Depth in Feet

[nautical62]

I can't speak to why you convert, but I do for the following reasons:

1. My anchor chain is marked in feet.

2. The chart for shallow water areas is marked in feet.

[SvenG]

Originally Posted by David M

...and Great Britain?

They are on the metric system now, with exceptions. From Wikipedia:

According to the US CIA World Factbook in 2006, the International System of Units is the official system of measurement for all nations except for Burma, Liberia, and the United States.[1] (Some sources identify Burma and/or Liberia as metric, however.[2][3][4]) However, a number of other jurisdictions have laws mandating or permitting other systems of measurement in some or all contexts, such as the United Kingdom — where for example the Traffic Sign Regulations only allow distance signs displaying imperial units (miles or yards) [5] — or Hong Kong.[6] Also, other standardised measuring systems other than metric are still in universal international use, such as nautical miles and knots in international aviation.

-Sven

[S/V Antares]

SvenG has the best answer to the original post "Because the charts are in ft" Which many are. Many think the US is on the Imperial System however our cars are made using Metric, Our drinks often come in metric siges, (750ml is my favorite) Our currency is metric etc. Metric is logical

Tools? 10, 13, 14, 17, 19mm wrenches verses 3/8, 1/2, 9/16, 11/16, 3/4? The imperial system I believe was based on the width of some kings thumb. I think I know where he kept it!

[Zednotzee]

We use (at least) three systems in Canada- metric, standard & time. Height & weight are measured in feet & pounds, as metres & kilograms don't make sense. Construction is also done in feet & inches. Temperature is measured in Celcius, except for the old fogies. Speed is measured in kilometres, because it's faster (limit was 60 in mph, but is 100 km/h, which is 62 mph). Distance is measured in hours & minutes, ie. Barrie is 1 hour north of Toronto. Engine output is stated in horsepower & pounds-feet of torque, not kilowatts & Newton-metres. Kilowatts measure electrical output unless you use kilo volt-amps, which is not quite the same, usually used for airfield equipment (unless it's a DC system, then it would be the same in both). Metric makes a lot of sense for tools, or at least it does when you start getting into 7/32 & 11/32 wrenches- better off with a 5 mm.

On the boat, I measure depth in feet & inches, because that's how the manufacturer's spec sheet measures the draft. My charts are in metres though, which I convert to feet, but as if they were yards (so I don't have .28 feet left over).

Clear?

[slomotion]

Hmmm. I always thought that being adept at measurement conversion was an English character trait. I also thought that the English used a hybrid system of measurement that was called, well ..... English. How else explain the 1968 MGB - an amazing amalgam of imperial and metric parts requiring 2 complete sets of tools. The hydraulic clutch hose required a 5/8" ‘spanner’, but the oil cooler hose had a 17 mm fitting, and the wire wheel hub nuts were of some unknown dimension requiring the custom MG hub wrench. Not to mention a 15 imperial gallon gas tank and two 6 volt batteries wired in series. Man, I loved that car.

[MaizieDerrick]

aloha i suffer with the same affliction having been raised in england on the standard system.. now as i hpe soon to be retired diesel mechanic i have not been able to change to metric.. always looking for that metric whrench size.. unable to find the right size bolt.. only to find two or three types of metric..and who sells them anyway.. my mind automatically tries to convert anything metric to standard.. when someone tells me its 20 degrees celsius i have no idea what that is.. so i'm afraid theres no hope when you have a mind set..thank goodness most marine stuff is at least standard still, like charts hopefully..derrick

[S/V Antares]

Yikes! I had forgoten how compicated the world is. Zed puts it all in good perspective. One must be "multi Lingual". I just had a fun though... how about a Ford advert claiming "The New Mustang with 186,425 watts of power! and 390 Joules of torque, Only 17,256 Taca a month with no mony down! Call today!"

Sorry, Just my .06 Baht's worth

[Tempest245]

Hmmmm....because your gauge only displays whole meters.??..( 3.2 foot increments)

and you want/need a smaller measurement......

