Articles
   
       
Pics/Video
       
Wake 101
   
       
       
Shop
Search
 
 
 
 
 
Home   Articles   Pics/Video   Gear   Wake 101   Events   Community   Forums   Classifieds   Contests   Shop   Search
WakeWorld Home
Email Password
Go Back   WakeWorld > >> Boats, Accessories & Tow Vehicles Archive > Archive through October 28, 2007

Share 
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old     (wakeboardnut)      Join Date: Jul 2006       09-24-2007, 11:05 AM Reply   
Well, im still doing my homework on the purchase of my first brand new boat :-):-)

Id like to know from everyone, how LITTLE of water height your boat can safely float in.

Not drive, but safely float.

My dock water gets REALLY low at the end of August, and is quite low all year to begin with.

So my question is.

1. What kind of boat do you have?

2. What does the MFG say is the min float requirement?

3. How low have you Personally had your boat float in?

Thanks everyone!!

-Chase
Old     (05mobiuslsv)      Join Date: Apr 2006       09-24-2007, 11:08 AM Reply   
Most wakeboard boats are +/_ and inch or so 24".
Old     (waterfreak)      Join Date: Jul 2007       09-24-2007, 11:10 AM Reply   
I have hit prop at 1.8' on my depth finder. That is measured from bottom of hull under engine. I would guess that it is around 2.1' -2.5' in reality. I don't think you would want to go shallower because with every wave the prop will hit the bottom and can do damage depending on what it is hitting.

(Message edited by waterfreak on September 24, 2007)
Old     (helix_rider)      Join Date: Mar 2003       09-24-2007, 11:10 AM Reply   
Yeah, my boat ('05 Mobius LSV) says 24" draw. I've never had it in under 3 feet when the boat was off, and never less than 4 feet when under power. Gets me nervous whenever the depth gauge drops under 10 ft....gimme the deep water :-)
Old     (showtime)      Join Date: Nov 2005       09-24-2007, 11:13 AM Reply   
One thing to remember is that # increases when people and equipment starts boarding.....
Old     (michealhoward)      Join Date: May 2007       09-24-2007, 11:59 AM Reply   
My Centruion has a 29" draft. So 3' is the lowest I would want to go to be safe.
Old     (tarpongator)      Join Date: Jan 2006       09-24-2007, 12:10 PM Reply   
My canal reads anywhere from 1.5 to 3.0 on the depth gauge (I have seen .9 one time). This is where I keep my boat and also have to travel through for about 75 yards to get to deeper water. I cannot say I have ever got the exact depth gauge reading of where my boat actually sits tied to the dock but I would guess 2.0 to 2.5. I can say the boat is floating at the dock. Our canal bottom is soft muck and also there are no waves or current in our canal, just slight water movement if it is windy. I have hit a random stick/small limb etc. on the bottom of the canal but no issues. No scratches on the hull, no prop damage. Ironically, I have a '06 SAN 220 and I believe the draw is 28". I have always figured the true depth was a good foot greater than the depth gauge if not even more.
Old     (jcv)      Join Date: Oct 2005       09-24-2007, 12:18 PM Reply   
The X-1 is the shallowest (I know, not a word)running V-Drive I know of. Its draft is only 20" (which is also why it needs a little extra weight over stock). When my dock water gets low, I turn off the engine as early as possible and walk it in if necessary. We have a soft, mud bottom, so I've never been too worried, but it obviously minimizes the risk of chips and dings when the prop isn't spinning.
Old     (wakeboardnut)      Join Date: Jul 2006       09-24-2007, 12:33 PM Reply   
well, im not so worrid about having to drive it in.

just wondering if i will be able to have it sit tied up next to the dock.

water is around 30" in the spring up until mid august.

that draft on the v-ride bu is 24", but will that be ok if it gets wavy?

the bottom is just semi hard sand, no rocks or anything
Old     (jcv)      Join Date: Oct 2005       09-24-2007, 12:38 PM Reply   
Chase, how exposed is your dock? If you're getting unimpeded rollers, it could be a problem. For sure you're going to have to empty all ballast before you dock each time. 30" is right on the threshold. Tough call.
Old     (wakeboardnut)      Join Date: Jul 2006       09-24-2007, 1:15 PM Reply   
its full exsposed. its a big lake, im in a big crescent bay, it might aswell be a beach, but instead of having a beach we all have seawalls.

