Mud Moorings for 19 foot fin keeler

[aBod]

Hi,
Hope I can draw on a pool of wisdom! I've been offered a fantastic mooring for my 19 foot fin keel boat on the river Medina, except it does dry out. The mud is very soft and I believe other fin keels just sink into it.

Are there any dangers of drying out onto soft mud? Will it do damage to the boat?

Many thanks,

 

[fergie_mac66]

think you will need to be more specific. how type of boat, size of keel .
If the keel doesn't fully sink in and the boat finishes on its bilge, it might not refloat!

 

[aBod]

Hi,
She's a Hunter Europa, same hull as a squib. The hull is fairly well rounded and she draws about 3 foot. I'd expect the keel to sink in.

Many thanks,

 

[Clarky]

Hi,
She's a Hunter Europa, same hull as a squib. The hull is fairly well rounded and she draws about 3 foot. I'd expect the keel to sink in.

Many thanks,

Theres a good chance it wont sink in and will lie on her side, as this happened to me with a 26 foot Maxi and I had to move it.

 

[William_H]

Mud mooring

I don't know much about this stuff but it seems to me that the boat may be OK to lay on its side at low water then hopefully right itself as the tide comes in. Much would depend on the shape of the sides of the hull and the free board when lay on it's side. I could only suggest that you try the boat in a drying out then righting situation to see how it reacts to the righting. Even then it could depend on wave size etc as to how much water comes aboard before it rights.
I would not think you could rely on it always staying upright when drying in the mud unless you fitted legs on the sides. good luck olewill

 

[Kukri]

Try it, with you staying aboard over the low water.

 

[aBod]

Thanks for replying.
Will give it a go for a tide to see how it goes.

 

[fergie_mac66]

I don't know much about this stuff but it seems to me that the boat may be OK to lay on its side at low water then hopefully right itself as the tide comes in. Much would depend on the shape of the sides of the hull and the free board when lay on it's side. I could only suggest that you try the boat in a drying out then righting situation to see how it reacts to the righting. Even then it could depend on wave size etc as to how much water comes aboard before it rights.
I would not think you could rely on it always staying upright when drying in the mud unless you fitted legs on the sides. good luck olewill

+1

 

[BAtoo]

Thanks for replying.
Will give it a go for a tide to see how it goes.

Might be an uncomfortable night if it doesn't sink in...

I think in places like Scarborough Harbour, which dries, they moor in floating cradles which support the boat when it dries - might be worth a thought.

 

[Kukri]

Legs are for hard bottoms; they should not be used in mud, as they may make things worse.

If you can shove the boathook well in (be sure you can pull it out again!!) she will probably sit upright.

 

[fergie_mac66]

one danger is when tide and wind combine to cause the boat keel to touch down on its mooring block preventing it sinking in

 

[Rich_saunders]

I have a Limbo 6.6 that drys out and the boat lays on its side. The keel draws about 1 foot when up. Half of this sinks in the mud but the boat lays happily on its side. Having said this I certainly wouldnt spend the night on the boat in this position! She rights herself nicely and never had any problems. The boat is on the east coast and in a sheltered creek.

 

[aBod]

"If you can shove the boathook well in (be sure you can pull it out again!!) she will probably sit upright."

That's quite a good idea Minn, many thanks.

 

[Little Rascal]

I have the same boat. As others have said the important thing will be what depth of soft mud there is. Fin keeled Europas can dry out and float off again with no flooding issues but I don't think you'd want to do it regularly on a mooring (!) However you might not need the whole 3 feet of mud - 2 feet might be enough to keep her reasonably upright - ie on her bilges at least.

Best thing will be to try it. Will she be moored for and aft or swinging? If she dries out in the same spot she will maybe dig a nice hole over a few weeks.

Keep us posted though: I'd be interested to hear how it goes.