Toms River suggestions? (depth / tides)

[Bayliner175BR]

Was out on July 4th for our maiden voyage and was suprised just how shallow the Toms River was in many places. Not having a depth meter I found myself dragging the skeg and abrading the aluminum prop several times, even though I was well away from shore. Just ordered a small fold up chart to avoid this in the future. Until that arrives (like for this weekend) I'll watch other boaters and stay in areas that I can see are deep enough. Also, we had launched near low tide in the morning. Question, how much of a difference does high tide make in the Toms River? Any other advice? I'm not planning to put in a depth meter on a 17.6" boat although I did already install a decent basic (Raymarine 48) VHF radio just for safety and information. Any advice is appreciated!

Can anyone recommend an inexpensive "easy to install" depth meter that I might consider adding? maybe I should consider this as an addition..

 

[kevdon]

There is not much tide in Tom's river or the Barnegat Bay, approx 6 inches. The depth is more controlled by the wind direction. When there is a strong west wind for several days the water blows out of the bay. If there is a strong northeast wind for several days, the water blows into the Bay. You might want to check out the charts for your area and generally stay between the channel markers until you have a depth finder or become more familiar with the area. I have never hit bottom in Toms River, but maybe I have never been there after a strong west wind.