Has anyone here ever launched a yacht or a keelboat on a falling tide?

[Kukri]

Someone whose judgment I respect suggested that I do so.

By « launch » I mean float a boat off a trailer or trolley.

Hard not available on flood tide.

Anyone?

 

[LittleSister]

I can't say I have (other than a little centre-boarder barely bigger than a dinghy), but it doesn't sound an outrageous idea, depending on how far and fast the tide is predicted to fall, how steep the hard and how far it extends, and the amount of time you anticipate it will take to actually get the boat off the trailer/trolley.

 

[bignick]

It takes only minutes to float a boat off a trailer. The falling tide is largely irrelevant in that time frame.
If you’re not launching at high water then it’s doubly important to check that you will have a sufficient depth of water to float the boat off the trailer, without reaching the end of the slipway,

 

[penfold]

Is it a trick question? Unless there's Brizzle channel style "FSM just pulled the plug and all the water is going downhill at 10kts" tides it's as easy/difficult as launching on a rising tide.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

It happens all the time here. Our water only goes up and down 1.5m, it’s 5he side to side you have to watch out for.

 

[Refueler]

It takes only minutes to float a boat off a trailer. The falling tide is largely irrelevant in that time frame.
If you’re not launching at high water then it’s doubly important to check that you will have a sufficient depth of water to float the boat off the trailer, without reaching the end of the slipway,

People are afraid of letting trailer with boat go of end of slip .... but in fact its normally not a problem and boat usually floats of better.

Once boat is of trailer - trailer is light and pulls back onto slip.

As to which way tide is ? Does it really matter if you have more than enough water to float and get to mooring or whatever ?

 

[Chiara’s slave]

People are afraid of letting trailer with boat go of end of slip .... but in fact its normally not a problem and boat usually floats of better.

Once boat is of trailer - trailer is light and pulls back onto slip.

As to which way tide is ? Does it really matter if you have more than enough water to float and get to mooring or whatever ?

The main slip at Yarmouth ends rather abruptly in that way, but the tide has to be pretty low to encounter it. And as you say, it’s little problem to recover just the trailer from that predicament.

 

[Graham376]

It happens all the time here. Our water only goes up and down 1.5m, it’s 5he side to side you have to watch out for.

Yes, that's the most important. Beacons slip at Conwy for instance can have 5 kts of tide running across it so slack water is more important.

 

[ProDave]

Yes I did. It didn't go too well.

We rigged the boat, reversed down the slipway, and struggled to get enough water to float it off the trailer, the trailer was off the end of the slipway before we got it off. Then being so low I walked the boat the short distance to the harbour (in my waders) but ran out of water about 10ft from the harbour wall. There it sat for nearly 6 hours until the tide came back.

That was just bad timing, there was nothing intrinsicly wrong with launching on a falling tide, just that we were too late in the tide and at that time not that familiar with the local tide heights and exactly when the harbour dried.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Ah yes, thats even worse than the RSYC solent slip. At least thats into shallow water, so slower than the main stream.

 

[bignick]

The reason I said not to fall off the end of the slip is in case you can‘t float off and need to abort . If the trailer wheels have dropped off the end and the boat is still on the trailer then you have a problem As you may not be able to get back up the slipway.

 

[LittleSister]

You're going to be trailer sailing Kukri?

 

[Kukri]

You're going to be trailer sailing Kukri?

She has a little sister….
Owned by my son Charles.

She may yet get

“My other boat is a Nic 55”
or
“T/T Kukri”
on the transom.

Question related to using the RHYC slip but keeping out of the way of Regatta Day and Junior Race Week!

 

[LittleSister]

She has a little sister….

Nice!

(And I'm all in favour of little sisters. )

Question related to using the RHYC slip but keeping out of the way of Regatta Day and Junior Race Week!

There's a big moon at the moment, do it by night and you'll have the slipway to yourselves and all the time in the world.

 

[DownWest]

Do it often, but quite quickly. Any delayed efforts would clearly risk problems. A Squib has a bit of keel, so caution on timing and slip. An N55 needs a big crane.
One of our local free slips has a step at the end. Launched a few there with the trailer dropping off the step. No prob with dragging it back after floating the boat away.

 

[Pump-Out]

She may yet get

“My other boat is a Nic 55”
or
“T/T Kukri”
on the transom.

Or:
Karda,
T/T Kukri

 

[DownWest]

The reason I said not to fall off the end of the slip is in case you can‘t float off and need to abort . If the trailer wheels have dropped off the end and the boat is still on the trailer then you have a problem As you may not be able to get back up the slipway.

Quite, one of the boats we used to launch on the slip with a step drew a bit over 3ft and weighed over 4 ton. Once the back wheels were over the step, we were committed.

 

[Refueler]

Surely - the answer is 'Tide Tables' ??

I accept that a keelboat instead of a Bilge Keeler / Lifting keel is subject of more care ... but if everyone was to wait for rising tide - then there would be larger queues at slips and I know a lot of Marina's / Clubs who would object .....

 

[Daydream believer]

I do it with my Squib quite easily on the Blackwater. But I try to do it where the hard beach has got a bit of a slope. That way I can hook a rope to our club tractor and the trailer will roll back on its own. Other wise it is get wet time and give it a push, which is a pain.
With my 20 ft launch the tractor can only push the trailer in so far. So once again I rely on the slope of the hard. To recover the tractor puts the trailer in the wate & ties a rope to it leaving plenty of slack. I come as close as I can. Hook a line over an upright on the trailer and reverse pulling it into deep water. Then I get the line off to avoid getting it in the prop. Then motor onto the trailer ready for the tractor to pull me in. Tide can be strong but one has to compensate for that and having been servicing moorings for 20 years I have got the hang of it by now

 

[Refueler]

Lost count of the number of times seen people get cars wet trying to work boats on slips ...

As DB above ... its all down to using a rope.

I place trailer down slip but not in water .. I prefer to have a short 'run' before it gets to water. Lower front jockey wheel till it touches slip. Turn it so trailer will run straight. Place block behind it.
Make fast rope to trailer head and other end to tow bar under and clear of trailer hitch. Wind jockey to unhitch trailer from car. Make sure there is a rope from boat stem back onto shore that is clear of all and long enough to have end well up slip. ... some like to have fast to car ... but make sure it does not snag and is long enough to let boat float clear.
Drive car fwd so that trailer rope is taut and has trailer just off the block that was put behind jockey wheel ... make sure jockey wheel still correct direction. Remove block.

Now comes the act of faith ... if you reverse slowly - you may have trailer wander as it rolls ... but if you grit teeth and actually reverse at a reasonable rate - not fast but not slow .. trailer should run and avoid odd stone knocking it off line ... plus as the boat hits water ... momentum is enough to overcome the wall of water.

Car is well clear of water .... boat has line you can use to stop it going off a wandering .... Caqr can now pull trailer out with rope and at top of slip - rehitch to car etc.