Cruising the Chesapeake

[Lifeplus3]

Before we go and purchase a 57' with a 6' 10 "draft- I wanted to ask around to see if there were any problems with this depth and length. It is a new area for us.
Thanks

[ohdrinkboy]

I'd suggest you spend a couple of bucks and study some charts. You will be limited, but it all depends on what you want to do.

[Lifeplus3]

Originally Posted by ohdrinkboy

I'd suggest you spend a couple of bucks and study some charts. You will be limited, but it all depends on what you want to do.

What ones would you recommend? There are so many choices..

[TheOffice]

You will be limited. My 35 draws 6.5 and there are places I can't go. It all depends where in the bay you are and how many small creeks you would visit. you'll also have trouble finding slips long and deep enough.

[TheOffice]

Load openCPN and download the NOAA charts onto your computer. Or ActiveCaptain.com

[boating2go]

That draft will limit you on the Bay. If you want to into most places do not over 5 and 1/2 feet. You will get in most places with that. My draft is 7' 3" which I would never have bought on the east coast.

[ohdrinkboy]

Originally Posted by Lifeplus3

What ones would you recommend? There are so many choices..

This is probably snarky, but if you have to ask which charts, you are not ready for a boat that big.

[ranger58sb]

LP3: There are some creeks and anchorages around here that you'd have to avoid... but OTOH there are boatloads of places you can go even with that draft. Just pay attention to the charts for a given area, respect the nav marks, ask for local knowledge when necessary, and keep your towing insurance up to date.

-Chris

[thomm225]

Which part of the bay? And which side?

I was at a marina on the Eastern Shore where I could only come and go an hour or so either side of high tide with my 4' draft! My boat when docked would be in the mud at low tide there! It was an awesome little marina though. You can stay on the hard or at the dock/marina for $135.00/month

Down here in Va Beach, I'm on Little Creek. Same creek used by the Amphib Ships so no problem.

[Hud3]

Here's a free online chart viewer that you can poke around the Bay with.

Online Viewer | EarthNC

The draft you're talking about will limit your ability to "gunk-hole" a bit. Many of the little creeks on the Bay have depths of 10-12', but have shoals at their mouths that are shallower. But the Bay has so many other cruising opportunities that you might not miss the ones your draft will exclude.

[thomm225]

Here's a link to the Active Captain Website. It gives you everything: chart, map, satelite, info on anchorages and marinas to include whether it has fuel, food, local shops.............

https://activecaptain.com/

[Kettlewell]

Another consideration is your air draft if you are interested in doing much cruising up and down the East Coast. The ICW maximum is 65 feet, but much over 62 feet and you'll have to be very careful at a lot of bridges. You can look at and download every official NOAA chart for free here.

[GrowleyMonster]

Also download Coast Pilot. A great reference. FREE from the NOAA site.

[Trekka]

To give your really useful responses we need to know what part of the bay you will home port in, and what areas you wish to sail regularly.

I have had a 3ft draft boat and now one close to 6ft. There is a difference. I can sail plenty with this deeper draft, but there were a lot of things I could do with the lesser that I don't do anymore.

Where will you be? What do you desire most of your sailing to be?

One thing about deep drafts is it can make passages much longer. You go way out and around a marker well off a point instead of coming across well inside. Enough of that and your 3 hr summer evening sail after work becomes a "go out to the entance of the channel and turn around to come back" instead of going somewhere interesting. A daysail to some location becomes a "leave before dawn to get in right at sunset" (or later) because of the need to follow deep channels.

That depends on where you will be and what you want to do.

The Chessie has gobs of great places to poke into and explore. But if you have a 7ft draft there are a lot of places you just can't go. That can mean long passages down some coastline with no place to put in, vs having places because you have a shallower draft.

I'd have to really really really love a certain boat to get one with that draft in this bay. But I once swore I'd never have one with more than 4>4.5ft and now I am over that. But 7ft would be well beyond that...

[Lifeplus3]

Thank uou everyone!