Our marina dried out, is this bad for legs ??

[hullabaloo]

we got an email late friday it read;
Dear Berth Holder,

A successful campaign of dredging works in the marina have now been completed.
Whilst dredging on Thursday 8th October we experienced a reduced water level in the marina basin. Some boats may have been sat in the silt for a short period of time. The marina team have monitored boats throughout the evening and no damage has been noted.

I have since learnt the marina was empty for 6 hour, our boat is 11 ton and has legs. is that bad ?
do we need to come out of the water for an inspection now or in spring when we antifoul ?

 

[longjohnsilver]

If its deep, soft mud, which I presume it is if they're dredging it, then all should be fine.

 

[jrudge]

Good to know that the marina can detect under water damage from shore and declare all is well.

I assume there will quite rightly be outcry. I would write stating your boat will be lifted in ( month ) as usual and that you will inspect at that time. You will hold the marina liable for any damage found and that a delay in advise of damage is not to be considered acceptance that all is well. If they disagree then given them the option of lifting the boat at their expense now for inspection. Request they advise their insurers of the possibility of a delayed claim.

It might be fine. It might not be. Most boats are not designed to sit on the bottom.

 

[oldgit]

If its deep, soft mud, which I presume it is if they're dredging it, then all should be fine.

+1.

 

[volvopaul]

we got an email late friday it read;
Dear Berth Holder,

A successful campaign of dredging works in the marina have now been completed.
Whilst dredging on Thursday 8th October we experienced a reduced water level in the marina basin. Some boats may have been sat in the silt for a short period of time. The marina team have monitored boats throughout the evening and no damage has been noted.

I have since learnt the marina was empty for 6 hour, our boat is 11 ton and has legs. is that bad ?
do we need to come out of the water for an inspection now or in spring when we antifoul ?

Mud will certainly have entered your water intakes so on your first start up check for flow and debris in the strainers .

 

[Seastoke]

Hi it happened a few years ago in conwy someone hit the gate and emptied it, luckily for us we was across deganwy. So for me if they have dredged successfully there should not be much mud left to sit on . There was a large crane there over the weekend, good luck and take note what judge says.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Good to know that the marina can detect under water damage from shore and declare all is well.

I assume there will quite rightly be outcry. I would write stating your boat will be lifted in ( month ) as usual and that you will inspect at that time. You will hold the marina liable for any damage found and that a delay in advise of damage is not to be considered acceptance that all is well. If they disagree then given them the option of lifting the boat at their expense now for inspection. Request they advise their insurers of the possibility of a delayed claim.

It might be fine. It might not be. Most boats are not designed to sit on the bottom.

I think it very much depends on what you mean by ‘designed to sit on the bottom.’
There are vanishingly small numbers of boats that won’t lie down on mud or sand and refloat safely again. If you mean ‘designed to sit upright on the bottom’ that’s another matter.
I’d be worried about any fin keeled yacht I was sailing that wasn’t strong enough that I couldn’t sit it on its keel leaning against piles or a harbour wall. Most every yacht can (but there are a few worrying exceptions that are now heavy or are lightweight racers that don’t like it very much. There are larger numbers of owners who don’t do it.

Which leaves us with the OP’s boat sitting in the mud. He says he’s got legs and that indicates he’s confident it will take the ground. He mentions legs as if they were deployed. Why? Did he have time to run down and fit them? Most people don’t sit their boat in a marina with legs deployed (unless it’s one of those strange places that dry out on springs?). What’s the significance mentioning them?

My conclusion atm is I doubt that any damage is done. There may or may not be mud in the intakes but do the normal checks and all will be well.

Edit:

I've just realised that this is the Mobo forum and I retract some of what I say. Mobo's are not usually designed to sit on the bottom. On many motor boats the bits that hit the bottom first are the very bits that you want to preserve - your propellors and rudders. If the boat the OP owns has outdrives were they raised? If they were raised, then he should be reasonably confident that no damage will have been done. However if his boat is shaft drive and propellors that protrude as the lowest points, and the mud was at all hard, then the boat needs to be examined carefully at some point for damage. The hull should be fine.... It's the expensive bits that need checking.

Apologies for not concentrating and checking which forum I was in!

 

[jrudge]

would assume legs are outdrives and you are more optimistic than I.

Boats are designed to float and marinas are paid handsomely for making sure that happens. If not stick it on a drying mud berth and save the money

 

[Portland Billy]

I gather you mean outdrives rather than beaching legs.
I would ask for a lift and inspection at the marina expense.

 

[Pinnacle]

I think it very much depends on what you mean by ‘designed to sit on the bottom.’
There are vanishingly small numbers of boats that won’t lie down on mud or sand and refloat safely again. If you mean ‘designed to sit upright on the bottom’ that’s another matter.
I’d be worried about any fin keeled yacht I was sailing that wasn’t strong enough that I couldn’t sit it on its keel leaning against piles or a harbour wall. Most every yacht can (but there are a few worrying exceptions that are now heavy or are lightweight racers that don’t like it very much. There are larger numbers of owners who don’t do it.

Which leaves us with the OP’s boat sitting in the mud. He says he’s got legs and that indicates he’s confident it will take the ground. He mentions legs as if they were deployed. Why? Did he have time to run down and fit them? Most people don’t sit their boat in a marina with legs deployed (unless it’s one of those strange places that dry out on springs?). What’s the significance mentioning them?

