Yachts that take the ground

[rwoofer]

I've decided that if I'm going to keep my own boat, then I want to keep it in the UK so that I can use it regularly. My current boat, a Moody 44, was bought cause I thought I was going to take it further afield, but now that is not the case I thinking of changing to a boat that can take the ground, so that I can make more use of Channel and Brittany ports. I've narrowed down the options to lifting keel or twin keel around 40ft in length.

So all you people with twin keel/lifting keel boats, how often do you really dry out? Is shallow draft more important than ability to dry out?

Richard

 

[FullCircle]

Limited choices at 40ft - Ovni,Southerly mostly

I have a Jen SO35 LK and am delirious with it. Except rubbish dealer service.
Sails in 3ft of water, 7ft plate down. We take the ground often, mostly deliberately. It dont sail as well as a fin keel though, but I think its better at anchor as it has wings to damp the motion.
The surprise on some tiddlers faces as they round a creek corner and find us there is fun to see. Its an East Coast thing (I think).

 

[mormargh]

Struggling at that length. Considered a long keeler?

 

[rwoofer]

There are some choices.

The twin keel boat I like is the RM1200. It can take the ground, but has a draft of 1.80m. The other alternatives are an Ovni 395 or Southerly 42RST.

I guess I'm really curious as to how often people really do dry out and how much faffing is needed to make sure the bottom is suitable....

 

[PeteMylett]

Feeling make a good range of good quality lift keel boats. I happen to have a fixed keel Feeling 36.

Talking to members of the owners association, I get the impression that being able to reduce draft is as useful as being able to take the ground.

Why not get a bilge keel and have done with? Well... and here is where I get my hat and coat ready to leave... bilge keel boats do not generally sail as wel as fixed centre keel boats, especially upwind.

The Uk distributer for Feeling is based in Southampton, and although I have no connection with them, I can recommend them as a friendly and helpful lot who will not immediately try to remove the shirt off your back!

PM me if you would like their contact details.

 

[JasB]

Mine dries out every low tide, I am moored at Titchmarsh and the boat only floats about two hours before and after high tide, and "bellys" in the mud the rest of the time. Not always the ideal siuation, but as I am in the middle of a major work of repair, it is almost ideal.

 

[johnalison]

Your point about cruising Brittany etc is certainly valid and I will be jealous of you sitting blithely on the ground in the Scillies while the rest of us run for shelter.

 

[Judders]

Although it's ever so slightly shorter than your stated requirements, my Foxcub takes the ground beautifully and I was thinking about trading up. Given that you will be needing to get shot of the Moody perhaps a swap would be best?

 

[Lakesailor]

My Foxcub also takes the ground. Leaves me with a slight problem that it then falls over.

I lie of course. I'm very careful not to touch.

 

[Brierley]

Not in your bracket (ours is only 26') but we deliberately dry out a lot. You can get into some very sheltered spots with a low draft, and setting your anchor is a breeze if you're on a sandy beach as you can manually reset it at low tide as required (useful in France where some French plonker always parks himself practically on top of you) /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Things to watch out for:

- particularly in Brittany/Channel Islands, make sure you will have enough tide to lift you off again on the day you want to leave. It's easy to be caught out when you can lose 0.5m of depth from one high tide to the next.
- be wary of winds shifting and where the tide will pull you as the water ebbs. We have settled on our anchor more than once in the middle of the night when the wind countered the tide
- if you get a chance to view the seabed in advance, it can be useful for avoiding random small rocks / shopping trolleys / holes just about where your keel or rudder will sit. Where possible on shores that tend to be rocky, we creep into a potential spot at mid-tide on a falling tide and basically anchor in about 0.5-1m of water where we can see the bottom is clear, then reset the anchor once the tide is out. Can be messy in mud but saves wondering what the boat will be sitting on in a few hours time.

 

[rwoofer]

Thanks for the offers of swaps. Would certainly make the process easier, but I think major surgery would be required on the boats or me, to make my current 6' 6" fit. That and the home facilities will require SWMBO approval (who's 6' herself), which thinking about it, is probably where the idea is doomed /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

The general impression I'm getting is that low draft is preferable to have with the drying out ability.

 

[Searush]

31' Pentland ketch. Dries twice a tide on my own mooring and whenever I borrow moorings in my chosen cruising area (N. Wales - 24-33' tides). Best way to get the grandkids to the beach is to dry out on it! Only time she stays afloat is when I choose to anchor in a deeper gully.

 

[gus]

Why not consider a triple keel? Being able to dry out whenever you choose without any hassle is extremely helpful for many obvious reasons. [image]http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/F135623/[/image]

 

[Barr Avel]

At around 37 foot, you also have the Delphia 37 and the Hanse 371, both available with lifting keels.

Marc.