My wife and I sail in fairly shallow waters and have already bumped bottom a few times and run aground once needing to be towed off. The bottom here is sand and mud and we were not moving at more that 4 knots. What kind of damage, if any do I need to be concerned with to the keel and rudder? Should I have the boat hauled and looked at before my planned haul out this winter? Carl
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scott may
probably no damage
I ran aground on coral (dead, so nobody scream)at 6 kts,and it brought the boat to a QUICK grinding halt. I had to be towed off and it was another grinding ordeal. I went into the water right after only to find the bottom paint a little scraped. No gouges in the lead, or cracks in the keel joint. So i would say you have nothing really to worry about.
I ran aground on coral (dead, so nobody scream)at 6 kts,and it brought the boat to a QUICK grinding halt. I had to be towed off and it was another grinding ordeal. I went into the water right after only to find the bottom paint a little scraped. No gouges in the lead, or cracks in the keel joint. So i would say you have nothing really to worry about.
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Gary Jensen
bumping your bottom
Most likely your bottom is fine and can be looked at during your next haul-out. If your waters are shallow and you have concerns like you state, you can equip your boat with radar/ sonar that will detect objects under the water in front of the boat as you sail. I don't know the price of it but I have heard that the equiptment is made! good luck!
Most likely your bottom is fine and can be looked at during your next haul-out. If your waters are shallow and you have concerns like you state, you can equip your boat with radar/ sonar that will detect objects under the water in front of the boat as you sail. I don't know the price of it but I have heard that the equiptment is made! good luck!
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LaDonna Bubak - Planet Catalina
So you're in the first group
There are three kinds of sailors: 1) Those who've run aground, 2) Those who haven't YET & 3) Those who lie about it. Personally I'm in #2 but expect I'll be in #1 in short order! Your keel is probably just fine. Your paint on the bottom of your keel is probably still perfect with that mud bottom! The absolute worst case scenario is if the jolt loosened the hull/keel joint. This is sooooo unlikely (from the description you gave) that I wouldn't concern myself with it till the next scheduled haulout & then just check for any unusual cracking around the joint. Remember that these (and most) boats are designed to withstand the occasional grounding. Bumping the bottom a few times shouldn't hurt it a bit! LaDonna
There are three kinds of sailors: 1) Those who've run aground, 2) Those who haven't YET & 3) Those who lie about it. Personally I'm in #2 but expect I'll be in #1 in short order! Your keel is probably just fine. Your paint on the bottom of your keel is probably still perfect with that mud bottom! The absolute worst case scenario is if the jolt loosened the hull/keel joint. This is sooooo unlikely (from the description you gave) that I wouldn't concern myself with it till the next scheduled haulout & then just check for any unusual cracking around the joint. Remember that these (and most) boats are designed to withstand the occasional grounding. Bumping the bottom a few times shouldn't hurt it a bit! LaDonna
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Robert Fischer
similar waters
I sail New York's Great South Bay. It's also shallow with a sand/mud bottom. Iv'e hit bottom plenty of times (harder than I care to admit on occasion) without anything but a minor ding in the leading edge or bottom of the keel. You shouldn't have anything to worry about.
I sail New York's Great South Bay. It's also shallow with a sand/mud bottom. Iv'e hit bottom plenty of times (harder than I care to admit on occasion) without anything but a minor ding in the leading edge or bottom of the keel. You shouldn't have anything to worry about.
