Boats with Shallow Draft for Florida, Bahamas, Chesapeake

[CareKnot]

Oh, true SF! He could do it. No criticism of your observation at all my friend. Just pointing out how unlikely that eventuality seemed to me.

Originally Posted by sailingfarmer

...just speaking the truth...

[Hudson Force]

Nancie and I have been gunkholing and sometimes grounding our Morgan Out Islands in Florida, the Bahamas & the Chesapeake for the last 44 years. 13 years with our 3'11" draft 33' and 31 years with our 4'3" draft 41'.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

I think the definition of shoal draft needs to be drafts under 4'.

I reckon it should be less than 2 feet.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

I reckon it should be less than 2 feet.

That is AWESOME! Our Beachcomber had a 15" draft & it was great fun. It had a broad flat keel & was made to sit straight up when aground which we tested many times. I hate to say it but extreme shoal draft boats probably run aground more often than normal boats. They just have more fun doing it, as long as it's not high tide of course.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Pearson 40

Distinctive features?
Flush Deck
Whale Shape to hull
Keyhole bulkhead in saloon

Most boats are 1979, 1980
Average Asking Price = $49k
Asking Price Range = $32k to $69k

DRAFT = 4' 3" Centerboard up

Additional Specs, Equipment and Information:

Specs
Builder: Pearson
Designer: Bill Shaw
Keel: Centerboard

Dimensions
LOA: 39 ft 11 in
Beam: 12 ft 6 in
Minimum Draft: 4 ft 3 in
Maximum Draft: 9 ft 5 in
Displacement: 22800 lbs
Ballast: 9500 lbs
Headroom: 6 ft 4 in

Possible Negatives?
Balsa Cored hull
Lack of portlights may make it seem dark in the saloon.

From Sale Listings:
When the P40 was introduced in 1977 it was loaded with features that broke the Pearson mold. The hull was balsa cored for strength and insulation (she is cool inside when it is hot outside and warm, when it is cold outside), with a unique whale-shaped underbody and a deep centerboard. The hull shape was similar to Ted Hood’s centerboard boats of the time. This boat only draws 4' 3" with the board up. .

The deck, however, is the P40’s most recognizable feature. It is a racy and sexy flush deck with built in anchor locker and very large deck hatches -

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The Pearson 40 was a limited production vessel (only 71 built) that was designed by Bill Shaw to be a comfortable, shoal-draft cruiser that would also do well in club.racing. Her whale-body, centerboard design is good for the Chesapeake Bay and other shoal waters.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Norwalk Island Sharpie. 29'

Designed by Bruce Kirby
cat ketch sharpie
Free Standing Masts Aluminum

Launched 2006
Marine plywood, fiberglass and epoxy construction
18" draft centerboard up

8' 6" beam legal to trailer
5800 lb displacement
2500# lead ballast

Asking Price = $18,000
Location = Florida

Sale Listing
http://www.sailboatlistings.com/photographs/62168

[Scout 30]

I respectfully request that this thread be ended & deleted before it costs me a lot of money.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

That is AWESOME! Our Beachcomber had a 15" draft & it was great fun. It had a broad flat keel & was made to sit straight up when aground which we tested many times. I hate to say it but extreme shoal draft boats probably run aground more often than normal boats. They just have more fun doing it, as long as it's not high tide of course.

It's almost blasphemy, but we haven't accidentally run aground (in this boat) yet!

We have the advantage of using the rudders as "feelers", you can let them float and see when they're bumping on the bottom - which means it's getting REALLY shallow. (The depth sounder has long given up at this point) When it's that shallow you can almost always see the bottom, and it always looks even shallower than it is. I've often been amazed we were able to keep going.

We're bound to push it too far sooner or later though.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

It's almost blasphemy, but we haven't accidentally run aground (in this boat) yet!

We have the advantage of using the rudders as "feelers", you can let them float and see when they're bumping on the bottom - which means it's getting REALLY shallow. (The depth sounder has long given up at this point) When it's that shallow you can almost always see the bottom, and it always looks even shallower than it is. I've often been amazed we were able to keep going.

