Drying out advice - Big Boat

[Tim Good]

Ok so I have a lift keeler 26ft before my current boat and we dried all the time. It was a doddle because you can man handle it. However, my current boat weighs in at around 17T and 43ft. The keel is flat on the bottom and would suit drying out well. I have also tried setting it down to see how it balances and it sits on its keel with the slings slack. See below.

If for example I dried at Illfracombe on hard sand against the wall and the bottom was not perfectly flat and sloped away, the boat would want to lean away from the wall. How would I counter that on such a heavy boat?

 

[Allan]

I have a bilge keeler so don't have that problem. However I have seen three suggestions.
1. Put extra weight on the wall side of the boat, either on the toerail or hanging from the boom. Containers of water were suggested.
2. Tie the main halyard to something on shore to lean the boat in as it drops.
3. Put both large and small fenders along the side of the boat as it drops. When it touches remove the large diameter ones, allowing the boat to lean.
One of my friends is hoping to try drying in Clovelly in the near future.
Good luck.
Allan

 

[single]

I've never really thought about how i do it. I just go and tie up and it dries either flat or leaning very slightly to the wall (ilfracombe,Minehead etc)
The only thing i do, is ensure my water tanks on stbd side are full. If the boat dries perfectly flat i put a rope from the base of the mast to the wall. I would try it but have a rope in place from the mast to the wall as she dries just in case.

 

[Tim Good]

I've never really thought about how i do it. I just go and tie up and it dries either flat or leaning very slightly to the wall (ilfracombe,Minehead etc)

My worry is if it starts to lean the other way. I have a big flat bottom on my keel and if the sand against the way was hard and sloping away from the wall then the boat is likely to want to lean away also.

I'd then want some good lines from the mast ashore which might be difficult in a busy town.

 

[single]

Lines to the wall are no problem at Ilfracombe. The sand is quite soft so I'm sure the weight of the boat will make its own trench so don't worry about that bit.

 

[Bluepoolneil]

Watched a long Keeler dry out alongside the wall behind me in Tenby, he used a block riding up his shroud with a short line attached from the block to a rung of the ladder on the wall. As the tide dropped the block raised up the shroud and put slight pressure on the mast to make sure it was leaning into the wall. He only attached it to the ladder as he was about to dry out and had a quick release in case of problems. With the displacement of your boat it'll settle into the sand enough not to worry about the flat bottom on the keel.