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Navigating the Dania Cut Off Canal


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What do I need to watch out for when navigating the Dania Cut Off Canal, from the Intercostal to the New River?

I'm aware there is a NOTAMed "Hazardous Rock Outcropping" near Harbortowne Marina:

http://cruisersnet.net/nav-alerts/rocky-hazard-in-dania-cut-off-canal-south-of-fort-lauderdale-fl-statute-mile-1068-5-82912/

Though I don't know how old that is, or if its still there post-dredging.

I also know stories of a few experienced folks that hit bottom along the canal (unknown where) and did some prop/lower unit damage...

I haven't run it for years....but it can serve as a good back road for me now if its safe to navigate....

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Port Laudania, just south of Port Everglades, is used by small ships handling general cargo and heavy equipment.

The 3.1-mile route from Port Everglades entrance to the port is through the main channel, thence southward for 1.8 miles in the Intracoastal Waterway and westward for 0.9 mile in the Dania Cut-Off Canal to a 540 by 310-foot turning basin on the north side. Due to the size and draft of the commercial vessels calling at Port Laudania, the center of the channel in the Dania Cut-off Canal is generally required for safe navigation.

To prevent dangerous meeting situations, Security calls should be given by vessels over 50 feet in length or over 7 feet in draft on VHF-FM channels 13 and 16 prior to transiting the Dania Cut-off Canal. In 1983, the reported controlling depth from the Intracoastal Waterway to the turning basin was 5 feet. An overhead power cable across the Dania Cut-Off Canal has a clearance of 130 feet. An unmarked rock awash extends about 45 feet into the channel on the south side of the canal about 0.8 mile above the entrance.

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I think my bigger concern at the moment is the western/northern part of the canal...the dump area, then mangrove area approaching the drawbridge for 84.

It has a lot of new looking markers, following along what looks like homemade sticks (like in the flats in the Keys). As if someone formalized the locally marked channel. There are what seems to be an abundance of markers, so one could say now that its marked well...

Just looking for some recent first hand knowledge.

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I think my bigger concern at the moment is the western/northern part of the canal...the dump area, then mangrove area approaching the drawbridge for 84.

It has a lot of new looking markers, following along what looks like homemade sticks (like in the flats in the Keys). As if someone formalized the locally marked channel. There are what seems to be an abundance of markers, so one could say now that its marked well...

Just looking for some recent first hand knowledge.

I go thru there every few months I still can't figure it out. I tend to go at idle speed with a look out on the bow. I always hit bottom in the clearing before the bridge. There are a bunch of white pieces of PVC but I can't tell if I should head towards them or avoid them. I did learn on the South side of the clearing there is a huge rock about 3 inches below the water. That lesson cost me a shaft seal on my last boat. 1898_.gif

The rest of the cut is clear if you keep to the middle, once you're back on the main canal by the power plant its smooth sailing and deep water.

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I have done the "loop"(starting on New River east to ICW South to DCC then West to New River) a bunch of times in my small boat, but it has been a few years since I've been back there. I think the OP it talking about the far west section that connects New River with the Cutoff Canal. I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure its plenty deep for boats in your size range. If coming from the Cutoff Canal north to New River you just need to be careful around the last bend. There are some homemade marker sticks that will keep you off the shallow rocks. Like I said it has been a while, but I remember the "sticks" being pretty easy to read. It's actually a pretty neat area that gets descent snook populations.

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