Deep Draft for the South Pacific

[fungod]

This question goes out to folks that have sailed the South Pacific. I was looking at a 42' boat with a 6'11" keel. My intial thought was that might be a hindrance getting in and out of the atolls of this cruising area. Can anyone enlighten me on this issue? Thanks in advance!

[Jim Cate]

Thirty years cruising in the SP with 7'2" draft. Very few issues with this. A very few places we can't get into, Aitutake in the Cooks for one, a few mangrove creeks that would be good cyclone anchorages, and we have to mind the tidal state in some waterways in Oz.

For us, the benefits outweigh the costs by far.

Jim

[daletournier]

I recently purchased a boat with a 7'10" draft, in fact l asked advice from people like Jim prior to purchase as I had similar concerns. After four mths I just don't have those concerns anymore, I'm finding it no more limiting than my previous boat which had a 6ft draft. Several times Ive navigated very skinny water, you just have to be aware of the tides. A monohull sails better with a deep keel, I read something Bob Perry wrote " wings on a keel are band aids on a poor design" or something like that.

[fungod]

30 years...that is amazing. Thanks for your reply. Fair seas my amigo.

[Bleemus]

Sailed across the Pacific three times on a centerboard boat that drew 7 feet with the board up. Never really an issue.

[captmikem]

I cruised all over the south Pacific with 9 feet and again drawing 12 feet. There were only a few passes in the Tuamotus and a few marinas I could not get into. Other than that no problems.

Mike

[ingrid75]

We spent ten years in the South Pacific and went to almost every island group. We draw six feet. The only places you might have any issues would be parts of the Solomon Islands (west of Munda) a small portion of Vanuatu (oyster island especially) and, if you want to call it part of the South Pacific, the area around Banda in Indonesia. With reasonable care 7 feet should cause you no problems.

[barnakiel]

I do not think it is a hindrance.

Shallow draft is nice if you like to anchor in the shallow (white) water of the atoll. Otherwise 7 and 8ft draft should be no problem.

Cheers,
b.

[icemate]

Sailed the SP for 2 years with 6'6" draft without any problems. Came in handy for pointing to windward and was easy to hold course.

[Yoty]

Majando; 40' trimaran was a tennis court at anchor. Tacking into a strong Wellington Heads northerly with next to no draft was the hardest job I've done. Brain fogged whether it was 180 tacks in 16 hours or 16 tacks in 180 minutes. Oh, for a long deep keel any day !

[giant]

Spent more than six months sailing the islands of Eastern Papua New Guinea, mostly the Louisiades Archipelago and wouldn't want more than 6ft draft for many places in this area. Likewise would prefer six feet or less for Great Barrier Reef sailing.

Bucking the trend here and I am sure most of the posters if not all who have commented so far have lots more miles than me.