Beaching

[fritzdfk]

I found a post about adding bilge keels to a Albin 25 but I am wondering if beaching legs would work with this boat. Something like these: http://www.yachtlegs.co.uk/index.pl?pag ... &langx=eng

I am in a place where the only protected place to keep a boat is in a tidal river. The boat would need to sit on the bottom at low tide. The bottom is sand and clay no rocks.

[smacksman]

A sandy bottom is like landing on concrete! Ok in a flat calm but can be destructive in a chop.
Is there some nice soft mud somewhere else?

[fritzdfk]

It is a small river with never any wave action. There is current especially when there is a lot of rain. I have an anchor system for my current boat with two anchors one upstream and one downstream and the boat in the middle.

[Beta Don]

So long as they're the correct length and attached securely, I don't see why the Yacht Legs wouldn't work for your intended purpose - That's what they designed them to do

Don

[smacksman]

The problem will be finding a strong anchor point. You will probably have to make one through-bolted to the hull with big backing pads behind. Work on the worst scenario that the leg will hold half the weight of the boat.
My legs on my Emma bolted through the rigging link I made.

[img]http:\\www.nysloop.com/thumbs91-92/mooringleg.jpg[/img]

Have the fore and aft lines fixed for length with some quick coupling at the ends to secure to the boat. Easier and quicker to set up.

Fix the up-stream line first before mounting the leg.

Fix a spacer pad to the inside of the leg to spread the leg from the hull so that the leg cannot bend under the hull. The fore and aft lines will stop the leg from splaying out too much. Once the weight is on the leg in the correct position it is ok but you want to try to position the foot of the leg correctly before taking the ground as the current will try to wiggle the leg about.

Make the legs a tad shorter so that the keel grounds first. A little bit of heel is not a problem.

Choose a flat bottom to lie on. Steep banks best avoided.

Have a bag to put the legs in when removed. They get very smelly with marine growth!

Roger

[Beta Don]

The problem will be finding a strong anchor point. You will probably have to make one through-bolted to the hull with big backing pads behind. Work on the worst scenario that the leg will hold half the weight of the boat.

If the boat remains even close to vertical when it dries out (and that is the goal after all) then there's no way the leg would ever see anything close to half the weight of the boat - The aluminum tube would probably bend well before that happened

I think if he had even a small block inside the hull, up against the deck he would be OK - I would thru bolt the mount with a backing plate on the inside, but designing it to support a ton or two is going a bit overboard, IMO

Don

[sail149]

Hi
I think you would prefer the bilge keel if you could handle the extra work.
They could be steel plates with a flange on top to attach.
They could be well under the boat and have minimal effect on the performance and you would have to do nothing the get going. Really simple and very reliable.
If you mocked them Up out of plywood you any steel fabricator could cut and weld then for you to just simply bolt on
Once and done
They would only have to be a couple of feet long , the bottom could have a bend on the bottom it to spread the load.

where did you see the post about bilge keels? Did the owner ever do it?
The other way to do but is more work is to fiberglass 2 tubes into the hull and then use a tube that could be extended thru the tube and locked with a pin well above the waterline. A built in leg you never have to touch!
Maybe a little drag from the foot but not much to worry about.
There are a couple of production boat built that way.
Warren