Sailing the lakes here in North Carolina is lots of fun, however there is plenty of shallow water. My O'Day 32 has a wing keel and there is no problem backing off the bottom when grounding at a slow speed. The question is when running hard aground and unable to back off, what is the best procedure to get "unstuck".
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
T
Thomas Ehmke
Kedging off
Ken, Here are a couple of solutions if backing doesn't work. Try kedging off. Get the anchor set some distance off the stern of the boat by either carrying it out or hauling it out with the dink. Once it is set, set up a fair lead to a winch and pull the boat toward the anchor. Sometimes the boat can be broken free by extending the boom over the side and, using crew weight to load it, rock the boat back and forth while powering back. Extreme caution should be used in backing because mud can be drawn into the engine cooling system creating other REALLY BAD problems. That's a start. I'm sure there are some others out there who can spin some pretty incredible yarns describing other methods of getting "ungrounded". Tom
Ken, Here are a couple of solutions if backing doesn't work. Try kedging off. Get the anchor set some distance off the stern of the boat by either carrying it out or hauling it out with the dink. Once it is set, set up a fair lead to a winch and pull the boat toward the anchor. Sometimes the boat can be broken free by extending the boom over the side and, using crew weight to load it, rock the boat back and forth while powering back. Extreme caution should be used in backing because mud can be drawn into the engine cooling system creating other REALLY BAD problems. That's a start. I'm sure there are some others out there who can spin some pretty incredible yarns describing other methods of getting "ungrounded". Tom
D
Dick of Sylvan
Stuck in the Mud
While kedging aft, you might want to put as much weight as possible (like all your crew) far forward, hopefully lifting the rear of the keel a bit.
While kedging aft, you might want to put as much weight as possible (like all your crew) far forward, hopefully lifting the rear of the keel a bit.
L
LaDonna Bubak - Catalina Owners
Chapman's
I sincerely believe every boat owner should have a copy of Chapman's or Annapolis to help answer questions like this. They're far better than any answer given here in that there are usually diagrams to help. They're very inexpensive and well worth the investment. There are only three kind of sailors: those who've run aground, those who haven't yet and those who lie about it. I'm in the 2nd group and am not looking forward to it! Now *Rob's* run aground while *I've* been on *his* boat, but I don't count that! ;-) Kedging is a pretty common practice, especially where there's little or no tidal influence. Just be careful of your rudder. We had a friend run hard aground and tore his rudder off when he got a tow. LaDonna
I sincerely believe every boat owner should have a copy of Chapman's or Annapolis to help answer questions like this. They're far better than any answer given here in that there are usually diagrams to help. They're very inexpensive and well worth the investment. There are only three kind of sailors: those who've run aground, those who haven't yet and those who lie about it. I'm in the 2nd group and am not looking forward to it! Now *Rob's* run aground while *I've* been on *his* boat, but I don't count that! ;-) Kedging is a pretty common practice, especially where there's little or no tidal influence. Just be careful of your rudder. We had a friend run hard aground and tore his rudder off when he got a tow. LaDonna
R
R.W.Landau
Good point LaDonna
Ken, Some configurations have a deeper draft on the rudder than the keel.I don't know about the 32 wing keel but Iyou may want to check your configuration. r.w.landau
Ken, Some configurations have a deeper draft on the rudder than the keel.I don't know about the 32 wing keel but Iyou may want to check your configuration. r.w.landau
P
Pat Spino
Getting unstuck
Ken Assuming you have run aground in mud, you can try to piviot the boat by putting the helm hard over to one side then the other while powering. The idea is to try to get the boat to reverse direction 180 degrees. Now that the bow is pointed toward deeper water it MAY be possible to get out using bursts of power for about 10 seconds at a time. If not you can kedge off going forward and are less likely to damage the rudder. PAT
Ken Assuming you have run aground in mud, you can try to piviot the boat by putting the helm hard over to one side then the other while powering. The idea is to try to get the boat to reverse direction 180 degrees. Now that the bow is pointed toward deeper water it MAY be possible to get out using bursts of power for about 10 seconds at a time. If not you can kedge off going forward and are less likely to damage the rudder. PAT
J
Jon W.
