East Coast Draft

[Heraclitus]

I've done a fair amount of sailing, in the South coast and elsewhere, but I've never owned a boat or sailed in the East coast. I'm now thinking of buying my first boat. I'd like to keep it in the East coast (the Blackwater), but the boat I fancy is a fin keel drawing 1.65 m (5.4ft). Those of you with experience of the East coast, do you think it would be a mistake to get this boat for the East coast? How much of a problem is it likely to be?
Thanks.

 

[moondancer]

You should have no problems as long as you are careful. My boat draws just under 2 m and I can get most places. There are loads of deep fin keelers on the Blackwater and lots of racing fleets on the East Coast with fin keels. The majority of Yachts on the Crouch are fin keeled.

Other may give a different view but the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages.

 

[AliM]

It will restrict where you can go, and more importantly, when you can go there. So, provided you don't mind missing out the muddier creeks, and take extra care with your tidal height calculations, you'll be fine!

Enjoy it

 

[Gin]

My experiences are much the same as yours- always sailed out of the Solent but bought a boat in 2005 to sail from the Medway.

I looked for a lifting keel as I did not want bilge keels but I couldn't find anything suitable at the time and I ended up sticking with what I knew, i.e. fin keel, draft 1.5m.

Yes, others can cross shallows which I have to skirt round, so passage times and rhumb lines have to be adjusted and I can't crawl up creeks to explore. Other than that I am perfectly happy with the fin keel.

taking the ground out of choice or inadvertently isn't a big deal as the mud is deep and soft and we sit upright(ish)- it would be rather different in your area I think but even so, unless I could get good windward performance and a suitable lifting keeler, were I to change boats I would stick with the fin.

 

[rudolph_hart]

A 1.65m fin keel on the Blackwater will be no problem. However, apart from Heybridge Basin & lower Lawling Creek, it will probably restrict your mooring options to downstream of Osea Island (Stansgate, Stone, Bradwell, Tollesbury. Mersea)

 

[Aries]

Sailing on the East Coast improves your navigation skills. We sailed with 1.5 m under us for a number of years and managed to visit the majority of places.
It depends on the type of sailing you want to do. If you want to visit the creeks, you will need shallow draft or a lifting keel (an option many forget), but if you wish to cruise or race, a fin is no problem as long as you know where you are and have a good idea of how much water there should be.
I, like many others, will have left our 'plough marks' along much of the east coast!

 

[pyrojames]

With some care, you'll be fine. My old boat drew 5'10" and that was OK, although admitted a long kell. The new one, based on the Orwell draws 8'. I don't expect it to be too much of a bother. Mostly.

 

[jimi]

I don't see why military consciption should be limited to the East Coast, I'd call up some of the disposeable inbreds from the IoW as well

 

[suse]

And there was me thinking the East Coast Draft came from Russia.

brrrrrrrrrrSusy x

 

[NealB]

Just to put the other arguments...

Most of the replies are agreeing that a fin keel will be no problem, and I agree entirely with that (done it myself), but it is, without question, very restricting.

For many people, the charm of the East Coast is in its creeks and swatchways, many of which which haven't changed (in character) for centuries.... the call of the curlew over the sedge grass, the quiet popple of the early flood tide as it returns over the mud, ....... and other such MG cliches (they're still true).

A fin keeler is not suited to this quiet, reflective, soul-enriching, sort of adventuring (which may, or may not, be your thing).

The pragmatic solution, in my opinion, would therefore be a multihull, that, depending on your choice, can give: very decent performance indeed, shallow draft, excellent upright drying-out-ability, and good accommodation. Don't believe those who tell you they don't go to windward - whilst true of some, many others do so very satisfyingly.

Downsides? Some say they don't like the looks, though that seems a generalisation to me. The Iroquois is a fine looking boat to my eye, for example. If you plan to use marinas, multihulls are often charged a premium. Many are put off by the possibility of capsizing...but I risk starting a new thread if we bring that one up (yet again!).

Mark my words, in twenty years time (maybe sooner), we'll all be sailing catamarans! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Slow_boat]

Re: Just to put the other arguments...

Well, JLZ, you'll have no problem in the river Blackwater or Crouch, in fact they have a lot more depth than you can find in the 'channels' bteween the sand/mud banks. Keep an eye on tide heights, I've managed to run agound out of sight of land on LW neaps in a bilge keeler drawing 1m!

