Deep or Shallow Draft

Question:

Hi Fred,

I have read quite a lot from your sailing blog and have enjoyed it very much. I am an Aussie, although I spent quite a few years working in the U.S. and Thailand. I am looking at an 8' draft Alan Warwick designed boat here and so many people say the draft is too deep for many places.. I will take the boat up to Yacht Haven in Phuket, or maybe the new Boat Lagoon marina at Krabi.

I would be interested to hear your comments and if you have encountered many restrictions due to draft.

Take care and fair winds.

Best wishes,
Harry

Answer

Hi Harry,

Obviously 8' draft will restrict you more than 6' draft and six will be more restrictive than four. Some marinas are shallow, not too many however, certainly not Yacht Haven, (I don't know about Krabi, but it IS up a river). Of course Phang Nga Bay is full of shallow areas, many are less than even 4', and in some anchorages you will have to anchor farther out than a boat with shallower draft. We don't feel however, that our draft has unduly affected us; we go where most everyone else can go, just more carefully and anyhow everyone has to pay attention to the depth, even people with boats with much less draft than 8'. In boatyards you see as many 6' draft boats with keel damage as 8' draft boats.

But the main thing I would like to say is that a deep draft keel makes a much better sailboat. If you like to sail, seek out that deep draft boat. If you have a shallow draft it will be to your benefit once in a while, but the lack of sailing ability will be a millstone on your neck every minute you are sailing for all of the years you have the boat. Why accept weak performance 360 days a year to have a convenience once a year? There is a reason why modern boats have deeper, or even retractable, keels: it really makes a difference sailing.

Finally, if Alan Warwick put an 8' keel on that boat then it was because he was interested in designing a good sailing boat. He probably carried that intent thru-out the boat so this will be a good boat, in my opinion, to look at.

In the end, evaluate your priorities: if it is on sailing rather than parking in shallow places, you will accept the limitations of the deep draft because you don't want to accept the poor performance otherwise.

Fred Roswold, SV Wings, Trinidad


Conclusion

Hi Fred,


Thanks so much for your thoughts. I do appreciate the time taken to respond. You have confirmed my thinking and I look very seriously at the Warwick here in Australia. I know Alan Warwick has designed some superb sailboats and I have already contacted his office in N.Z. about some upgraded I would do on this particular boat.


Thanks again and best wishes,
Harry