Hi All,
We've had an 18' Boston Whaler on the Sassafras River (upper Chesapeake Bay) for about 10 years. The kids are getting bigger, and we're ready for something with more room that we can overnight on and use to explore more of the Bay.
We looked at a lot of boats at the Annapolis show, including some nice bowriders that would be better suited to our shallow water. But I keep coming back to the Cutwater C-248 Coupe and now the Solara 250C. I recently learned from a factory rep that they're essentially the same boat, with the Solara including most of the Cutwater's options as standard. I particularly like the lithium batteries, solar, grill, and autopilot.
The big challenge is the water depth at our dock. At a typical low tide, we have about 30" over a soft, muddy bottom. Occasionally it's less, and the boat might sit in the mud at an exceptionally low tide. I'm not too worried about that, but the last 100 yards or so to the channel isn't deep.
With our Whaler, the biggest problem isn't running aground but stirring up mud with the prop and occasionally clogging the cooling water intake. I always flush the engine at the dock, but steering with the motor trimmed way up isn't ideal. I'm thinking the optional 9.9 hp kicker might be a good solution for getting in and out of the dock. It's nice to have a backup engine anyway, but shallow-water maneuvering would be my main reason for getting it.
Worst case, there are several marinas nearby where we could keep the boat, but having it at the house is a big part of the appeal. And if we have to wait out an unusually low tide or bad weather, doing so in a comfortable enclosed boat sounds a lot better than sitting in a bowrider!
I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone with experience operating a C-248 or S-250 in shallow water, particularly with the kicker. How shallow can you realistically operate, and am I pushing my luck trying to keep one at my dock?
I know this is a long post but I'm trying to be objective about this. Never easy when it comes to boats!
We've had an 18' Boston Whaler on the Sassafras River (upper Chesapeake Bay) for about 10 years. The kids are getting bigger, and we're ready for something with more room that we can overnight on and use to explore more of the Bay.
We looked at a lot of boats at the Annapolis show, including some nice bowriders that would be better suited to our shallow water. But I keep coming back to the Cutwater C-248 Coupe and now the Solara 250C. I recently learned from a factory rep that they're essentially the same boat, with the Solara including most of the Cutwater's options as standard. I particularly like the lithium batteries, solar, grill, and autopilot.
The big challenge is the water depth at our dock. At a typical low tide, we have about 30" over a soft, muddy bottom. Occasionally it's less, and the boat might sit in the mud at an exceptionally low tide. I'm not too worried about that, but the last 100 yards or so to the channel isn't deep.
With our Whaler, the biggest problem isn't running aground but stirring up mud with the prop and occasionally clogging the cooling water intake. I always flush the engine at the dock, but steering with the motor trimmed way up isn't ideal. I'm thinking the optional 9.9 hp kicker might be a good solution for getting in and out of the dock. It's nice to have a backup engine anyway, but shallow-water maneuvering would be my main reason for getting it.
Worst case, there are several marinas nearby where we could keep the boat, but having it at the house is a big part of the appeal. And if we have to wait out an unusually low tide or bad weather, doing so in a comfortable enclosed boat sounds a lot better than sitting in a bowrider!
I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone with experience operating a C-248 or S-250 in shallow water, particularly with the kicker. How shallow can you realistically operate, and am I pushing my luck trying to keep one at my dock?
I know this is a long post but I'm trying to be objective about this. Never easy when it comes to boats!