Swinging mooring / mud berth?

[JesseLoynes]

Hi.
Just looking at buying a Hillyard 6 tonner, and looking for a bit of advice on mooring/berthing.

I'm posting in this forum 'cos I'm guessing most people will have a wooden long keel hull, so right experience/knowledge!

We're looking at moorings around Chi Harbour. I'm wondering how comfortable a wooden long keel yacht is in a mud berth, rather than permenently afloat at a mooring?

Trying to balance cost v. accessibility v. looking after the boat.

Any ideas or experience? All welcome!

Cheers, Jess.

 

[Niander]

So it will have legs then?

So long as the ground is fair it will be ok

and you can work at low tide

 

[david_bagshaw]

Keeping a wooden boat in a mud berth is about as good as it gets ! good for the hull, great for the water line

we kept 45 TSDY teak on oak saunders in conyer creek (medway)for 10 years, nice gooey mud so no need for legs etc.

others will advise about chichester mud.



added picture, she had a 5 foot draft and long keel

 

[oldharry]

Chichester mud - with which I have 15 years extensive and intimate experience - varies considerably with the mooring area you choose.

At the Dell Quay end it is sticky and varying depth and has many hidden obstructions, but although most of the moorings are largely inaccessible at LW on foot, the mud is not deep enough to allow a boat to float in it generally.

Bosham has very few half tide moorings for a boat that size.

Prinstead Creek mud is deep and soft. My Boat (long keel and bilge plates) floats very comfortably on (in?) it , generally about half of her waterline draft.

Emsworth mud is very similar - deep and unobstructed, and if the 6 tonner is similar to the hull form of the 8 tonner, then it will float happily on it at LW.

But both Prinstead and Emsworth do not under any circumstances attempt to cross the mud on foot. Last year an unfortunate lady had to be rescued by helicopter from the mud at Emsworth after falling off her dinghy in apparently highly embarassing circumstances after they missed a tide getting ashore.... mud takes no account of calls of nature!

Prinstead tragically saw a failed mud rescue a few years ago when a nine year old went in on a rising tide. In spite of the best efforts of the rescue services they were unable to recover him in time. There is a specialist mud rescue team on standby in the area and even they were unable to recover him.

Chichester mud has a very specific and pungent aroma, which defies all known deodorants. Even after an extended hot bath, laced with SWMBOs best bath salts, she complains about it.... and thats just after normal limited contact. (....with the mud of course)

 

[jezjez]

I don't know much about mud but I have just bought a hillyard myself. The Hillyard Owners Association Website has some contact numbers for members. I asked a local member to look at my boat before we bought her. He was very enthusiatic and offered to give further advice. You might get some good advice that way about local berthing etc.
Incidently, it seems that the rudder tube is a common area of concern on hillyards including mine so have a good look for weeping before you buy. Good luck.

 

[jezjez]

I think the other question to answer is where are you planning to winter the boat - still in the mud or out on the hard?
You'll need to check the insurance policy of your boat and the owners of the moorings as they may not allow you to stay in the water. If you come out like I think I'll have to there are the drying out concerns.

 

[cliffordpope]

Isn't there a potential problem of worms liking boats on mud moorings? I seem to recall some area being known to be much worse than others.