Constrained by draft. draft in relation to depth and breadth of water?

Question

Can you please give me a better explanation

Answer 1

term "vessel constrained by her draft" means a power-driven vessel which because of her draft in relation to the available depth and width of navigable water is severely restricted in her ability to deviate from the course she is following.

Do a search of the USCG's website and you can find all the COLREGS (rules of the road)

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navrules/...

Answer 2

Draft is the amount of water a boat 'draws'. In other words, it is a measure of how far below the water a boat sits. It might be 6 feet for example, if the bottom of the boat is 6 feet below the surface of the water. Our boat draws 6 foot.

If our boat is travelling in a narrow channel of say 8 feet of water, and on either side of this channel there is only 4 feet of water our boat would be constrained by how much water she draws; her draft. IE if she moved out of the channel she would run aground (hit the bottom)

As far as the breadth is concerned, it would be the breadth of the boat not the water. If our boat is 10 feet wide, and our channel is 12 feet wide she would be constrained by both her breadth and (presume same water depths) her draft.

Hope that helps

Answer 3

What it means is that the vessel can not alter course due to how much water it draws, as in going down a channel.