Mooring on mud

[Dave3729]

Hi all
I have been looking to move my boat which is at HeyBridge basin on the river. The mooring i have looked at is nearby but a tidal pontoon mooring and the boat will sit in mud (4ft deep im told). My concern is will this cause damage to the boat. It is a 35ft Covic suncruiser with twin props. The engines are fairly new perkins sabres and i was told that it could damage them on a mooring like this. Is this correct ?
Many thanks

 

[DoubleVision]

Dont do it Dave. Just imagine if one of your shafts comes to rest one tide on a discarded breeze block or other hard object. Also starting your engines at any time other than high water would result in natures own grinding in paste entering your fairly new engines knackering up your water pumps and clogging your heat exchangers and intercoolers. You may well find any saving in mooring fees would be taken on extra maintainance. Sorry to be mr Gloomy but I have learned by bitter experience. Good luck
Paul

 

[Dave3729]

Thanks very much paul had my doubts and it is actually more expensive on the mud just moving for the shore power and the fact i had all my fuel stolen where i am on the river. I will have to continue my search.

 

[Stoaty]

It depends on the mud. If it's the soft silty type that we have here in the Medway it will do no harm at all. In fact we drive through it as often as possible to stop the berth from filling up. All you have to do to an unfamiliar mud berth is stick a boat hook in a few times and check for foreign objects.

 

[nyx2k]

ive been looking at moving my little 16ft boat onto heybridge basin from southend sea front. is it a good move or are there any problems.
regards nick

 

[Dave3729]

Hi Stoaty
The guy has told me that it is of the silty type and has been recently dug out and replaced. My concern is when sitting on the mud in the summer will this dry and block the water intake pipes on the bottom of the boat.

 

[Dave3729]

Hi Nick
I have a 35ft Colvic cruiser the problem i have had is i am near a car park and have recently had 400lt of diesel stolen from the boat. I have asked to be moved several times even though i have spotted possible moorings they dont seem concerned or willing to act. My advice would be the moorings in front of the Tea rooms which mean you dont have to use the lock and have access to water and electric and toilets. My father has a 16ft boat there and the guy (Clint) is very helpful and the berth is no more than about 20 pounds per week. I dont no what hes number is but its worth talking to him. Im down there often if you mail me when your going i will introduce you.

 

[fluffc]

East coast mud and engines do mix okay, but be prepared for the water pump to wear out quicker than normal - as you say, it acts like a grinding paste.

Occasionally you will get a plug of mud in the inlet pipe. This is caused either by not using the engine regularly and successive tides pushing a little more mud up each time she sits on the bottom, or by driving the boat onto the mud so that the engine is forced to pull up solid mud. (There is usually a fairly silty layer of mud on top, and thicker after a couple of inches).

If you do get a plug of mud, attach a hosepipe backwards down the inlet pipe to force the mud out.

The sea water filters stop any serious mud getting anywhere near the engine, so make sure it is easy to get at and clean out as you'll be doing it several times in a season...

 

[Dave3729]

I am very tempted as i am quite a novice with this size boat and think i would use it more if i did not have a lock to tend with. What worried me more is the guy was quite shocked i would leave this sort of boat on the mud which worried me also. Having only just brought it i have not looked at the underneath so dont no the set up. The other question im concerned about is will it sit on the mud ok. It is 35ft long 12ft beam and has approx 3ft draft also it is quite tall as it has a fly bridge.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I moored a shaftdriven Turbo 36 on a tidal marina mooring on the River Itchen near Southampton for 2 seasons. Like you I was concerned about bending things and bunging up inlet pipes but the marina owner convinced me it would be fine and so it was. Obviously you have the inconvenience of a limited tidal access window and not being able to use toilets when the boat was sitting on mud but, other than that, the only problem I encountered was that the log impellor would regularly get bunged up. In fact, I was convinced that sitting on mud was beneficial as the hull never seemed to get badly fouled
In your case, I think you have to talk to other owners with shaftdrive boats in the marina as to how soft the mud is and whether there are any obstructions in it but I would'nt dismiss it without checking it out first

 

[Dave3729]

Hi mike

What is the log impellor sorry to really show how much of a novice i am but not a clue what that is.
Thanks

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Log is short for speed log, the instrument on the helm which shows how fast you are going. The speed log is usually driven by a hull mounted plastic wheel known as a log impellor. The faster you go, the faster the plastic wheel or impellor turns. This plastic wheel sometimes get obstructed by weed, barnacles or mud which stops it turning and you get a false speed reading or none at all. The wheel can usually be withdrawn and cleaned from inside the boat

 

[Dave3729]

Many thanks mike

 

[MrCramp]

Went into Heybridge last year and I seem to remember boats similar to yours (25ft+ long motor boats) (all look the same to yachties) on the pontoons outside the lock. I would be going on the pontoons and asking other owners whether they have problems.
Al_Jones who posts on the Scuttlebutt forum is something to do with a sailing school that has offices near the tea shops. He is a knowledgeable chap and helpfull. Why don't you PM him. Not sure he will pick this topic up.

 

[Nauti Fox]

We are on a drying mooring as well with a 12 ton flybridge boat and have had no problems through sitting in the (Medway) mud. Keeps the props nice and clean!

 

[Dave3729]

Thanks very much im feeling alot more assured about the move.

 

[stevebrassett]

[ QUOTE ]
The wheel can usually be withdrawn and cleaned from inside the boat

[/ QUOTE ]
My boat is moored not far from Heybridge, in very similar mud. I tried to clean the impellor when the tide was out, and the mud came up through the hole nearly as fast as water. In fact, it is more thick water than mud. It stinks, as well.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Kept my shaft drive Fjord on a mud berth at Hayling Yacht Co for a couple of years. No issues with bunged up inlets or any such, but the barnacles did rather like it. You may want to consider your a/f choices bearing in mind the mud "contact" x2 per day.

 

[Nauti Fox]

There's an assortment of boats here ranging from an estuary tug, another five flybridge boats including a 55ft cruiser all sitting on the mud for a couple of hours every tide.
A plus point is that you can do stuff like repack stern glands between tides and check the anodes.
It takes a little while to sort out the best way of mooring it so always sits in the same spot but as I say we have not had any problems.

 

[mainshiptom]

My boat set on the mud for three years in between tides, 44foot fklybridge trawler, 16 Ton twin shafts.never hhad a problem, mind you the mud was very soft !

Faversham high quality mud !


Tom