Definition
Draft is the vertical distance from the waterline to the lowest point of a vessel's hull, including any appendages such as keel, propellers, rudders, or jet drive intakes. It governs where the boat can go: the figure dictates which beaches, anchorages, and channels are accessible, and at what state of tide.
Background and use
For superyacht tenders the draft figure is the gating dimension for shoreside access. A limousine tender at 0.7m draft can nose into most marina basins and many beaches at high water; the same boat at 1.0m draft is excluded from a meaningful list of cruising destinations. Beachlanders push draft as low as 0.4m, allowing genuine sand-beach landings; catamaran tenders sit in the 0.5-0.6m range for the same reason.
Draft varies with load. The figure quoted by builders is usually "light ship" draft (boat with engines, tankage, and standard equipment but no fuel, water, gear, or passengers). At full load with eight guests, full fuel, and tender gear, real-world draft can be 100-150mm deeper. Spec-sheet figures should always be read with this margin in mind. Some builders quote both light and full-load drafts; ask if not provided.
Propulsion type matters. Outboards lift fully out of the water for beach approaches, taking the engine leg out of the draft equation entirely; sterndrives and jet drives give intermediate flexibility. Shaft-drive inboards hold their draft regardless of operation and are the worst choice for shallow-water work.
Related considerations
- Always check draft in trim, not just at rest; bow-up trim during planing changes the effective draft significantly.
- Tide-dependent destinations require local knowledge; a 0.6m draft at low water springs is a genuinely different prospect from the same draft at high water neaps.
- Jet drive intakes are typically the lowest point on a jet boat; protect with grates if shallow-water grounding is expected.
- Garage sill heights are a separate but related dimension; confirm float-on float-off clearance for the loaded tender.
- Anchor-down draft includes any retracted thrusters; some yachts deploy thrusters that increase draft significantly.