Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 29-07-2013, 18:37   #1
Registered User

Join Date: May 2013
Location: stuart,florida
Boat: looking
Posts: 8
draft

Hey guys, still kinda new here. Our house has finally sold and we are now actually shopping for our first boat. For some reason I keep finding myself looking at a catalina 38, however the draft is 6.9 ft. Can anybody tell me how restricted I will be cruising in south florida where we now live.I was told that a draft of 6.9, we would have to wait for full moon and highest tide to get out of these inlets to open ocean, also finding a slip will be more difficult. Can anybody offer some good advice or share some experiences of having a 6.9 draft. ?
Capt. Tdawg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-07-2013, 19:43   #2
Registered User
 
FSMike's Avatar

Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Bahamas/Florida
Boat: Solaris Sunstar 36' catamaran
Posts: 2,686
Images: 5
Re: draft

You can go places a lot of people will say you can't.
However, if you are going to cruise south Florida with a 6'9" draft sooner or later you will regret it.
If you decide to visit the Bahamas you will regret it sooner.
I would definitely get a shallower draft vessel, but you need to decide for yourself.
__________________
Sail Fast Live Slow
FSMike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-07-2013, 06:18   #3
Registered User
 
denverd0n's Avatar

Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 5,009
Images: 6
Re: draft

Agreed. You can get around most places, but you will be limited. You will have to wait for high tide to get into some marinas. Some marinas you simply won't be able to get into at all. You will have to go out and around in places where boats with a shallower draft will go right on through.

Personally, living in Tampa and planning to sail around the Gulf, Florida, the Keys, and the Bahamas, I would not even consider a boat with that much draft. I would want absolutely no more than 6' and something around 5' or even less would be much better.

My guess would be that you're drawn to this boat because it is available for a really, really good price. You see amazingly low prices sometimes on deep-draft sailboats in Florida. There's a reason for that. The reason is that people who have experience with deep-draft boats in Florida know that they are a pain in the backside around here!
denverd0n is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
draft

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:25.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.