shallow draft

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thecopperdoc

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the waters in our sailing area is quite shallow in places and as we are thinking of upgrading to a bigger boat i would ask if you could compare shallow draft boats from 27feet length to35.Ideally we are looking for a boat that is roomy yet good on sailing speed,perhaps a fin keeler that is adjustable draft.Many Thanks Robert Orton
 
I sail a Beneteau 331, it draws 0.9 with centre-plate raised, 2.2m down. She sits on sand or mud happily so long as it is fairly flat. She has loads of room inside.

You do have the extra work of raising/lowering the plate, and maintaining at extra cost.
 
I'll have to put a word in for the Superseal and later named Parker lift-keel range. In your size, start with the Superseal 26 or 27 (13" with keel up & very spritely performance plus roomy), the later 275, 285, 325 with draughts up to a couple of feet I think with keel raised. The 26/27 fy boats have a very simple barely ballated daggerboard, that can just about be hauled up manually with a simple purchase arrangement (well I can, 5 ft to zero ft in about 6 secs if panicking!)

See the Seal Owners association excellent website:

http://www.sealasc.org.uk/
 
If you want shallow, then your choice really comes down to a choice of:

Lift keel design e.g. southerly
Scheel Keel design (cant think of one off hand, but they are about.
Catamaran
 
Where is your sailing area? Tidal or non-tidal (so if you get it wrong, do you just have to sit it out until the next tide, preferably upright, or are you stuck for good!). Do you want to be able to dry out upright. Do you want also to sail across oceans, or are you restricted to your shallow lake/sea/estuary? How shallow - are bilge keels an option, or only lifting keels or cats?

Welcome to the forum.

You'll get lots of advice on this forum (most of it biased in favour of our own boat type) but it will be most useful if we understand exactly what you are asking about!
 
Limbo
Beneteau
Superseal
Parker
Southerly

to name but a few ...... as Lift Keel jobs.

Of course you could go for Bilge Keel as well ....

Now there is a debate between BK people like myself and Fin Keel'ers .... If you run aground with a BK boat ... you cannot "lean" the boat to get of. In fact leaning the average BK boat increases the draft slightly. But a Fin keel boat can be leant over to reduce draft and possibly extricate herself ... but of course us BK 'rs have the advantage that most banks that fin keelers hit - we sail over without problem. Of course the lift keel job who has little under the hull will laugh at all of us ... he touches, lifts keel and wallows away ....

Oh - nearly forgot - Feeling .... another Lift keel boat.
 
i sail generally on a none tidal lough in NI but we do sometimes exit via a river which can go as little as 2.5ft deep in places and in the estuary end it is tidal but a lot deeper
 
Re: shallow draft ..... 2.5ft !!

That rules out most of the boats quoted ... Bilge Keel are generally 3ft or more ..... Lift Keels are usually with a stub keel of about 2.5 - 3ft ....

There are a few lift-keel jobs that have very little stub ... smaller Feelings, Limbo's ..... possibly small Jaguar ...

In the 30ft range ???? Got me stumped to think of one that could do as little as 2.5ft .....
 
With only a 2.5ft draft for a 27-35ft yacht... that limits things considerably. Maybe a cat???

Done a quick google and come up with this - might be sold, but it is possible to find something that meets the spec.

I don't know cats at all, but I'm sure there are others out there with a good cat knowledge.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Now there is a debate between BK people like myself and Fin Keel'ers .... If you run aground with a BK boat ... you cannot "lean" the boat to get of. In fact leaning the average BK boat increases the draft slightly. But a Fin keel boat can be leant over to reduce draft and possibly extricate herself

[/ QUOTE ]

Can work both ways. Hit the putty in a fin keeler while you are heeled, let the sails fly and you get stuck even harder. Hit the putty in a twin keeler while heeled, let the sails fly, come upright and gently motor off astern.
 
I hit the putty ... and whatever happens - I gun little'ol Perkins and I get off.

It is fact - verified by Karly who was on the boat ... that SA hit mud in Newport harbour ... she lifted a good 10 - 20cms on port side as that keel rode over the bank. Couple days later we were entering Ryde on rising tide ... there's a shallow patch just as you get in line with brkwtr end to start the port turn ... we touched ... well we were real aground ... didn't fancy waiting to go to pub - so gave it a little throttle ... Up she goes and over ...

42hp in 25ft Motorsailer. Prop to match.
 
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