Ran Aground

[Stu-L]

I recently had the misfortune of running my 34' Californian up on the beach. No hull damage, but damaged both props, struts, shafts and rudders. I am working with my insurance.

Would like to get a rough idea of cost. Any one had to replace the things I mentioned above?

 

[jwnall]

Don't suppose you would want to share with us how you managed to do that? Might be some useful information to have. Not that we would be joyful at profiting from your experience, of course, but there may be some helpful information. (Cannot help any with cost estimates, alas).

 

[Baker]

I recently had the misfortune of running my 34' Californian up on the beach. No hull damage, but damaged both props, struts, shafts and rudders. I am working with my insurance.

Would like to get a rough idea of cost. Any one had to replace the things I mentioned above?

I replaced 2 shafts, 1 prop, both rudders.....was about $7500. That included new cutlass bearing and shaft seals as well as spare shaft seals. Your props should be repairable at less that $500 per.

 

[tallswede]

I just replaced two 22x20 props at $1300 a piece pluss tax. 1.5" Shafts will likely be $1400. do not know rudder or strut prices.

Kevin

 

[FlyWright]

Props and shafts can be straightened if the damage is not too bad.

I tweaked a prop, shaft and strut. Replaced 1 shaft, 2 struts (with cutlass bearings) to keep them matched and tuned both props to keep them matched. Bottom damage from obstruction required new bottom paint. Rudder log leaked and required repair. Prop shaft log required replacement. Cost to insurance was $8000...give or take.

I highly recommend Prop Scan of you're tuning your props.

 

[markpierce]

Ugh. That's bad. Have run aground several times with my dad's and my sailboats, but the keels protected shafts and propellers, and no damage. One reason I've stayed with a keel protecting single propeller and rudder.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

I am waiting for my turn. There are those who have run aground and those who will in the future!

 

[questionmark]

I recently had the misfortune of running my 34' Californian up on the beach. No hull damage, but damaged both props, struts, shafts and rudders. I am working with my insurance.

Would like to get a rough idea of cost. Any one had to replace the things I mentioned above?

Was this just south of the jetty at Channel Islands Harbor?

 

[No Mast]

Ugh. That's bad. Have run aground several times with my dad's and my sailboats, but the keels protected shafts and propellers, and no damage. One reason I've stayed with a keel protecting single propeller and rudder.

Yup, we narrowed down our purchase decision to the Selene we have (single screw) and one with twin engines. That was one of the large deciding factors, the protection the keel afforded the single screw.

 

[Marin]

That was one of the large deciding factors, the protection the keel afforded the single screw.

I suspect it depends on where one boats as to the vulnerability. While there is no question a prop deeper in the water and behind a keel is somewhat more protected than a pair of props closer to the surface and behind a pair of V-struts, it's rather ironic that we know more boaters (power and sail) who have fouled props or damaged props in single engine boats than we know who have done this in twins. The single engine boats range from Tollycraft 26s to a 60 foot ketch.

My own opinion is that some of this--- maybe a lot of this--- is due to the fact, that in our experience and observation, most drivers of multi-engine boats seem to be well aware of their running gear's vulnerability and so pay closer attention to what's in front of them than the drivers of single engine boats (again, power and sail).

We have had several single-engine boat owners say to us that they have nothing to worry about with regards to the crab pot floats, logs, branches, and other debris in the water here because their prop is protected behind their keel.

I don't deny the additional protection, but if the attitude is "damn the debris, full speed ahead" it can lead to problems. While just a single data point, it's significant (in my opinion) that one of the most vocal proponents of his single propeller's invulnerability is one of the aforementioned folks who subsequently wiped out a prop on a piece of debris in the water.

While we would never own a single engine cruising boat ourselves for several reasons, were we making a choice between a single and a multi-engine boat, prop vulnerability would not be part of the decision-making process. We have run a multi-engine boat for seventeen years in waters that have a deserved reputation for having a lot of "stuff" in them and have only had a close-encounter of the debris kind once, when a rudder snagged a submerged length of drifting line.

These 17 years, plus the experience of a lot of other multi-engine boat owners we know who have a lot more experience up here than we do, tells us that while a single may be less vulnerable by design, in reality, it's pretty much six of one, half dozen of the other when it comes to running gear damage.

This may not be the case in other boating regions.

