Draft of new boat

[Dutch01527]

Hi

I am concidering buying a new boat and mooring it in Cardiff Bay. A Carter 39 has caught my eye and I am planning to go and have a look at it. It's draft is 2.0m with a long encapsulated keel I believe.

Would a relativly deep draft be a issue and prevent weekend trips to Wachet, Portishead, Swansea ect?

Any local knowlege and advice would be welcome.

Thanks

 

[trapezeartist]

It shouldn't really be a problem, though less is always better if you're going to venture into very shallow places. You'll have a slightly narrower window available for getting over the sill at Watchet or up the channel in Swansea, but you just have to plan accordingly.

 

[bitbaltic]

If setting out from Cardiff you are usually going to plan your passage to approach all those places either near HW or at east on a rising tide. Of course your window for getting in/out is necessarily smaller than say a 1m draft but all of those destinations have way more water than you will need at high tide. 2m is not really that deep draft anyway, it is about average for a large fin keel AWB and if you are looking at forty footers a lot of boats are going to be about that sort of draft. Lots of boats of that draft in Cardiff bay.

You are more likely to find it a constraint in Cardiff itself because the locks run on all but the lowest tides so there will be some lock outs/ins that you cannot or should not take. Depending on your experience/background that may or may not present a learning curve. Try to operate around HW or enter Cardiff on a rising tide while you get used to the boat maybe.

 

[Gelfie]

Buy a Southerly and you can have a choice of draught.

 

[SteveSarabande]

I don't see it as a problem. If you are going West you will be leaving a few hours before high water. If you are going to Portishead you just need to get there a bit nearer to high tide. Watchet is awkward anyway as unless you push the tide you will arrive around low tide and anchor for a while.

A bilge keeler is more use on the Devon coast, but a shallower draft fin offers very little advantage as far as I can see

 

[single]

Buy a Southerly and you can have a choice of draught.

+1. Friends with 2m or more draft are very restricted. It quite often means missing a lock into somewhere, its a pain. Although a bigger boat should in theory get to the destination quicker so outweigh the problem.Never seems to happen within our group though.

 

[drakes drum]

Hi

I am concidering buying a new boat and mooring it in Cardiff Bay. A Carter 39 has caught my eye and I am planning to go and have a look at it. It's draft is 2.0m with a long encapsulated keel I believe.

Would a relativly deep draft be a issue and prevent weekend trips to Wachet, Portishead, Swansea ect?

Any local knowlege and advice would be welcome.

Thanks

2m draft in the bay isnt an issue but much more than that makes certain bay areas a bit shallow. Instead the problem is that you are confined to the marinas ie places where a fin wont fall over. There are lots of nice places in the channel that dry out at low tide - Porlock for example. Minehead, Combe.

If you arent interested in racing , a twin keel makes more sense

 

[Allan]

Most people who sail the Bristol channel prefer twin keels. There are a few people I know who keep fin Keeler's in the bay for the winter and head off west in the spring. My Westerly 33, which will soon be for sale, is suitable for all places, even places like Appledore and Clovelly, which are my favorites. I've never fancied leaning a fin against the wall but some do!
Allan

 

[Dutch01527]

Most people who sail the Bristol channel prefer twin keels. There are a few people I know who keep fin Keeler's in the bay for the winter and head off west in the spring. My Westerly 33, which will soon be for sale, is suitable for all places, even places like Appledore and Clovelly, which are my favorites. I've never fancied leaning a fin against the wall but some do!
Allan

Allan

Which Westerly do you have, not a Solway by any chance?

Steve

 

[Allan]

Allan

Which Westerly do you have, not a Solway by any chance?

Steve

No Steve, she is probably the last Westerly 33 made. She has a Discus interior.
Allan

 

[graham]

In the middle of a springtide the tide here is rising/falling about 18 inches in 10 minutes. So the difference between 6 ft draft and 4f 6" draft could be as little as 10 minutes.

It will restrict you a bit in smaller places and may restrict u entering Swansea or Cardiff at low water but generally wont be a problem.