Draft

The vertical distance between the waterline and the deepest point of a vessel's hull or keel.

Draft is the vertical distance from the waterline to the deepest point of the vessel — typically the bottom of the keel on a sailboat or the bottom of the running gear on a powerboat. A vessel's draft determines which waters it can enter safely: a yacht with a 7-foot draft cannot navigate channels marked 5 feet at low tide.

For South Florida charters, draft matters when routing into shallow Bahamas destinations (Bimini, Exumas), running up the Intracoastal, or approaching private docks. Deep-draft sailing yachts and large displacement-hull yachts are the most constrained; shallow-draft catamarans and center consoles can reach areas larger vessels cannot.

Draft can change with loading (fuel, water, stores, passengers) — most published drafts assume a half-loaded condition.

Examples

A 42-foot sailing catamaran with a 3-foot draft can anchor in shallow Exumas bays that mono-hull yachts must bypass.
A sportfish drawing 5'6" must time a low-tide entry into a shallow private marina.

Related Terms

Beam—The widest measurement across a vessel's hull, perpendicular to its length.LOA (Length Overall)—The total length of a vessel measured from the foremost to the aftmost point of its structure.Displacement—The weight of water a vessel displaces when floating, equal to the total weight of the vessel and its contents.Catamaran—A multi-hull vessel with two parallel hulls connected by a bridgedeck, valued for stability and interior space.Monohull—A vessel built on a single hull — the traditional design for most yachts, sailboats, and powerboats.

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