boat bottomed out 3 times

[karatejoe]

I just purchased a 1986 Chaparral 215 XLC cuddy cabin with I/O chevy 350. It must be heavy for an old boat. I have to travel the canals in North Naples Fl. to get to the pass which leads me out into the Gulf. At low tide the canals and pass is 3 feet deep. My depth finder claims its 1.5 feet deep. My prop agrees with this.
I got stuck in the pass on friday. The waves beat me to death. Long story short, a wave moved me enough to get going again.
Today I went out again at medium tide. I gassed up to full tank. (50 gals) Tried going thru the pass to the Gulf. Felt the boat dragging down and turned around fast. Trimmed up the motor and throttled up to get thru. I was churning some sand!
I got out and from that moment had a sever vibration all thru the boat and steering wheel. Probably bent the prop. Going up the canals to return home I starting dragging again. Trimmed up the motor and moved everyone into the cabin to move weight forward. Didnt help because I got stuck. I was able to reverse out of it and and throttled home. Its a no wake zone but that wasnt going to work for me at this time.
I guess this being an older boat its heavy and with added fuel its heavier. Im thinking its a high tide boat only?
Any suggestions other than selling it.?

 

[JimS123]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

The best boat in the world is the one that meets your requirements and fits your environment. When I go out in the Great Lakes I take the "big boat". When I go bass fising in the small streams I take the "toy boat".

 

[marcortez]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

Wait for high tides???
Trim up
Weight forward
Not much else you can do really.

Most depth finders/fishfinders have a "offset" feature which will allow you to adjust where the 0' reading starts.

Options on that could be at the tranducer face, the actual surface of the water, the very bottom of the hull or the lower skeg unit of the drive.

 

[ftl900]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

...or maybe you're carrying water in the bottom of your hull.

Just an idea... I hope it's something else.

 

[KeyWestSkipper]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

Does look to be heavy, 3900 lbs unloaded. I wonder what her draft is.

http://www.iboats.com/Chaparral_Boats__215_XLC__1986/bp/64b17325r0

I'd just plan my trips around the high tides if it's there so little margin for error; why be sweating that every trip? Come to think of it a lot of boaters myself included are already in the habit of doing that (planning around the high tide) for other reasons; it's tide is best tidal phase for fishing, and the best time to avoid the worst of the slippery low tide-exposed ramp surface. Tides tables make the planning easy.

Congrats on the new boat, hope you and your gang have a great summer ahead.

 

[starsnstripers]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

Put a kicker motor on the back to get you out through the canals with your drive up, and it also is good to have if you break down out there!

 

[Bob's Garage]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

I just purchased a 1986 Chaparral 215 XLC cuddy cabin with I/O chevy 350. It must be heavy for an old boat. I have to travel the canals in North Naples Fl. to get to the pass which leads me out into the Gulf. At low tide the canals and pass is 3 feet deep. My depth finder claims its 1.5 feet deep. My prop agrees with this.
I got stuck in the pass on friday. The waves beat me to death. Long story short, a wave moved me enough to get going again.
Today I went out again at medium tide. I gassed up to full tank. (50 gals) Tried going thru the pass to the Gulf. Felt the boat dragging down and turned around fast. Trimmed up the motor and throttled up to get thru. I was churning some sand!
I got out and from that moment had a sever vibration all thru the boat and steering wheel. Probably bent the prop. Going up the canals to return home I starting dragging again. Trimmed up the motor and moved everyone into the cabin to move weight forward. Didnt help because I got stuck. I was able to reverse out of it and and throttled home. Its a no wake zone but that wasnt going to work for me at this time.
I guess this being an older boat its heavy and with added fuel its heavier. Im thinking its a high tide boat only?
Any suggestions other than selling it.?

Your depth finder is reading the depth of the water from the "bottom" of your boat (actually from where it is installed) to the bottom of the canal, or wherever you are boating. Your information as to the water depth, as read on a chart, or some one's local knowledge,is the actual depth of the water body at mean low low tide. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!! You must find the minimum depth of water that your boat requires to be able to proceed w/out hitting bottom.

I very much doubt that your boat will operate in water less than 24" below the keel. You are certainly proving that you need more than 1.5' below your keel to operate. This is not the fault of the boat, very few, if any 21' cuddy cabin boats, with 350 V8's can operate in 1.5' of water with a full load, or even empty.

You need to take a boater's safety course so as to get the training you need to properly operate your boat, before you destroy it.

 

[Thajeffski]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

I agree with the above. You also never want to power through it.......if you hit bottom you put it in N and go see if you can push the boat back on your own.

 

[ovrrdrive]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

As others have said plan around high tide if possible and try to watch other boats going through there to see where they run. Chances are there is a side that is deeper than the other.

I know sometimes you have to do what you have to do, but keep in mind that when you're plowing through that sand it's going through your water pump and your entire engine as well as everywhere in the water...

 

[JoLin]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

What Bob's Garage said. Right on the money.

