YACHTS IN USA

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KAPTAN

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I am looking for a boat in EASTERN USA.
My plan is to be based in FLORIDA and initally use its waterways system.
What type of keel is best?
Do you have to be prepared to ground the vessel.
I am not keen on "lifting keels"
Is a IRWIN CITATION 32 or a MORGAN ISLANDER 32
a good choice?
My mode of travel is mainly motoring however a 30ft modern motor boat is much more expensive and likely to have a petrol engine.
Regards
Kaptan
 
If you are using the waterways, and dont want to sail very much anyway, but dont want the expense of a power boat. The best keel to use is a double one - as fitted on a catamaran (one per hull /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif)
 
Others will offer better advice but to get to more places I would not dismiss a lifting keel, a catamaran might be perfect. I’ve only sailed their once and SHALLOW is imprinted on my mind. With a swell we were heading from the Golf of Mexico towards a ‘pass’ intending to enter the inter-coastal. I was planning our landfall. My first thought was ‘is this American chart showing depths in meters?’. Then the penny dropped the ‘pass’ I had selected had a depth of three or four FEET! Not my finest moment.
 
For the IntraCoastal and other waterways in the Eastern US, and the Bahamas, relatively shoal draft is preferable, say about five feet. The bottom is generally soft everywhere from the northern Chesapeake to northern Florida, but farther south including the Bahamas coral occurs, which is hard! You should assume that you will go aground fairly often, even though the tides have much smaller range than in the UK. A multi-hull would solve the draft problem, but cost you more anytime you chose to go into a marina. If you choose a shoal draft monohull, avoid a wing keel as they are harder to get off after a grounding. I don't know either of the boats you mention, but you can probably get info on them and others from the website of the Seven Seas Cruising Association: www.ssca.org
 
We did it with a draft of 1.5mts and sometimes ran aground.
Details of our trip are here (click through the previous newsletters section). It's a good idea to get towboat insurance- about $99. It's a fascinating trip and should not be missed.

Some excellent pilots and guides for sale here also look out for Skipper Bob's guides.
 
For the ICW you ideally need less than 5' draft, no mast and a reasonably powerful motor. A power boat with a flybridge and inside steering location is ideal, particularly if it has a well soundproofed engine (for when you are steering from inside). If you motor with a sailboat you will have less accommodation per foot of length due to narrow beam, will need to have more bridge openings, and there are over 25 bridges in Florida alone, the engine may be underpowered and inadequately silenced, and you will be dragging that keel with you. If you do go for the sailboat option but only intend to motor, remove the mast and rigging.
I've done the east coast ICW eight times from end to end on sailboats, 5' and 6.5' draft. As Jonic says, get TowBoatUS insurance, it's the best investment you will make because you will certainly go aground.
It's a wonderful journey made better with the right boat.
 
The alternative to towboat insurance is also via boat US by just signing up for $19. It's then $50 / tow if you happen to need them plus you get 5% discount from West Marine via $15 vouchers sent every time you've spent more than $300. You will ! I'll be looking for lots of $15 vouchers in the post when I get back.

Apart from that, agree with what everyone else says. Shallow / shoal draft is good. We draw 5'9" and had no serious issues with the ICW, bumped a few times and got stuck for half an hour once where an inlet from the atlantic had shoaled but nothing serious. But that was in the Carolinas.

I don't think fuel is an issue here - the Americans moan all the time but it's cheap - so unless you're a dedicated raggy I'd seriously consider what they call a trawler here. I filled up in Charleston Georgia (I'd come in from the Atlantic) and just topped up in St Augustine Florida (motored all of it) and it cost $103 including filling the dinghy tank.
 
I have done the ICW a couple of times from Key West to Chesapeake with the mast up and with around 5'6" draft and had a wonderful time.. Possibly did run aground a couple of times - particularly round both 'Beaufort's' but always got off without an expensive tow from TowBoat insurance who charge like angry bulls if you are not a member and charge a big annual fee....

Frankly I never had much problem with bridges either - mainly 50ft or 60ft if I remember rightly although the one just outside Washington DC is a bit low and needs to be waited for... The Florida ones I just called on VHF and they opened without much problem or wait.

Not sure about the powerful motor either - I only had an auxiliary 30odd HP ish pushing a Moody 36 - making about 5 1/2 knots top and most of the time that was fine.. Lots of speedy yanks running about but mainly just going out for the day or fishing.... I got to anchor in the marshes of Georgia - wonderful - around Carolina and and and and - a superb trip.

It is a wonderful trip - lovely places to see and pretty undemanding except for a couple of the larger estuaries - If you are going that way in almost any boat it is the way to go,

Michael
 
[ QUOTE ]
Frankly I never had much problem with bridges either - mainly 50ft or 60ft if I remember rightly

Lots of speedy yanks running about but mainly just going out for the day or fishing....

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes and yes.

I'm on a mooring as I type in Stuart at the entrance to the Okeechobee to cross to the west coast of Florida. My boats 'air draft' is 48'6", there's one on here at 49'... should be exciting! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Apparently the nice bridge people will load up your boat with water barrels to tilt it to get it through if your mast is a bit higher than the bridge.

Most other bridges are 64' or they are bascule types. A lot of the bascules are being replaced by big concrete flyovers. Went under two yesterday marked as bascules on the latest charts that are now flyovers.

As for speedy yanks - I'm waiting for the thanksgiving weekend to be over before I move on. One shouted at me yesterday /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif well... we drive on the left in England!
 
Several people have mentioned the ICW. Be warned that it isn't regularly dredged now and even 5ft draft would be tricky in places. Air draft is theoretically 64ft but can be less when bridges are being repaired - 60ft would be safer.

The alternative, out in the Gulf Stream, does require a good seaboat as it can be stormy (even out of hurricane season) and safe inlets are a bit far apart.
 
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