What's the shallowest water you will go in?

Most if not all depthsounder have adjustable "offset" to compensate for transducer location. You can set it display waterline depth, depth from transducer, or any other negative or positive offset.

Mine is set to waterline so that depthsounder readings should correspond with charted depths (at least in theory).

If you guys are not sure if you're sounder is adjusted to "offset", I suggest you check it out asap or you risk miscalculating water depth at the worst possible time.
 
Question- what depth finder do you trust more, the one in the smartcraft setup or your GPS? My readings are often a half a foot to one foot different.
 
And.... why would you back into the beach.... does anyone understand where the water pickups are on a Stern Drive.... yeah buried in the bottom of the Lake....
Where I boat you don't put the bow to the beach, especially if you are in a fairly small boat, when the water gets rough and start pounding the stern it is not fun, you always turn the bow out to ride the water. You do not bury the drive in the bottom, you stop before you do that, raise to trailer position, get out set stern anchor on beach so you can adjust the boat with the lines. We are on the ICW and when the large boats come by you have large swells to ride as well as 2 to 4 foot chop, and the only way is bow facing that. We also have a current that during mid tide can reach 5 to 6 knots and it is hitting you in the side and when you are leaving the crowded beach parking its much easier to maneuver in forward than reverse.
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Bam073 said:
Question- what depth finder do you trust more, the one in the smartcraft setup or your GPS? My readings are often a half a foot to one foot different.
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My factory one is slightly off of the keel center a few inches up the deadrise. This shoots it off at a slight angle so I'm assuming my depth from that one is slightly deeper than the transom mounted transducer I installed. In 70' of water I'm not too concerned about an extra 1' or 2.

In the shallow water I'm going to check how accurate each is.
 
On my boat - the shallowest I get into is when the depth gauge says I have 1.6' under the boat. At that point - the rudders are not sitting in sand. Which is probably between 3 and 4 of water. I don't know for sure. I just know things are okay when I show 1.6'.
 
Once while anchored my wife checked the depth(4') and told me she was going to shore for a walk. She slid off the swim platform and disappeard under water. Came up mad because she got her hair wet and told me the depth finder wasn't working right. I guess I never eplained to her that the reading was from the bottom of the boat.
 
Four Suns said:
You need to go run your boat aground one time to get over your fear. Running aground is one of those "when" not "if" things.
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Ain't that the truth! Also, it will probably happen when you have a few friends on board and you are showing them your "captain skills". Course that could just be me....
 
fragmag said:
Ain't that the truth! Also, it will probably happen when you have a few friends on board and you are showing them your "captain skills". Course that could just be me....
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Been there. Had a boat full, cruising around 15 and got out of the channel between Honeymoon Island and Caledesi Island. Hooray for soft sand. Still had two feet under us so I had everyone to the bow, got out and pushed.

Out here in Clearwater we pretty much say that if you haven't grounded at least once your not boating. But make sure you ground at low tide. Grounding at high tide would really blow.

First time I grounded was at low tide and after sunset. Missed the channel and hurtled to the shoreline only to find my self in ten inches of water. Called a buddy to find out when high tide was and took nap...
 
Since everyone else is confessing....I was on a chartered Bayliner 4087 for a week long trip in the San Juans with the admiral, her Dad and his wife. I was coming out of Fisherman's Harbor at a low tide. I was using the Raymarine on chartplotter as I knew I had a narrow channel showing 6' at MLLW and the digital depth guage on the instrument panel for water depth.

The digital guage showed 12' of water when the props kissed the rocks. I bent the port prop bad enough to have to shut it down and cruise back to Anacortes on the starboard engine. Then we spent 2 days of our charter waiting for the props to be repaired. Needless to say, not a happy time. But, other than the lost time it was still a great trip.

Here in the Delta, depths go routinely from 60' to 2' in les than a 1/4 mile. An accurate depth guage is one of the most important instruments. That and a sober skipper.
 
skolbe said:
On my boat - the shallowest I get into is when the depth gauge says I have 1.6' under the boat. At that point - the rudders are not sitting in sand. Which is probably between 3 and 4 of water. I don't know for sure. I just know things are okay when I show 1.6'.
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Wow, I would never think anyone would feel comfortable taking 320 is such shallow depth. Do you really need to be in such shallow water? :huh:

The shallowest I went with 240 about 1.6' - 2'. But, that's only because I know I can trim the drive up to trailer position. With my 320, I'm not going anywhere shallower than 3' for sandy bottom only. If the bottom has rocks, my limit would be 5-6'.

Alex.
 
