Yacht legs

[Travelling Westerly]

Evening all, following on from the other thread about YL pricing (not wanting to highjack that thread);

Is there a way of gently testing the legs before going for a full dry out? I ask as I have a set of these adjustable legs but am far to afraid to give them a go. Other forumites such as Viv C etc have been very helpful in talking the operation through but no matter how many photos I see and speak to experienced users it does not give me enough confidence to try them out!
Im not after any advice saying just do it as thats not going to help me. Im after a way to test and gain some confidence before going for it - baby steps first. I was thinking of trying the legs on midtide beaching if that makes any sense. Boat draws 1.8 meters so was thinking beaching the boat in a depth of just above 1 meter - that way the boat is on the ground and the legs deployed but if something was to give out the boat would not fall over far and cause any damage - or does it not work that way? Has anybody else come across this dilema?

 

[oldmanofthehills]

First try them while tied against a wall or quayside with them on the outer side - which we did in Looe when we fitted ours last year. A halliard or two to a firm point on the shore will pull the boat upright and restrain it if it starts to tip over. I guess its best to be familiar with tying up alongside but the leverage given by mast top halliards makes it a doddle just for such a trial

We confirmed them as a pair over a nice soft sandy bottom in Isle of Scilly just to make sure we had enough shortening capacity but approached it with such confidence that we pondered over fore and aft lines more than falling over risks, then shot ashore for pizza. We did worry when legs drifted over large rocks on the next high tide but punted ourselves clear and reset the anchors at low tide.

On first full trial we had additional rope though hoops on the feet to go under the keel to stop it splaying, a free end brought up on one side to cleat at midpoint so it too is adjustable but we didnt bother the next time we set it.

If you can not find a wall your idea might do but it seems less than ideal if there is any real risk of failure. Our boat only draws 1 m so could actually dry out on its side if no spiky bit impinged on the side, though it would not help at all for it to fall to that state. Yours is a bit higher so falling would certainly cause harm.


They need to be slightly above solid ground with the boat dried out as the boat will dig in a bit and you dont want boat hanging in the air suspended from the legs. My are set so minimum length is about 6 to 8 inches above keel bottom (150 to 200mm) as I have plenty of extendability if I need them longer. I would prefer slightly greater off set but it would mean shortening mechanism with a grinder and thus loosing their utility on another boat, so 6 to 8 inches will do

 

[Travelling Westerly]

Really appreciate your reply, I was hoping the height of water would still support the boat if something negative occured. Im guessing maybe not now

I bet they were an asset in the Scillies! Any photos?

Ive used them in the yard but the marina insist on putting 2 hull props on eack side as well so Ive never seen the boat resting on the legs alone.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Why not try them first where the boat will only be aground by a foot or so at most? Then if something goes wrong there's a bit of a splash, a tilt and a slightly embarrassing wait for everything to come back to normal.

 

[Laminar Flow]

With the boat on the level and without severe winds the loads on the legs are astonishingly low. I always like to check the seabed before drying out and as long as it is reasonably firm ground there is little to worry about. Unless a boat is very narrow and deep there is little risk of down flooding in the extremely unlikely event of the boat falling over in a planned and supervised drying out process. In fact, the beamier the boat the more stable she will be.

 

[Kelpie]

I second the suggestion to do a trial run with the boat against a wall.
Although if you've already used the legs in the yard I can't see that there anything to worry about.

When I installed mine, I did the job with the boat afloat, took an educated guess at what length to set the legs, and then beached the boat. Since I was a bit nervous about the whole thing I asked someone to come with me to help out. He ran late which meant we got in to position (half a mile up the head of a drying loch) on a falling tide. And it all worked out fine. But I don't recommend doing it that way...

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Really appreciate your reply, I was hoping the height of water would still support the boat if something negative occured. Im guessing maybe not now

I bet they were an asset in the Scillies! Any photos?

Ive used them in the yard but the marina insist on putting 2 hull props on eack side as well so Ive never seen the boat resting on the legs alone.

At Treluggan they use props as well, but at Huggins Torpoint I saw one without props.

