E32-3 Bridge Clearance

[gulfcoaster]

Hi all! We have a bridge here in north Galveston Bay I've been told is 50 feet. I've checked Yachtworld to check on similar boats and the clearance is anywhere from 46-50 ft. I have a standard 1987 E32-3. Does anyone know the actual height of this mast. I realize this will vary somewhat due to masthead eqpt. and tide issues.. I would rather find out here then doing it the hard way on the water. Capt. Ron summed it up..IF ITS GONNA HAPPEN, ITS GONNA HAPPEN OUT THERE!!

 

[sleather]

How Close?

Just run a tape measure up the main halyard and add whatever equipment you've got! The overall distance to the waterline won't be affected that much, by not being perfectly "plumb".

Then time your first approach VERY carefully! Good Luck!

 

[tenders]

You should definitely check that bridge out on a chart, not by hearsay. The chart clearance will be calculated at mean higher high water, or MHHW. "Mean higher high water" sounds ridiculous but it's the AVERAGE clearance at the HIGHER of the two daily high tides, over the course of the year. (Depth, by contrast, is usually shown at mean lower low water or MLLW.) So it's conservative, most but not all of the time.

And you should infer nothing from my own hearsay on my '69 model, but I'm pretty sure my E-32's mast height is less than 50 feet above the waterline. I'd still be very careful. I think it's like 42 or 43 feet--38' mast stepped at the deck plus about 4-5' from the deck to the waterline. With a bit of swell and maybe a passing wake, I bet a 7-foot clearance looks like nothing at all on the close-in approach to the bridge!

 

[Tom Metzger]

The E-333 (PSC/E-32) brochure says 48'

The E-333 (PSC/E-32) brochure says 48'. I would be inclined to add 4' to account for the antennas, etc. That is what I used when I took my son's boat down to the Chesapeake.

It would appear that you are close. so I would not rely on internet info. Run the tape measure up the mast to be sure.

Keep in mind that the bridge clearance is dependant on the tide so you can plan your transit time for best advantage.

 

[NateHanson]

I read an article a while ago about a cruiser who was "doing the ditch" with a mast that was near the maximum for the ICW (what's that, about 60?). He would hunt for straight sticks about 3 feet long, that had a branch at about 45 degrees. He'd attach that to his masthead with the straight part pointing forward, and the 45 degree branch pointing forward and up. The 45 was the height of his antennas, the straight was the height of his spar. Then he'd approach bridges VERY SLOWLY, and watch to see if the top branch touched the bridge, at which point he would back out.

Sounded insane to me, but apparently he went through the entire waterway this way, periodically replacing sticks when he'd break them on a bridge.

I'll tell you from my experience, that 10 feet of clearance over your 50 foot mast looks like certain doom when you're standing in the cockpit looking up at it. From a shallower angle of view I'm sure it would look fine, but from the boat, it really looks like you're going to hit, so it's important to use chart datums, and trust them, because if you're going by eye, you'll never have the nerve to do it.