Shoal Draft v. Full Depth Keel

[Scout 30]

Saw this at the St Pete Boat Show last weekend. Best of both worlds.


46RK | Seaward Yachts

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by bmz

A lot depends on where you sail and the size of the boat. I sail in the Chesapeake--with both shoal and deep keels--and I will never go back to a shoal draft again. I sail a 34 foot boat with a 5'8" fine lead keel. It not only points higher, but it's sails faster and better on all points than my previous shoal draft. Shoal drafts usually have far more water resistance and wetted surface. Inasmuch as almost everyone obeys 6 foot markers and depth lines, there is nowhere that a shoal draft can sail that I can't. This is an important point; if you are going to obey 6 foot markers, you gain nothing by having a shallower draft. 99% of the Chesapeake has a sand or mud bottom; before I had a GPS, I would run aground at least once per year. But all I had to do was crank up the diesel and back off. Run aground with a shoal draft, And you are stuck.

5'8" isnt that deep a draft for bigger boats. Sailing on the chesapeake, though, you have ruled out quite a few coves and harbors in northern part of Bay, such as worton, fairlee, bohemia, and most anchorages on sassafras. Kent and Knapps narrows are a challenge. But for sailing in deep water, deep draft trumps all. Of course, well designed K/CB systems are maybe the best system. I draw 4'9" board up, and 8'6" board down, which makes my boat point very well. Not as fast as the 7' deep draft, but pretty fast.

How do you explain the last sentence? Aground is aground. If you mean wing keels or long full, then yes I agree with you.


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[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

Saw this at the St Pete Boat Show last weekend. Best of both worlds.


46RK | Seaward Yachts

Yeah, I kinda like all their boats.... probably the 26 and 32 better than the 46...

[Scout 30]

The Seaward 46 was a major step up in luxury & spaciousness. You can tell they are trying to compete with the new cats. The inside helm is really a trip.


No matter what anyone says about deep drafted boats sailing better the simple fact is that deep draft significantly limits where you can explore or anchor, especially in Florida.

[Polux]

They seem interesting and I don't know why they are pretty much ignored by the US nautical press. I don't like the hull, that has a very strong transition from the lateral part to the underwater part, kind of motorboat one: Great for downwind sailing, not so good for upwind sailing.

[Steadman Uhlich]

About the Seaward 46RK:

Anyone know how much the 46RK and the 32RK cost?

Here are a few more photos of the Seaward 46RK.

I found it interesting. The lifting keel and rudders and ability to get into shoal waters looks appealing. It also has TWIN lifting rudders.

Here are a few other facts:

Draft = 2'5" to 7'
Displacement = 23,000 pounds
Keel = Vertically Retracting High Aspect Keel/Solid Lead Torpedo, Electrically Operated
Rudders = Vertically Retracting High Aspect Rudders (2)

[kennys]

My Pearson 35 has a center board. 3'9" draft with the board up, 7'6' with it down.
I haven't sailed a lot of other boats to compare. It is not a great boat to reverse.
The access to shallower water is great. They lower the water levels in the lake I sail on leaving many of the other boats stuck in the marina.

[Scout 30]

We saw a ton of boats at the St Pete Boat Show so it's kind of hard to remember but I believe it was around $198,000 for the 32 & $449,000 for the 46. The 32 was really a nice boat & would be great for a couple to cruise in. It's really more like a traditional small sailboat. The 46 is a mind blower.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Scout 30

We saw a ton of boats at the St Pete Boat Show so it's kind of hard to remember but I believe it was around $198,000 for the 32 & $449,000 for the 46. The 32 was really a nice boat & would be great for a couple to cruise in. It's really more like a traditional small sailboat. The 46 is a mind blower.

Thanks!

Here is a photo of the Seaward 32RK.

And for comparison, another view of the Seaward 46RK.

[Scout 30]

Walking around the boat show last weekend we were struck by how really expensive all new boats are these days. Bodes well for used boat prices.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Steady Hand

Thanks!

Here is a photo of the Seaward 32RK.

And for comparison, another view of the Seaward 46RK.

Here you have the price (USD580 000 in 2013) and a test sail

Seaward 46RK Sailboat Review | Cruising World

The price is not far from the one of an Halberg Rassy 43. Maybe that explains why they don't sell many.

[four winds]

Also, the Seaward 46 has twin Yanmar four cylinder engines.

Interesting boat designed and built in Stuart, Florida.

[Polux]

Originally Posted by four winds

Also, the Seaward 46 has twin Yanmar four cylinder engines.

Interesting boat designed and built in Stuart, Florida.

Then that motorboat type of hull makes a lot more sense. It seems to sail very well for a motorsailer. In fact it does not look like one. Interesting boat, I agree.

[bmz]

[QUOTE=malbert73;1695875]5'8" isnt that deep a draft for bigger boats. Sailing on the chesapeake, though, you have ruled out quite a few coves and harbors in northern part of Bay,"

Darn--that limits me to around a hundred (seriously, sailing out of the South and Severn rivers, I have never wanted to anchor that far north)

" How do you explain the last sentence? Aground is aground. If you mean wing keels or long full, then yes I agree with you."

My keel is less than one square foot at the bottom with almost vertical leading and trailing edges; a shoal draft is usually around 4 ft.² with a sloped leading edge. When I run aground, my boat stops, and all I have to do is back off(in 32 years I have only needed help once); when a shoal draft boat runs aground, it continues a way until it is hard aground, and hardly ever can simply back off.

[Group9]

I sailed all over the Severn and Chesapeake with a 4 foot draft and only hit bottom a couple of times. (And, of course, the good thing about both of those areas is that it is mostly a soft mud bottom and you just slow down instead of coming to an abrubt halt, most of the time).

With sand bottoms, you are much more likely to stick where you hit. I sail around the Gulf of Mexico, Florida, and the Bahamas now with a five foot draft (wing keel). That's my limit on the amount of draft I will carry. I'm not a racer and poor upwind performance doesn't bother me nearly as much as kedgeing off sand bars on a routine basis.