It would be important to me...to know if I'm in 4 ft of water...before I got there..

The diference between 2 meters...and 4 foot..is what..2 feet or so....the difference between being aground and floating..

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by Tempest245

Hmmmm....because your gauge only displays whole meters.??..( 3.2 foot increments)

and you want/need a smaller measurement......

It would be important to me...to know if I'm in 4 ft of water...before I got there..

The diference between 2 meters...and 4 foot..is what..2 feet or so....the difference between being aground and floating..

This is what bugs me about Celsius readings as well...there is just to big of gap compared to Fahrenheit for my brain to except.

I would not mind an all metric tool set or measuring in metric..just please someone make up their mind and only use one unit of measure on a same darn car or piece of equipment ..Jeez.

[jkleins]

Originally Posted by Stillraining

This is what bugs me about Celsius readings as well...there is just to big of gap compared to Fahrenheit for my brain to except.

Yea, I find when I am working with Celsius I use the first decimal where with Fahrenheit I just use the degree for that very reason. Same with meters you are never in 4 feet of water you are in 1.3 meters.

Jim

[hugosalt]

I always thought we american used feet because...my 9.5 (US) sized shoes measure 1 foot,
the distance between forefinger to forefinger of outstretched arms measure 6 feet, the distance from deck to tip of forefinger of raised arm above head measure 7 feet and most important, when I am standing on the bottom, I can no longer breath through my nose
if the water is deeper than about 5 feet... which is is good news because that's how
much water is needed to err... to...float my boat!

[jkleins]

That is a great thing to know. If you are on the ground you know you can always breath if you jump out of the boat. I guess you do still need to watch for rocks.

Jim

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by bewitched

Why do I do this?

You think you have problems. Metrication in Canada was a gradual process that happened over a decade and a half, coinciding with my school years. Fortunately for me, I'm essentially "bilingual" although I have preferences depending on the situation: imperial for carpentry and body height/weight; Celsius for winter/Fahrenheit for summer (figure that one out); cooking is mostly metric except the oven is in Fahrenheit; thermostat (for the furnace and A/C) is Fahrenheit but thermometers all read Celsius. Our Weights and Measures Act of 1985 made SI (metric) the "official" method, but also allowed the use of Customary (imperial) units. In stores, items are often priced per pound in large type, with the per Kg or per 100 g price in smaller print. I'm perfectly happy driving in Km, but find it easier to figure my ETA if I convert to highway speed of 60 mph. All very strange, but works for me.

What bugs me are the things that make no sense. Asked the airline agent what was the weight limit on checked baggage - she replied "50 lbs". Asked what that was in Kg and she said she didn't know and that International agreement was stipulated in pounds - yeah right, 200 plus countries decided to use pounds for the benefit of the 3 countries that don't use metric. Rules here state you can't smoke within 9m of a door to a government building (live in a government town) - why 9m? Why not a round figure like 10m? Because 9m is closer to 30 feet! So a rule created in the last 10 years, almost 20 years after we officially metrified is based on an Imperial measure, converted to metric

For depths, I always use the charted units, switching if necessary (Canadian charts are mostly metric, but our neighbour's charts are mostly feet and fathoms.) Use what you feel comfortable with.

[Wotname]

Don't any of you landlubbers use fathoms any more. It is the only true method method to measure depth and oh so easy to remember, a decent boat needs only 1 fathom to float in. I have had to chuck out out all my new charts and just use the older ones that are still marked in fathoms.

And for the engine room engineers, if those imperial AND metric spanners won't fit, perhaps you would like to borrow my Whitworth series of spanners or perhaps I could flog them on ebay

[JiffyLube]

Originally Posted by Factor

To who?

The only imperial measurement that makes any sense at all is a nautical mile - cause its a minute of latitude.

Sometimes it's hard to tell in this medium when a person is jokin or funnin, but my coment was meant a joke.