Fin keel mooring

[granth2903]

Im new to sailing and have a 20ft fin keel sail boat with a 4.5ft daft and want to know the suitability for putting on a mud swing mooring. If mooring completely dries out will the boat heel over completely or dig in to reduce heel effect? I'm assuming it's best option is to find a non drying mooring to avoid problem but wondered what others have experienced.

 

[V1701]

Hi Grant, just giving your post a nudge back to the top & welcome to the forums. Post a bit more info about where you're thinking of mooring and people will probably reply. Might be better using Scuttlebutt for this question...

 

[Seajet]

granth,

welcome to the forums.

If your mooring actually dries out, the basic answer is it's not suitable for a fin keeler.

If just a little of the keel touches and sinks into the mud while the boat is nearly afloat, that's OK - not ideal but ok - but drying out is a no-no, the keel will hold her over on her side and quite possibly cause her to fill on the flood tide.

Maybe once in a blue moon she might settle upright in calm conditions with the keel dug in, but 99% of the time a side wind or current will have her over on her ear.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news !

 

[savageseadog]

You also have to consider how exposed the mooring is. It might be OK touching down once in a while but if there's any waves.............

 

[doug748]

That is pretty deep for a 20 foot boat, so I would not want to dry her out on a swinging mooring myself.
With a trot mooring you have more of a chance. My boat has a draught of 5 foot 6 and was dried out on mud in Newport when I bought her. The river Usk is sheltered and dries to soft ooze, and it is common practice to dry out even large fin keelers. They just go gloop into the stuff and sit there upright.
Some of your Suffolk rivers could well be the same, tho local guidance is the key.

 

[kieronriley]

lying down

i have an mg30 long keel five foot draft and she has been lying down on a drying mooring for 14 years and has never come to any harm,my mooring is in a small river that is protected untill the boat is well afloat so as already said it does depend on where you are.
we also had a 31 foot fin keel in our river for about three years no harm.Kieron

 

[granth2903]

Hi djbreeze, thanks for welcome, nudge and advice, all new to me including forum, will try to get my head round it all eventually I hope. Boat is going to moored on river Roach and fairly well protected it seems

 

[granth2903]

Doug, the boat would be located on river Roach in Essex so fairly sheltered at least but I will speak to some locals with moorings when next there. I just wanted to get a general view of the situation and replies are pretty much as expected. Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.

 

[granth2903]

Kieron, thanks for your feedback and experiences on the subject, i will ask locals and see what they have experienced. Thanks again

 

[BAtoo]

Where do you intend to moor? I see you are in Suffolk from your details. Also which boat? East Coast Forum may give more specific advice about your chosen mooring.