My conclusion atm is I doubt that any damage is done. There may or may not be mud in the intakes but do the normal checks and all will be well.

John

The OP owns a motorboat powered by outdrive legs - not a fin keeled yacht fitted with beaching legs. Unless the bottom of the marina is a thick layer of soft mud, it is perfectly understandable that he has concerns about possible damage to his outdrive legs.

 

[jointventureII]

I'd tell the marina that you want it hauled out ASAP to inspect it, at their expense. It has to be now because they will be completely at fault whereas in a few months there could be the argument that any damage was done since the incident.

This has happened a couple of times in Jersey (quite a few years ago). 11 tons sitting on the legs doesn't sound promising and the mud would need to be very soft / deep.

 

[hullabaloo]

I think it very much depends on what you mean by ‘designed to sit on the bottom.’
There are vanishingly small numbers of boats that won’t lie down on mud or sand and refloat safely again. If you mean ‘designed to sit upright on the bottom’ that’s another matter.
I’d be worried about any fin keeled yacht I was sailing that wasn’t strong enough that I couldn’t sit it on its keel leaning against piles or a harbour wall. Most every yacht can (but there are a few worrying exceptions that are now heavy or are lightweight racers that don’t like it very much. There are larger numbers of owners who don’t do it.

Which leaves us with the OP’s boat sitting in the mud. He says he’s got legs and that indicates he’s confident it will take the ground. He mentions legs as if they were deployed. Why? Did he have time to run down and fit them? Most people don’t sit their boat in a marina with legs deployed (unless it’s one of those strange places that dry out on springs?). What’s the significance mentioning them?

My conclusion atm is I doubt that any damage is done. There may or may not be mud in the intakes but do the normal checks and all will be well.

hi john, sorry i should have said out drives not legs. my mistake.

 

[hullabaloo]

If its deep, soft mud, which I presume it is if they're dredging it, then all should be fine.

it was soft mud, but i was told they was going to drive my boat out, dredge my berth then drive my boat back in, because i had been moaning that i only had 1 foot of water, (moaning was there words). (cheeky ba*****s). the type of dredging was water injection and this filled the water into a slurry. i said i did not want them to drive my boat or run my engines whilst the water was thick in mud. so it is the unknown at the moment if i had silt under my boat or a harder ground.

 

[PCUK]

That's a big heavy boat for outdrives.. No problems from silt, most will have washed out when the water returned. I'd Ignore the hysterics!

 

[longjohnsilver]

it was soft mud, but i was told they was going to drive my boat out, dredge my berth then drive my boat back in, because i had been moaning that i only had 1 foot of water, (moaning was there words). (cheeky ba*****s). the type of dredging was water injection and this filled the water into a slurry. i said i did not want them to drive my boat or run my engines whilst the water was thick in mud. so it is the unknown at the moment if i had silt under my boat or a harder ground.

If it’s unknown, then I would be asking for a precautionary lift out to check that all’s ok. However, if it’s anything like a few marinas around here, Exmouth and Watchet, the mud is so deep that even removing a few feet still leaves more than enough so support almost any size of pleasure boat, even with legs down.

 

[john_morris_uk]

hi john, sorry i should have said out drives not legs. my mistake.

I've edited my reply. My apologies for not noticing we're in the mobo forum.

 

[john_morris_uk]

John

The OP owns a motorboat powered by outdrive legs - not a fin keeled yacht fitted with beaching legs. Unless the bottom of the marina is a thick layer of soft mud, it is perfectly understandable that he has concerns about possible damage to his outdrive legs.

I've edited and my apologies for not noticing that we weren't talking about a sailing yacht but a mobo. It appears he meant outdrives rather than 'legs'. Hopefully they were raised.

 

[BruceK]

I was at the chandlers on Saturday. Buckley's crane was there as apparently the gates failed. That doesn't tie in with what you have been told.

 

[Kawasaki]

I was at the chandlers on Saturday. Buckley's crane was there as apparently the gates failed. That doesn't tie in with what you have been told.

The 'dredger' was using a system that airiated the mud/silt
The theory being the 'dredger' would agitate the silt by use of a water injection method
The released 'stuff' would then be carried away by the ebbing tide
Said contraption was on Hie for about 8 days
The gate/barrier appears to be stuck (Saturday) and a seal/ seals at either end of the barrier are not sealing
The crane is holding the gate 'in and up'
Further report later
As to whether your legs will suffer hullabaloo
The mud is soft and deep
If no 'hard bits', ie a rock, girder etc etc are below they will be ok
As Volvo Paul (i think) said there is a possibility of sh*te entering/blocking the waterways/ intakes so care in that Dept
Poked a 'probe' about the place on Sat. At low water (small spring) there was between 1 to 2 metres of waater at legs A,B,C
The 'probed ', probed until it could probe no more into the mud, plus I didn't wanna a mud bath to help my complection!

 

[hullabaloo]

I was at the chandlers on Saturday. Buckley's crane was there as apparently the gates failed. That doesn't tie in with what you have been told.

I think an estate agent wrote the email to the berth holders,

successful campaign of dredging work --- but they broke the sill gate.
reduced water level in the marina basin----the marina drained completely.
Some boats may have been sat in the silt for a short period --- 6 hours.
the marina team have monitored boats throughout the evening ---- haha
no damage has been noted. ---- but one berth holder is now saying he has bent props.