Bottoming Out on Drying Mooring

[Max]

Opinions please...Is the Mac26X ok to ground on sand in an estuary location? No stones, so nothing to get jammed up swing keel casing. Anybody dry out on sand?
Thanks
Max

[waternwaves]

wouldn't make a regular diet of it... debris/mud will eventually clog the centerboard well,....and it will abraid off the bottom paint......

JMHO

[Sloop John B]

Occasionally I do this by 'accident'. That is, wake up in a dry dock condition.

We don't have much tide here but it's very shallow. Not unusual to see a guy out about a half mile up to his knees 'floundering'.

If you're plumped solidly on the sand and the incoming flood doesn't cause you to 'scrape' along the bottom, you should be all right.

Later, when the boat's on the trailer, you can crawl under with a garden hose and check for clogs or mud in the well. That's real fun.

[Tom Root]

I do not have bottom paint, and have used this method successfully before! In fact after a ten day excursion, I had crustacians invading everywhere, as an experiment, I beached for about 12 hours, and walla, crusties removed! I did this several months later also, so they were on there, and hardened onto the hull!

I would imagine it could do damage if left there for a long time, and the size of the sand grains can make a difference also. As far as debris clogging the keel well, I cant see much harm in that and easy to fix, as a few waves would fix that! Just monitor what is going on, all should be fine!

You just want to carefully do this of course. I look at it this way, if it does get damaged, I'll then have to spend the couple of hundred bucks it takes to coat the bottom with sealer and anti-foul. So far I see no degradation, and have beached many times to my advantage. I have yet to scrape my bottom by hand to remove the nasties! I do have a problem with the hull getting 'Road Rash' from the passenger side tire when going down the road, and have repaired this twice....I may even start a topic on this perhaps?

[Max]

Thanks all for opinions. The reason I ask is that I've been offered a drying out mooring on sand 2 hours drive away in Wales - and will probably take it...she will then be left at the mooring from about end of April to September...then with 2 tides a day.....hmmmm.
Take a look at the web cam of the mooring area:
www.barmouthwebcam.co.uk
This is on the beautiful coast of Wales - mid to north area. Barmouth itself - a medieval town in origin - is overshadowed by the Snowdonia National Park mountain range. Trouble is, unlike most of you guys the weather can be very very mixed - usually rain!!!
Oh for a bit of California / Florida wall to wall sunshine!!!
Regards
Max

[MarkStanton]

I have dried out a number of times

Sark Channel Islands - Suffered from very slight tidal surge in the little harbour which "dragged" the boat up and down the course sand and gravel bottom - slight removal of antifoul (US = Bottom paint) on underside of hull. No real damage

Devon - Dried out alongside the Steam Packet Inn in Totnes - not the best night as we ask the local Ferryman which way the land lied and it turned out he didn't have a clue. So spent the night sleeping the "wrong" way up.

We have for the first time this year got a Pontoon Tidal mooring on the river Itchen in Southampton. Nice soft mud which should leave the anti-foul alone but I guess I am concerned about the Centerboard cavity getting clogged up.

Guess we will just have to see what happens. I know some people who have a Mac on a soft mud tial mooring in Ashlett Creek (off Southampton Water) and they have never reported any problems.

I guess I will just have to see what happens and get the wetsuit and the coat hanger ready

The Barmouth mooring sounds nice

[Tom Root]

Max, neat link to the site. That is the first live cam shot I've seen, that had a side by side panoramic shot, there was a 3 minute gap between the two when I logged on though!

Muddy area to beach, it looks like! It might be easier to install a filler plug in the cavity before beaching/tieing up perhaps? Styrofoam may be a solution here. I am in the process of making two plugs myself out of blocks of foam. One will be for when the keel is extended, and the other for when it is retracted. It is the only way I know to fair the hull for possible advantages in speed.

Who knows if it'l work, I am just experimenting/toying with the idea, anyway!

[Max]

Mark,
Thanks for the info...I would have thought that a few minutes afloat would get rid of any mud..depends what sort of mud though. If it's clay type then bits might get lodged - there again the weight of the keel should dislodge any.
Tom
Thanks for your input. Glad you liked the link...the advantage with this mooring is that I can keep an eye on the Mac even when I'm teaching..how good is that!!
Max

[NautiMoments]

Max, that web cam makes me jealous. We live in Vancouver, Canada and in about 4 years, when we retire, are going to ship our Mac to England. Our goal is to cruise the canals in England and Europe for a year. Has anyone done any canal cruising in a Mac and how many of them can you navigate with the 7'10" beam?

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

Maybe this is how you do it, but I would think if you left the ballast valve open, the ballast would drain as the tide went out, making the boat lighter, and refill as the tide came back in.

[Moe]

If you did that, would you want some kind of silt screen over the outlet to keep mud from getting into the tank? Something like some no-see-um netting or piece of pantyhose, held on with a worm-drive clamp?

--
Moe

[Tom Root]

Maybe this is how you do it, but I would think if you left the ballast valve open, the ballast would drain as the tide went out, making the boat lighter, and refill as the tide came back in.

Bill, I have been trying to figure out the wisdom here?

IMHO, I would keep the boat filled with ballast. That way If and when I am ready to refloat on the next ride on an inbound tide, and I was high and dry, I'd simply drain it at that time, close the valve and become bouyant faster. Keeping it open would by far be chancy at best as to a problem occuring, least of which would be an obstructed valve opening!

What do I not get here?

Hmmmm, on second thought, it might be a unique way to catch lobsters, just throw in some rotting flesh of some sort, and it would become a haven for 'em! Gee officer....I swear I didn't know 20 lobsters crawled in there.....really !

OK, who put an aerator in their ballast tank for their fish catch?
Admit it if ya did

[Max]

Nautimoments...
for canal info in GB: try logging on to web site:
www.myweb.tiscali.co.uk/barging/db6map.htm
Failing that try google search - put in 'UK canal beam' and that web site is the first on the list!
The map that comes up is excellent as it shows every narrow and broad beam canal in GB. Unfortunately the narrow beam canals are only 7 foot! The locks are even smaller! But the wide beam - no problem. They join up with many rivers too.

Bill - don't think I'd like to leave the valve open, because wouldn't you have to leave the air vent open too - then the Mac would flood wouldn't it?? Point about the sand/mud getting into tank is valid too. Interesting idea though! I'd hate to look at the web cam at school and watch my beloved Mac slowly sinking before my eyes 104 miles away!!

[Max]

Nautimoments,
forgot to say that I don't know anyone who has cruised the wide beam canals in a Mac, but a GB Mac owner recently took his Mac through the French canals to the Med! With the mast in the trailering position should be no problem. I regularly cruise our local river (the Severn) with the mast at the trailering position - no probs! Initially had the mast up but got fed up with lowering it every few miles due to overhead power lines!
Max

[Jeff S]

I have been on sand for a day at a time then back to the trailer- no adverse indications other than wear on the bottom paint.



The funny thing here is that the anchor goes to much deeper water. It sure looked better at high tide-lol.

Jeff S