dock it and can stomach their aesthetics.

[midlifesailor]

Originally Posted by BrianInIraq

It's all about tradeoff. Of course, if you have the $$$, you could always do the multihull thing - if you can find a place to dock it and can stomach their aesthetics.

I wish I did like the looks of cats. Fast sailing with shallow draft for me and comfy accomodations for the SO. If I wasn't so drawn to the lines of mono-hulls it would be the way to go.

[Surfesq]

My Hunter 37C had a four foot draft and I still managed to run aground several times. The truth is that you see plenty of C&C, Beneteau Firsts, Swans, etc. on the Bay with drafts in excess of 6 feet. I am looking at a picture I took of Pirates of the Carribean which sailed right into Annapolis with a 10 foot draft. The truth is that you can get up just about any River off the Bay with 6 feet and under. But to anchor snug to shore you would probably want a 4 foot draft.

[arf145]

I've had this topic on my mind, and would like to hear more. I'm a newbie about to close on a Pearson 28-2 with 4' 10" draft. I felt fairly safe with this draft, but in looking at marinas yesterday, found at least one that wouldn't support that.

It sounds like the Pearson falls into the higher side of the consensus 4 to 5 ft, so this would be OK for general use on the Bay? Going up some creeks, getting a slip at a marina south of Annapolis?

Hopefully, this isn't seen as hijacking the thread--seems to be on topic.

Thanks!

Tom

[T37Chef]

The good thing is the bay is so muddy and silty that hitting bottom typically doesn't do much, if any damage...you usually bump a couple of times before you really dig in

[camaraderie]

Arf...don't worry about it. I sailed for 22 years on the Bay with lots more draft than that. We all run aground sooner or later regardless of our draft...and as T37 says, one of the best things out the Bay is that it is soft. The P-28 is an excellent Bay boat.

[arf145]

Hey, thanks, Camaraderie. I'm in the yikes-I've-pulled-the-trigger phase of my purchase where I worry about everything. And it will continue until sometime after survey.

Tom

[greybeard54]

I spent my first summer on the Chesapeake with a Catalina 25 with a swing keel, 2' 8" up 5' down. The proceedure was, explore with the keel down and if it bumped, crank it up and turn around and get out. When we bought our 10M there was a lot of worring about the 6' of draft and what to do wen we got stuck. First, we bought towing insurance, and, after we used it the first time, we upgraded from $500 to unlimited. Our first and only tow was $1000, however, our boat insurance payed $500 of that. Since then, the proceedure has been as follows, as soon as she touches and then sticks, throttle to idle then neutral. Look at the compass and note the heading. Put her back in gear, crank the wheel all the way to port, (because she prop walks to starboard in forward gear) then give the throttle healthy bursts until she pivots 180 degrees from the noted heading and she always comes out. Retrace you course back to deeper water. After being towed of the one time, I've had to use the above proceedure 3 times, once at Rock Hall and it has worked every time. I feel that the superior pointing ability of the deep keel is worth an occasional grounding.

[landlockvasailor]

We came out of Fishing Bay for years, mostly at night. Then did most of the bay over the years. The only place I came close to sticking it was around St. Michaels and going into Tangier on low water.

Five foot seems to be a good number. Only real deep water is under the bridge at Solomons, you could have as deep keel as you wanted!

Tom
http://landlockedvasailor.blogspot.com/