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

[KD3PC]

You are lucky that it has not been moved for you, along with a bill for doing so, and a litany of fines...given the Feds own it. Almost a month has gone by, as well - and the boat is still there.

I would play the lottery, were I you.

 

[shemandr]

Thanks for posting, I was wondering how it went. Better luck next tide. So please keep us up to date.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

I suspect the PVC rollers will only be of use for getting it off the hard, once in the marsh it seems to me the rollers would be ineffective

if you have caps glued to the ends they should float.

don't trust that bow eye, if it pulls out, its a missile, and could kill you.
I would going around the keel with a cinch strap, or the hull or both, and use anchors and comea longs with blocks. those barnacles will be hard on that rope a tow strap might last longer.
I'm also thinking chain, instead of rope for a tow line, at least initially, until its sliding on the marsh.

lastly, if I had to get some lift, out there, I would make a teepee out of 2" metal pipes and doubled up plywood bases and hang a chain from the top and a chain fall or come a long.

how far before it will get wet?


btw, at this point, I think someone could claim it as salvage. time is not on your side...

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

You are lucky that it has not been moved for you, along with a bill for doing so, and a litany of fines...given the Feds own it. Almost a month has gone by, as well - and the boat is still there.

I would play the lottery, were I you.

Analysis paralysis isn't a good thing. Why not just call your insurance company?
Edited. Never mind... I just read you have none. Not that it helps the OP but this can serve as an example why neglecting to protect yourself (and everyone else) with insurance isn't a good idea regardless of the purchase price.

 

[Gunni]

Endo; What JSG is saying warrants consideration. Don't think of a PVC pipe as a roller, but rather as a low-friction skid. Light and cheap pull it up onto the pipe skids, two sets could be used and moved as you winch it out. run a strap between two tow straps (fore/aft) and bring it under your keel to keep it out of the mud. Tow it keel first.

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome!

If I wasn't so damn busy right now I would be down there just for the fun and the challenge! You can do it!

 

[justsomeguy]

Tow it keel first.

Why keel first?

if you have caps glued to the ends they should float.

I thought that was a given.

 

[shemandr]

...don't trust that bow eye, if it pulls out, its a missile, and could kill you.
I would going around the keel with a cinch strap, or the hull or both...

Ditto on the bow eye. That's a thick part of the hull but probably only washers as backing. Which ever way you pull the boat you need to engage the strongest structural parts as possible. Keel and hull being the first choices.

 

[dlochner]

It will be helpful to make the boat as light as possible. Get the mast, boom, sails, and motor off. Take everything that isn't glued down off the boat. It may not seem like much, but there is probably 500+ lbs of stuff on board that's about 10% of the dry weight of the boat.

Rollers may help, reducing friction may also help. A pump to wet down the tow path will let the boat slide more easily.

None of the fittings on the boat are strong enough to take the strain of a tow. Straps or rope need to wrapped around the hull. It will probably pull easier bottom first. If you go deck first, the gunnel will tend to catch on stuff, bottom first the hull is rounded and tend to slide up and over and not dig in.

Good luck.

 

[Mark Maulden]

Have you inspected the rudder packing and verified if the shaft is still straight? Be mindful of the rudder when dragging..

 

[CarlN]

I don't understand how you're going to get a dock secured to the keel. It's going to slip. It's much easier to pull the mast down with a halyard to keep her healed. This is called "careening", it's been done for hundreds of years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caree...r_Hove_Down_For_Repairs,_Near_New_Bedford.jpg

If you don't get the keel up, it will just dig in and you won't go anywhere.

Because the mast is such a long lever arm you don't even need that much weight to heal the boat. This video shows using water bags to get under a bridge. A dinghy tied to halyard with concrete blocks would also do nicely.

Since the stern is also likely to dig in if pulled backwards, I'd use those anchors and come-alongs to first pivot the boat so the bow points out. I agree with the others that pulling her out sideways is likely to have her catch on the gunwale. Bow first should be the easiest since that's the direction boats are meant to go.

Even at moon tide, is the first 10 feet going to be dry? If so, then you might as well try to drag her that distance now with those rollers and come-along (and tilting her). Don't put the rollers in the sand. Put them on tracks made of 2x6 boards. Once you have her in the marsh grass, wait for the moon tide to go the rest of the way.

 

[topcat0399]

Have you considered pushing with say - a four wheel drive vehicle instead of pulling with a come along? At least until you get it off the hard. I would still be thinking keeping the keel up and using something to reduced scraping and friction as well as taking everything I could off the boat to lighten. Just wondering aloud about what I might be doing in your place....


I feel for ya

 

[Gunni]

Why keel first?

Because the curve of the hull will slide better in that orientation and he needs to protect his shrouds deck fittings and chainplates.

 

[Ron20324]

Maybe put some truck inner tubes under the bow and stern and one around the keel, then inflate them?

