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

Aug 12, 2014
213
Universal Marine Montego 25 San Pedro, CA
I believe the simplest answer is to use 6 sheets of 1/2 ply behind the boat and use an environmentaly friendly soap (organic) on 6mil poly laid on top of the plywood sticking behind the boat. Rent a TURFOR, which is a cable clamping come-along, they go up to 10,000 pounds dead-lift and one man can pull 50,000lbs. very slowly. Get the biggest anchor you can borrow or rent and use the TURFOR to haul the boat up onto the plywood.then pull the boat further down the plywood trail towards the water until the first sheet of plywood is free of the bow. Bring that sheet to the stern and keep hauling. TURFOR's frequently have one-hundred feet of line so if you had to haul it all the way it would take 30 sets of your kedge anchor at one-hundred feet per set-up once it starts moving I figure two hellishly hard days to be where tide water will wet you.
You can do it if you just go ahead and try. Don't get caught up in the armchair yachts.
I would think that this approach would have the highest probability of success, and is the course I would try if I had to do it. I would definitely get the longer of the cables - whatever can be hauled I guess - and yeah, the best anchor. Is that a heavier one, or a danforth, I know not because the conditions where it will be set but it sounds pretty firm so I would think a dan would work well. Whatever it is it must be the rock in the come-along equation and not budge.

Definitely bring help if you can. 2 or 3 people or more if you can. Depending on how many people you have to assist you, you might be able to get it done quicker.

You might even try renting or borrowing the highest rated 12V winch you can find, and hauling that and a generator out there to try it that way.

Either way you'd have to be sure to pull it from the right *angle

This approach with the plywood and plastic might get it done man, you should at least try it. You can do it!
 
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Jan 27, 2008
3,045
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
Whatever you do make sure the cable, rope, or strapping you use has a huge safety factor. A heavily loaded line suddenly failing can kill you and is likely what scared off your buddy in the boat that tried to help you. If your boat weighs say 5000 pounds it will take about that to pull it F = mu X N with N = the boat weight and mu some factor for friction equal to or less than 1 depending on the surface. However in this case since the surface is not rigid the boat will likely be depressing the surface some so you need to pull the boat over the hump of earth in front of it caused by the depression, just like a bow wave except the media is earth with a huge viscosity. So assume the pull force will be equal to a dead lift of the boat's weight as a good safety assumption, then using a safety factor of two for the rope strength you will be around 10,000 pounds. 5/8 three strand rope is around 10,000 pounds tensile strength.
By the way I was assuming you would just dig a trench for the keel to slide along with the boat upright so it might be say 4 feet deep, by 1 foot wide X 300 feet long so 1200 cubic feet of earth or 1200/27 = 44 cubic yards. The ground should be soft and there aren't any rocks along the southern coast, it will be all sand and mud and maybe clay. A fencepost digger might do the trick, or the football team with a bunch of shovels.
The issue here is not whether the boat can be moved but one of cost. If the OP can't afford a professional solution then it comes down to using his own labor that is free to do the job. One cubic yard a day and the boat will be floating in a month and a half.
 
Jan 11, 2017
68
Hunter 37c Kingston
After you have hauled it down to where it could get wet you could haul it on to a 24 x 8 foot x one foot plywood box which could be assembled from the existing plywood plus a couple of sheets. If the box is only one foot high (deep) the boat floats in six (6) inches of water. I don't know how far it is to highest tide line, but that box could save a lot of hauling. people who are talking about using hundreds of bottles of soap are entirely missing the point of relocating the same plywood and poly film once covered in soap.
 
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KD3PC

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Sep 25, 2008
1,069
boatless rainbow Callao, VA
you all need to keep in mind this is a federally protected area .....you can't just traipse in there with a backhoe to move 44 yards...and if you do it by hand it will backfill/wash by the time you return the next day.

I am really surprised the AHJ has not removed the boat and submitted a bill and fine to the owner of record. In VA this would have been solved months ago.
 

KD3PC

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Sep 25, 2008
1,069
boatless rainbow Callao, VA
Dig ten feet move the boat ten feet backfill ten feet, repeat as necessary.
What part of federally protected property is not clear???!!

This would be like going to Yellowstone with your shovel and ...

I guess those rules only apply to non-boaters?
 
Jan 27, 2008
3,045
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
So the whole cape cod national seashore is a federally protected property. Are you suggesting kids shouldn't build sand castles on the beach? How come you don't like little kids? Also when you put your folding chair down and the feet dig in you are disrupting the soil, the same soil that just got disrupted by a 120 mph hurricane. This would be no worse than digging for clams or what the fishing boat do to the bottom when trawling.
 
Jan 27, 2008
3,045
ODay 35 Beaufort, NC
Dragging the boat out of there will cause as much damage as digging a little trench. Only way to minimize damage is an airlift or chop it up on site and haul away the pieces.
 

KD3PC

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Sep 25, 2008
1,069
boatless rainbow Callao, VA
sadly the world has changed, my little kid is now 27 and you can not build sand castles (or even dig) on many beaches in FL panhandle and AL..unless you want to be escorted off or pay a fine.

All I am saying is the OP has had adequate time to have the boat moved. It is not an experiment in how to salvage a boat....he is welcome to practice on his own property. By his not having insurance, removal becomes a problem for the rest of us to pay for - taxes, higher insurance premiums, high cost to slip/moor/anchor/etc...no wonder waterfront communities want to (and have) ban(ned) anchoring out...
 
May 12, 2004
1,502
Hunter Cherubini 30 New Port Richey
:deadhorse:OK, it now seems this thread has come full circle back to the insurance issue. Again, this is not helping End80. He was beat up enough over this issue in Oct. Let's play nice. If someone wants to start a thread discussing the pros and cons of insurance, have at it. Rant over. :)
 
Nov 7, 2012
678
1978 Catalina 30 Wilbur-by-the-Sea
Well... not sure, there's been no progress but do have some hopeful possibilities in the works..
A friend is suppose to have access to some large used PVC pipes that he says he'll bring from town down to me so I can use them as rollers, the stern is currently right at the edge of the little hill before it drops about 16" down to the marsh area, so if the rollers are laid there then the boat should drop down right on top them (if it doesn't bust them) I'm going to try using some auger style mobile home anchors screwed into the ground so I have something to pull against with comalong. A friend has 4 - 200ft sections of very heavy cable he had salvaged from a shrimpboat which he says I can use, which is probably better than using rope.

Also might have a group of about a dozen kayakers volunteering to use brute pull force to pull with ropes..

I've been unable so far to get someone else with a boat big enough to try another pull.

Nothings definite yet.
Fortunately there has been no more looting going on.
6" Schedule 40 Should be good for up to 500psi so should work. I would get 8 footers and put on end caps so they float. Pretty cheap at Home Depot and 4 or 5 would do it.
 
Mar 11, 2015
357
Hunter 33.5 Tacoma, WA
6" Schedule 40 Should be good for up to 500psi so should work. I would get 8 footers and put on end caps so they float. Pretty cheap at Home Depot and 4 or 5 would do it.
What?... Rollers? Plastic? Soap? Trenches?

> What part of federally protected property is not clear???!!

There ARE some reasonable comments and suggestions here (i.e. above). Just put the boat on an 8'x8' plywood sheet (manufactured out of (6) marine grade 4 x 8 x 3/4" sheets, screwed together) and, using a couple of anchors, slowly drag the boat towards the water (cables attached to the plywood) as far as possible to avoid flooding with the tide levels. Then, finally, use a trawler (like he used before), lines attached to the plywood, and pull the boat into the water.

What is so hard/difficult about this? I would have moved the boat 100 feet the first afternoon. No, you WILL NOT be able to drag the boat directly on the mud (this has been tried).
 
Jan 19, 2017
10
Northstar 1000 Wellfleet. Mass.15 years
happen to me. waited for big high and low- walked my plow out as far as i could- used my winch to haul off... good luck !
 

CarlN

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Jan 4, 2009
603
Ketch 55 Bristol, RI
As others have said, the boat must slide on the plywood. You can't slide the wood on the sand. Wet sand has too much friction. Just keep picking up the back sheet and putting it in front of the boat as you go.

The rollers may work if they are strong enough to not deform. But if not, I think waterproof wheel bearing grease would be both more effective and more environmentally correct than dishwashing detergent. The stuff is made to not come off in the water. It is also designed to handle high PSI. I would spread the grease on the side of the boat where it will touch the plywood. That way, none will come in contact with the marsh.
 
Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
I like building a path of plywood and grease. He would not be able to keep the rollers under the boat. The section of hull touching the sand is too small and rounded. Plus, the rollers will not keep the keel out of the sand.
I think he will have to keep the keel from dragging. I think a "come-along" arrangement will work.
I do not think the feds are in the mix yet. Better to get this done before they are...
 
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