Beaching

[Phuket]

Yesterday I beached my boat for the first time.* It went very well, flat calm weather helped. Somehow in the rush to launch the boat I had put the wrong rotation prop on it.* So had to change the prop, to make it harder the machine shop did not record the taper they used* on the shaft so need a couple of days to get the new prop ready.

So I waited until nine at night when the boat flaoted again and used two long anchors then my runabout to pull and then tow it back out to the mooring.* Will do it again on Saturday to fit the new prop, by then I will have to wait till midnight or so for the boat to float, but at least I will have a prop to use this time when I take it back to the mooring.

Also took the opportunity to rip out the wheelhouse floor while waiting for the tide to go down.* The local boats here have little shelves in the wheelhouse where people can sleep but not even sit up straight - I guess the theory is when you are not working you are lying down.* There is one spot next to the wheel where you can sit up and drive.

With my smaller engine, wet exhaust and no more deck winches driven off a truck differential I can lower the wheelhouse floor a lot and still have good room to work on the engine.* Once that is done I will raise the roof a little and it will be full standing headroom even for me at a little over 6'.


Leon.



-- Edited by Phuket at 20:02, 2009-02-25

 

[RT Firefly]

Mr. Phuket,
** That's absolutley amazing!* Imagine, a dry dock every day, if you need it. Are the two "posts" amidships on the stb'd side to keep her from tilting too far?* You're a better man than I, Gunga Din.....

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

Big time old school.* Technically (salty) speaking, is this "careening"?

 

[Nomad Willy]

Firefly,

**** It's good to see you again and know your'e still around. Looks to me like they're bilge keels to dampen rolling.*

Leon,

**** With the wheelhouse mods will you still be able to see over that big beautiful bow?

**** Eric Henning
**** Thorne Bay Alaska

*

 

[Phuket]

Thanks for all the replies.* As I had not beached this boat before I was not sure how far over it would go, but I had seen similar boats doing it so figured it would be ok.* I left two of my staff to watch it while the tide went down as it was a week day and I had to get back to work, I suggested they could try supporting it if necessary.* To be honest I don't think they did very much - the two pieces of wood that is.* As Nomad Willie says most of the weight ended up on the small bilge keel - that I had happily just reinforced and added* steel brackets to while on the hardstand.


I was watching closely when the tide came back up though to make sure the boat came upright before the water came over the sides..... but it straightened up very smoothly and the water hardly came above the regular waterline. I would not like to try it if there was any swell or strong wind though - you need a very calm spot and some good anchors out in case the wind comes on shore as the tide comes up.

Of course I did check the tide tables and did not put the boat on at the very top of the tide.* I put it on before high tide and could have gone a lot closer in.* See picture showing the boat anchored at high tide.* I am very familiar with the spot as I keep my runabout there and leave it anchored and drying out every day.* I have to think a week ahead each time I leave so that it will be floating on the next weekend when I come to use it again.* But it draws a lot less water than the trawler!

Eric, I will not change the steering position or forward window heights, only lower the floor and raise the deckhouse a little so I can stand up and steer the boat.* At the moment I have to sit down or stand outside and reach in to the wheel.* My goal is to try and keep it as traditional looking as possible but create a sleeping cabin in front and wheelhouse cum saloon area as well as add shade over the foredeck and a secure railing around the boat to keep the kids on board.* Hopefully it will still keep a similar appearance when I am finished - though I suspect it will remain a work in progress for a long time and will be used regularly regardless.*

Cheers, Leon.

 

[Tidahapah]

Leoin,
Nice work mate.
I have a friend who has a yacht with wind down legs.
Fantastic for quick dry outs etc.
Built by an innovative dutchman originally.

When I have let my boat dry out for bottom cleaning (running aground). I put out a kedge anchor out on the high side at about midships and tighten it up spanish windlass style (truckies hitch) just to give it a better righting movement.

This is where the cat owners have it all over us.

Benn

 

[Duvie]

I had a Chris Craft that I grounded so that I could clear the propeller of some lines. Almost had a problem with the fuel coming out the fuel tank vent! luckily when the tide was full out the fuel level was just awash with the vent. Something to watch out for!

 

[markpierce]

I wouldn't intentionally beach the Coot except to keep it from sinking. Too easy to damage the hull. Found a gouge/scrape along the Coot's keel when she was hoisted last week. Probably occurred when I scraped bottom on one of my muddy Napa River sojoursn. Scraping of paint is not something one wants on a steel boat.