If you're going from marina to marina or anchoring in the river overnight you'll be fine but you will be more restricted in the more interesting, quieter places. Touching the mud overnight in a shallow bilge keeler is fine, in a deep fin you may find it uncomfortable.

 

[kengill]

You'll be OK . My first yot drew 1.6 and it just made me plan more carefully. OK nowadays I draw 2 metres but then i can lift the keel and just draw 1.2metres

 

[FullCircle]

I have racd all over the East Coast in fin keelers up to 2m....

...but I choose to Cruise with a Lift keel drawing 1.1m. I love the creeks and swatchways. If I go aground (often intentianally), I sit quite happily.

It wont ruin your day either way, unless you go aground in nasty weather.

Welcome to the East Coast, care to join in on the East Coast Meeting Forum a bit further down the Index Page? Love to meet you (next meeting is 20th October at Bradwell)

 

[NealB]

So, to summarise......

If you plan to marina hop, sticking to main routes, then the fin keel will be fine (though you can't take so many shortcuts, and be careful not to get 'neaped' in some of the marinas).

If lying at anchor, in remote drying creeks, absorbing the tranquility, is your thing, the fin keeler is far from ideal.

As always, boats are a compromise.

 

[asj1]

Most boats in the area are fin keel, and so I', sure it will work for you, but you will be restricted on where you can go and most importantly when you can go. Last week-end for instance I could get up to Woodbridge on Friday night before it got dark, and then get into and out of the marina 45 minutes before you would be able to.

I have 1.1m bilge keel and often sail in 1.3m in some of the creeks and can,and occasionally do, use moorings which dry. I suppose I sail to the depth of my boat or occasionally slightly less and touch bottom most week-ends. You will just sail to the depth of your boat.

 

[davidfox]

To be honest it doesnt much matter if you draw 1.5 or 1.9 as we do, I choose my time to go places, I dont go there if there is a chance of the boat falling over if I get it wrong, a lot of the anchorages you will just sink in the mud if you get it a bit wrong, I dont find it at all restricting, having said that I have had 2 fin keelers of 1.6 and 1.9 and a bilge keeler of 1.3 draft and I didnt give a s..t with the bilge keeler where I went. it does give you less to worry about but I dont think it restricts you. If you worry about the draft, close the window!

 

[Marmalade]

We draw 2m and have no problem. Was up in Woodbridge tidemill earlier in the year and Heybridge basin a few weeks ago. We are moored on the Blackwater. You have a smaller tidal window than boats which draw less, but you point higher when making passage and have a stiffer ride.

We picked the boat on every other criteria and accepted that if we found our ideal boat we'd then worry about whether it was deep fin or shoal keel. As I say - it's not been an issue

Simon

 

[davidfox]

you just said it all, the difference in going places is 45mins, not too constricting over a tide.

 

[Malish]

I agree with much of the above; one key swatchway if you are going between the Blackwater and the Thames regularly is the Swin spitway which, for maximum tidal benefit you need to be passing through at low water - a deep keel might be a problem on spring tides for at least an hour either side of low water.

 

[Santana379]

[ QUOTE ]
We draw 2m and have no problem. Was up in Woodbridge tidemill earlier in the year and Heybridge basin a few weeks ago. We are moored on the Blackwater. You have a smaller tidal window than boats which draw less.

[/ QUOTE ]
That's by and large true of course, but there times (neaps) when certain desitinations are totally ruled out to deeper draft boats, e.g. Woodbridge Tidemill and I believe Tollesbury Marina.

We have a 1.3m draft which is great for creek crawling, but of course we sail to it, so are just as likely to run aground as someone with a 2m draft. (And we do so from time to time).

Last Sunday I got over the Deben Bar just after 18.00hrs with as little as 10cm under the keel (flood tide & very calm!). A 2m draft boat might well have been unable to get in and on to its mooring by sunset. When day sailing from the Deben my shallow draft probably gives me 1.5hrs longer to visit e.g. the Walton Backwaters. (You might argue that my poor windward performance and excessive underwater wetted area mean that I need it.)

We have a long keel and a couple of bilge plates, and I do find the ability to take the ground very useful. I can for instance anchor in some lovely deserted spots not available to deep draft boats, and sit on the mud for a couple of hourse either side of low water.