Stable Boats When Aground

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Gludy

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I have never used legs on a boat and so I have some questions about drying out in a boat using them.

First of all has anyone used such legs? Are there any things to watch out for?

Surely it can be a bit tricky when it just begins to float as the wave action must bounce the keel on the bottom?

Naturally you have to make sure that you are not drying out over rocks or anything like that but any other advice would be appreciated.
 
Interested in this but can I add a bit in here.

I was thinking of legs for my boat but I've never seen any in our boatyard for similar type boats.

How would you design ones?

(Boat's an Astinor.)
 
Gludy\'s not gonna like this

Umm didn't like to mention becuase you seem wedded to this idea Gludy, but i think legs on a trader 575 = madness. They will be pretty long, so stowage/aesthetics is an issue. They will be chunky, so damned heavy to attach/remove. And worse with a few skip loads of seaweed attached. They will need pretty chunky attachment points - aesthetic problems again and you wont be popular at rafting up time.

How do you deploy them unless you are sure the bottom is flat? Will one need to be set a bit longer than the other? How will the lenght adjust easily (answer - it wont). you will only find out the bottom isn't suitalbe for legs once it's too late and the keel is aground What if the mud is too soft and they sink in and the boat topples? you will only know this is happening when it's too late

Then as you say, what happens if a swell comes while the tide is out. As the boat refloats it will bang on the legs, putting considerable load on the attachment points. So these will be even beefier construction still.

Totally nuts idea on a 60 foot 26 tonne million pound boat, imho. I know lots of folk use legs but its mainly on their permanent mooring where they know the bottom conditions and so can set the legs correclty because they've done it loads of times before. Setting legs in an unknown spot is a different proposition completely. If i were you I'd cancel this whole idea!
 
Re: Gludy\'s not gonna like this

Leaning it against a wall seams the better option. Course it would need tons of old chain or even a few old engines down the side to make sure it leans the right way. Some old tyres for heavy duty fenders will be needed though!
 
I have used legs for the last 10 years and I have not had many problems.
Best method to dry out is to drop your anchor 20 meters off the beach and go stern on. Using kedge anchor to secure.
No need for a tender as you just step off the stern onto the beach.
As the tide comes back in you use the bow anchor to pull you into deeper water.



If you are thinking of changing after all the recent debates may I suggest that a Petrol Bayliner with legs is a near perfect option for you.(Bayliners have a flatter bottom at the stern which is good for taking the ground, sits at a better angle; Diesel stern drive too heavy and would dig the stern too deep in the water)
 
There is no chance of changing ... its being built as we speak and even the hull is a once off to spec.

Some of the posts on this thread concern me.

Yes, I would always have to know the bottom I was drying out on etc but I do not want to roll over a £1m boat either.

The legs that are being made bolt onto the side of the stern with a single bolt - they are light aluminium with big pad like feet.

I have lots of room near the rib on top of the boat where I crane the rib down from.... so that is not an issue.

Drying out is an important consideration for me. The Marlows do it, sitting on theit twin keels, so big boats can do it.

What size boat are you drying out in? The one I am looking at is about 25 tons and 60 foot long so it is a big boat to make a mistake in!

I am now concerned about the whole thing.
 
Have to admit that from once being very pro, buying a pair of legs, we've gone off the idea due to possible doubts as to the formation of the sea bed. It's fine if you know its contours and consistency etc but if you don't then I think I'd be terrified. As it happens we always dry out in soft mud, alongside a pontoon, and the boat stays upright without any outside assistance - thankfully. Or atleast it was like that when I saw it last /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
Whisper I have spoken to yacht legs and they were helpful.
The biggest ones they have done was for a 65 ton boat but they have done ones for 25 tonner in their standard range.

They also have adjustable ones that can be wound up/down to adjust for sloping sea bed etc.


Yes you have to know the bottom you are drying out on but that I do not mind that too much. Most small harbours are fine and sloping sandy beaches or just flat mud beaches are OK.

I am more relaxed about it now but I am still investigating.
 
Weather or Knot

One of the regular MBM contributors, John Cragg, uses legs on his boat (Cygnus 32). Much smaller than your Trader, but similar configuration (semi-displacement, single keel) and he has used them in a variety of locations.

He is far too sensible to get involved here but if you give the MBM office a call they might be able to put you together with him.
 
Re: What about the stabilisers

The stablisers I understand do not take any real load, They are designed to take the whole boat weight if they have to but are meant to take next to nothing.

Mine would have to be about 9 foot long - I have an extra deep keel. The stabilisers would be adjusted to be just a few inches short of the keel depth so that the keel takes all the load and they just dig in a bit and stabilise the boat.

The props are about 20 inches or so( I need to check), above the keel.

I would also need some sort of ladder to get off the boat ... maybe an extended bathing platform ladder.
 
In one of your earlier threads you mention that you would like to use the legs to allow you to dry out in a number of places.
What would worry me is how one knows what is just beneath the sand or mud, the surface of which may be perfectly flat. Perhaps a good fish-finder would be able to tell one the answer.
 
Yes, one of the major features of the Trader for me is the ability to dry out.

For example we spend night at Tenby with its nicesandy beach and could dry out threre knowing just what the bottom is like. You can dry out in many such places amongst a load of yachts and small boats.

Other places like Ilfracoombe offer a drying harbour - again you know what you are drying onto in most harbours. There are dozens of small harbours like that that could now be visited.

The keel takes all the weight ans sinks into the mud, the legs just go in a bit and take little to no load. So what if there is a nasty rock under the mud? I guess that as long as the keel settles on it, it does not matter.

Other places you can go by the chart, local knowledge and the best observation you can do.

So its not so bad finding out what you are drying out onto.

Having said all the above my experience on this is absolute zero.
 
Hi.

I think these will be fine. Aesthetics aside (it's a trader, innit) the legs are readied as the tide goes out: the boat doesn't get damaged as the legs are of course attached with boat afloat and (usually) pointing up the beach to get a nice flat cabin - so only the bow gets a bit of "nodding" on the beach as the tide goes out, but i mean, no more whamming/damaging action than into waves, probably a load less - you'd only dry out in decent conditions, not when the waves were gonnna lift you sky high. I have been on board and you pick a spot and plonk anchor out a bit to ensure to stay in the right spot and nose up the beach.

Usually, you pick a spot which you know - pilot books and previous exp tells you where is ok. Most piot books etc have nice pix with tide out. N france more dodgy with big rocks around but uk not too bad i reckon.

Storage shouldn't be a prob - acres of bilge lockerage in which to dump the things. Make sure you have wellies on board for the tramp ashore. Some people have "super-safety" lucks of extra wood on strings (to drag on board) to add to the legs. You can adjust as tide comes in, and stay another tide for a nice long kip - need to adjust sleep patterns i think...
 
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