MacWester 22 question

[mpmiller101]

I have a Macwester 22 with no bilge keels. I have a good quay wall nearby for drying out and cleaning and anti-fouling.

But the bottom of the keel is flat and about 8 to 10 inches wide and therefore hard to get at for a clean up, and it is a seriously good habitat for all sorts of encrusting marine life.

Has anyone here dried one of these boats on its side on hard sand? Do they lift off on the rising tide before, for example, water flows in the hawse pipe?

Love to hear from anyone with experience.

thanks in advance.

 

[Appledore]

Hi,

I have a Rowan, like yours. I've owned it for 14 years and never bothered to lay it on its side for the purpose you intend. Whenever she comes out of the water I place timber under the keel, (and corresponding thickness under the legs) about 6 x 4 inches thick, and that's enough for me to get a suitable scraper underneath (most of) the keel. antifouling is applied with a suitable pad.

You could ask a fellow Rowan owner if he has done this and I have sent you a PM with his email address.

All I can tell you is that when I went aground in the river, we were at 45 degrees and she cam upright OK! I never looked at the keel though!!

Geoff

 

[fireball]

Never tried that - but never worried about the bottom of the keel either. TBH, you can clean it off by a little bit of judicial "grounding" ...

 

[Searush]

I would expect that drying out against a wall for a few tides would kill anything trying to live under the keel.

The Rowan is a well respected sea boat, I would be surprised if it wasn't sea worthy enough to dry out on her side, but you could always select the side of a sandbank with the keel "downhill" - mind you, don't tip the wrong way tho as that will make it worse!

 

[mpmiller101]

Thanks for the replies.

I only take her out every other winter if I can get away with it. In the second season of course the anti-foul on bottom of keel is gone and crushing everything by drying does help - but not for long. so what I really want is to be able to get anti-foul on without having to pay for lift - but also I like the idea of being as self sufficient as possible.

When drying against a wall she does have a tendency to drop by the bow - which I counter by laying the chain along the inner side deck (hence keeping her leaning inward and removing the weight from the chain locker which is right forward) and a barrel of water in the stern. I'm just worried that this tendency to lean forward might be replicated in some way as she lifts off her side in hence the mention of possible flooding by the chain locker.


She is a hardy wee boat alright.