Maiden voyage. Redcar or Lytham? Saturday/Sunday twin keel

[Benjibob22]

I’m thinking of taking my twin keel leisure 17 out at Redcar on Saturday/sunday, (motoring it with outboard for now until I sort out the sails) using the public slip. Thinking I could float it out at the first high tide. Anchor it and tow the trailer back on land. I’m hoping I can come back in on the next high tide wait a few hours for it to recede enough and let it sit on the sand close to the slipway then take the trailer out and put it back on. Do we think this is doable? I was also thinking of Lytham? Thanks.

 

[wallacebob]

Firstly, launching off the trailer in water will not do the trailer much good, unless it’s designed for that? Wheel bearings being the issue and corrosion. Also , you may have a wet car. Second, I know Leisure did say you could “walk” a 17 onto the trailer, but on sand? Doubtful. I used a yard trailer with no brakes, and a long towbar extension to recover/launch on a slip. Tractor and 3 people did it safely.

 

[veshengro]

I'm not familiar with Redcar or Lytham and I'm not trying to dissuade you from launching your boat, but if it's your first experience of doing so is there not a more sheltered spot at those locations, rather than off an open beach into the sea? Any hard standing slips into the Ribble or Tees that you could use, still making use of the tides if you wished ?
If I was to launch into the open sea I would sort the sails out first, especially if it was my first launching with a particular boat/engine.

 

[ProDave]

We had a L17 once. Great little boats for their size. But we kept it afloat only taking it out of the water for winter.

As already noted, the L17 manual does show you how to do a dry launch and recovery. But have you tried it? We did.

Dry launch is okay, but feels a bit brutal, you basically tip the boat off the trailer. Take a large piece of old carpet as it WILL end up nose down on the slipway with the bow on the slipway.

Dry recovery. Well we did manage it. Just. But it is NOT easy like the manual suggests. You tip the boat forward on it's keels so the bow tips down onto the slipway (remember that bit of carpet) and slot the trailer under the back of the keels. Then try and lift it up. Nigh on impossible. Certainly not with 2 people as shown in the manual. We had about 5 people, it was hard work, and looked very close to bending the trailer plates that the keels sit on. Never again. And as said would that even work on sand?

For a dry launch or recovery, you are going to tie up the slipway for some time waiting for the tide to go in our out. Can you do that?

Right from when we bought our first small boat without knowing how or where we would use it, we thought about launch, sail, recover. One launch and one recovery showed us this plan would not work and if we tried it we would not have sailed much and probably given up. So do yourselves a favour and go and find a mooring or berth in a harbour or marina so you can enjoy sailing without the hard work or launching and recovering each time.

 

[chriscallender]

I’m thinking of taking my twin keel leisure 17 out at Redcar on Saturday/sunday, (motoring it with outboard for now until I sort out the sails) using the public slip. Thinking I could float it out at the first high tide. Anchor it and tow the trailer back on land. I’m hoping I can come back in on the next high tide wait a few hours for it to recede enough and let it sit on the sand close to the slipway then take the trailer out and put it back on. Do we think this is doable? I was also thinking of Lytham? Thanks.

I don't know any of those places specifically but I do have a leisure 17. If you are thinking of transferring the boat from the sand to the trailer to recover it that is going to be very difficult. L17s were loaded onto the original trailer at the factory without a hoist but it needs a fair few hands to get the bow down and roll the trailer in from behind. On sand this would be near impossible unless you had an army of helpers, the trailer will perhaps sink into the sand too, and it also doesn't work if you have a newer trailer for the boat and want to travel it facing forwards.

I recover mine every autumn onto a launching trolley I built myself (and it faces forwards on that). For forwards I need to put the trolley down the slipway deep enough for the boat to float on (eg with a rope between the trailer and the car towbar). Then I can jiggle it onto the trolley and then pull both up the slip a bit even by hand so that it starts to put weight on the keels, finally using the car or a winch for the rest. (Make sure the boat is attached so it can't slide off the back when you start using the car). I think this would be a way easier approch than trying to manhandle it on to the trailer off the beach (if I understood your post correcty)

Although the ealier comment on the trailer although being dunked and that being hard on the trailer is well made and true, it is also how most boat trailers are intended to be used so I also think that's just the reality of trailer sailing except for some very nice modern trailers which are lovely but $$$£££$$$. If you do dunk it, you will just have to accept that you are replacing the bearings and brakes on a regular basis, they will likely need attention every season and it would be good to flush everything (including inside the brake drums) with a fresh hose as soon as it comes out the water - may not be realistic though. I keep mine at the sailing club which is why I don't need a road trailer.

I'd also say it needs to be pretty calm, especially to be able to recover the boat onto the trailer. I wouldn't attempt it on our slip in a wind direction where the swell comes in.

They are great little boats, although they hardly behave like they are little. I hope you get it launched and have lots of fun and a nice weekend.

Chris

 

[ProDave]

L17s were loaded onto the original trailer at the factory without a hoist but it needs a fair few hands to get the bow down and roll the trailer in from behind.

One thing not mentioned in the manual, mast stepped or not? I suspect in the factory it was not much more than a bare hull loaded on the trailer. We did the dry launch and recovery with the mast up. That would have added weight and changed COG. Are you supposed to remove the mast and anything heavy like anchor and chain etc before dry recovery?

 

[chriscallender]

One thing not mentioned in the manual, mast stepped or not? I suspect in the factory it was not much more than a bare hull loaded on the trailer. We did the dry launch and recovery with the mast up. That would have added weight and changed COG. Are you supposed to remove the mast and anything heavy like anchor and chain etc before dry recovery?

I think you’re right, the boats might well have been pretty stripped out and light when they did this in the factory compared to having all our gear and rigging on board. That said, weight forward of the cog makes it easier to get the bow down and even the mast is probably forward enough not to hinder. So it may not make a huge difference, the keels are already a big chunk of the total weight

I never dry loaded mine and I can’t imagine it’s easy, but if I was trying I don’t think I’d specially remove all the mast and rigging. I find it easier to deal with the mast once it’s out the water although I’ve lowered the mast afloat plenty of times too,