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Carl
Thanks for your words of reassurance
Thanks for all your kind words of reassurance. I love this site so much for the community atmosphere it forsters! As a relatively novice sailor in a boat this size, I'm still getting my feet wet on learning how to navigate a very narrow and very shallow (to say nothing of shoaling) channel. It's about a mile and a half run through a narrow sanking channel with power boats and fishing boats zooming past kicking up four foot wakes. So, I guess I have to contend with a little bump and grind until I master it. Any advise (other than the obvious; seek local knowledge, go out at high tide and just practice)on how to handle this? Carl
Thanks for all your kind words of reassurance. I love this site so much for the community atmosphere it forsters! As a relatively novice sailor in a boat this size, I'm still getting my feet wet on learning how to navigate a very narrow and very shallow (to say nothing of shoaling) channel. It's about a mile and a half run through a narrow sanking channel with power boats and fishing boats zooming past kicking up four foot wakes. So, I guess I have to contend with a little bump and grind until I master it. Any advise (other than the obvious; seek local knowledge, go out at high tide and just practice)on how to handle this? Carl
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Tron Jockey
Rising, not high tide
Unless you need every last inch of water for clearance, go out 3 hours before high tide. That way if you get stuck you may be able to wait a few minutes to float off. (Take precautions that you don't drift into shallower water while you wait, though.) If you go out at high tide and manage to get stuck, you're only going to get stucker as the tide goes out while you try to get off.
Unless you need every last inch of water for clearance, go out 3 hours before high tide. That way if you get stuck you may be able to wait a few minutes to float off. (Take precautions that you don't drift into shallower water while you wait, though.) If you go out at high tide and manage to get stuck, you're only going to get stucker as the tide goes out while you try to get off.
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Ron Doescher
Bumping Bottom
All these words are most reassuring to one who is contemplating the purchase of a C320. I would ask whether these resonses apply to shoal or fin keels? Has anyone noticed any great handling differences between these two types of keel? Will bumping bottom with the wing keel more likely cause damage or require professional help getting unstuck?
All these words are most reassuring to one who is contemplating the purchase of a C320. I would ask whether these resonses apply to shoal or fin keels? Has anyone noticed any great handling differences between these two types of keel? Will bumping bottom with the wing keel more likely cause damage or require professional help getting unstuck?
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Randy
Go out at low tide!
I'd like to suggest something you don't often hear--go out at dead low tide! Unless your draft is actually deeper than the channel depth, navigating at low tide will give you some very good insight as to where the deep and shallow spots are. At low tide, you can actually see the shoals, sandbars, mud flats, etc. At high tide, frequently everything is underwater, making it difficult to seperate the deep water from the shallows. Also, if you do run aground at low tide, you generally have the benefit of five or six hours of rising tide in which to get unstuck. Run aground at high tide, and you might face a long wait! Good luck. Randy
I'd like to suggest something you don't often hear--go out at dead low tide! Unless your draft is actually deeper than the channel depth, navigating at low tide will give you some very good insight as to where the deep and shallow spots are. At low tide, you can actually see the shoals, sandbars, mud flats, etc. At high tide, frequently everything is underwater, making it difficult to seperate the deep water from the shallows. Also, if you do run aground at low tide, you generally have the benefit of five or six hours of rising tide in which to get unstuck. Run aground at high tide, and you might face a long wait! Good luck. Randy
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Bob Camarena
All The Time
Here in the California Delta we run aground all the time. Luckily it's soft mud, so no damage is done. I've also learned to react quickly to the first little bump by putting the helm hard over to spin the boat 180 degrees to sail or motor out the way I came (if you're sailing, be careful not to jibe). This seems to work about 50% of the time. Another thing to be aware of is that, when heeled over, the boat draws less water and your depth finder will read deeper, leading to a rude surprise when it comes time to tack. On the other hand, heeling can also get you unstuck. Just make sure your boat is pointing towards deeper water first. After a while, you'll learn where most of the bad spots are. We even give them names. "Tortilla Flats" is a spot down-river from our sailing club where a friend ran aground while passing the dip and chips around the cockpit.
Here in the California Delta we run aground all the time. Luckily it's soft mud, so no damage is done. I've also learned to react quickly to the first little bump by putting the helm hard over to spin the boat 180 degrees to sail or motor out the way I came (if you're sailing, be careful not to jibe). This seems to work about 50% of the time. Another thing to be aware of is that, when heeled over, the boat draws less water and your depth finder will read deeper, leading to a rude surprise when it comes time to tack. On the other hand, heeling can also get you unstuck. Just make sure your boat is pointing towards deeper water first. After a while, you'll learn where most of the bad spots are. We even give them names. "Tortilla Flats" is a spot down-river from our sailing club where a friend ran aground while passing the dip and chips around the cockpit.
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