Florida ICW Bridge Clearance

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by rwidman

BTW: Active Captain is another source of bridge clearances and opening information.

Ron's math was right.

BTW: Active Captain shows the noaa CHARTS. Which have all the bridge clearances marked on them. CHARTS = basic navigating 101.

[caradow]

Just came up from the Exumas 2 weeks ago and had to duck into Ft. Pierce instead of making our usual run to North Carolina because of the weather.
I have a 62 ft mast and my antenna was scraping on a few bridges. Also took off Tricolor, Antenna, Wind instruments, and wind vane in order to make it to Fernandina where we again went offshore to Cape Fear NC. A lot of water in the ICW! Several Bridges were showing 62 feet. It was also cold at least for me. Good luck.

[zerompg]

Anyone gone under the Little Card Sound bridge lately with a 63.5 mast? We'll be there tonight to check it out and try to go thru in the morning at low tide. Were going to dingy under and try to measure with a laser to see if we can get any kind of accurate idea. This will be our first "65' foot bridge so our fingers are crossed..

[donradcliffe]

From the moorings brochure, your air draft is 69 ft 11 inches. You aren't going inside.

https://www.moorings.com/sites/defau...2.pdf?t=1BR6WE

We spent several days in Ft Pierce inlet anchored off the Coast Guard station because we were too deep to be in the ICW anchorage. Conditions were similar, and it was not fun when the strong wind was against the tide

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

From the moorings brochure, your air draft is 69 ft 11 inches. You aren't going inside.

https://www.moorings.com/sites/defau...2.pdf?t=1BR6WE

To that point, you really should measure it and not count on what the dealer or a brochure says, both of which could be wrong for a variety of reasons. Would not take long but could save you a lot of worry and potentially, a lot of money.

If you measure YOUR boat, then you know exactly what you're dealing with can proceed with increased confidence about what your boat can and cannot do. It would be very unfortunate to find out that the dealer is wrong the hard way.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Suijin

To that point, you really should measure it and not count on what the dealer or a brochure says, both of which could be wrong for a variety of reasons. Would not take long but could save you a lot of worry and potentially, a lot of money.

If you measure YOUR boat, then you know exactly what you're dealing with can proceed with increased confidence about what your boat can and cannot do. It would be very unfortunate to find out that the dealer is wrong the hard way.

OK, I've often wondered how one would accurately measure a boat's air draft.

And, even if you know your air draft and figure you can clear a bridge by six inches, what if someone comes through the other way and leaves a wake?

[crabcake]

Originally Posted by rwidman

Maybe you can find a way to use a bracket to lower your antenna and wind vane to where they are no higher than the top of your mast. 3' isn't going to make any difference to the radio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwoR-Ufg1LM

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by zerompg

Anyone gone under the Little Card Sound bridge lately with a 63.5 mast? We'll be there tonight to check it out and try to go thru in the morning at low tide. Were going to dingy under and try to measure with a laser to see if we can get any kind of accurate idea. This will be our first "65' foot bridge so our fingers are crossed..

I have not been under that bridge, but have been under both Channel 5 and 7 Mile bridge with my 65' mast (plus antenna/gear) at low tide.

The problem you are going to have at low tide, the ICW from Little Card Sound to Channel 5 is real shallow. Don't venture outside the channel. You may consider going out at Angelfish creek and come back in at either Snake Creek or Channel 5 (depending on your destination).

[RTB]

Definitely hitting a bridge is the last thing you want to do. These kids lost their boat after the insurance totaled it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqDETB3I9bo&t=4s

Ralph

[RTB]

Originally Posted by FSMike

I read that some of the ICW bridges were relabeled on the sign boards to reflect the clearance at the outside edges of the span rather than the middle.
Also be aware that the lights that hang down in the middle of the span are usually lower than the span itself.

We were consistently seeing 64' on boards where it should have been 65' last spring when we were heading north from Miami. Florida is sinking folks! It could have been unusual tides too.

Ralph

[zerompg]

The link provided was to a monohull Beneteau Oceanis 48. Were a Fountain Pajot Orana 44. On their brochure for the 2012 model it says 63.8. http://www.fountainepajot.com.au/wp-...ochure-web.pdf We used a laser from the roof to the mast plate at the top and got 52.5' and from the roof point to the water was 11. So that matched the 63.8. instruments are only about 8" and about 2' whip vhf. I expect the vhf to scrape

Were going to pull a line up the main halyard from the water and really try to confirm this as many ways as possible and re-measure with the laser tonight.

All started when we bought her in Nov 2016 we were all under the impression the listing at 68' mast was right. Then parked next to some friends Lagoon 420 with a known 65' our's look just slightly shorter from wherever we looked. I guess the bridge will be the final confirmation.....

[zerompg]

We pulled a line up the halyard and measured to the water, then added about 1.5 ft for the top. All in line with the 63.8 mast height. Too bad we are still battling a fuel tank problem and have to turn around now back to have it looked at again. Didn't get to go thru the bridge....

[Cheechako]

I traveled most of Fl north of Lauderdale with 64-5" air draft.

[Scot McPherson]

Originally Posted by zerompg

We pulled a line up the halyard and measured to the water, then added about 1.5 ft for the top. All in line with the 63.8 mast height. Too bad we are still battling a fuel tank problem and have to turn around now back to have it looked at again. Didn't get to go thru the bridge....

What kind of fuel tank problem?

[wsmurdoch]

Originally Posted by rwidman

OK, I've often wondered how one would accurately measure a boat's air draft.

Here is what we did. I tied the main halyard head-to-tail to make a loop. I duct taped the end of a foot tomato stake to the halyard so that when raised to the top of the mast the tomato stake projected above the mast top. I fastened a steel tape measure to the bottom of the tomato stake. While I raised the tomato stake with the attached tape measure to the top of the mast, my wife stood on the dock away from the boat with a pair of binoculars and told me when the top of the tomato stake was even with the top of the VHF antenna. The rest was easy. I laid my boat hook level across the cabin top and out over the water beside the boat and read the steel tape at the top of the horizontal boat hook. I measured from the top of the boat hook to the water surface. With a little addition we had our air draft. It got us worry free under the railroad bridge on the Okeechobee Waterway.