Before reading on, please take a moment to fill out this week’s survey so we can share your knowledge and experiences with the Cruising Compass family. Thanks.
What sail cloth do you consider best for a cruising boat going long distances?
Thanks to everyyone who took the time to reply to last week’s survey on careening or drying out a cruising boat. We had many interesting comments.
22% of those who replied have careened or dried out their boat on a grid.
Asked how they did it, we had a good variiety of replies:
Tidal change, allowed the vessel to lie down. The vessel, a Shannon 50, was designed to careen in that fashion.
Regularly on concrete hard and wall. Same procedure when on a grid. Moor alongside just after HW (to ensure you will float off on next tide) with fenders to wall.If hard has a slope safer to have bows up hill especially if bottom of keel stops under or aft of the mast. Shift weights to give slight list towards wall. Watch boat as tide falls to ensure lines allow grounding without too great a list and shrouds will not lean on top of wall.
Went to my local ramp on outgoing tide and placed jack stands forward waited for the tide to go out another foot or so and put my aft jack stands in place. Tide went out and I painted the bottom and reversed the procedure. Off and running with no haul out fee, very old school.
Dragonfly trimaran with retractable centerboard and rudder. Inboard engines driveshaft and prop is above the lowest part of the boat.
Sand bar at low tide. It’s a catamaran so just had to be mindful of the spade rudders.
Asked to comment on careening a fin-keel, spade rudder boat, readers replied:
No, unless the vessel was specifically designed to distribute the weight across the fin keel attachment points.
Not a problem. Just make sure it leans towards the shore. We pulled the main halyard toward the beach.
Full keel boat with a protected rudder is best suited for this. Spade rudder with narrow keel puts a lot of load where it isn’t meant to be. I wouldn’t risk it.
Yes, but you need to understand the centre of gravity and also the nature of the sea bed – is it flat?
I can’t see that happening without damage. But on a grid it should work where there are at least the tidal fall more that the boat depth.
