Beaching Legs Fitting Location?

[Tim Good]

I know many of you on here have or have fitted beaching legs in the past, most from Yacht Legs Company. I'm currently putting the fittings on my boat for the FA4 version which is the biggest adjustable version. My boat is semi long keel, 17t. It actually sits entirely on its own on the yard since the keel is long flat and about 25cm wide on the bottom.

Anyway... There is very little access to the hull among all my cabinets and an accessible location is beneath one the port lights. You can see below where i have cut out a panel to give access.

I plan to put the fitting there. It uses 20mm bolts, 66mm apart using a 300x150 hardwood backing plate. I then plan to bond and glass around the hardwood block.

Question: Given the legs are not designed to take much load, and only keep the boat balanced, do you think it is ok to put the fitting here given that it is directly below the port light?

 

[vyv_cox]

It can only be an opinion without calculation but I believe that with your substantial backing pad it will be OK. The load on the legs is surprisingly light when the boat is upright.

 

[Tim Good]

It can only be an opinion without calculation but I believe that with your substantial backing pad it will be OK. The load on the legs is surprisingly light when the boat is upright.

Thanks Vyv... As many of us know, you have more knowledge of these legs than most. Are you still using yours regularly?

 

[richardabeattie]

"The load on the legs is surprisingly light when the boat is upright." And there is no wind in the yard and your neighbours are not lawyers.

 

[Tim Good]

It can only be an opinion without calculation but I believe that with your substantial backing pad it will be OK. The load on the legs is surprisingly light when the boat is upright.

"The load on the legs is surprisingly light when the boat is upright." And there is no wind in the yard and your neighbours are not lawyers.

Not sure why you'd want to use beaching legs in the yard when you have chocks, a cradle or adjustable yard legs?

I would only even use beaching legs for exactly that... Beaching in calm weather for 24-48 hours with a settled forecast.

 

[zoidberg]

Looking to cobble together a pair of legs, copying Vyv Cox's suggestions on his website. Question - should one aim to have the pad(s) at the lower end(s) some inches/cm below the level of the keel-base, or exactly level?

From those with experience of use, and an expectation of the keel sinking at least a little into hard sand, how ought one to accommodate that? FWIW, there's no intention of trying this out in the de-e-e-p mud of the Brizl Channel!

 

[vyv_cox]

"The load on the legs is surprisingly light when the boat is upright." And there is no wind in the yard and your neighbours are not lawyers.

I have wintered ashore twice on my legs, once in North Wales and once in Holland. Absolutely no problems. There are photos on the Legs page of my website of two boats wintering on the Yacht Legs versions in Milford Haven and another on wooden legs in the same place. Hundreds of boats use them in Brittany all year round, drying on every tide and stored in winter. Years ago two Sigma 33s berthed on drying moorings at Ramsey IOM all season and for all I know all winter too.

 

[vyv_cox]

Thanks Vyv... As many of us know, you have more knowledge of these legs than most. Are you still using yours regularly?

No, we have been in the Med for some years now, so the legs are in a box in the garage.

We have used the legs on mud, a week in Douglas Harbour before the gate was installed. Difficult to judge whether the lower ends of the legs were level with the keel when we touched bottom, as we have the adjustable ones. It always seems, backed up by what Yacht Legs say, that the legs sink into the bottom to the same depth as the keel regardless of its consistency. People I know who berthed permanently on fore and aft buoys on sand left the legs something like 6 inches higher than the keel to avoid the boat 'tripping over' one leg. The boat coped well with leaning over but it had a fairly long keel, which may have helped.

 

[NormanS]

Looking to cobble together a pair of legs, copying Vyv Cox's suggestions on his website. Question - should one aim to have the pad(s) at the lower end(s) some inches/cm below the level of the keel-base, or exactly level?

From those with experience of use, and an expectation of the keel sinking at least a little into hard sand, how ought one to accommodate that? FWIW, there's no intention of trying this out in the de-e-e-p mud of the Brizl Channel!

When I had legs on a boat with a drying mooring, they were arranged so that the (long) keel was definitely on the ground before the legs. The pads on the legs were probably about 75mm higher than the keel, but in those days it was 2-3".

 

[LittleSister]

I used to own a boat with legs, and used them every winter when storing her ashore (as did the previous owner).