We keep a sharp lookout for stuff in the water, and since we removed the autopilot from this particular boat when we bought it, someone is hand steering all the time. This tends to keep one's attention focused on where one is going. Not that one can't do exactly the same with an autopilot, but the autobox does make it easier to allow one's attention to wander away from the water in front of the boat.

 

[Old deckhand]

We have a friend that is a marine machinist recently retired. He made a living repairing damaged twins and there are many more single screw boats here.

 

[psneeld]

We have a friend that is a marine machinist recently retired. He made a living repairing damaged twins and there are many more single screw boats here.

Agree...in places like the Atlantic ICW and the NJ ICW...twins often scream aground in the marked channel as sandbars could care less about where the USCG placed the marks last years.

The classic argument holds... both singles and twins have strengths and weaknesses...

Some twins are better protected from grounding than others though...know thy damage draft....

Single skippers with a half a brain know they can foul things or hit things just like twins and incur damage....sliding up on a sandbar or over a sunken log isn't usually one..but many things can be an issue.

 

[Moonstruck]

There are far more twin screw boats on the East coast. However, we have very little rock bottom in the Southeast, and mud and sand are pretty forgiving.

 

[Marin]

In this area, based on anecdotes told to us and what we hear on the radio, groundings are fairly rare in terms of a boat cruising along and hitting the bottom, which I gather is a fairly common occurrence long the east coast. The water here is much deeper--- 1,000 feet plus is not an uncommon depth sounder reading on the inside waters--- so the problems tend to be from breakdowns, running out of fuel, and hitting things floating in the water.

Boats go ashore here on the rocks after breaking down, running out of fuel, or losing their means of propulsion for some other reason and the current carries them where it will. But simply running out of water while underway does not seem to be very common other than in a few places like river and harbor entrances and other places where there are mud bars adjacent to boating channels.

 

[BlueSky]

I shouldn't admit this, but I've run aground three times in the three years we've had our boat and learned something new each time.

- The first time was in a private channel at a marina south of Daytona. I was technically between the markers but I entered the channel at an angle and favored the starboard side because of a strong wind. In what looked to be a perfectly acceptable position I slowed to a nice easy stop. Took about a half hour for the wind and rising tide to push me off. Lesson learned ... enter channels at right angles and stay in the center.

- The second event was coming south from Jekyll Island. I paid more attention to my plotter than the markers that were right in front of me and became confused and went on the wrong side of a marker. As silly as it sounds now, I think I was actually trying to make the channel markers in the river match what I was seeing on my screen. Again, I came to a nice slow stop. My wife actually laughed at me, I had been telling her all morning to watch the markers and not the plotter.

This time the wind was pushing me into shallow water and the tide was falling. Called Towboat US and they had me off in about an hour. The towboat captain told me not to be too embarrassed and that it was his "honey hole". Lessons learned ... If I'm confused about anything stop until I'm not confused; and navigate using the markers first, not the chart plotter.

- The third time, (and hopefully last), I was coming out of Tween Waters Marina at Sanibel Island and there is one choke point where the channel is very narrow and then opens up into a much larger area of relatively deeper water. I've been in and out of this channel multiple times and I guess I took it for granted that I knew it well. It was a beautiful morning and I was on the flybridge where I don't have any navigation equipment. When I passed the narrow point I turned a little to soon and again, ran slowly aground. This time I dropped the dinghy in and pulled my self back into deeper water. Lesson learned ... don't get cocky and assume I know where I'm at, always be sure.

Three groundings and luckily no damage. For me, the single engine with protected running gear has been a blessing. I can only imagine what might have happened if I didn't have a forgiving boat.

Richard

 

[hmason]

I think we found an honest man!

 

[Moonstruck]

I think we found an honest man!

Yep, and it shows the value of prop protection and soft bottoms. I have always been partial to soft bottoms. Oops! Did I say that?

 

[hmason]

My goal is to transit the ICW from Stuart FL to Westport CT or the reverse without touching bottom. This year I made it all the way from Stuart to Cape May NJ without touching bottom. Then my sounder quit exiting the Cape May Canal and I touched bottom. Damn! Almost made it all the way. Sh*#t. Well, maybe this year.

Howard

 

[siestakey]

Yep, and it shows the value of prop protection and soft bottoms. I have always been partial to soft bottoms. Oops! Did I say that?

Yes you did!!

and yes a honest man

The time I ran aground (bumped) in Big Pass Sarasota ( ever-changing)

tough me several valuable lessons and I did have damage

but I was not going to let the lesson go to waste

 

[Stu-L]

Was this just south of the jetty at Channel Islands Harbor?

