dredged depth of the ICW

[sundown]

We are in the planning stage for our trip to bring a 58 foot boat home to the West Coast of Canada from Nova Scotia.
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When my buddy was talking to an insurance salesman from the east coast he was told that the ICW would not a good route for a boat of 10 foot draft.

Has anyone comments on this?

[knottybuoyz]

Originally Posted by sundown

We are in the planning stage for our trip to bring a 58 foot boat home to the West Coast of Canada from Nova Scotia.
\
When my buddy was talking to an insurance salesman from the east coast he was told that the ICW would not a good route for a boat of 10 foot draft.

Has anyone comments on this?

Something in the back of my mind says 6' is minimum advertised depth for some parts (but not all) of the ICW. There are many areas where shoaling is prevalent (inlets) and local knowledge or Notices to Shipping are essential. With a 10' draft I think you're going to have to run outside for the most part. Here's a page from the Snowbirders web site with links to the ICW info resources.

Snowbirders.Net

Let us know what you find out.

[GordMay]

MLW Depths of AICW, as of August 9 / 07:
http://www.sas.usace.army.mil/AIWWPROF-aug07.pdf

Originally Posted by sundown

...When my buddy was talking to an insurance salesman from the east coast he was told that the ICW would not a good route for a boat of 10 foot draft...

Your buddy is right.

[camaraderie]

Sundown...forget the ICW...bet your mast on a 58 footer is higher than the 65' bridge clearance too!

[Billiam]

you'll be fine running the ditch....oh you do have TowBoat insurance? right?

[Vasco]

I would not venture in the ICW with much more than 6 1/2 foot draft. Although the dredged depth is supposed to be 12 ft (I think), you'll seldom see this except in sounds or rivers. The depths are constantly changing in many spots, shoaling is a real problem. It is worse in NC, SC and GA. This is a long stretch so I might just as well say the whole ditch is bad.

[libellula]

do not even think of it

[will@polyplanar.com]

Mast height may be more of an issue. My thought is why would you (k)not take advantage of the Gulfstream's 2-3 knots push heading north. If the weather turns you can hop inside.

[will@polyplanar.com]

Woops, looks like I got the trips direction wrong. Beating into the stream is a bad idea. I have been thrashed basly out there.

[Inkwell]

Will is right about going north with the Stream. See 7 Knots blogs on the various trips taken by its members. If the weather turns bad, lots of spots to pull into to wait out a weather window. Many fixed bridges under 70 feet too on the ICW. Good luck and enjoy the ride.

[camaraderie]

Since you are headed SOUTH not north with the stream...make your offshore passage inshore of the stream and use the counter-current where possible. Suggest you might want to use a routing service like Jennifer Clark's:
Jenifer Clark's Gulfstream