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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 250 Specific Forum

How Shallow

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tipthienes
Deckhand

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USA
1 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/31/2004 : 06:22:43

I have to motor across the shallow Laguna Madre to get to the Intracostal and then to good sailing conditions. Can someone please tell me how shallow the water can be to safely navigate the the Cat 250. And also are there any modifications that could be made to improve safe shallow navigation. Thanks so much for any comments and or advice.

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bear
Admiral

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USA
909 Posts

Response Posted - 10/31/2004 : 07:17:25

I would suggest you look at the specifications part of your owners manual. You didn't say whether its a wing keel or swing keel. Also see threads on this forum about depth finders and installation of. Keep in mind any weight added to the boat lowers it down in the water. Also are there charts available for your proposed route?

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Keith D.
Navigator

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USA
233 Posts

Response Posted - 10/31/2004 : 14:33:13

The advertised draft for the 250’s is 1’8” for the centerboard model with the centerboard up and 3’5” for the wing keel. Though for the centerboard model the rudder goes down further than that. As to how far is determined by which rudder you have, 1st, 2nd or 3rd generation or even a beaching model which can be kicked up. If you are going to do this on a regular basis a depth gauge is a must. You also must keep track of the tide charts; my GPS gives me the current tide height. The Lagoon is supposed to be 3 to 4 feet deep throughout with some areas along the shoreline becoming only 1 to 2 feet deep. If you are talking about lower Laguna Madre there is a channel going through there, which is kept dredged. I don’t know about the upper Laguna Madre.

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Ben - FL
Admiral

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880 Posts

Response Posted - 10/31/2004 : 20:25:43

When I see four feet on the sounder I start getting very worried.

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bren737
Captain

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291 Posts

Response Posted - 11/01/2004 : 11:26:54

'Tip"
Exactly where are you talking about having to cross Laguna Madre? There are a couple of old channels that are fairly silted in from the ICW to 'mainland' just west of the JFK bridge. As long as you are familiar with the channels (which you probably are and know that they aren't very well marked) you should be OK with the board up and a '3rd generation' rudder. I think the older, kick-up style would be 'kicked up' even in the channels. I fish a bit in the flats of the Madre just north of the ICW from the JFK west several miles. As you know, it's only about a foot deep in most of that area. . . definitely too shallow for the 250, even board up.

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Jeff McK
Captain

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USA
389 Posts

Response Posted - 11/02/2004 : 15:14:35

Along with the above info, don't forget about the variance in the depth of a wave trough. Discovering the bottom when you are bouncing along in 2 foot waves could be very unpleasant (or worse!)

Edited by - Jeff McK on 11/02/2004 15:14:58

Ray Seitz
Captain

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USA
416 Posts

Response Posted - 11/03/2004 : 12:30:13

I wouldn't trust the Mfg specs totally. As a result of a discussion (attached link) <blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">http://www.catalina25-250.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4590&SearchTerms=rudder<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote"> I measured my rudder, water line to bottom and found it to be below the published draft. So I measured my draft while the boat was on the trailer (I used a line & level projected out from the keel so that I could measure up to waterline). I found that the boat draft was about the same as the rudder depth in the water. I think it was 29". I like Ben get nervous around 4 feet on the sounder. I have found that on a tack close to shore the CB will not hit bottom but the stern of the boat actually gets closer and so does the rudder

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Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 11/04/2004 : 08:31:40

With CB up and if using a beachig rudder, she will handle two feet of water... steering has to be done by the outboard when the rudder is kicked back.

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.