Can you get dock apace, or launch, closer to the Gulf? It'd be a shame to have to buy a shallow draft boat to get there, as it might not do as well once you arrive in the Gulf.

Also agree with the local knowledge thing. Big time. How do others manage it? Are you the only one that follows that course, in that size boat? Could be as simple as which side of the canal you traverse. I need to keep to the center or west side going in and out of my dock. East side water is too skinny for my boat.

I really hope you can work this out. Good luck!

 

[capt sam]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

I know that area well, it can get shallow, tides here can be extreme. It's a choice between going out and coming back at high tide or buying a shallower running boat, I'd buy a bay boat or something similiar, there's just not a big need for cuddy cabins here.

 

[karatejoe]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

Thanks for the replies. The guy I bought it from said it probably weighed around 3200 lbs. I checked, there is no water in the hull.
I have taken a boater safety course ( Fl.) The first time we got stuck I put it in N. and trimmed up the drive. We were in the pass and got pounded by waves. We rocked so hard for 20 min. my daughter got sick and puked all over the boat. My wife said she would never ride in a boat again. Finally a wave moved us off and I could move again.
Yesterday we were allmost at the end of the pass and I felt it bottom out. I wasnt going to replay the day before. ( If you knew my wife, you would rip the bottom off your boat to avoid a repeat of being stuck) Thats why I throttled up to get out of it and turned around.
There are huge boats all around me. I dont know how they get thru the canals and pass unless they time it with high tide but thats a small window.
I think Im gonna replace the prop and sell it or trade it in on a smaller boat. At this point my wife is to scared to go back out in it and Im not to keen on it either since I have to stay in the high tide margin.
Thanks for your replies and ideas.

 

[JoLin]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

Sorry to hear that

Good luck getting yourself "situated" with a different boat.

 

[Rocky_Road]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

Thanks for the replies. The guy I bought it from said it probably weighed around 3200 lbs. I checked, there is no water in the hull.
I have taken a boater safety course ( Fl.) The first time we got stuck I put it in N. and trimmed up the drive. We were in the pass and got pounded by waves. We rocked so hard for 20 min. my daughter got sick and puked all over the boat. My wife said she would never ride in a boat again. Finally a wave moved us off and I could move again.
Yesterday we were allmost at the end of the pass and I felt it bottom out. I wasnt going to replay the day before. ( If you knew my wife, you would rip the bottom off your boat to avoid a repeat of being stuck) Thats why I throttled up to get out of it and turned around.
There are huge boats all around me. I dont know how they get thru the canals and pass unless they time it with high tide but thats a small window.
I think Im gonna replace the prop and sell it or trade it in on a smaller boat. At this point my wife is to scared to go back out in it and Im not to keen on it either since I have to stay in the high tide margin.
Thanks for your replies and ideas.

Since you brought up the dreaded word "trade it", you might want to look into a boat with a jet drive...they can go just about anywhere!

Happy boating!

 

[karatejoe]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

Jet drive is what Im getting. Boston whaler has a small boat with a jet drive. Ive seen the jet drives. They barely have any draft. I all most got that first but settled on a bigger family boat.

 

[Thajeffski]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

I'd keep the one you have and just look at the charts a little bit better.... my 20 ft bow rider can operate in just under 2 feet of water..just can't go fast.

 

[OJ_Simpson]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

Tide was low this weekend in the Naples area. Not to mention there was also a fairly strong breeze out of the west. It was tough getting through any of the passes. A boat capsized on saturday trying to navigate Gordon pass. I wouldn't get rid off your boat. Some days just happen to be tougher than others to get out.

 

[JimS123]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

Jet drives are hard to maneuver and dock. Forget backing up. They are prone to weeds, sticks and other debris, which will put you dead in the water. The jet pumps, impellers and wear rings are high maintenance items.

Of course, PWCs and little SeaDoo and Yamaha jet boats are popular in many parts of the country. But they can be problematic in salt water unless you are anal about maintenance. Regular runabouts using a jet drive coupled with a marinized auto engine came of age in the 70's and 80's but didn't last long in the marketplace.

Jets have some good purpose. I just haven't found out what!

 

[starsnstripers]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

Air boats are for Fla. You dont want to have to get out to push it off there's gators there! Get a little kicker motor to motor in/out of the shallows.

 

[capt sam]

Re: boat bottomed out 3 times

Tide was low this weekend in the Naples area. Not to mention there was also a fairly strong breeze out of the west. It was tough getting through any of the passes. A boat capsized on saturday trying to navigate Gordon pass. I wouldn't get rid off your boat. Some days just happen to be tougher than others to get out.

Gordon Pass is rough on an outgoing with a seabreeze coming in, those kids swamped that boat because they were going way too fast and submarined the waves, just pure inexperience and stupidity. I think he's talking about Wiggins which I haven't used in a few years and it used to be pretty bad, but he shouldn't be tapping bottom in the channel, somethings up with that boat.