Conference unifix::sailing

    The shallow draft boat compensates for the fact that the ballast
    is not carried as low by increasing the ballast.  The ballast is
    usually concentrated in a fat lump which has very little lateral
    resistance and reduces upwind performance (leeway, not necessarily
    heeling - which is compensated for by additional weight). A shallow 
    keel with a centerboard can allow you to get some of the lost 
    performance back. A ballast to displacement of 40-45% seems normal, 
    but you cannot tell how stiff a boat will be from this alone. Depth 
    of the ballast, hull shape, size and height of the sail rig and rudder 
    location, size and type all contribute to the sense of 'stiff' or 
    'tender'.  
    
    My first keel boat had a deep fin and B/D of 50%, a Vee shaped hull,
    spade rudder and generous sail plan.  She would heel heel to 40
    degrees and track like a freight train. I still dont know how to
    classify her.  My wife considered her tender (not to mention
    inconvienient) cause she had to move about.  Since I was on the
    helm 95% of the time, and that was no work once you propped yourself
    up, I thought she was pretty stiff (at 40 degrees heel).   
    
    Maybe I am not the norm, but I find the bay keeps the Sailing
    Dictionary definition of destination fresh in our minds. We seem
    to be always going to weather.
    
    My present boat has a Scheel (patented) keel (a cross between shoal 
    draft and a winged keel) that I feel provides very good performance 
    and saves about 18" draft. Neither Catalina or Pearson offer this option. 

    For the bay, I would want to keep my draft under 5' if practicle
    and certainly under 6'.  The draft doesnt affect sailing areas too
    much, but access to and space in the coves improve quite a bit 
    every time you chop a foot from your draft.
    
    I hope more info helps rather than confuses the issue for you.
    Walt 
    anchorage.  

    "..... but access to and space in the coves improve quite a 
    bit every time you chop a foot from your draft."
    
Hmmm, I've always wondered about this argument. Perhaps it is because we
sail in rocky places like Maine, but we are always careful to keep at
least 10 feet under the keel. Bashing into a ledge or boulder can do a
lot of damage, especially to a centerboarder or to a boat with the
ballast encapsulated in fiberglass. Where there is a large tidal range
(10 to 20 feet down East) a foot of draft more or less is really
irrelevant. I'd opt for the better sailing performance of the deeper
keel. The PHRF ratings for the shoal draft versions of most production
boats are many seconds per mile higher. Of course, if you only sail over 
sandy bottoms in calm weather at low tide .....

Alan

    Well Alan, Narrangansett bay has maybe 5 rocks.  There huge shoal
    areas with soft bottoms that change very gradually and can be sailed
    if you have some experience there.  One in particular I can think
    of is a section of Narrangansett Bey called Greenwich Bay. A lot of 
    boats either sail this bay or transit out to other areas from marinas
    at the west end.
    
    This bay has very large areas 3-6 feet deep along the northwestern
    perimeter into Apponaug Cove and the southeast edge into Narrangansett
    Bay. A shallow draft boat can cut an hour off a sail from E. Greenwich 
    to Newport just by being able to cross the 5' bottom shallows instead of
    rounding the buoys. 
    
    Good coves like Potter's and the Kickamuit (technically a river
    I guess) have lots of space near shore where the depth is under
    6' but limited anchorage in 8-12' water due to crowds and morrings.
    At Dutch Island Harbor, you have to get there early to anchor
    close to shore in 8-12' depths, but if you can stand 5-6' of water
    under you there is lots of space close in.
    
    If the justification for shallow draft was simply to avoid rocks,
    I would agree that the foot wont improve the odds of missing one
    much (I used to sail the Conn. side of LI Sound, so I have some first
    hand experience with submerged rocks).  
    
    Looking back a the keel depths of the Pearson and Catalina refered
    to in .0, I would say that the savings of 6-10" isnt worth much
    given that they are all under 5' anyway. So given 'my' critera of
    <5' being desired, either option meets the goal.  In that case,
    the performance advantage of the slightly deeper keel would out
    weigh the added draft savings.    
    
    Of course there is always those Eddy & Duff boats that sail in wet
    grass.  That would be the next level below 5' that would open new
    Narrangansett Bay horizons. There are at least as many coves that have
    no more than 3' of water at low tide as have >6'. Swimming might
    get sticky, but at least there wouldnt be any power boaters to keep
    you up all nite.
    
    Walt 

Oh well, I've never sailed in Narragensett Bay (except once as crew). My 
education does have its gaps. 

Indirectly, you've made the important point that one's choice of a boat
is greatly influenced by the waters one sails in and by one's sailing
interests. Perhaps those asking for and giving advice should indicate 
their biases (though the biases of us advice givers tend to be obvious 
after a while, I suppose). 

By the way, if you like anchoring in these shallow spots, have you 
considered a twin bilge keel boat? This might open vast new anchoring 
areas, and, in fact, at low tide you needn't even worry about the 
anchor. You just step over the side and go clamming!

    Perhaps mentioned by Walts note, but I chartered a shoal draft boat
    recently (an Irwin) and was extremely disappointed with how it sailed.
    As the breeze began to stiffen up, the boat began to slip sideways
    more and more.   She would not track well at all.  Sail it first
    and see if it performs to your expectations.  In Narraganset bay
    you are usually beating to the south into Newport, and running or
    a beam reach back up the bay in the late afternoon.   I'd worry
    about it going to weather well.
    
    With regards to getting in close to shore in a shoal draft, I agree
    with Alan.  I've never taken my boat into waters that shallow for
    reasons ranging from submerged rocks to hungry bugs.  It may save
    you time cutting buoys out of Greenwich Bay, but I'd worry about
    being able to do that next year, or the year after.  They're not
    guaranteed to be clear the way a channel is.  Its a gamble, nothing
    less. I'd rather just plan in the few more minutes.
    
    Rick
    
    

    What I haven't seen here (and it may not be an issue) is price and
    availability of shoal draft verses deep draft.  The last time I
    was in the boat buying mood it appeared (not a marketing study)
    that there were more shoal draft keel baots around and the price
    was less than the deep keeled boats.
    
    comments please!
    
    
    tom
    
    

    I have a problem with the cost of a shoal draft keel being less
    than a deep draft version. Generally, the shoal draft keels are
    heavier than deep draft which should require more ballast (hopefully
    lead) to figure into the total cost of the boat.
    
    Ed