20' O'Day daysailer moored on sand

[psarocco]

Hello,
Can a 20' Oday with a retractable centerboard be moored in a bay where low tide will bring the boat down to the sand without doing damage?

Thank you in advance.

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

C/B in a shallow mooring

Hello, I will gives some thoughts, based on my experience with an O'Day 23. I am by no means an expert.
I think the tide itself will be a pretty gentle landing. I have anchored in shallow water in Florida that at low tide has set my boat down softly, even all the way on her side with no damage. (you may get some sand in the keel slot that will stick the C/B in the up position - but it tends to rinse out as soon as the boat gets moving.)
What I would be most concerned about is how protected the area was from wind that could cause waves. Once I was sailing another O'Day 23 through a shallow pass with the C/B raised and I was doing o.k. with about 6" of water under the keel. But then I ran into some waves with short chop that caused the boat to pitch alot or "hobbie horse". The front of the keel hit bottom fairly hard. When I was able to inspect later, it actually put a small crack in the hull right above the keel. (this was on an early O'Day 23 with an iron keel that bolted into a recess on the hull bottom) the later boats with glassed over lead keels might fare better)
In short, unless your area stays smooth as a farm pond, if it were me, I would look for someplace different. Good luck.

 

[OdayDave]

While I don't have any experience with tides, I would suggest you think about a few things. First, what are the consequences of heavy wind and waves when there is no water under the keel. The boat could get damaged with a heavy surf. If the cockpit was facing the sea, heavy wave action could flood the cabin. Second, you would obviously have to pull the rudder off every time you sailed up to your mooring. Third, you have to wait for the tide to come back in before sailing which limits your potential sailing time. I know those across the pond have the double-keelers to accommodate the wide swings in tides but if it were me, I would look for another mooring for a single keel boat.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25

 

[Joe11688]

I wouldn't do it. You run the chance of damaging the bottom and clogging the keel slot not to mention the damage that can occur at mid tides when the wind and water is kicking up.
I would find a boat club close to your area and join it or keep your boat somewhere else. I belong to a club in Dighton on the Taunton River and although our mooring field is shallow with a mud bottom, I leave my boat on a mooring with my rudder blade and centerboard up and the boat will float at a Spring Tide Low without hitting bottom.
Our mooring rental is $135 a year and my club membership cost $425 with the mooring. We even have slips for a flat rate of $900 a year available.
We have a nice club house with a large ice machine with plenty of free ice and outside of plenty of docks, we have a paved boat ramp. If you can find something like that up the Cape I think you'd be better off. This is just my opinion. Take it for what it's worth. http://www.shawometyachtclub.com/
Joe

 

[islandjim]

I think you will find the moorings are more expensive as you go north. In New Jersey my mooring is almost $900.00 which includes stepping the mast, putting in water, and pulling out at end of season. I addressed this in one of my books and after much research, if you are going to sail the same waters a mooring is the least expensive way to go. Leaving a boat to to lay in the mud will certainly have problems should a storm blow in at low tide. Having your boat on a mooring is like a vacation home on the water with a million dollar view. We entertain, relax, overnight, and BBQ on our O'day on her mooring.

I would think a small 20' boat should be very reasonable to moore someplace. It will be able to moore where deeper keel boats can not.
Jim

 

[Jackdaw]

Hello,
Can a 20' Oday with a retractable centerboard be moored in a bay where low tide will bring the boat down to the sand without doing damage?

Thank you in advance.

It's two questions.

First, can you do this without damage. For sure yes. The O'day DS is a flat bottomed boat and the CB retracts totally into a trunk. These types of boats can and do dry on moorings in the UK all of the time.

Second SHOULD you? That depends on tha actual mooring location, the condition of the bottom, and wind and wave action in the area. Only you can know that.

 

[RhodySail]

I agree with Jackdaw. I've allowed my DS1 to beach overnight many a trip with no propblems at all. But you want make sure your bottom is soft and theres no wave action to cause any damage.

The only other input I can offer is scuppers/self bailers. The mud creats a suction wich the bouyancy will eventually break, but if you've got scuppers they might let in enough water to cancel out that boyancy and keep it on the ground while the tide rises over the gunwales. I doubt your boat has those scuppers but I watched it happen on a center console so I figure i'd pass a word to the wise.

If its a cheap spot I'd say go for it and keep a careful eye on her the first few weeks. Good luck.

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

with all respect, if it is really a 20 ' long O'Day, i do not think this boat has a flat bottom. if wind and waves blow out water to depths less than average, she will be on her side and vulnerable. be careful.
EDITED TO ADD - should original poster choose to comeback and clarify if his boat has a flat bottom with a centerboard up inside hull or centerboard that retracts into keel case below boat, well, I think we all have him covered!

 

[OdayDave]

According to this site, the draft on an O'Day 20 is 1ft 2in.

http://oday.sailboatowners.com/inde...ymodel&id=131&Itemid=888&brand=Oday&bmodel=20

I think it has a keel unless it's not the right model.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe
O'Day 25

 

[toddco]

My Oday 20 has a center board truck with a retractable center board. I'm afraid you would really mess up the rudder if you took the water out from under her. I would hate to try it, but I think the keel would be ok. The center board is not that heavy, I think you might jam the center board too.

Todd

 

[emergpa1]

My Oday 20 has a center board truck with a retractable center board. I'm afraid you would really mess up the rudder if you took the water out from under her. I would hate to try it, but I think the keel would be ok. The center board is not that heavy, I think you might jam the center board too.

Todd

Retract your rudder. Pull or pivot your ruder up.