Lowest Depth?

[rockinthesuburbs]

Just curious what everyone’s thoughts are on what the lowest depth you’ve been able to safely operate? My local lake is running low and I pinged 2.1 for a second coming out of the marina- average is 3.5 - 2.5 until I get out into the open water. Plenty of boats are pulling in and coming right back out because it’s too low. Don’t know if I feel comfortable going any lower than 2.0. I know I’ve heard 18” but I don’t think that’s practical and wouldn’t want to risk it. Let me know your thoughts!

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

18" is draft of the boat so you are running damn near bottom at that. I try to stay above 3 feet - if I am below I make sure the boat is gear. Do not sit in neutral in shallow water, that is where your problems really start.

If this is a common issue for you - add on a trolling motor @HangOutdoors did this on this boat. Let the trolling motor handle the shallow water work.

 

[scokill]

Really hard to answer. Depth from electronic means aren't that accurate down to inches and the offset (distance from transducer placement to surface of water) needs to be accurately accounted for. I agree with you at about 2 feet as that means it could go slightly deeper or shallower depending on contour of lake bed. You should also go no faster than no wake too. Sometimes the only way to know for sure the depth is to get out of the boat and check.

 

[Dave burke]

There’s a spot in my lake where the depth sounder shows 18”. Which means it’s probably about 3’ if water. I go over this spot all the time but at no wake speed and never in neutral.

There’s a great video @Julian posted a while ago that shows the perils of being stationary vs. Moving slowly

 

[biffdotorg]

18" is draft of the boat so you are running damn near bottom at that. I try to stay above 3 feet - if I am below I make sure the boat is gear.

I think a clarification is needed here. As when a person says they "pinged" 2.1', that's 2.1' under the transducer, so add your 18" draft to that. So if you are saying stay above 3', he is doing that. If you saying 3' below the transducer, or what your depth finder is reading, that's being overly cautious.

Our channel out of the bay is all sand, and I know ever rock in it, and it's maybe 40 yards long. This past year we had very low water conditions. And with two yamaha boats out of 8 on our bay, we buzzed the channel. It got as low as 1.2' under the transducer, and that was on plane! It was literally the only way to get out of the bay. at no wake, our ride plates would rub and the thrust vectors would tap the bottom.

I am so glad we have 2.3' under the transducer this spring at no wake speed. Very glad the water has come back up. I don't advise those low depths in unknown waters for sure. We just had no real choice last season.

 

[Julian]

I think a clarification is needed here. As when a person says they "pinged" 2.1', that's 2.1' under the transducer, so add your 18" draft to that. So if you are saying stay above 3', he is doing that. If you saying 3' below the transducer, or what your depth finder is reading, that's being overly cautious.

Our channel out of the bay is all sand, and I know ever rock in it, and it's maybe 40 yards long. This past year we had very low water conditions. And with two yamaha boats out of 8 on our bay, we buzzed the channel. It got as low as 1.2' under the transducer, and that was on plane! It was literally the only way to get out of the bay. at no wake, our ride plates would rub and the thrust vectors would tap the bottom.

I am so glad we have 2.3' under the transducer this spring at no wake speed. Very glad the water has come back up. I don't advise those low depths in unknown waters for sure. We just had no real choice last season.

This is correct unless the depth finder has an offset value entered (not sure the stock ones do).

 

[biffdotorg]

This is correct unless the depth finder has an offset value entered (not sure the stock ones do).

This is so true. I leave mine as below the hull. My buddy leaves his with a hull offset. So he is constantly adjusting and telling us the depth, plus or minus offset. I just worry about what it is under my hull. Nobody else in the boat cares to know more than "jump in, or I can dive in"

 

[HawaiiBreeze]

I'm always futzing around in water that is too shallow and full of reefs but I do it anyway since thats what I bought the JB for. Key to shallows is Slow is Pro.

 

[TimW451]

AFAIK the OEM transducer for my vintage boat has no offset. (The manual talks about.) That said, 3’ is my minimum, and I only do that when mooring. I don’t like anything less than 6’ while on plane. I also am not intimately familiar with the shallows where I go, and don’t need to be.