I tried it one time.
I waited 16 years to go aground, but when I did, it was a good one. We cut a corner and came to a stop in a large mud flat. The water was rapidly lowering on a 2 ft minus tide. Within 20 minutes we were heeled over to about 45 degrees and I was looking at the sea creatures in about 3-ft of water under us. A Vessel Assist boat came by and asked if we would like to be pulled off. I really didn't think it was possible, but my wife was rather upset (and embarrassed) and frantically asked the guy if he would accept a Visa card.for payment. I think she would have paid any price at that point. I was still looking for crabs. Anyway, he tied a 200 ft line to my halyard and heeled us over another 15-20 degrees (water reached the rail) as he had me motor ahead. We motored together in this position until we were out in deeper water. He said that people would sometimes use the same technique by taking a dinghy out with a long line and anchor for a self-rescue. Unfortunately I don't think it would work so well with a wing keel. Since the cost of that tow exceeded the cost to join Vessel Assist, I am now a member.
I waited 16 years to go aground, but when I did, it was a good one. We cut a corner and came to a stop in a large mud flat. The water was rapidly lowering on a 2 ft minus tide. Within 20 minutes we were heeled over to about 45 degrees and I was looking at the sea creatures in about 3-ft of water under us. A Vessel Assist boat came by and asked if we would like to be pulled off. I really didn't think it was possible, but my wife was rather upset (and embarrassed) and frantically asked the guy if he would accept a Visa card.for payment. I think she would have paid any price at that point. I was still looking for crabs. Anyway, he tied a 200 ft line to my halyard and heeled us over another 15-20 degrees (water reached the rail) as he had me motor ahead. We motored together in this position until we were out in deeper water. He said that people would sometimes use the same technique by taking a dinghy out with a long line and anchor for a self-rescue. Unfortunately I don't think it would work so well with a wing keel. Since the cost of that tow exceeded the cost to join Vessel Assist, I am now a member.
E
Erik
Getting out of mud
When I got my Catalina 18's shoal-draft wing keel stuck in the mud a few months ago, I had the crew move aft and used the 3 hp OB motor to back out. I moved the stern from side to side many times before backing straight out. That seemed to loosen the mud's hold on the keel.
When I got my Catalina 18's shoal-draft wing keel stuck in the mud a few months ago, I had the crew move aft and used the 3 hp OB motor to back out. I moved the stern from side to side many times before backing straight out. That seemed to loosen the mud's hold on the keel.
K
Kenneth Pfaff
Getting unstuck
The one time I ran hard aground I went around the wrong side of a privately matained marker going into an anchorage. From the bow I could see the bottom so I just jumped over the side and pushed the boat back to deaper water. With my 200 lbs off the boat, that alone helped.
The one time I ran hard aground I went around the wrong side of a privately matained marker going into an anchorage. From the bow I could see the bottom so I just jumped over the side and pushed the boat back to deaper water. With my 200 lbs off the boat, that alone helped.
R
Rob Rich
Hard Ag firround
On the very first day I took ownership of my C-27, I went out with the owner to watch fireworks on the 4th of July. As we left an anchorage, we ran hard aground and could not back off, even with one person hanging off the boom and another in the water. What a mess. We eventually were forced to raise the main and sheet it in in order to heel the boat enough to slide it across the bar on which we were stuck. Our lake is not constant level, so bars are usually small. After a short while, we were freed, but I would have kedged out if I had more experience. Raising the main may help if you are really stuck in a no-tide situation. Rob
On the very first day I took ownership of my C-27, I went out with the owner to watch fireworks on the 4th of July. As we left an anchorage, we ran hard aground and could not back off, even with one person hanging off the boom and another in the water. What a mess. We eventually were forced to raise the main and sheet it in in order to heel the boat enough to slide it across the bar on which we were stuck. Our lake is not constant level, so bars are usually small. After a short while, we were freed, but I would have kedged out if I had more experience. Raising the main may help if you are really stuck in a no-tide situation. Rob
R
Rob Rich
- Status
- Not open for further replies.