(accidentally) drying out a fin keel boat

[sighmoon]

[ QUOTE ]

"Only two sailors, in my experience, never ran aground. One never left port and the other was an atrocious liar."
- Don Bamford

[/ QUOTE ]

If you accidentally find yourself drying out a fin keeler on a sandy beach, for example, assuming fine weather, and that the hull doesn't land on a rock, would you most likely be able to float off on the next tide without any damage?

I would have thought that the load on the keel bolts would be humungous, and the weight of the boat resting on the side of the may be more than it could stand without denting. Or perhaps the loads are less than I imagine...

Does anybody have any first hand experience?

 

[KristiferColumbus]

Good topic & every reason to buy a bilge keel boat or at least not a modern fin keeler but one with a good iron shoe.

 

[Chrusty1]

"Good topic & every reason to buy a bilge keel boat "

This way be dragons! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[30boat]

It happened to me and I suppose to many others on this forum.Boats can take it without damage.I had my 30 footer once dragged by a crane for a meter on concrete and it only lightly abraded the edge of the lead keel.The keelbolts didn't even notice the strain.
If you go aground on a flat bottom you'll refloat providing the boat is not a very old and heavy narrow wineglass shape with an offset companionway on the wrong side .These boats are so heavy that they fill up before they float off.
And of course it would be convenient that the tides were going bigger not smaller.

 

[KristiferColumbus]

At least the keels don't drop off /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[KristiferColumbus]

& I may add you can get into wonderful places that keelers can only dream about.

 

[DownWest]

Friend did it trying to enter a river on a falling tide, engine wouldnt start. Classic 1939 36ft cutter. He tried tacking in against the current and ran aground on a mudbank. Tide came back in and filled the boat. Mainly because it had been in the sun for months and the topsides had dried out, opening the seams. He couldn't afford the salvage so lost the boat.
A

 

[Csail]

Providing its on sand or mud and flat calm its fine.

 

[sarabande]

the worst bit is when the tide comes in, and the boat lifts a little, falls a little, lift, bump, lift...

If you can ensure that the rising water stays below the cockpit coamings, and that all scuttles and opening are shut, you should be OK. Judicious use of fenders to prevent the bumping may help, and it's worth laying out a couple of anchors to help you return to deep water when she floats. Don't forget to open any seacocks you closed.

Also check the battery doesn't leak acid over the bilge if the angle is too steep.

Been there, done that, Appledore 1996.

 

[andy59]

Is this how to do it http://www.panoramio.com//photo/16196946

 

[ebbtide]

That pic (Studland?) is impressive! Was it by chance or design?

It's very easy to be self-righteous about not getting there in the first place, but a serious cruising man should consider light alloy legs with strong hull fittings to suit. They do take up a lot of stowage room tho!

 

[Spyro]

I remember competing in the 3 peaks race years ago when one of the stops was Ravenglass it was expected to go in at or a few hours either side of high tide, set the runners ashore then all yachts would dry out and wait for the runners to return. I actually remember stepping off the boat walking to the pub then walking back on to the boat. I only remember one boat having a problem and it had twin rudders can't quite remember what they did though.

 

[MarkJohnson12345]

Fortunaltly never been there, but I believe (and would do) inflate the dingy and attacht to the downside of the boat to assist in floating off.

And would have buckets aplenty to help with any watyer ingress.

I believe adrenilin would also assist...


Better not to get in that dilema..

 

[mikejames]

I can remember seeing a fin-keel Westerly Storm 33 standing in the mud in Newtown River IOW a few years back with the crew sitting very still. At least a foot between the hull and the mud.

 

[Gordon]

You worry about nothing ......fin keelers dry out absolutely ok...no problem....bit of a problem making a brew mind. If you just touch then you can heel over using sails and get off... not possoble in bilge keeler.....
what a load of bo***cks ...bilge keelers are crap
the advantage of sitting on mud is irrevelant...sureley you bought a boat to sail on the sea ...not sit in the mud up some creek

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

I believe Sigma 33's must not bear weight on their keels or it concaves the hull, this is according to a Sigma owner I know.

 

[00Si00]

This reminds me of a storm in a teacup we experienced last year in Dittisham. We picked up a mooring buoy, which later we found to be too small and settled in for a quiet night after an offshore sail from the Solent. About 4am, my partner woke me to the ominous sound of various objects sliding across flat sufaces and tumbling to the cabin floor.
As i looked up through the companionway hatch I became alarmed at the sight of trees by the nearby shoreline at and angle which seemed to defy normal physics.
As it turned out, we had swung as the tide ebbed out and the rudder had caught the side of the shallow embankment enough to hold us in a position which prevented us to stay afloat. For the next 3 hours we lay there in sheer panic as our boat slowly came to rest on her side.
As it was, when the tide returned, there was no damage at all, and we floated off safely - It was a worry though, the rudder could of snagged causing alot of damage as the boat slid down the embankment.
We have also dried out against a wall twice last year and no problems at all with that. She's a Sadler 32 by the way

 

[tyce]

As long as it does not flood as its lying down it certainly is not going to be any different as it refloats.

 

[Chrusty1]

[ QUOTE ]
You worry about nothing ......fin keelers dry out absolutely ok...no problem....bit of a problem making a brew mind. If you just touch then you can heel over using sails and get off... not possoble in bilge keeler.....
what a load of bo***cks ...bilge keelers are crap
the advantage of sitting on mud is irrevelant...sureley you bought a boat to sail on the sea ...not sit in the mud up some creek

[/ QUOTE ]

This from a Phd????!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Koeketiene]

[ QUOTE ]
Good topic & every reason to buy a bilge keel boat

[/ QUOTE ]

No-one should have to buy a bilge keeler - unless the ability to sail sideways appeals to you /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif