Hurricane Mathew put my boat on the hard.. What do I do?

End80

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Oct 30, 2015
78
Grampian 26 Tybee Island GA
On the south end of Tybee Island we had confirmed 96mph winds , and a 12.5 tidal surge which broke records from Hurricane David back in the 1970s.. On the back river I had 3 anchors down, a 25lb plow, a large Danforth were off the bow on one line in a manner similar to how an article featured in Good Old Boat had illustrated a few months ago and , a third smaller Danforth was also down but the line was a bit short...
Anyway.. the big anchors apparently did hold, but the rope didn't. It chafed at the bow till it snapped and next morning my 26ft Grampian is on the hard across the river.

Yesterday, went over to look over the situation and got the motor, battery, radio, fishing poles, and some other stuff off the boat so no one would steal it. The boat is on the hard a boat 12 foot from the marshy span of area and about maybe 60-70 yards (maybe, I'm guessing) until it reaches the river.. This angle shows about the same distance, but can't go this way on account of oyster beds.

A closer look at the boat..

I had a few people tell me to use 5" PVC pipes as rollers, but I don't think that's feasible.. My current consideration is to wait until the upcoming moon tide and have someone with some horse power to pull me off.. maybe fabricate s9me kind of sled for the keel so it don't dig in.
Here's the actual area I have to cross..


Any advice or suggestions appreciated..
By the way, the only access to Little Tybee where the boat is stranded is by boat
 

End80

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Oct 30, 2015
78
Grampian 26 Tybee Island GA
The above shots where taken during high tide yesterday
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
First take a deep breath.

These kind of things are never easy to deal with, but we deal with them.

The big question is your insurance and what your insurance will cover. Call them, ask for their advice. They may not be as quick to respond as you might like, but then again, there will be a lot of folks calling them. A good insurance company will have lots of resources and will get the boat floating again.

I wish you good fortune in dealing with this event. These events are never easy.

Dave
 
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End80

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Oct 30, 2015
78
Grampian 26 Tybee Island GA
I only paid $1,000 for the boat about a year ago and $500 for the motor.. I do not have insurance
 

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
You have to come up with something, the state and Federal guys are going to want that boat out of there. Putting a sling on it, and pull it keel-high via heavy tow into the river just popped into my mind. Maybe tie on the keel stub as a tow point. Sorry for the situation.
 
Sep 29, 2008
162
Morgan Out Island 33 Pompano Beach
Sorry for your problems...have a non boating question. What is the status of all the autos that are off loaded at Brunswick. We were thru there mid-Sept. 1000's of vehicles on what looked like very low ground. Bob
 

End80

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Oct 30, 2015
78
Grampian 26 Tybee Island GA
Gunni, how do you pull it "keel high"? Not clear what you mean by that.

Bob, I don't know anything about the cars offloaded in Brunswick.
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,040
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
We've had boats up on the beach, a few of them for years +, but they were on private property. So the authorities didn't get too involved. Who owns the property where your boat is?
Not to be a Debbie downer but it looks like the area your boat is couldn't support a crane. It seems like it will take one hell of a tide to float it off. Would you even be allowed to drag it across the marsh? I wonder. I'm sorry to say I think you've got a problem here. I wish I had something more positive to say.
 

End80

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Oct 30, 2015
78
Grampian 26 Tybee Island GA
Little Tybee is owned by the government.. uninhabited except by visiting kayakers..
I've seen boats that had to be dragged off from it before over the years, but not as far as mine is..
I'm being advised locally that with the help of the upcoming moon tide combined with a strong horsepower boat to pull it off, it can be done...
 
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Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
Since you don't have insurance, I would contact a towing / salvage company for an estimate (and ideas as to methodology) for removal. It's going to take some wide/ heavy duty slings & tow lines to pull it to the river with a tug. Can't use a marsh buggy because of the damage that it's going to do to the marsh. Also, you had better get the necessary permits to drag it over the marsh. You could get sued by a private landowner or state if you tear up the wetlands. Suspect that an insurance company would arrange for an aerial lift. If you do nothing, the state department of wildlife & fisheries thru funding provided by FEMA will remove the boat. It may take months & they probably won't be overly concerned about incidental damage unless you are on the scene when it is removed. After Katrina, FEMA provided funding for removal of boats from waterways & marsh; however, it took up to, and in some cases, over a year for it to happen. Very sorry about your situation and hope the best for you and everyone during the recovery from the storm.
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Are there air boats there, like in the Everglades? By the way, I'm sure I saw your boat on the weather channel, I believe it was.
 
Jan 7, 2011
4,727
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
What kind of keel does the Grampion have?

Don't underestimate the power of the roller idea. You may need bigger diameter tubes given the marshy area you need to cross, and yes, you need a boat with horsepower to pull it. I have moved many objects with rollers that I could never move myself. Your challenge is the terrain you need to get over and the not so flat boat surface.

Another thought may be to arrange some wide boards to skid the boat over to keep it from digging into the mud.

You may be able to set an anchor in the marsh, use a come-along to pull the boat 10 feet and reset. Better control this way than trying to pull it with a power boat.

Good luck.

Greg
 
Jan 27, 2008
3,045
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
Salvage cost will probably exceed the value of the boat. Consider chopping it up and removing the pieces. Salvage anything of value from it to sell in the used consignment market. I can almost guarantee it will cost over a grand to get it out of there.
 
Feb 6, 1998
11,667
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
I only paid $1,000 for the boat about a year ago and $500 for the motor.. I do not have insurance
Sadly you took an unwise gamble and the dice did not land your way. This also happened to a kid I went to high school with who chose to drive insurance free.. To this day his wages are still garnished, by court order, and will be garnished until the girl he paralyzed no longer requires care or is deceased. Seeing as she is only 42 and he is only 48 this is going to be many, many more years and he has already been paying, via court ordered wage garnish, for about 28 years.

The cost of the boat has ZERO to do with having insurance. The salvage costs to remove your boat will very likely exceed the cost of the boat and motor and will eclipse a liability only insurance package by perhaps 10 fold. Owning a boat is a responsibility and it is really not fair to those around you, or the tax payers, to let them absorb the cost of salvage or damages incurred by your boat.
 
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End80

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Oct 30, 2015
78
Grampian 26 Tybee Island GA
Thanks everyone for your insight and suggestions.
I think I have an idea.. Couldn't sleep last night and was unable to find any info on the internet on what to do, but a thought occurred to me.. The guy who went with me out to the boat (his name is Jay), made a few detours picking up several of those big black square dock floats scattered around floating in the area (numerous docks and been torn to shreds on shore).
Well, I got to thinking about those floaters, and what Gunni mentioned about moving it raised keel..

First let me point out that it was about 4:30 when the above pictures were took; I suspect the tide was about six foot at the time because high tide was at 3:30 at 7 foot, but this Friday and Saturday will be around 8.5ft, and then Sunday thru Wednesday will be 9ft+
The point being, the marsh grass will be covered and the tide will be about 3 ft deeper than it was in the above pictures, and about 2.5ft less than the betide that put the boat there.
So I ask is this is a feasible idea..

The concept is to attach several of the dock floats on each side of the boat with straps somehow secured to the floats) running under the boat. Then use a car jack to raise the keel, and secure a couple more dock floats under the raised keel, then use a comealong or something to move the boat the few feet until it is off the hard and in the marsh.
Im thinking the buoyancy should assist in keeping the boat on its side, and off the bottom, making it easier to move acros the marsh.


Does this sound like it could work ?
 
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End80

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Oct 30, 2015
78
Grampian 26 Tybee Island GA
The cost of the boat has ZERO to do with having insurance. The salvage costs to remove this boat will now likely exceed the cost of the boat and motor and will eclipse a liability only package by perhaps 10 fold. Owning a boat is a responsibility and it is not fair to those around you, or the tax payers, to fly insurance free and let them absorb the cost of salvage or damages incurred..
If it should happen I have to salvage the boat, it's not going to cost anyone anything, except for me my boat.. If it should happen, then I simply cut it up and haul it away piece by piece.. I don't seen how this is unfair or at the expense of others - It's not.
I wasn't required to get insurance, and I didn't.. but if I had tried, I probably would have had a very difficult time finding an agent willing to insure a 45 year old boat.
Or so I highly suspect.
 

End80

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Oct 30, 2015
78
Grampian 26 Tybee Island GA
Another passing thought was to remove the keel bolts and keel, fiberglass the bolt holes, remove the mast, and float it across keelless..
But I'm guessing the keel would not come off that easy..
 

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
Strapping the hull with a towing harness and leading the strapping out under the keel and bundling into a tow eye will have you set for a tow back into deep water by a proper tow service. The tow service will be your advisor on how to do this and can like source you the hoist straps you need. Get a plan and start working it right now. You have a window before the authorities take over, possibly destroy the boat, and send you the bill. Take charge.
 
Jul 14, 2015
840
Catalina 30 Stillhouse Hollow Marina
Probably get by with just using the floats under the keel.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,323
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
If it should happen I have to salvage the boat, it's not going to cost anyone anything, except for me my boat.. If it should happen, then I simply cut it up and haul it away piece by piece.. I don't seen how this is unfair or at the expense of others - It's not.
I wasn't required to get insurance, and I didn't.. but if I had tried, I probably would have had a very difficult time finding an agent willing to insure a 45 year old boat.
Or so I highly suspect.
You completely miss the point MS made. The issue is liability not the value of the boat. At this point you are liable for any damages that the boat caused, including damage to the marshlands and oil/fuel spills. If you are unable to quickly remove by yourself the cost for refloating the boat will run into the thousands of dollars. Not to mention cleaning up any fuel spill.

More importantly, if in the future you should damage someone else's boat or worse injure someone, then you will be personally liable for those damages which could run into the millions of dollars. Boating without liability insurance is simply not responsible.

These days, most marinas require liability insurance before they will haul the boat or provide dockage.
 
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