East Coast Motorboat to take the ground?

[yodave]

Hi,

Friday night stupidness:

Is there a mobo equivalent to a bilge/twin keel yacht, that can take the ground for use on the East coast?

Please don't beat me up if this is a stupid question ...I just want to know whether a mobo is a bad idea for a drying mooring.

I.E. is there a type of mobo that will sit-upright rather than flop over to one side ...and is the hull going to take a battering off rocks and stones?

Thanks

 

[rubberduck]

Any planing mobo with outdrive leg/s should do the job, but those what really know will be along soon.

 

[gravygraham]

I.E. is there a type of mobo that will sit-upright rather than flop over to one side ...and is the hull going to take a battering off rocks and stones?

I don't think it's such a daft question, although I'd be a tad wary of your 'rocks' bit. Our old mobo had a flat keel, and a skeg going under each prop and onto the rudder mounting, see pic. She sat quite well on the ground when the tide dropped. There's a thread here currently about yacht legs, take a look.

 

[PaulGooch]

Our Merry Fisher 805 will dry out OK, we have tested that by sitting on the bottom at Wells a couple of times.

 

[yodave]

Thanks

Rubber duck; thanks for your reply. Yacht legs aren't quite what I'm looking for as they are a bit of an after thought, that doesn't really tick all the boxes. They won't protect the hull for example, they need effort to install and remove ...and they're a tad flimsy.

Gravygraham; that's the sort of thing that I was thinking of. What make and model of boat is that? Are there similar makes and models out there?

PaulGooch; good luck with your sale. I'd imagine your MerryFisher isn't all that level when the tide goes out, and would worry about the hull as the she dries out / floats. Am I wrong?

Thanks again.

 

[PCUK]

A couple of simple steel skegs will make any boat sit up on hard ground. Isn't the East coast all soft mud though?

 

[Otter]

A couple of simple steel skegs will make any boat sit up on hard ground. Isn't the East coast all soft mud though?

Lots of mud but lots of it is quite hard, even in the upper reaches of the Deben the yacht harbour has to craete an artificially dredged basin for the non bilge keel yachts and mobos to float in at low tide, even though the mud bank has built up to about 1.5m higher than the low water mark. Very few places have the kind of mud you sink into. Not like Fleetwood where I sailed as a boy, you could loose a whole yacht in that stuff

 

[gravygraham]

Gravygraham; that's the sort of thing that I was thinking of. What make and model of boat is that?

It's a Kent 33, made by Cory Yachts. They also made a 27 and a 31, all with single or twin engine installations - of course you'll only be interested in the twins. Here's a 31 I found for sale although this one's in Holland and only has one engine. http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2005/Kent-31-Cruiser--2160452/8551-ML-Woudsend/Netherlands

 

[gravygraham]

An afterthought

I don't know how soft your mud is, but NoMainShipTom (formerly MustangTom) of this parish parked his skeg-less mobo on (or should that be in) the soft mud in the creek where he berths. I have to admit it would worry me and I'd be concerned the shafts would get bent and the raw intakes would get stuffed up with mud. Having said that, Tom never suffered any troubles.

 

[oceanfroggie]

The "Profile 33" was a good bilge keel design in its day, twin engine displacement boat, and took the ground very well. Also excellent as a twin for exploring shallow water (eg inland, estuary, etc).

Profile 33

 

[Garold]

I talked to few people when in the channel islands and those sailors that potter across from st Peter port to herm for the weekend have to answer exactly the same question.

They seem to find their answer in their own hybrid designs with a couple of skegs to balance the hull when dried out, or small mobos with stern drives.

Cheers

Garold

 

[moonraker 36]

norsman 38.

 

[yodave]

Thank you!

Thanks very much for all the additional replies and opinions.

PCUK, The Lazy Kipper, Garold: The mud where we are often has boulders in the mix. Also there's more than one visitors berth amongst our local destinations that have bedrock to bump up and down on as the tide goes in and out. I wouldn't want my hull or stern gear anywhere near the ground.

It seems to me like there's a lack of fit-for-purpose East coast motorboats, but I'm not convinced that fashioning my own solution is a sound financial proposition should I subsequently want to sell.

gravygraham: The Kent 33 looks like a nice bit of kit. In the cold light of day thought it's quite pricey alongside a comparable yacht. I guess that's typical for a motorboat though.

oceanfroggie: The Profile 33 looks half-decent, but I'd probably be looking for something a bit more modern. Likewise with the Norseman 38 sugested by moonraker 36. Thanks nonetheless.

Thanks once again!

 

[nedmin]

Colvic Northerner with bilge keels

 

[yodave]

Thanks nedmin... Maybe a bit older and smaller than I was thinking.

Probably looking at around 35 to 40 ft. 80s - 90s as 2000 onwards probably over budget.

Many thanks for taking the time to contribute