400: L400 mast height for ICW

[monte]

Hi, has anyone measured their L400 mast height? The manual states 21.4m, online specification states 20.3. I asked lagoon and they said 20.3 including VHF air draft, so from the waterline.
I'm considering using the ICW. Minimum bridge height is supposed to be 66ft but close to 64 in places. I'm guessing the VHF antenna and windex sticks up about 900mm so if I remove it the air draft should be 19.4m, 63'8"
Just wondering if anyone has measured their air draft or used the ICW in an L 400?
Thanks for any advice
Monte

[careka]

20.3 meters has to without the VHF antenna. my 380 has 17,8 in the book, and when i went under the brides in the canal system in Holland there was electronik messurent telling us what the heigth was, so when i went under one bridge saying the heigth was 18,40 my antenna did bag into the concrete. so use 20.3 + VHF.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by monte

......
I'm considering using the ICW. Minimum bridge height is supposed to be 66ft but close to 64 in places...

Actually, the supposed to be height is 65ft, not 66. With some exceptions (64ft), see Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) North Carolina Bridge Schedule & Restrictions

[monte]

Thanks for that, maybe I'll measure the mast tomorrow and check

[dptconst]

Just be aware that the Julia Tuttle bridge over the I.C.W. in Miami is 56'. Don't ask me how but I'm sure it involved big kickbacks to be paid to build a bridge 9 ft less than specs. We had to turn around and go north for half a day to find an inlet to access the Atlantic and go down to the keys. Admittedly it was our mistake for failing to double check the bridge clearance on the chart. "Assume nothing, verify everything".

[Smrdp]

I have a new L400S2, delivered in June. During the set up we measured the mast height and bridge clearance. Our mast height over water, including antenna is 70 feet. This is adequate for most bridges in the Gulf of Mexico where the norm is 73' height. There are exceptions though. As you move eastward from Texas the bridge height tends to become less and less.

[Vasco]

I would be very wary about the AICW with that air draft. Quite often the clearance height will be less than 65 feet. The bridge west of the Alligator Pungo Canal is especially bad. I would forget about the AICW altogether. You can get up the east coast hopping in and out and still see most of the good spots. Or, if you really want to do the AICW drop the stick. You`ll be motoring most of the trip anyway.

[monte]

Thanks for the feedback. 70' is 21.3m with VHF. Maybe 20.3 without so 66'6". Sounds like lagoon has it wrong...pity, I doubt we would get far on the ICW with that...

[dgabier1]

Monte,

I have a Lagoon 400 (hull #23) in New Bern, NC. The significance is that the Neuse river bridge is "65 feet at mean high water" and we really only have wind tides. How I did it was to remove everything from the top of the mast (windex, light, vhf antenna, etc.) and affix a wooden "feeler" stick that projects forward from the mast about 3 feet and above about 6 inches. This was real exciting the first time through Core creek canal bridge and the Neuse river bridge! Core creek has real tides so I went thru on good low, no problem. Like you, I found the discrepancy in the specs and I measured several times, but it is hard to get a good measure from the masthead to the coachroof and then project out and down to the water. Ultimately, I want to see 66'6" clearance, preferably 67 feet on the boards at the base of the bridge. During one trip out, I caught the tip of the stick on the second to last girder of the second span, so now my "feeler" stick only projects up about 4 inches from the top of the mast! I would not want practice this procedure on numerous ICW bridges as I understand some are only optimistically called 65'.

Dan
s/v DO OVER

[timbenner]

When I investigated the L400 I dropped it because the mast height clearance was over 65'. N. Miami and New Jersey both have 56' bridges, but all other fixed bridges on the east coast are 65' minimum (mlt).

I love the ICW because of the restaurants, marinas, boat yards, stuff to do, anchorages, etc. It's the only place IN THE WORLD, where you can transit the coast of a continent inside or out! South Florida gets slow with all of the bridges, but north of that it's smooth sailing. North of Jacksonville is wilderness and beautiful.

I've sailed from Titusville to Sebastian Inlet doing 10 knots in a NE'ster several times and use my jib regularly in the ICW.

If I'm headed south, I'm in the ditch. If headed north from the Bahamas, ride the Gulf Stream.