How much keel is OK for the Bay?

[Trekka]

Originally Posted by

Yes, some fear shallows too much. Long Bar is typically 5'.

5' at what stage of tide?

[pdqaltair]

Originally Posted by Trekka

5' at what stage of tide?

But in the this part of the Bay sustained north or south winds can change that a lot. I know that I never see readings lower than 5', but that is not the same as saying I have done a low tide survey. I have sailed over it from many directions perhaps 200 times with a 4' draft.

Others should chime in.

[Leither]

I am fairly new to the Chesapeake (most of my sailing experience is on the West Coast of Scotland - where running aground is not advised!). We recently took a three day cruise to the Little Choptank and went up Hudson Creek. We achored in a beautiful, sheltered cove where anything over 4' draft would be a problem. Our Morgan 30 has 3' 6'' with the centerboard up. The following day we went up to the end of the creek to get supplies. Even 3' 6" was marginal up there!

So, I guess it is all down to how far you want to explore the shallow bits......

Stuart

[JungleJim]

I love those multi-hulls - low draft, speed, comfort, versatility ...
I looked hard at them with the Chesapeake in mind and an eye to bluewater sailing. The prices for what we wanted was the kicker. In the end, we settled on a Motorsailor with a 5' draft.

My experience on a reasonable draft/performance trade off on a fixed keel mono hull (non racing) for Chesapeake cruising is around 5.5 feet. That's what we had on our last boat - Huneter 466 and still tapped bottom plenty of times, but no worries. It is reason #203 of "why I love the Chesapeake" - sweet bottom. Intimate local knowledge and adjustable keels would always help, but not a requirement.