on the hard

[billskip]

In UK all yards I have visited seem to support yachts with wood posts and wedges..
In Greece many use wood but some like the yard Im at use acro props..also I was told that insurance is viod if not in a custom built cradle..there have been a few yachts blown over in Greece in the last few yrs..I question...

1) which is best wood or steel props ?

2) when the yacht "settles" are the props (I dont mean propeller) being pushed into the hull ?

3) How long is it safe to leave a yacht standing on its keel?

4) Does anyone know position re insurance? (if I ask ins co they will change the goal posts)


My boat is a Gibsea 126 ketch..

 

[Gordonmc]

Interesting point.
When my 8 ton displacement, long keel came ashore for some work I had words with the yard hands as they propped using timbers, asking if it was worth investing in a cradle. Their advice was against... mainly on the grounds that a cradle normally only has two contact points per side. Using timber means the number of supporting points can be infinite... thus the load is spread over a greater area.
I can't help on how long the boat should be left on the hard. As my hull is wood I wanted it back in the briny a.s.a.p.
Lets not start a debate about insurance in case the companies pick up on it!
Incidentally, the New Year hurricane a few years back didn't discriminate between cradle and timber when it blew over boats on the hard.

 

[chas]

I have a "tailor made" (at home) six point cradle which uses acros. My boat apparantly spent five years ashore in it before I bought it. The surveyor could not find any evidence of warping or misalingment but the boat is an old one which is very thickly laid up. It might be different for a more modern thinner hull.

 

[ccscott49]

I dont like taking my boat out of the water, its natural enviroment. The props are not there to support the weight of the boat, thats taken by the keel, the props are there to prop it up, keeping it level. Steel props are just as good if not better than wood, but you just use more wood ones. I dont really know about how long etc, but i would say as short a time as possible especially for wood.

 

[kingfisher]

A tip

It may saoun obious, but never attach your boat to the cradle/posts. When the wind rocks the boat, the whole thing topples over.

Obi-Wan

 

[chrisc]

I am suprised that my present Bav 34 doesnt seem to distort at all,
I remember some years ago I had a Becker 27 and that used to distort alarmingly,
but it propobally depends on how well it is chocked up as they take it of the crane/ lifter.
Mine is on steel trestles now and very secure.But I reckon the most dangerous thing
is steel trestles that are a few years old ,not oiled or painted or just rusty on inside
they can give way very suddenly in a high wind.