Yes it was.

 

[questionmark]

Yes it was.

Small world. I was there. I was the short guy in the surf wearing shorts (as opposed to the tall guy in the wetsuit.) I'm glad the damage was limited. She's a beautiful boat. It would take both my hands to count the boats I've been to that end up on that stretch of sand.

We were wondering where she was towed to. We did a drive by check of the yards next shift, but didn't see her.

I hope you get her fixed quickly and with a minimum of insurance related drama. The wife (and I kicking and screaming) are looking to make the jump from sail to power, and we really like a 34' Californian we saw.

 

[Capt.Bill11]

My goal is to transit the ICW from Stuart FL to Westport CT or the reverse without touching bottom. This year I made it all the way from Stuart to Cape May NJ without touching bottom. Then my sounder quit exiting the Cape May Canal and I touched bottom. Damn! Almost made it all the way. Sh*#t. Well, maybe this year.

Howard

I touched (we draw 7') at the bay end of the canal at low tide on the way up north this trip. As I was coming in the canal by the jetties the ferry backed out into the channel and blocked it. While I was waiting for it to pivot and move out of the way the tide pushed me on to the shallows that the ferries wash have built up there.

No damage to the props.

Basically, if you don't touch bottom running around in the ICW or say the Bahamas once in a while, you're either lying or sitting at home on the computer talking about boating but not really doing any.

 

[siestakey]

I touched (we draw 7') at the bay end of the canal at low tide on the way up north this trip. As I was coming in the canal by the jetties the ferry backed out into the channel and blocked it. While I was waiting for it to pivot and move out of the way the tide pushed me on to the shallows that the ferries wash have built up there.

No damage to the props.

Basically, if you don't touch bottom running around in the ICW or say the Bahamas once in a while, you're either lying or sitting at home on the computer talking about boating but not really doing any.

 

[psneeld]

Bad place behind those ferries....even the ferries have grounded there.


One actually paid for assistance a few years back...

 

[hmason]

Well, I'm feeling much better now.

 

[funangler]

A little grounding here and there keeps the keel clean. It only bother me when I don't expect it.

 

[BruceK]

A little grounding here and there keeps the keel clean. It only bother me when I don't expect it.

A kind of involuntary "careening"? Give the hull a good scrub while you have somewhere to stand.

 

[GFC]

I ran aground many years ago entering a harbor in the San Juans. We were on a GB 32 that we had chartered. It was a classic nose the bow onto a mud bank; no damage to anything.


We were at low tide and I figured when the tide started coming in that would pinwheel the boat as it floated it. I dinghied an anchor out about 100' behind the boat and set it in the 1' of water, then snugged the line and waited for the tide.


While we waited we were looking overboard and noticed a LOT of crabs. We dropped our crab pot and had more crabs than we expected. I don't recall the number but we probably caught 15 of them before the tide floated us off the mud.


We cooked the crabs then pulled in the anchor then motored out. That turned out to be one of the most memorable afternoons of the whole trip.


Not all groundings are bad groundings!

 

[cardude01]

I have a running aground story that will make me look stupid...

I had gotten towed in the day before with transmission problems and had hell getting anyone to come get me. Four hours later a little dive boat pulled me about 7 miles to a fuel dock, and I was able to repair the trans during the night and the next morning was ready to go again.

So I'm put-putting along, out in the absolute middle of nowhere again on the Louisiana GCICW, when I suddenly became annoyed with the sideways boat icon on my Garmin plotter. It had been like this for days, but I was bored and in an area of the channel that had a little wide section off to the side, and no barges were around, so I decided to "recalibrate" my compass heading on the autopilot to match up with my Garmin icon.

This involves making two large circles going around 2 knots. The first circle was fine, but the second circle I drifted off too far into the wide (shallow) section and promptly stuck the keel in the mud with a soft thud. Tried to back off. No joy. I shut the engine down and just sat there for a long while doing nothing-- I was stunned at my stupidity.

Finally I saw a barge coming, so I radioed the push boat and told him why I was sitting at the edge of the channel at such an odd angle. He kind of chuckled and said he would give me a faster pass than normal to see it that would help dislodge me, and that actually worked.

As I straightened up into the middle of the channel I noticed my little boat icon was aligned straight with my heading.

?

 

[psneeld]

Not sure anyone's gounding story makes them look like much else....it's the ending of the story and the fact that many but not all of us admits to having grounded that really tells the story...