And here she is in Green Bay off Brhyer. Having had a bilge keeler for years, the purchase of the legs was to enable such dryings out particularly in the Scillies, and it does aid wall drying out as it avoids having to adjust halliard tension as she rises and falls. Such single leg usage is common in Brittany.

A friend who recently changed to an LM28, has just fitted legs for similar reasons

 

[Travelling Westerly]

Why not try them first where the boat will only be aground by a foot or so at most? Then if something goes wrong there's a bit of a splash, a tilt and a slightly embarrassing wait for everything to come back to normal.

Yes, that's what I was trying to articulate earlier just didn't do a very good job of it
So rather than my thinking of drying at 1m, go for 1.5m approx. That way she would not fall right over if anything was to go south

 

[Travelling Westerly]

At Treluggan they use props as well, but at Huggins Torpoint I saw one without props.

And here she is in Green Bay off Brhyer. Having had a bilge keeler for years, the purchase of the legs was to enable such dryings out particularly in the Scillies, and it does aid wall drying out as it avoids having to adjust halliard tension as she rises and falls. Such single leg usage is common in Brittany.

A friend who recently changed to an LM28, has just fitted legs for similar reasons

That's one of the main reasons for mustering the courage to do do this. Being able to dry out in the Scillies is such a bonus in my view. Love the photo and thanks for the advice

 

[Little Dorrit]

Evening all, following on from the other thread about YL pricing (not wanting to highjack that thread);

Is there a way of gently testing the legs before going for a full dry out? I ask as I have a set of these adjustable legs but am far to afraid to give them a go. Other forumites such as Viv C etc have been very helpful in talking the operation through but no matter how many photos I see and speak to experienced users it does not give me enough confidence to try them out!
Im not after any advice saying just do it as thats not going to help me. Im after a way to test and gain some confidence before going for it - baby steps first. I was thinking of trying the legs on midtide beaching if that makes any sense. Boat draws 1.8 meters so was thinking beaching the boat in a depth of just above 1 meter - that way the boat is on the ground and the legs deployed but if something was to give out the boat would not fall over far and cause any damage - or does it not work that way? Has anybody else come across this dilema?

The first time I tried my yacht legs out I was, like you, a bit concerned about the efficacy of simply running aground and putting the legs out. However, that's really about as complicated as it gets. Actually the worst thing that could happen is that you drop one of the legs in the water while you are getting them set up... guess how I know that!

It's one of those situations where a successful outcome will be not necessarily be helped by planning but the gods will punish you for not doing any!

With the above in mind I would definitely survey the area where you plan to drop the legs. If the bottom is flat everything will be relatively easy but if it is not (as it usually is in my preferred beaching location) pay attention to the way the boat might swing as a result of wind or tide and the way it might eventually settle.

If you draw a diagram similar to the one below to get a rough idea how long the legs need to be extended that will also help. As you can see you'll need one set longer than the other so the diagram helps get a rough idea how much to extend the 'non working' leg after you take the ground.

If you follow a logical approach and do your planning I'm sure there will be a successful conclusion to your beaching.

Good luck!

 

[AHoy2]

I have a Scanyacht 290 equipped with Yachtlegs and once working storage and a deployment routine were sorted they have justified their inclusion in the cruising inventory.

As mentioned above, for initial deployment(s) drying out alongside eases the concern, however, you need to stand off the wall enough to fit the legs once the keel has settled, this allows you to adjust leg lengths for irregular ground if necessary. In my experience, on firm ground, the loaded leg will splay out slightly and the unloaded one will be free of contact by a few cms. i.e. keel taking the load. You will not budge the loaded leg once it touches so ensure it is vertical fore and aft beforehand. So far we have only dried out on pre-surveyed ground and not experienced any disconcerting sway from one leg to the other! (But we do have a broad keel base). The pictures attached show a near perfect situation for drying out if you have access to somewhere similar i.e. wall designed for drying alondside, solid base with no timbers for the legs to drop between or off of and calm predictable water level. This was an impromptu drying out to clear a badly fouled prop!

AHoy.

