Advise on drying out yacht to pier for maintenance

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benlui

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I need to get at my speed log below the water line as it must be clogged with stuff, so am wondering how do i properly tie off my yacht to the pier wall and let the tide go out? Are there any helpful tips on this, and whats the best way to tie off? Its a Shipman 28 drawing almost 1.6m. Has anyone some pics of same?Any tips much appreciated. Is this a wise thing to do, or would you stay away from it and just pay for the marina lift?
 
You have seen the bottom, I presume. Important to know where you will land. Is it sloping? Flat? Rocky? Lots of debris? I don't know the hull shape. Will she sit level fore and aft, or go nose down, as some do. Will there be a chop, or wash, that might bounce her as she goes down? Could be a problem.

Long lines are the key - fore and aft and springs. These will allow for significant rise and fall without adjustment. Also, a slip line to keep her close to the pier, which you will need to tend as she goes down.

You must arrange matters so that she is angled slightly inward towards the peir, to make sure she leans against the pier and doesn't fall outward. Take a halyard ashore and make it fast to a strong point. You can hang a weight from it to maintain tension as she goes down. You can also swing the boom out, flake out anchor chain on deck or use any other means to give her a slight heel towards the pier.

Fender the point of contact very well. There's going to be a lot of pressure on it. You may need to make up a fender board - a plank to hang along the side, fendered on the inside, if the pier is not flat sided. Otherwise fenders may slip out from a pile or projection, with resulting damage.

Make sure you have a means of getting ashore and back on board once she is down. And be there as she does. If you get the lines wrong, she could break them or rip fittings from the deck. Make sure they are made fast in a way that allows you to release them under tension - ideally from the boat.

Drying out alongside needs care and attention to detail, but is not a difficult thing to do, as long as conditions are right.
 
Not difficult at all. Inspect the site at LW in advance to be sure the bottom is firm and even or take advice from the harbourmaster if there is one. Put out the usual mooring lines. As the point of grounding nears make sure the boat is close to the wall but not touching, well fendered. Have some weight on the harbour side (anchor chain along the side deck is often recommended) to make sure she leans to and not away from the wall. A stout line round the mast level with the top of the wall will help to prevent her from falling on top of you when you are working underneath, although some people just use a halyard secured ashore. Make sure she is well afloat before trying to move once you float again.

(Edit) Having just read the previous reply I endorse most of what is said above except to say that I don't think there should be very much pressure on the fendering - if there is you may have settled a bit far out from the wall.
 
I guess there is a reason why you can't work on the paddlewheel inside the boat? Unscrew the big locating nut ... withdraw the paddlewheel....quickly insert the blanking plug .... max water ingress ... < a pint?
 
Although its a good skill to learn for other maintenance there's no way it should be necssary to dry out just to clean a log impeller.

When you take the log out afloat, there will of course be a big rush inwards of the green stuff but there should be a cap that you can screw on in place of the log, or else a wooden bung or even your hand will be enough to stop the boat sinking if you've got an assistant to do the cleaning. I've also heard of people securing a square of canvas on the outside of the hull while they pull the log out, and some log tubes even have flaps that close up as the log is pulled out. But even without these fancy things its quite possible to do the whole operation while letting less than a pint or two of water into the bilges.

Anyway its very much an operation thats meant to be possible afloat (in the pre GPS days it would have been more or less a must to have a clean accurate log before every trip). If you want to do other things like scrubbing the hull while she's dried out then fair enough but the log thingie can be sorted in 5 minutes while afloat.

Chris
 
A tip I learned on this very forum is to release the holding nut on the impeller just enough to turn the paddle wheel fitting round through 180 degs and back a couple of times, and it will dislodge bits of weed etc that may be stopping the paddlewheel turning.

Taking the paddlewheel out is scary, but probably less scary than drying out the boat.
 
I take my Raymarine paddle wheel assembly out after every sailing trip, leaving the blank plug in place, which totally avoids any weed or other c..p jamming the wheel.

As the others have said, the water ingress is minimal.

Good luck!

Allan
 
My last boat was a Shipman 28. I used to dry her out for scrubbing etc and once fitted a through hull transducer on a tide as well. They take the ground well as the fin is relatively long and has a flattish horizontal bottom. Obviously the previso's of knowing the bottom are critical in this and don't forget to lean the boat slightly in to the quay or post, I just used some anchor chain down the side deck and tied off the mast once on the bottom.
 
Lots of good advice above but...... To change / clean the log is easy without drying out and NOT dangerous despite the doom and gloom merchants but be prepared to ship a cupful or two of water through the log fitting.

Slacken (remove) the log retaining nut and rotate the log back and forth to make sure it is "free" then twist and pull to remove the log through the through hull fitting. As the log nears the top of the fitting either have a blank cap ready to fit or be ready to put your hand over the open fitting as the log comes out.

Clean the log

If still holding your hand over the open fitting get your helper to clean the log.

Grease the body of the log with Vaseline and check the "O" ring(s) in preparation to refit.

Remove blank (or hand) and refit log.

Align log and replace retaining cap.

Pump out or otherwise remove the cupful or two of water you may have shipped.

I pull my log ( /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif ..... that sounds smutty) two or three times a season without any problem and would never dream of drying out to do so - 12 hours against the wall for a 5 minute job?
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Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity
 
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Hmm, mine is about 4 feet below the water line and the water spout that enters is considerable!

[/ QUOTE ]Well, so?, just get your hand over the hole quicker! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
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Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity
 
I couldn't tell you how high the actual spout was because it hit me in the face, but I took on about 1/2 a bucketful in the few seconds it took to get the cap on /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
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I like this "cup or two" stuff. More like Arthur Bucket if your log is deeper down! Still worth doing though.

[/ QUOTE ]As the old saying goes " what is the best bilge pump available? - a panicked crew member with a bucket!"
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hammer.gif
Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity
 
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I guess there is a reason why you can't work on the paddlewheel inside the boat? Unscrew the big locating nut ... withdraw the paddlewheel....quickly insert the blanking plug .... max water ingress ... < a pint?

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Bav is right - removal of the paddle wheel internally is definitely the preferred way to get at the paddle wheel - with high summer temperatures you could be repeating this exercise fairly often. An essential piece of kit on board is a set of wooden tapered bungs which should be immediatley to hand as you remove the paddlewheel. available from most chandlers at minimal cost
 
Re: Advice on drying out yacht to pier for maintenance

Ignore the bucket and chuckit brigade - go for the drying out scenario. Not only is the Shipman 28 straightforward on a firm bottom but you will graduate to membership of that select group who spurn travelifts and casually dry against against the nearest wall or, as confidence grows, scrubbing piles.
And what a plethora of harbour delights awaits you: from Bosham to Polperro, St Aubin to Dournenez, they await your expertise. Go for it!
Did we ever get it wrong? Sometimes- but that's another story . . .
 
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