As I understand it, the legs should always be slightly shorter than the keel, so the keel always takes the bulk of the weight of the boat, and the legs are just keeping it upright.

When storing my boat ashore on firm ground I would place wooden pads or wedges under the feet of the leg, making up the height, to level up the boat for the winter and avoid the boat rocking side to side. With the boat level, and in the absence of a strong wind, there was very little weight on them.

 

[Kelpie]

If the boat is going to take the ground and refloat unattended without a stern anchor, there is a real risk of a leg dragging along the bottom as she reorients head to wind (assuming a wind shift over the time since she settled). So to avoid this, the legs need to be short enough that they are both well clear of the ground when she is level but not yet floating. This will produce a noticeable list when dried out.

 

[SailorAleksi]

Hello everybody !
I'm the (happy) new owner of a Halcyon 27. As I am living onboard full time and want to extend my explorations in tidal areas and drying moorings, I would love to hear and see pictures about the set up you use to dry long keels on beaching legs, what simple system can be use to connect them to the hull and where would you put it in the case of a Halcyon 27 ?
I am not ashamed to admit that I am not only a new boat owner, but quite new in the sailing world as well. So don't think you can give to many details or advices, i'll hear them all ! Thank you all for your help

 

[coveman]

If the idea is to use them on the hard then it may be worth checking this with your insurance company. Last year a club close to ours had a tragic death when a boat fell while on the hard killing the skipper when he was antifouling. Most clubs now insist on a suitable cradle. However, I guess if it is kept on your own private area there is no problem

 

[LittleSister]

Vyv Cox, of this parish, has some info about legs and their fitting on his excellent website -
Installing Yacht Legs

The legs would normally be placed at or near (e.g. depending on internal access to fix a backing plate) the widest part of the hull, assuming a fairly conventional hull shape, and as near to the gunwhale as practicable given the boat's construction and size of the backing plate.

It is important that the legs should be slightly shorter than the boat's draft, so almost all its weight is taken by the keel, and the legs are just keeping it upright, which generally takes surprisingly little force.

 

[Kelpie]

Hello everybody !
I'm the (happy) new owner of a Halcyon 27. As I am living onboard full time and want to extend my explorations in tidal areas and drying moorings, I would love to hear and see pictures about the set up you use to dry long keels on beaching legs, what simple system can be use to connect them to the hull and where would you put it in the case of a Halcyon 27 ?
I am not ashamed to admit that I am not only a new boat owner, but quite new in the sailing world as well. So don't think you can give to many details or advices, i'll hear them all ! Thank you all for your help

You might get lucky and pick up a set of secondhand legs from the Yachtlegs company (they have stopped making them new, and they were pretty expensive).

The Halcyon should be quite well suited to using legs- nice long keel, draft not too deep. You probably want to put them near the point of maximum beam, but subject to this not clashing with anything structural like bulkheads or chainplates.

 

[Tim Good]

As the OP of this thread I did eventually fit the legs and here she is in Brittany. Not long keel but semi long.

It’s a shame Yacht Leg Company has stopped them as they’re very good quality. I was fortunate to get a 2nd hand pair.

 

[Goldie]

[QUOTE="northcave, post: 7126563, member: 40225 It’s a shame Yacht Leg Company has stopped them as they’re very good quality. I was fortunate to get a 2nd hand pair.[/QUOTE]

Lucky you! I have a boat with the hull fittings, but no legs. If anyone has a steer towards a good pair of FA4 legs, I’d love to hear. Thanks.

 

[Tim Good]

Lucky you! I have a boat with the hull fittings, but no legs. If anyone has a steer towards a good pair of FA4 legs, I’d love to hear. Thanks.

I put a saved search on eBay and gumtree to notify my when someone lists them. Then when they did jump on it asap! It’s the only way to get something when demand is that much more than supply.

 

[Goldie]

I put a saved search on eBay and gumtree to notify my when someone lists them. Then when they did jump on it asap! It’s the only way to get something when demand is that much more than supply.

Thanks, I‘ve had both those searches in place for some time but live in hope!

 

[Travelling Westerly]

Any ideas why Yacht Legs Company stopped making them? Seems quite a few people still want them.