this sucks :-(

i really would like to leave it tied the dock rather than moor it 100yards from the dock
Old     (woreout)      Join Date: Aug 2006       09-24-2007, 1:32 PM Reply   
Zanes boat needs 43 ft.
Old     (yager97)      Join Date: Feb 2007       09-24-2007, 1:37 PM Reply   
Chase where are you riding?
Old     (wakeboardnut)      Join Date: Jul 2006       09-24-2007, 1:40 PM Reply   
Lake Couchiching.
Old     (yager97)      Join Date: Feb 2007       09-24-2007, 1:45 PM Reply   
thought maybe, its a real shallow lake. Get a boat lift and you won't have to worry about it.
Old     (wakeboardnut)      Join Date: Jul 2006       09-24-2007, 1:49 PM Reply   
ill be taking my boat to my girlfriends in haliburton probably half the time so i dont want to spend the cash on a lift, but was hoping when it was at my place i could dock it up but i guess anchoring is my only choice unless its the start of season :-(

damn shallow lake!

what lake you on?
Old     (yager97)      Join Date: Feb 2007       09-24-2007, 1:53 PM Reply   
This year, I'm on penetanguishene bay, next year I plan on putting it in kempenfelt bay because I live in Barrie. It's a tough call though, Penetang bay has better conditions usually and much warmer water, Kempenfelt is freezing, its so deep.
Old     (bmartin)      Join Date: Jan 2007       09-24-2007, 1:54 PM Reply   
If your draft is 2 feet there is your answer when your boat is empty. No it will not be OK if it is wavy at 2 feet - your boat prop will def. be hitting the ground. Depending on the wave, it may not even be OK at 30" unless you put it on a lift.

I regularly idle my boat in front of my dock when it gets as low as 2.4 feet, but the ground is soft and I know exactly where all the potential trouble spots are. I do not have rollers or waves to worry about though. Any less than that I walk it in.

Do they ever drain your lake? They partially drain ours ever 3 or so years for people to work on their shoreline. You may want to get out there and clear a channel for your boat if they do.

So you are going with the V-Ride? If you are going to moore it, check to make sure how that affects the waranty of the gel coat. Some boats will blister if moored and a lot of manufactures will not cover it if it is moored for extended time.
Old     (wakeboardnut)      Join Date: Jul 2006       09-24-2007, 2:05 PM Reply   
really huh?

id have to check with the bu on the warranty, my best bud has an x-7 and his lake is too deep to have a lift, but his boat sits in the water all year, and hasnt has a single prob yet with his hull at all

is mc that much better? im not sure

he does take it out 3-4 times a year to give her a nie rub down though, maybe thats why its staying so nice

i would def plan to do the same, take it out every third week or so
Old     (bmartin)      Join Date: Jan 2007       09-24-2007, 2:39 PM Reply   
I have a Centurion and know they will not cover blisters if your boat is moored. Not sure what policies are of other companies.
Old     (kneeboarder8806)      Join Date: Jan 2006       09-24-2007, 3:09 PM Reply   
how would centurion prove that having your boat moored cause blistering.
Old     (dcwillette)      Join Date: Sep 2005       09-24-2007, 3:37 PM Reply   
I may be stiring up the thread again on boat warranties and quality but that policy is absurd.

A Tartan sailboat has a 15-year warranty against blisters in its gel coat (and yes it is gel coat, I checked) and it spends its entire life sitting in salt-water. Yet these wakeboat manufactures claim the latest and highest-quality construction will not cover blisters if it's moored at all?
Old     (yager97)      Join Date: Feb 2007       09-24-2007, 4:26 PM Reply   
boats are meant to be in the water arent they? seems like a pain in the ass if you had to trailer your boat around all the time, not to mention time consuming on those nights after work when you want to get in a ride. I leave mine in all year
Old     (etakk7)      Join Date: Apr 2006       09-24-2007, 8:40 PM Reply   
205V - sandy bottom, my boat floats around a bouy and the depth is at my knees when I board the swim platform. I'm 5'10." I'd say the 20" mentioned before sounds about right.
Old     (bmartin)      Join Date: Jan 2007       09-25-2007, 8:11 AM Reply   
andrew and chad - I'm not saying I agree with the lack of warranty on blisters and mooring and yes I think it borders on absurd that they will not warranty a boat that sits in the water. After all they are intended to be used in the water. Just saying look before you leap or in this case moor.
Old    deltahoosier            09-25-2007, 9:23 AM Reply   
Chase, does the water get deeper away from the dock?

