Anybody ever used a sounding lead?

26ft_bathtub

26ft_bathtub

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Just out of curiousity and 4:56-on-a-Friday idleness, have any of you ancient mariners ever used a sounding lead?

Used it for its intended purpose of sounding, that is, although if you have any entertaining stories about how you used one to incapacitate the revenoo while you escaped in the jolly-boat, go ahead and run it.
 
Yes, as a young lad sailing with my dad it was often my job to check the depth with the lead line as we navigated up channnels and creeks looking for an anchorage. We made it ourselves out of a lengh of old lead pipe and some 4mm line, I remember stitching the markers on it but i forget what they were now, but it was in fathoms.
 
I've used it to check my draught and calibrate the depthcharger accurately to depth under the keel when I was sitting on the mud
 
fish (and chip) finder

I have one and use it sometimes just for fun. I have it just in case the electronic one goes down (I have three gps's too). Touble is, a lead tells you how deep was the water you just went over. I'm rather keen to have one of these fishfinder things instead. If they could do a fish and chip finder I bet even the grumpy ones on Dragon's Den would cough up.
 
I was thinking of getting one for taking soundings in the dink, but you can't even buy them over here. At least, not in this area.

I'll either have to improvise or get a hand-held sounder. Or use an oar, I suppose.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I was thinking of getting one for taking soundings in the dink, but you can't even buy them over here. At least, not in this area.

I'll either have to improvise or get a hand-held sounder. Or use an oar, I suppose.

[/ QUOTE ]Prompted me to have a look online in the UK..... and Mainstore is advertising a 14lb sounding lead.... 14 pounds!!!!!!...... what the heck do you need a 14lb sounding lead for?.... sounds more like a flippin anchor!
 
I bought one from a boat jumble but ended up using it when installing woodburning stoves! Great for measuring the height of a chimney and dislodging bits of slate and cement on the way down. Average height of a chimney in a two storey house - 4.5 fathoms! sooty bottom.
 
I have a friend who has a 50' ketch that has never been fitted with a depthsounder - other than a 'proper' lead-line.

Before you ask - Yes. He has hit the putty.

Donald
 
because you want to swing it forward of the boat and have it drop to the bottom very fast, otherwise if it drops slowly, it will end on the seabed behind the boat?

Don't forget, these were used on big boats, not just little yachts, and might be used in soundings in hundreds of feet of water, so you don't really want it to take 10 minutes to hit the bottom
 
Always use a sounding lead - no depth sounder. Never use tallow though as am based in East Coast and its all mud! Very good when tied to empty kettle handle to act as anchor alarm!
 
Try Iraq. A small piece of depleted uranium with a hole drilled through one end for the line and a hole in the other for the walrus blubber, goose-fat or whatever.

I was tempted by one I saw in the chandlery at Troon, but was fazed by the fear of being outed as a dreamer.

For depth checks while stationary, I use one of those heavy magnet thingys.

Mark
 
[/ QUOTE ]Prompted me to have a look online in the UK..... and Mainstore is advertising a 14lb sounding lead.... 14 pounds!!!!!!...... what the heck do you need a 14lb sounding lead for?.... sounds more like a flippin anchor!

[/ QUOTE ]

A 14 pounder is a deepsea lead intended for deep water. The 7 pounder is the one for coastal work.
 
Congratulations on being the first to mention tallow which as everybody "knows" was used as a primary source of navigation by fishermen. The depth being almost less important to them navigationally than what was the bottom.
 
Go to your local fishing tackle shop and buy a lead weight as used by boat fishermen - you can take your choice as to weight because they start at 4oz and go up to 30+oz. Then down to the local swindlers and buy some suitable line - job done.

Peter.
 
Yes ...

on board large ships as well .....

Just a couple of examples ....

Shell Tankers UK Ltd - running up the Manchester Ship Canal, forward tug engines fail and we have to veer of to starboard to avoid stuffing it up the jack'si. The veer off took us into the Paper mill berth part way up towards Stanlow. DEpth alongside was supposed to be sufficient for us as per charted ... Nope - she ran aground.
Myself as 3rd Mate and a Cadet were given the job of sounding round the vessel to find real depths ... the variance was considerable and information passed to MSC Pilot accordingly in suitable language by our Captain !!
Replacement tug arrived and with props churning and plenty of salty language she was pulled out and back on her merry way to Stanlow.

Second example ..... Chevron .... up a jungle river in Venezuela .... the trick was to stick the bow of the ship (35,000 ton) into the jungle bank and then swing stern round to turn the vessel .... river was basically ship length wide only. Well ship was about 70% turned when she stopped .... Pilot hadn't "rammed" bow in hard enough to be able to clear stern in its swing .... meanwhile various jungle beasts were boarding with the idea to create a zoo ..... use of various workboats and small line tug managed to ease her round and then we ran aground trying to berth .... so I'm 1st Mate now ... with indian AB - sound round ......

So it's not just East Coast or Ryde Sands yotties that do it !!! Ships just do it with more style and slower !!

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Have used it a couple of times and where always glad to have it onboard...
a) sounding round the ship (130ft schooner) after the captain run her aground while trying to enter a very shallow danish port (having been warned to take a shovel with him if he intends to go there)....

b) sounding from the dinghy to ensure there is enough water in the channel or at the anchorage to allow for swinging

c) calibrating the sounder on every charter boat I sail.
 
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