Cape Dory 30 cutter Depth? Draft?

[S/V Ethan Grey]

Okay, I'm confused. I just bought a Cape Dory 30C and looking at the Coast Guard documentation, the depth is marked as 6.8 but the draft shows 4.2 on the manual. I haven't dived on the boat to measure it. So, what is the distance from the waterline to the bottom of the keel? Might be nice to know before I start sailing around.

[SVFayaway]

The "depth" the CG documentation refers to is the depth of the hull, I believe, from the sheer line to the bottom of the hull at the deepest point. The draft is the depth of the hull from the waterline to the bottom of the hull, in this case 4.2 feet, which is the only number you need to worry about. The Coast Guard is only concerned about the overall depth of the hull because they determine the boat's size by volume.

[S/V Ethan Grey]

Thank you!