Coot's raw-water intake:

 

[Nomad Willy]

In Alaska we have a tidal grid for cleaning and painting bottoms w basic bottom paint or changing props and other repairs. Down in Washington it's expensive to be hauled even to change a prop. So I'd like to find a suitable beach w the right slope so Willy can be careened slightly to one side (shore) for eco friendly odd jobs like changing a propeller. But in Wash I expect trouble finding such a beach in front of suitable property. Any Ideas re the property? Could a private property owner run me off saying it was "their" beach? What??

 

[Marin]

Most beach or shorline property is either privately owned or government owned here. And I believe anything below the high water mark is under the jurisdiction of the state.

While people put small boats on the shore in the marine parks I suspect beaching a larger boat would attract a lot of attention and the "authorities" would soon be on your case. Anything even perceived to disrupt fish, marine life, eelgrass, you name it, is generally forbidden, or if it isn't now it will be by the time "they" get through with you.

Unfortuately tidal grids have been outlawed (I think) in Puget Sound for environmental reasons. Bellingham used to have one but it was closed in the 90s and was finally removed the other year.

The only thing I can suggest is talk to an Indian tribe. I believe they own their reservation property right down to the water if not out into it. So you might be able to make arrangements with them, although I suspect they wil charge you an arm and a leg if they even grant you access.

I think the bottom line is that you have little choice but to haul out at a boatyard. There are all sorts of environmental regulations that have to be met if you take a boat out of the water even if all you're doing is changing a prop or zincs. For that work if you don't want to haul out you're probably best off hiring a diver.

We were even warned by the county sherrif's people at the Everett boat launch this past weekend about the need to be careful not to have any weed or other marine "stuff" on our 17' Arima when we put it back on the trailer.

There are yards that will at least let you do your own work on your boat--- painting, zincs, etc. Some don't, and even the ones that do will charge you an environmental fee for the plastic sheeting they put under your boat and the other stuff they have to do to meet the state requirements. In Bellingham the two main boatyards, Seaview North and Colony Warf, will let owners do their own work. Seaview didn't for awhile but they've changed that policy.

There are tidal grids still in action up in BC so I suppose you could take your boat up there.

 

[markpierce]

Eric, welcome to the lower 48 -- 21st century.

 

[markpierce]

Wonder why this tug is beached. In danger of sinking?

 

[Nomad Willy]

Re the tug. Or didn't pay his moorage on time. Or perhaps it's a marital dispute and the wife's gett'in back. Steering cable broke and it went up on the beach. Chafed mooring lines gave way and it drifted there.

I don't think I know Mark.

HAHA "21st century"? You think I've been living in the past?

But it's nice to be welcomed Mark, thanks.

 

[markpierce]

The beaching looked intentional. To the left is a long, rock shore and to the right the pier of the sugar mill. Helmsman "threaded the needle" and reached the small, sandy beach.

 

[psneeld]

The beaching looked intentional. To the left is a long, rock shore and to the right the pier of the sugar mill. Helmsman "threaded the needle" and reached the small, sandy beach.

I work in the world of commercial maritime and beaching as well as many other dangerous or harmful to yacht standards activities are done every day.

The nosing up of a tug to shore doesn't seem at all out of the ordinary to me...unless of course there's other evidence that it was done in response to an emergency.

 

[Rambler]

He's changing out a bow thruster?

 

[skipperdude]

Careened means to turn a boat on it's side such as for repair.

I have grounded my boat several times for just such a purpose.

Sure beats paying for a haul out just to check the zincs.

She always righted with no problem.

You need to scout the bottom at a previous low tide to watch for sharp rocks and the like.

Rune a kedge anchor out off the stern and one off the bow to shore to keep her in line for where you want the boat to sit.

SD

 

[Phil Fill]

Interesting discussion, as most of you know I am planning on installing bilge keels show on Leon’s boat, which I would say are more twin keels as they do not run the length of the boat, are wide, in the location the twin keels would be installed and help keep the boat up right?

Ben, what are “wind down legs”

I also carry extra anchors and ground tackle to hold the Eagle vertical just in case, and maybe even un ground using the mast/boom winch to roll the Eagle like they do for sail boats. Do very many boats in you area beech/careen?

Eric, where and when are you going to be in the lower 48? Love to talk with you about Alaska/BC area. Most marinas in the Puget Sound have vacancies.

There is a grid in Marysville about 2 miles north of Everett. Maybe a Hodock/Port Towns area? Some boats still go up the Snohomish River slew which is narrow, shallow isolated. The commercial mostly used them as there where very places that could pull them. However, today most of the larger marinas have 50 to 150 ton lifts. Everett has 75 tons which can pull most boats in the marina and divers are used for the smaller projects.

 

[jeffnick]

These guys in Halls Harbor beach their boats daily. I took these pics several hours apart.

Or how about here at Hyder AK.

The launch ramp at Hyder is at the end of a 1/4 mile long, single lane, wooden bridge.