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Old     (jrich)      Join Date: Oct 2009       12-03-2012, 2:18 PM Reply   
Quick question concerning draft so excuse my lack of knowledge. Does draft refer to the amout of water a boat takes on from the water line to the bottom of the hull or does is it go from the water line to the bottom tip of the prop? Thanks in advance.
Old     (petrie141)      Join Date: Jun 2012       12-03-2012, 2:22 PM Reply   
Someone can correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm sure they will) but we've always referred to is as how much of the boat dips below the waterline. Basically from the waterline to the part of the boat that sticking furthest down in the water.
Old     (wakebordr11)      Join Date: May 2001       12-03-2012, 3:08 PM Reply   
^ Correct, surface of the water to lowest point on the hull/running gear, whichever is lowest.
Old     (you_da_man)      Join Date: Sep 2009       12-03-2012, 3:23 PM Reply   
Minimum water needed to float the boat including prop, rudder, or drive in the case of inboard/outboard. There's no way draft means just the hull because none of these wakeboats have 24"-30" of hull underwater.
Old     (jrich)      Join Date: Oct 2009       12-03-2012, 3:35 PM Reply   
Ok thanks. I'm planning on upgrading to a v drive next spring and a few of my local riding spots are pretty shallow (5 -14 ft deep). So I'm wondering how big of an affect it would present when it comes to how deep or shallow the draft may be, also when it comes to the size of the wake. i currently have an older I/o and I'm not sure what the draft is but I have been told that the draft on my I/o is deeper than what I would have on a v drive.
Old     (jrich)      Join Date: Oct 2009       12-03-2012, 3:44 PM Reply   
Btw the boats I have in mind are the x star (205v hull), super air 210 (super sport hull), and wakesetter vlx. I've researched the specs on all boats so I'm already aware of the draft of these models. I guess what I'm asking is which model will perform the best in shallow water or if that is something I shouldn't even be concerned about.
Old     (stephan)      Join Date: Nov 2002       12-03-2012, 3:50 PM Reply   
Its all dependent on the variables. Make, model, load etc etc. If you are used to a I/O, generally speaking you will likely end up needing less depth, but its not guaranteed. I would say the places you are comfortable placing your current boat, you should be good with the new boat.

Don't concern your self about shallow water performance. If you are really worried, get the boat that has the least draft. All will have wake quality mildly affected in the shallow sections (under 10').
Old     (petrie141)      Join Date: Jun 2012       12-03-2012, 4:07 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by jrich View Post
Btw the boats I have in mind are the x star (205v hull), super air 210 (super sport hull), and wakesetter vlx. I've researched the specs on all boats so I'm already aware of the draft of these models. I guess what I'm asking is which model will perform the best in shallow water or if that is something I shouldn't even be concerned about.
Just by doing a few very shallow google searches I found some data. it looks like the 205v hull has a 1' 10" draft (call it 2' just to be safe), the Super Sport hull has a 2' 4" draft (2.5' to be safe), and the VLX has anywhere between a 1.5' to 2+' draft. Like I said though, that data came from some very shallow search results, so the results are likely off. Of course, any additional weight you add to the boat will bring the draft deeper into the water.

What I would do is measure the current draft of your i/o. To do that, measure from the very bottom tip of your prop shield, all the way to the very bottom of the hull (obviously do this while the boat is on the trailer). Then, when your boat is on the water with your normal amount of weight, mark where the water line comes to on the side of the boat using something that will come off easily like a carpenters pencil. When you get home measure from the pencil line to the bottom of the hull. Add the two lengths together and... bam, you've got your draft! If your I/O has a greater draft than lets say 2.5' you should be safe in any of the above-mentioned boats. I would however be very careful in those 5' deep areas. Unless you know exactly what's on the bottom, it's always possible for you to hit something.
Old     (madcityskier)      Join Date: Jun 2012       12-03-2012, 5:25 PM Reply   
Keep in mind that when you take off the bow will rise and the stern will drop. Also, extra weight will cause the boat to settle lower in the water (think people gear ballast). In my experience, shallow water yields lower wakes. This is more noticeable on wider hulls. These are my experiences, yours may vary.
Old     (jrich)      Join Date: Oct 2009       12-03-2012, 7:01 PM Reply   
Thanks for the input everyone. From what I've read on here so far it seems ill be fine. Now the hard part is gonna be finding the right boat at the right price. I'm just super paranoid when it comes to stumps and such. I'm going to find out tomorrow what the draft is on my current boat. I'm almost certain it will be well above 30" so looks like I'm good. One more thing, would you get more bow rise from an I/o vs a v drive since the prop is all the way to the rear rather than further forward under the hull? Thanks again.
Old     (petrie141)      Join Date: Jun 2012       12-03-2012, 7:34 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by jrich View Post
Thanks for the input everyone. From what I've read on here so far it seems ill be fine. Now the hard part is gonna be finding the right boat at the right price. I'm just super paranoid when it comes to stumps and such. I'm going to find out tomorrow what the draft is on my current boat. I'm almost certain it will be well above 30" so looks like I'm good. One more thing, would you get more bow rise from an I/o vs a v drive since the prop is all the way to the rear rather than further forward under the hull? Thanks again.
Most inboards have less bow-rise than i/Os, or if the actual angle is the same, an inboard gets on plane faster. Of course the way your boat is weighted (fat sacs) can change the amount of rise for better or worse. Generally though, an inboard has less rise.

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