Yacht legs / beaching legs

[snowbird30ds]

My boat came with a jersey keel and legs, I have removed the jersey keel and have the legs surplus to requirements in my shed, the mounts are still on the side of my boat but if anyone wants them and makes a good offer I will get around to removing them.
What sort of value do they have or do I make a set of heavy duty stilts for a fat person?

 

[doug748]

Possibly worth more than you imagine. They were made by these people:

http://www.yachtlegs.co.uk/index.pl?pageid=13&page=priceguide&langx=eng

They are the Pre-set type and probably date back to the 1980's. Any new owner could still buy the hull fittings if you did not want to remove yours.

 

[snowbird30ds]

Blimey never realized they were that expensive, mine go from 1.65m to 1.87m mount to base, I'd definately take the mounts off for that sort of money, it's only that I'm too lazy to fill the holes that I've not already done it.

 

[Greenheart]

What's a 'Jersey keel'?

 

[Kelpie]

It cost me about £1k to add legs (2nd hand with new hull fittings). I did try to get the previous owner to sell me the fittings too but it wasn't worth his while for the £200 they cost (people have different priorities).

So yes they are expensive, but mine have already paid for themselves in what I would have spent on haulout fees.

 

[snowbird30ds]

Luckily for me the hull fittings are slap bang inline with a blue stripe and I have some spare tape to match so I don't even have to make that good a repair.
I think there may be an ebay listing coming up.....
A jersey keel is the climbing frame hanging off the bottom in this piccie that allowed the boat to dry out without taking prop/shaft damage.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/145718922@N05/shares/Dwx08k

 

[[70521]]

Blimey never realized they were that expensive, mine go from 1.65m to 1.87m mount to base, I'd definately take the mounts off for that sort of money, it's only that I'm too lazy to fill the holes that I've not already done it.

Eye wateringly expensive for a couple of bits of scaffolding pole.

I've seen them used a lot in France, thought what a great idea until I saw the price. I can get a several decades of nights in a marina for the same price; I am on a swing mooring and usually anchor.

 

[Kelpie]

Eye wateringly expensive for a couple of bits of scaffolding pole.

I've seen them used a lot in France, thought what a great idea until I saw the price. I can get a several decades of nights in a marina for the same price; I am on a swing mooring and usually anchor.

Well they are considerably cleverer and stronger than scaffolding poles. Mine are aluminium, 80mm diameter, in three telescoping section; wall thickness around 8mm. Threaded adjustment rod/wheel system allowing fine tuning of the length even under load. The attachment system is very strong but also very simple and can be worked by one person.
I did look into varius home-made DIY systems and in the end decided it wasn't worth the risk. A telescopic aluminium acro-props are a promising starting point, but you still have the problems of attachment, and stowage.

 

[[70521]]

Well they are considerably cleverer and stronger than scaffolding poles. Mine are aluminium, 80mm diameter, in three telescoping section; wall thickness around 8mm. Threaded adjustment rod/wheel system allowing fine tuning of the length even under load. The attachment system is very strong but also very simple and can be worked by one person.
I did look into varius home-made DIY systems and in the end decided it wasn't worth the risk. A telescopic aluminium acro-props are a promising starting point, but you still have the problems of attachment, and stowage.

Perhaps so, but still way overpriced.

To be honest I can't see me using them more than once a year so the rate of return would be hopeless.

 

[steveej]

my old boat had them and I sold them with the boat.

Like someone upthread said, no point taking the fittings off as cheap enough to buy new fittings from the yacht legs company (in terms of overall cost of fitting) if you really want legs.

Sound like a good idea but far too expensive for the actual number of nights they'll be used and that comes from a Bristol channel sailor where everywhere dries.

See what you can get for legs would be my advice.

 

[Little Dorrit]

Already saved me £1300 so far after installation of legs in 2015 - The total cost second hand including cost of purchase and installation of hull fittings was less than £800 but even at twice the price they are a good investment

 

[Kelpie]

I suppose the cost/benefit analysis will be different for each person.
If you are talking about using them to allow you to dry out in odd places whilst cruising, then yes I suppose it would be a lot of money for something that y may never use,
For me, the legs allow me to keep the boat on her mooring all year round and beach her for free within walking distance of my house for any maintenance. I don't have a handy wall for drying out, and the nearest boatyard is about an hour's drive and a long day's sail away. So using the legs is very convenient, as well as zero cost, once they're paid for,
If I kept my boat in a more conventional way, I would be forking out more than they cost each year for winter liftout and storage.

 

[vyv_cox]

The hull sockets are quite expensive for what they are: last time I checked they were £160. Not easy for the average DIY enthusiast to make.

I wintered on my Yacht Legs twice, so saved the cost of a cradle. Using them makes any hull operation, e.g. Gelshield or antifouling, far easier as there are no support pads to move. I found them invaluable on the west coast of Wales where there are so many drying harbours.

There is a page on them on my website.

 

[doug748]

I wintered on my Yacht Legs twice, so saved the cost of a cradle. Using them makes any hull operation, e.g. Gelshield or antifouling, far easier as there are no support pads to move. I found them invaluable on the west coast of Wales where there are so many drying harbours.

There is a page on them on my website.

Yep. I gave up using legs to dry out in the season because it was too much fussing. However, I have overwintered on them for the last 20 years. Yards charge for cradle hire and, if you own your own, many hit you for summer storage.

The Yacht Legs stuff is excellent, the adjustable ones being more complex than appears on a photo, as you know. I would say their prices are in line with low volume, quality engineering product.
Of course everything is too expensive if you have no use for it.

 

[snowbird30ds]

And there was me expecting a quick reply of "no use to anyone, scrap them" and now quite a long thread going, if anyone wants a set much cheaper than buying new give me a shout as I have no use for them, they could do with a tidy up but otherwise look like a well made bit of kit.
I would imagine when the boat was in jersey they probably saved the owner a fortune as I don't suppose there's many floating pontoons available cheaply, a quick look on the net found a £79 cost just to apply to go on a waiting list so I stopped looking out of wallet clenching fear, think I'll stick to mooring on the broads.....

 

[GHA]

The hull sockets are quite expensive for what they are: last time I checked they were £160. Not easy for the average DIY enthusiast to make..

Hmm, tempting to weld a couple of bits of plate next to the shrouds with holes to suit ali scaff half couplers, then just blag some steel tube & fittings locally for a dry out & scrub...

Do your legs have 2 connections each or are the bottom struts just resting against the hull ?

 

[rogerthebodger]

Hmm, tempting to weld a couple of bits of plate next to the shrouds with holes to suit ali scaff half couplers, then just blag some steel tube & fittings locally for a dry out & scrub...

Do your legs have 2 connections each or are the bottom struts just resting against the hull ?

You mead like this.

 

[GHA]

You mead like this.

:encouragement:

But not as pretty

 

[Dutch01527]

I recently bought a pair of adjustable yacht legs secondhand but unused for £300 plus £50 shipping. New hull fittings were £200. So £550 all in. Easy job to fit hull fittings if internal fitting point is accessible as mine was, nightmare if not accessible.

I think that getting the advantages of a bilge keel and a fin keel for that money is one of the best (only?) bargains I have had with a boat. A word of warning though to anyone considering them. Not all fin keels are suitable, mine is long and shallow so is ideal. Narrow and deep can unsuitable according the very helpful Yacht Legs Company.

 

[snowbird30ds]

Mine rest against the hull at the bottom with some padding around the bar.