You can always put an anchor buddy out and moor the boat out 40 or 50 feet and pull it into the dock or they have those whip looking things to hold it out from the dock.
Old     (yager97)      Join Date: Feb 2007       09-25-2007, 10:31 AM Reply   
It does seem ridiculous that one of these "high quality" wakeboat companies can't put together a hull that would resist water blisters from being in the water for extended periods of time. These boats are not cheap, and if they spent more money on R & D and a little less on marketing, they might be able to solve this problem and put a decent warranty on their hull.
Old     (woreout)      Join Date: Aug 2006       09-25-2007, 11:14 AM Reply   
andrew its called bottom paint and its ugly. I dont think its a matter of R&D because you see the most expensive yachts in the world with bottom paint.
Old     (wakeboardnut)      Join Date: Jul 2006       09-25-2007, 11:18 AM Reply   
hey rod

the water is that shallow for about 100yards or so out, its slightly gets gradually higher. i would most likely just moor it to an anchorbuddy.

but even if i did pull it up to the dock, im assuming id still have to worry about the wavy days even if it was tied with the whipps.
Old     (kal_dude)      Join Date: Apr 2006       09-25-2007, 3:48 PM Reply   
you could always dig out under where the boat will sit. it will be an easy way to make sure you are safe!! most companies that install piers have the capabilities to do so for you??
Old     (gti2lo)      Join Date: Nov 2005       09-25-2007, 4:34 PM Reply   
Chase- My boat sits in the water from april until end of october... I don't even have a waterline on mine!! When water is 65+ degrees, grab a brush and goggles and scrub... keep it lookin new!

Boat isn't going to have blisters and even if it does and it's not covered.. hell only a couple hundred bucks, maybe a grand.... lifts are $5k plus.
Old     (wakeboardnut)      Join Date: Jul 2006       09-25-2007, 4:44 PM Reply   
hey Greg,

yah my concern isnt so much the grime or blistering as i will be as meticulous with my boat as i am my cars.

im just more concerned if i can even bring it in as close as my dock without smacking my prop or hull.
Old     (wakeboardnut)      Join Date: Jul 2006       09-25-2007, 4:46 PM Reply   
yah i dont think id bother with a lift, my dads lift is hella snazzy, canopy, remote and all.

boat his boat is an i/o and he has no prob bringing it right to the dock since he can raise the drive
Old     (gti2lo)      Join Date: Nov 2005       09-25-2007, 5:09 PM Reply   
but how far does the deep-V sit in the water... I know my nieghbors 23' crownline sits "deep"

what about dredgin a channel out?
Old     (paulw)      Join Date: Dec 2006       09-26-2007, 3:01 PM Reply   
I had a MC and it sat in the water for 3 years and it got blisters. Gel coat can get blisters if left in the water with out bottom paint. My was not covered by the warrenty, and it was around $ 4,500 to re gel the entire bottom. The glass guy said if you leave it in it will get blisters, he said if you take it out every couple of weeks to let the glass dry out you might not get them??
My new boat sits on a lift.
Old     (gti2lo)      Join Date: Nov 2005       09-26-2007, 3:17 PM Reply   
Remember that mineral content in the water has alot to do with blistering.

also...to think....

typically the northerner boating season is 5-6 months long...

Not a full year like some priviledged southern folks.
Old     (pilot_ryder)      Join Date: Apr 2006       09-26-2007, 9:36 PM Reply   
1)tige 22ve
2)about 2 1/2 feet
3)about 2 feet
Old     (technarider)      Join Date: Jun 2006       09-26-2007, 11:18 PM Reply   
so pondering a thought here?

min depth a boat will float in? bottom of the boat to the waterline... say 24"

depth gauge... bottom of the boat to the ground?

so if your boat draft is 24" and your gauge sayies 1.5'? thats 3.5' feet surface to ground?

never had a gauge before so i am asking... or do they offset the gauge to make up for this?
Old     (mlb75)      Join Date: Aug 2007       10-13-2007, 8:07 AM Reply   
A little off topic but since you asked most transducers are located in the bottom of the hull and by default they read from that point to the bottom, however most are adjustable so you can set an offset which means they can read whatever you want them to. Most people leave them alone but if you've got a little spare time you can measure the clearance from where the transducer is to the lowest point on your boat (normally the prop or rudder) and offset the reading by that value or you could measure from the transducer to the waterline (where it normally is when the boat is loaded) depending on how you want to operate. For me I've always offset mine to the bottom of the prop etc so I ALWAYS know how much water I've got between it and the bottom. My reasoning for that is to be honest I don't really care how deep the water is I just want to know before I chew up a prop etc.
Old     (ryand121)      Join Date: Feb 2007       10-13-2007, 4:29 PM Reply   
If you're worried about the prop and rudder hitting while being parked, you could just leave the bow ballast filled and drain the the rear. that should at least get it up a few more inches...just my $.02...

Reply
Share 

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 7:13 AM.

Home   Articles   Pics/Video   Gear   Wake 101   Events   Community   Forums   Classifieds   Contests   Shop   Search
Wake World Home

 

© 2019 eWake, Inc.    
Advertise    |    Contact    |    Terms of Use    |    Privacy Policy    |    Report Abuse    |    Conduct    |    About Us