 

[Travelling Westerly]

Thanks to all the very helpful replies and photos. Looks like its just down to me putting on my big boy pants and getting on with it! ?
Thanks again all

 

[oldmanofthehills]

The first time I tried my yacht legs out I was, like you, a bit concerned about the efficacy of simply running aground and putting the legs out. However, that's really about as complicated as it gets. Actually the worst thing that could happen is that you drop one of the legs in the water while you are getting them set up... guess how I know that!
.....

The first time I tried them I put a restraining line on the handle, however as my approach is to have fixed loop on cleat at one end of the boat so I only need to adjust one line (toying between stern or bows) I cant actually lose them.

All in all not as easy as running our Pentland aground and more vulnerable in surging harbours and thumping tide rise or fall, but when we get to Brittany next year or whenever we can dry out in Belle Isle right by the cafe, as in Vyvs pic.

 

[Kelpie]

I've never been too worried about dropping the legs because I have the fore and aft lines to the feet rigged up already, I could haul them back aboard using those.

 

[Little Dorrit]

I've never been too worried about dropping the legs because I have the fore and aft lines to the feet rigged up already, I could haul them back aboard using those.

I'm pleased to say I learn from mistakes so now have a well rehearsed drill in place and the legs are tethered to the stern and bow cleats.

 

[yimkin]

I have a Victoria 800 which is a long keeler. I fitted Yacht Legs brackets 2 years ago. Like the OP I was apprehensive; imagining all sorts of 'unfortunate' scenarios and put off deploying for a whole year! However the penny finally dropped. The Yacht Legs are really retraining struts rather than load bearing supports. The main weight of the boat is on its keel and the, lightly loaded, 'props' prevent it toppling. Also the boat C of G is fairly low down the hull.
Finally i chose an almost flat beach of hard sand and I surveyed the proposed beaching location at low tide. I selected the general beaching area and identified transits. On the day I stopped in deep water near the beach and rigged the legs. When everything was in place and the lines tight I motored in to about a metre under the keel and deployed the kedge astern and motored in to about 20cm under the keel, stopped and let her align to wind and tide to the kedge. Then dropped the bower on a short scope just to steady the bows. A quick look all round to check for any seabed obstructions ; waited while she sat on her keel. Thankfully a bit of a non event! The disadvantage of this method is that if the boat drifts sideways as the keel grounds it can cause one of the legs to splay out abit. Of course there are much less ideal circumstances but build up initial confidence with 'easier' beachings.
The beach was Sandy Haven, Milford Haven, tidal range around 5.5m. Legs are the preset type 10cm shorter than bottom of keel. I sail singlehanded and recently celebrated my 77th birthday. So go for it!

 

[andsarkit]

I have fixed length legs that came with the boat. I used them for many years when ashore with no problems but they are now considered unacceptable in the yard so I have a cradle.
I have used them a couple of times to dry out but always found it rather stressful. Even if you survey the seabed first there is a possibility of one leg sinking a bit or the weight being taken on the legs and not the keel. I had visions of the side of the boat being ripped out and don't use them anymore. I am quite happy to careen on sand leaning right over if I need to clean the bottom but that's not much use if you still want to use the boat facilities.

 

[JumbleDuck]

The beach was Sandy Haven, Milford Haven, tidal range around 5.5m. Legs are the preset type 10cm shorter than bottom of keel. I sail singlehanded and recently celebrated my 77th birthday. So go for it!

That's interesting to know. I have a V26 (same hull) and have been wondering how long to set the legs.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

I have fixed length legs that came with the boat. I used them for many years when ashore with no problems but they are now considered unacceptable in the yard so I have a cradle.
I have used them a couple of times to dry out but always found it rather stressful. Even if you survey the seabed first there is a possibility of one leg sinking a bit or the weight being taken on the legs and not the keel. I had visions of the side of the boat being ripped out and don't use them anymore. I am quite happy to careen on sand leaning right over if I need to clean the bottom but that's not much use if you still want to use the boat facilities.

Yacht leg company legs have a great big pad on the bottom to deal wil local surface variability. There is the possibility of one leg hitting a rock and being higher so I would only use our legs in clear water or above ground I could see. If its above soft mud both legs might sink, but no more problem than drying out with bilge keels as we did for years