We're bound to push it too far sooner or later though.

I am glad to see your boat posted and you posting in this thread.

While this thread was started in the MONO Forum, I fully intend to add some cats and Trimarans later too. And I hope you and other Multihull owners will feel free to add a boat in here too if they want.

I had to start the thread somewhere, and I thought the Mono sailors would be the ones most educated about shallow draft boats, so launched it here.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

I respectfully request that this thread be ended & deleted before it costs me a lot of money.

I once posted that if I were given $1 Million dollars I would not spend it on ONE boat, but would rather spend it on sailing on MANY boats, simply because there are so many I would like to sail on.

[Hoosiersailor]

This may have already been brought up somewhere in this thread or another but I wasn't able to find it. Is there anyway to search the sailboatdata.com site using draft in the search criteria? There must be an underlying database there but I have not been able to find how to expand a search. Would be great to have all boats between XX-XX feet length with a maximum draft of X.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Hoosiersailor

This may have already been brought up somewhere in this thread or another but I wasn't able to find it. Is there anyway to search the sailboatdata.com site using draft in the search criteria? There must be an underlying database there but I have not been able to find how to expand a search. Would be great to have all boats between XX-XX feet length with a maximum draft of X.

I wondered that myself. IF you find an answer, let me know, in a detailed PM if needed, it would save me some time.

[Steadman Uhlich]

RED ALERT

Endeavour 37 Ketch

1978
Asking Price = $19,900
Owner open to offers.
I have seen other Endeavour 37s with asking prices much higher usually $5K - $10K higher, yet in lesser condition than this one which has been upgraded or refitted recently.

1978 Endeavour Ketch Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

DRAFT = 4' 6"
Location = Kemah Texas

Steady's NOTES:
I am posting this listing which I just learned about today for a couple of reasons.

1. This is a boat I would recommend for use if you are looking for a comfortable "liveaboard" boat or a boat for use in shallow DRAFT cruising areas such as Florida, Bahamas, or Chesapeake.

While this is NOT my first choice of a boat to own for me personally, it is one I would be happy to live on and sail in most places (coastal USA, Caribbean, Bahamas, even across an ocean).

IF I were restricted to a budget of $30K, this MODEL of boat would be on my short list to search for.

IF I were ready to buy, this particular boat would be at the top fo my list to see ASAP. That is why I put "Red Alert" at the top of this post.

The may sell quickly. IF a CF member does buy it, I hope you will come back here and let us know.

NOTE! There are TWO different layouts for this model of boat, so make sure if you are looking at others you compare the layouts. I prefer the layout shown in this boat.

It has some notable features:
shallow draft
Large cockpit
Private aft stateroom
Nice galley
Nice seating area forward (unusual layout that is conducive to liveaboard comfort)
Nice cockpit combings
Many opening ports (great for ventilation in Florida), and on THIS boat those have been replaced with desirable New Found Metals portlights!
This is a rare Ketch model. Most of this boat are sloops.

2. I have personal experience sailing one of these boats (sister ship) a few thousand miles in the Pacific in all kinds of weather. I was comfortable and secure at all times and consider it a good cruising boat. Since then I have looked at many of these online and kept an eye out for their condition and prices. This one was just brought to my attention today (Nov 10th) and I don't expect it to be available long.

3. This Asking Price is LOWER than most and yet this boat has several nice and desirable upgrades that have been done in recent years. Take a look at the list below from the sale listing:

Upgrades include-

Hull painted and bottom job 2012.

Cockpit cushions and interior cushions replaced 2012.

Running rigging replaced 2012.

All 10 ports replaced with New Found Metals ports with screens 2012.

LED navigation lights (3nm) replaced 2013.

Bottom job 2014.

Engine top-half rebuilt 2014. Rebuilt valves, rockers, injectors, new lift pump, rebuilt high pressure fuel pump, rebuilt starter.

