Tidal Grid?

[SitkaChum]

Hey,

First, a quick intro - I'm a newbie sailor and have been stalking the boards the last 9 months or so - have already learned tons here and appreciate all the knowledge floating around these parts. I live in San Francisco, but somewhat inadvertly came into ownership of a 1976 30' Catalina in Sitka, Alaska last year. She'd been fairly neglected by the PO, whom I won't malign too much since he's my dad, and I'm working on getting her in good shape again. Its complicated by the thousand miles that separate us. I pent 15 long days working on her last summer - from replacing all the running rigging to rebuilding the head to long hours on the fickle M4-30 engine. But, finally got it running, left the harbor, raised the the sailsl and had the most thrilling experience of my life- heading out under sail at 6 knots on my own boat, watching whales go by, and anchoring overnight in sight of bears on shore. Needless to say, I'm hooked.

I'm heading back up in about a month, and have a long list of work. I'm a student working on my Masters, so trying to save pennies on a boat that I don't even live near. I need to haul her this summer and clean/paint the bottom, as well as just check out the general state of neglect below the waterline. There is a haul out facility, only game in town, so prices are high and scheduling is hard, but there is also a free tidal grid, which I'm strongly considering using. Wondering if anyone has any experience putting one of our boats on the grid? I assume the keel can take it- any problems with balancing, etc? The tidal range is high enough to make it a useful and attractive idea, but I also have images of the entire boat falling over, destroying itself and causing great amusement for the local fishermen.

Your thoughts?

-Dan

Ps - this will most likely be the first of many "what do you think" posts as I finish up finals and start to focus on this summers adventure.

Pps a few photos from last summer, by way of introduction.

 

[Coriolisbc]

Hi Dan;
Welcome to the forum, and congrats on your Catalina.
In regards to your question, a Tidal grid can work, but be aware of a few things;
1, You must cushion the part of the hull that will be laying on the grid,
2, you are going to stress the keel in a bad way, if the keel bolts are loose, you could get a crack where the keel meets the hull, salt water will get in and start corroding the keelbolts.
3, you will have to protect the rudder as well, it is more delicate than the keel.
4, you will have to consult your local tides,of course and choose the best day for this, perhaps one where the following high is a little bit higher than the one you rode in on.
5, you will have to go on the grid a second time to do the other side.
6, all tanks, fuel, water, and holding will have to be near empty as you can get them.
7, It will be best to have the boat as light as possible, everything off, cushions, tools, spare parts, bells and whistles on shore somewhere
I have seen this done here in BC, where we can have a 15 foot tidal range, it seems to work best for full keel vessels, with a protected rudder, I am not sure if your Catalina qualifies.
Years ago, i would have used a tidal grid, but not now, I just paid the freight at a local yard for a haulout, then I could work at my leisure, rather than be pressed for time and tide on the grid.
If you do it, keep us posted, with pics, should be a great adventure, just like Sailing
Good Luck!

 

[Bad Obsession]

When they set the boat down on the hard they set it down on the keel. The jackstands are there to help keep the boat from falling over.

You will probably want something to put down, like jackstands, to keep the boat from leaning one way or the other. It would be even better if you could put something under the keel so that it is up off of the ground a little (that would be so you can paint some areas under the keel).

If you want to sound really nauticle you could say you are careening the boat or you could say the boat was hove down.

 

[Stu Jackson]

The boat should take. You should be able to pick up techniques, tips&tricks from the locals at the grid. Things you should consider is how are you going to clean the old bottom slime off before you paint. Good luck.

 

[Brad on Vashon]

I have used a tidal -- it is not the same as beaching or careening, the grid should have heavy beams on the seafood and some pile you secure to as the tide goes out. If the don't, you need to fix braces amid ships so you dont fall over. Aside from the environmental issues of using a grid-- there is a reason stuff doesn't grow on your boat-- it works well as a alternative haul out.

If you need to scrape, sand or paint you should throw some tarps down to catch the worst of it.

 

[jrowan]

I agree with the first post that most sailors that do this "Grid" are sailing on full keel boats that are a lot more stable when dried out. Before doing this you have to look a the cost savings verses the price of the lumber, jackstands, etc. that you will have to buy to prop the boat up. If its gonna cost u a few hundred then have you really saved anything? Also do not discount the cost of how much it will cost to repair a damaged spade rudder. The rudder tube on a C 30 is only comprised of a PVC plastic plumbing pipe glassed into the hull. Not the toughest design method. You may have more to loose then gain. I know of real salts who do this in my home in Ireland. But they have a lot of English Westerly designs with twin keels that are designed to dry out from huge 10 foot tidal changes. My advice is to wait & save your money & haul out properly. There's alot more maintenance down there on the hull then just scraping & painting. Prop maintenace, zinc changing, cleaning out fresh water intakes, rudder, fairing the hull......etc. Give yourself the time to do things properly, on the hard. When you've been sailing for years, then be more adventurous. I would be thinking of what my dad would say if U have to tell him how his boat tipped over & flooded on the incoming tide. Bad image.