 

[End80]

I've not just been sitting on my hands concerning my boat, my only option is to work with the spring tides to get it out.. If I had money, I would have already paid whatever I took to have it airlifted or whatever. I did call he coast guard inquiring cost on what they would charge, and the said they don' do that, and gave me a number to the Charleston division, but had no luck with them either. About a week ago I talked to two ladies from FEMA that were down her and asked if I could get assistance from them, they asked if I was living on it, and I said no, to which they replied they couldn't' help me. Mine is not the only boat that got put on the hard in the area, there's a about a 40footer that several boat tried to pull off last spring tide, and it did not even budge.. I don't know what their next plan of action is (as a matter of fact, there's also one about a mile away been abandoned about three years ago, also larger than mine which appears to have been now stripped, not sure what the story is on that). About two years ago there was a huge sailboat anchored right close my same location that was given to teenager and he and his friends used as a party location , and somehow it got sunk with half the boat out of the water with it's mast sticking up for about 3 or 4 months until (I assume some authority), had a local company (Solomon Landscaping) go out there and cut it up and removed, Solomon still has the mast and other items laying in his yard which he's hoping to sell off.. On the other end of the island a shrimpboat broke loose in the storm and roamed and sunk with part of its bow still sticking out the water in eyeshot of highway 80. There were docks ripped to shreds all over then place, I see that about a dozen of them had already been rebuilt, or being rebuilt but many haven't even removed the shattered remains yet.. There's a Cape Dory that's tied to a mooring ball in the immediate area of where I was anchored, that the storm snapped his mast in two and it's still mangled half in the water.. I don't know the kid, but I know who he is, and don't think he cares, haven't seen anyone near the boat for years, it just sits there.
I've been having a lot of people (whom I don't even recognize) approach me inquiring on my progress and wishing me luck, evidently it's the talk of the town. Everyone knows it's my boat, and so far I've not got any hassles about it, they know I'm trying. This upcoming spring tide is supposed to be a big one, I'm counting on it being high enough.

 

[justsomeguy]

This upcoming spring tide is supposed to be a big one, I'm counting on it being high enough.

Good luck!

 

[31seahorse]

Thanks for posting your update. I was wondering how you had progressed.

Consider 3/4 inch thick pressure treated plywood sheets to create a path over the solid ground you intend to pull the hull over as you move toward the water. Once the hull gets to shallow water and muddy bottom the plywood could create some solid footing for your slides or rollers to be supported on. Whether you use the closed plastic pipes (or might I suggest 4 X 4s if you use them as skids) they will be very likely to sink into the ground and/or muddy bottom as weight is put on them.

You might even consider sliding the boat on just plywood sheets without using the rollers or slides. In either case if sliding is the plan you might need some lubrication to overcome Mr. Friction. Disney World had a boat launch problem many years ago and according to the ride guides (Jungle Safari, if memory serves) mushy bananas were used to lubricate their launch ways. No environmental concern as grease or soap or oil would have created.

I agree with Gunni many of us would like to be there to help. Best of Luck to you!

 

[markwbird]

Call your insurance company. Get paid. Get a new boat. That looks really difficult to get to the point where the rescue might cost more than a new boat.

 

[Maine Sail]

Call your insurance company. Get paid. Get a new boat.

From post #16

I wasn't required to get insurance, and I didn't..

 

[CarlN]

I think seahorse is right to skip the rollers and use a grease. Put down two boat lengths of "track" of 2X8's or maybe plywood (doesn't need to be pressure treated as it's not going to have time to rot) and grease the wood well with a grease that's not water soluble (like trailer bearing grease). The greased track will reduce friction and protect your topsides from being gouged by a rock. If you use enough grease the boat's going to slide without that much force. I'd build your "track" right beside the boat and then pull the boat down onto the track using a weight on the halyard. Once the boat's tipped enough to get the keel free, spin the boat around to be bow out. Then pull the boat towards the water swapping your track pieces forward as you go. Obviuosly, once you're done dispose of the greasy wood properly.

 

[DAVA390]

It will be helpful to make the boat as light as possible. Get the mast, boom, sails, and motor off. Take everything that isn't glued down off the boat. It may not seem like much, but there is probably 500+ lbs of stuff on board that's about 10% of the dry weight of the boat.

Rollers may help, reducing friction may also help. A pump to wet down the tow path will let the boat slide more easily.

None of the fittings on the boat are strong enough to take the strain of a tow. Straps or rope need to wrapped around the hull. It will probably pull easier bottom first. If you go deck first, the gunnel will tend to catch on stuff, bottom first the hull is rounded and tend to slide up and over and not dig in.

Good luck.

It will be helpful to make the boat as light as possible. Get the mast, boom, sails, and motor off. Take everything that isn't glued down off the boat. It may not seem like much, but there is probably 500+ lbs of stuff on board that's about 10% of the dry weight of the boat.

Rollers may help, reducing friction may also help. A pump to wet down the tow path will let the boat slide more easily.

None of the fittings on the boat are strong enough to take the strain of a tow. Straps or rope need to wrapped around the hull. It will probably pull easier bottom first. If you go deck first, the gunnel will tend to catch on stuff, bottom first the hull is rounded and tend to slide up and over and not dig in.

Good luck.

Although I agree with making the boat lighter,I can't imagine hiw to drop a mast (sideways) out in a marsh without breaking something. Everthing else,yes but leave the mast alone.Might want to use a halyard to help heal the boat sometime during the job.