New bronze 3-blade 16x17LH prop 2014.

Topsides painted 2015.

VHF radio with GPS and AIS receiver and remote microphone 2015.

Sails and Canvas:

Genoa 130 on roller furling with pacific blue sunbrella cover.

Mainsail with two reef points and slab reefing, lazy jacks, and pacific blue sunbrella cover.

Mizzen sail - refurbished 2014. Rigged for lazy jacks. Pacific blue sunbrella cover.

Pacific blue sunbrella dodger and bimini.

Sunbrella covers for hatches.

Yacht Highlights:

* Many upgrades

* Topsides painted in 2015

* Refurbished Mizzen sail in 2014

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by 44'cruisingcat

It's almost blasphemy, but we haven't accidentally run aground (in this boat) yet!

We have the advantage of using the rudders as "feelers", you can let them float and see when they're bumping on the bottom - which means it's getting REALLY shallow. (The depth sounder has long given up at this point) When it's that shallow you can almost always see the bottom, and it always looks even shallower than it is. I've often been amazed we were able to keep going.

We're bound to push it too far sooner or later though.

Awesome- do your rudders kick up?

If production cats were more like yours from what I can tell from afar (great sailing performance, daggerboards, lightweight- all at cost of moderate rather than condo-like interior) i may have made the switch!

[Steadman Uhlich]

Kent 26' Ranger

LOA = 26'
Trailerable
Asking Price = $10,000
Location = Northern California
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Steady's NOTES:

What captured my attention with this boat is bound to do that when she is on the water: the clipper bow details (also seen on another Pocket Cruiser I will feature later, the Kenner) and overall condition.

I have looked at many Pocket Cruisers, and most do not appeal to me. This one does. I admit I like boats with some distinctive design, and traditional styled boats appeal to me more strongly than most production boats. This boat appears to have both characteristics.

In addition, this boat, while small, does have a feature I highly recommend if you plan on day sailing or cruising with a female guest(s) aboard: An Enclosed Head. I see this as a plus on any small boat.

From my POV, she looks like a boat worth investigating if you have a desire for a Pocket Cruiser that can be trailered.

I will let the photos and the owner's description tell the rest.

NOTE!!
As with most of my posts in this thread and others, I am posting photos to ILLUSTRATE what this boat design may look like. Please be aware that I use photos from a MIX of sources and not all of them may be of the boat linked in any sale listings I provide. I am doing this to illustrate common features and designs.
__________________

From the Sale Listing:

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/boa/5869862107.html

Kent Ranger Sailboat Designed by Raymond Richards and built in Kent Washington. NOT the California built Gary Mull Ranger.
This is a very sturdy boat suitable as a pocket cruiser. She is easily single handed and sails very well. Often mistaken for a Flicka. The Kent Ranger 26 is a lot roomier down below than the Flicka. "Philomena" is a well priced boat. She was repainted in 2013. This is a clean ready to sail boat. The teak is in very good condition and very well maintained. There are two round brass porthole windows and 4 rectangular windows providing lots of light in the salon. The forward berth is very large and very comfortable. There are also two berths starboard and port side. She sits on a tandem axle trailer in a dry slip at Folsom Lake. The trailer has electric brakes.
1978 Hull #47
26' Fiberglass
HONDA 9.9 HP 4 -Stroke (in well)
Aluminum Mast and Boom
Main Sail in good serviceable condition
3 Forward Sails in serviceable condition
Sleeps 4 People
6'2' standing headroom
Enclosed Head
Two burner stove
Sink
LOA 26'
LWL 22'
BEAM 8' BALLAST 1600LB LEAD
DISPLACEMENT 4750LBS
DRAFT BOARD UP 2' 4"
DRAFT BOARD DOWN 4' 10"
CENTERBOARD WAS REBUILT IN 2013 NEW STANCHION SHEAVE HOUSING & PENDANT

Negatives
Sail and railing covers could be replaced
Tires on trailer are in OK condition but will need replacing
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