Subject: [Catalina22] depth sounder

From: "Marie Musolino" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 18:11:04 -0500

List watchers

Here in the Outer Banks,   the Palmico and Albemarle Sounds run anywhere from 2 feet to 16 feet deep.   The problem is getting out of our canal and through the channel up to the deeper water.  If I stay in the channel, the depth of the water is over 8 feet (for the most part) - but outside the channel - who knows!   The problem is most of the I am going into the wind if I stay in the channel - so I need to motor for quite a while to get to the deep water.   Some of my power boater friends say a depth sounder would not do what I want it to do - that is let me get out of the channel, and watch the depth sounder to know when the water is getting thin so I can change course before running aground.   Is there a model that will project ahead of me. Mostly I have going by the charts - but we have alot of shifting sand and  charts are not very realiable either.  Most of the time - even in the channel  I cannot lower the keel 100% without running feeling it drag and having to crank it up half way.   What do you guys/gals think?

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From: "EDLYNN_USA" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2005 19:59:09 -0500

Sounds like our Intracoastal in Florida. We tried a 'forward' sounder, but you would have to be crawling for it to be any good.  We go at 100% keel and do not bolt it closed.  Our sounder is set at 2' below keel depth.  Sometimes the alarm is set off by Manatee  or Rays, but when we hear the alarm, out of the channel, we head back innediately, and usually brace for the scraping of the keel which will kick up.

If you want to risk sailing shallow, slow down, keep  your kick up rudder loose, and do not bolt down your keel, which is a great depth sounder.

ED
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Marie Musolino 
  To: Chip's list 
  Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 6:11 PM
  Subject: [Catalina22] depth sounder

  List watchers

---

From: "Charles S. Lee" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 21:52:58 -0400

Marie, all depthfinders read a conical field beneath the transducer, so
they not only listen ahead, but all around the boat within that cone. In
shallow water, the echo cone is shorter, so the depthfinder reads a
shorter distance around the boat. You can angle the depthfinder forward
by placing it near to the bow in the bilge, but you will have to put up
with signal interruptions everytime the bow sees turbulence or lifts out
of the water, which is pretty often on my boat.

If you have a kickup rudder, the best bet is to motor with the keel up,
the alarm set 5+ feet and go slow unless you know the water well. I have
a narrow, 4 ft deep channel to navigate in my river and this works fine
for me.

If you have a fixed rudder, then leaving your keel halfway down,
unlocked is the best way to go. This will protect the rudder fromn first
contact.

Chip Lee

#9742 Martha Pearl

1980 C22 swing keel

Dexter, NY

-----Original Message-----
From: [email-masked] [mailto:[email-masked]]
On Behalf Of Marie Musolino
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 6:11 PM
To: Chip's list
Subject: [Catalina22] depth sounder

List watchers

Here in the Outer Banks,   the Palmico and Albemarle Sounds run anywhere
from 2 feet to 16 feet deep.   The problem is getting out of our canal
and through the channel up to the deeper water.  If I stay in the
channel, the depth of the water is over 8 feet (for the most part) - but
outside the channel - who knows!   The problem is most of the I am going
into the wind if I stay in the channel - so I need to motor for quite a
while to get to the deep water.   Some of my power boater friends say a
depth sounder would not do what I want it to do - that is let me get out
of the channel, and watch the depth sounder to know when the water is
getting thin so I can change course before running aground.   Is there a
model that will project ahead of me. Mostly I have going by the charts -
but we have alot of shifting sand and  charts are not very realiable
either.  Most of the time - even in the channel  I cannot lower the keel
100% without running feeling it drag and having to crank it up half way.
What do you guys/gals think?