I think the worst place I've seen in the Pamlico sound in NC. You can run aground and not see land... that's just creepy.
 
Four Suns said:
I think the worst place I've seen in the Pamlico sound in NC. You can run aground and not see land... that's just creepy.
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Gary,

What is the name of that place right near Kent Narrows where you come in basically straight for land, then it's a dog leg right towards the cove? People are standing in the water drinking margaritas just waiting for boats to run aground. I think I remember you went through there once (seem to remember a pic).

Doug
 
The ability to run in shallow water is inversely proportionate to the thickness in ones wallet!

Pirate: I think you need to study the back of your hand a little more! :grin:
 
Where I boat. . . deep water is 5 feet. Depth gauge at fuel dock reads 2.5 feet.

I rely *ALOT* on local knowledge and charts.
 
comsnark said:
Where I boat. . . deep water is 5 feet.
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That was the hardest thing for me when I went to PCB in FL last year. Running around in the bay with the depth gauge reading 10+- feet drove me crazy. I'm used to it normally reading 20-100' up here in the Mtn lakes.
 
Most of our lake is 50 ft. plus even close to the shore. The main channel is over 150ft. up to over 200 ft. everywhere, but there are many very, VERY treacherous shoals and yo can run from 100 feet to 2.5 feet of water within seconds. My sounder is set for 10 feet with a 1 foot offset from sunder position to the bottom of the running gear. I do not go under five feet because our bottom is rocky and damage is certain if you touch. Now in teh salt marshes outside Savannah we had hardly more than four feet of water under the keel and on low tide you could see prop marks in the mud everywhere. You gotta know where to go in those areas.

Right now our lake is again at the lowest mark we had last year, about 6 feet down from full pond and I have 3 feet left under the running gear. Boats farther up my slip row att he end of the cover are again sitting in the mud.
 
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douglee25 said:
Gary,

What is the name of that place right near Kent Narrows where you come in basically straight for land, then it's a dog leg right towards the cove? People are standing in the water drinking margaritas just waiting for boats to run aground. I think I remember you went through there once (seem to remember a pic).

Doug
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Are you talking about Fairlee Creek here in Maryland? It sounds like the place, you come in following the markers and turn hard to starboard, and it may be only 20 yards wide. The current will throw an extra element of adventure into it as well.

People will hold up signs grading you on your technique. If you run aground you get the famous “You Suck” sign.
 
As Gary mentioned - the Sounds around the Outer Banks are shallow and can get even more so very quickly! I typically boat where we have a total of about 4-5 feet of water at a maximum... and it can go down to about 12-18" under the keel without much notice. Fun place to boat - but it would be nice if the Sounds had more water. For those of you used to deep water - check out the charts around the Outer Banks - it can be a bit challenging.

So - my fun running aground story happened in my Parker.... we were coming into Oregon Inlet at low tide and the bow hits a sand bar. For those of you who have been through here know the inlet can change in just one day. I trimmed the motor up and started to reverse out of there. The one thing I forgot to do was have my son move from the rear seat up - remember the wind....? The combination of the wind, the motor being tilted up and being in reversed sent a nice shower of water over the transom. The boy was less than pleased..... but at least we got out of there.:smt043 He learned a lesson though - when he sees the motor tilt up he moves forward!:grin:
 
tdappleman said:
As Gary mentioned - the Sounds around the Outer Banks are shallow and can get even more so very quickly! I typically boat where we have a total of about 4-5 feet of water at a maximum... and it can go down to about 12-18" under the keel without much notice. Fun place to boat - but it would be nice if the Sounds had more water. For those of you used to deep water - check out the charts around the Outer Banks - it can be a bit challenging.

So - my fun running aground story happened in my Parker.... we were coming into Oregon Inlet at low tide and the bow hits a sand bar. For those of you who have been through here know the inlet can change in just one day. I trimmed the motor up and started to reverse out of there. The one thing I forgot to do was have my son move from the rear seat up - remember the wind....? The combination of the wind, the motor being tilted up and being in reversed sent a nice shower of water over the transom. The boy was less than pleased..... but at least we got out of there.:smt043 He learned a lesson though - when he sees the motor tilt up he moves forward!:grin:
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knowing the OBX I don't know how anyone can boat there and not sweat bullets all the time. There is only two feet of water in the entire sound a a super narrow and shifting boating channel. Do you guys ever go out of the sound into the atlantic via the Oregon outlet without running aground?? Looking at the shifting sands on the sound side and the violent waters on the cean side of that outlet it is a pure stroke of luck to not ship wreck there ... Hats off to anyone who masters the outer banks !!!
 
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