East Coast Draft

[Lucky Duck]

There are a few threads in 'another place' about deeper draft boats in our neck of the woods;

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302216

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=301025

A while back I moved from a Twin keel Hunter to a 1.9m fin keel and while there are times when I miss being able touse the Havengore Bridge or nipping up to Woodbridge or Wivenhoe on an evening tide and then take the ground on balance I think the positives outweight the negatives. Or have I missed something?

 

[sailorman]

There are a few threads in 'another place' about deeper draft boats in our neck of the woods;

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302216

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=301025

A while back I moved from a Twin keel Hunter to a 1.9m fin keel and while there are times when I miss being able touse the Havengore Bridge or nipping up to Woodbridge or Wivenhoe on an evening tide and then take the ground on balance I think the positives outweight the negatives. Or have I missed something?

we to have similar a draught. you can keep twin legged boats. my first had 2 legs that was enough, i prefer to have the windward ability with a lead fin keel

 

[photodog]

This is my favorite East Coast Draft...

http://adnams.co.uk/category/beer

 

[sailorman]

This is my favorite East Coast Draft...

http://adnams.co.uk/category/beer

You my Colonial friend need to quaff some of this

 

[johnalison]

When we started cruising I took one look at the chart of the Thames Estuary and soon saw that most of the waterways were orientated SW-NE. Since the prevailing winds are SW & NE it was obvious that by Sod's Law I would be sailing upwind most of the time and sacrificing windward performance didn't seem to be a good idea. Most, if not all, the bilge-keel craft at the time (1970s) were pigs to sail though there may be some acceptable shoal-draft craft now.

 

[Marmalade]

we are 2m - see thread in scuttlebutt

 

[LittleSister]

When we started cruising I took one look at the chart of the Thames Estuary and soon saw that most of the waterways were orientated SW-NE. Since the prevailing winds are SW & NE it was obvious that by Sod's Law I would be sailing upwind most of the time and sacrificing windward performance didn't seem to be a good idea.

That's funny, Charlie Stock uses the same geography to argue the merits of a gaff rig, because downwind performance is more important (IIRC).

Speaking of Charlie Stock, is a smallish centre-boarder / lifting-keeler the ultimate East Coast boat? Potentially (I know not all) negligible draft with plate up; able to take the ground; good upwind performance?

 

[Burnham Bob]

you sail to suit your boat

We draw 1.5 metres. It's not as if we're stuck for somewhere to sail. We still have lots of places to go from Lowestoft down to Ramsgate and into all the rivers between. And there are some places we've been that we simply have to go back to.

Yes there are places only Charles Stock and Dylan Winter can get to. But there's so much else to enjoy I don't think it matters what you choose - fin, bilge, lifting........this is a great place to sail.

You can do things in a bilge keeler you can't do in a finkeeled or long keeled yacht. On the other hand, with a fin or long keel you can get to other places more efficiently upwind leaving the bilge keelers behind.

Whatever boat you choose, you'll pick your sailing to suit.