Fathoms, Feet or Metres?

[Yacht Breeze]

I was chatting to a sailing friend last night and we alighted on the topic of depth readings. Some depth sounders have abandoned fathoms and now just give feet and metres as a display option. Is it time to dump fathoms altogether? Does anyone still use fathoms? What do you think?

 

[sailorman]

I was chatting to a sailing friend last night and we alighted on the topic of depth readings. Some depth sounders have abandoned fathoms and now just give feet and metres as a display option. Is it time to dump fathoms altogether? Does anyone still use fathoms? What do you think?

1 fathom is approx 2 m

 

[Frankie-H]

1 fathom is approx 2 m

If you asked anyone under 30. Would they know

I have thought in metres for so long that I now struggle with feet and inches

 

[Ludd]

Only times I think in fathoms is when I'm measuring rope (full arm stretch =1 fathom,+ or- a bit!) or quoting" Full fathom five thy father lies----"

 

[sailorman]

If you asked anyone under 30. Would they know

I have thought in metres for so long that I now struggle with feet and inches

you should see the age of my charts

 

[Robin]

I have worked in metric most of my working life, but small dimensions of say under 150mm. I find working with depths in metres difficult to visualise, we had a draught of around 7ft (easy to visualise). So with 2.13m draught (7ft) a depth of 8ft is just OK (2.44m) but trying to visualise 2.44-2.13 = 0.11 clearance is not so intuitive.

So our depthsounders were and are set to read in feet and our electronic charts set to show depths in feet.

 

[jordanbasset]

As my anchor chain is marked at 5 metre intervals, I find using metres on the depth readings makes it easier.

 

[Robin]

As my anchor chain is marked at 5 metre intervals, I find using metres on the depth readings makes it easier.

My chain was marked in metres but depths read in feet. It was a useful easy starting point to let out as many metres of chain as the depth read in feet, so giving an initial scope of around 3:1 without thinking, then adjust from there.

 

[Koeketiene]

you should see the age of my charts

 

[sailorman]

that looks quite new

 

[dylanwinter]

feet or peasticks

the slug depth measurement is purely in feet on the Nassa

partly because it sounds deeper and also because of the Americans who watch

or when it is too soupy and shallow for the echosounder to work then it is peasticks

four measurements here

deep stick

shallow stick

turn away quick

put the kettle on

 

[haydude]

metres, no doubt. Easier to visualize.

 

[doug748]

Metres, but I convert it to feet in my head so I know what it means.

 

[dylanwinter]

why

metres, no doubt. Easier to visualize.

why is a meter easier to visualise than a foot

I can usually see my foot

can't see my metre

D

 

[sailorman]

why is a meter easier to visualise than a foot

I can usually see my foot

can't see my metre

D

i normally look down & see 9"

 

[dunedin]

Metres please ....... unless your charts and echo sounder still have little price stickers marked with pounds, shillings and pennies

 

[johnalison]

Why this craze for making everything easy? Life is messy and if you can't divide feet by six or yards by two you shouldn't be sailing.

I have never forgiven Napoleon for introducing metres and the metric system and use them reluctantly but without difficulty.

 

[Searush]

My echosounder works in feet, 1 full revolution = 60 feet, so I don't often switch to the x6, Fathoms scale, as I am seldom interested in the depth of water that deep. Anything over 5' is deeper than I need anyway.

Most of my charts are in metres, but not all, but it's easy enough to switch between the two. Tide tables are in both feet & inches or metres - choose as you wish. Not run aground yet as a consequence of getting that wrong.

 

[prv]

metres, no doubt. Easier to visualize.

why is a meter easier to visualise than a foot

Because HayDude is Italian?

Pete

 

[BarryH]

My daughters used to work in "men". Their thinking is that the average man is almost 2 mtrs, so when I'd ask what the echosounder was showing for anchoring, they'd pipe up " 3 men.....2 men.......1 man let go!" 1 man being the least amount of water we'd anchor in at low water in our regular couple of spots. Now their older its "fit boys"........I must be getting old!