Potential problems with a mud berth ?

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CJ1

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Thank you to those that replied to my earlier thread about berthing options in the Swale.

I have another question, I hope you will be able to give some advice on.

The boat (bilge keel Moody 27) I am purchasing has an engine cooling water inlet sited exactly on the centreline of the boat between the two bilge keels.

My question is: - once afloat on the rising tide, how likely is it that the inlet will have become clogged with mud from the time the boat was resting on the creek bottom, hence causing problems once the engine is running ?

Any thoughts ?

Regards

David CJ
 
I've not had a mud berth but know of people who have had problems. If the stick approach won't work, my method of using a dinghy foot-pump stuck in the hose via the Vetus-type raw water strainer might. It is the only way open to me with a saildrive. (Yes, I know that I could fit a separate intake but I'm not in the mood).
 
during 25 odd years of sitting on tidal Medway mud berths with various single and twin engined MoBos and visiting many drying mud berths such as in Faversham and Conyer have never ever had a problem with mud blocking any water intake including raw water engine intake.
Have never closed seacocks either.
 
oldgit said:
during 25 odd years of sitting on tidal Medway mud berths with various single and twin engined MoBos and visiting many drying mud berths such as in Faversham and Conyer have never ever had a problem with mud blocking any water intake including raw water engine intake.
Have never closed seacocks either.
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After 25 years of sitting on tidal Blackwater mud berth including in a winter mud berth, not never ever a problem!
 
I've never had problems either, with and inlet like yours and with a saildrive leg inlet. Generally the surface mud tends to 'emulsify' as the tide returns (I used to be part of a HMCG Mud Rescue Team so this was a useful feature when trying to extract someone!) and I guess it tends to falls away from the inlet. One downside is that you may find that your raw water pump tends to wear faster.
 
I have a Moody 27 on a mud berth at Great Wakering - not encountered a problem as yet myself.

I consider the mud would possibly be too wet to cause any real issue after refloating each tide, or the fact that the bilge keels do provide a slight buffer from the overall pressure of mud ingress? I always check for outflow of raw water cooling from the stern of the boat regardless.
 
I have a deep keel boat in mud at Faversham. I close the engine seacock when I leave the boat and never had a problem with the engine cooling water intake. Though I once forgot to close the sink drain and that did get blocked. Be sure to have something in place to clear the blockages if they DO occur, and that will stop them from happening
 
I never had a problem with skin fittings blocking, but did have issues with a lift keel getting stuck.

Mud berth boats possibly more prone to fouling, and harder to get clean at the end of the season - at least in my experience.
 
johnalison said:
The cases I heard of were in the Colne, where we have real mud.
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Yes Colne mud is different! Everytime I lift the anchor in Pyefleet half of the seabed comes attached to the anchor and can you get the mud off the anchor? No. Seriously it's different! Mind you, MMC's in the Upper Blackwater can be tough.
 
I was taught to unscrew the top, take the strainer out and open the cock and run water into the bilge until it ran clear - this put a pint or so in the bilge - and then close the cock and put the gauze and the top back. The idea was first to make sure that it wasn't blocked and secondly to keep the mud out of the (raw water cooled) engine.
 
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