Sad day, and no way to fix

Jul 1, 2010
962
Catalina 350 Lake Huron
Not much in the way of lumber wood in that branch but there is a fair amount of firewood and oak is high on the list. I would look for someone who cuts their own firewood . Not a huge deal to cut that one up.

Sorry for your boat loss.
 
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
SO I was able to get inside today. I got the autopilot out, the trolling motor, the sails and the boom. The gas engine is still tucked away under the cockpit, but it should be safe under there till the tree is removed. I was able to see the mast. It is broken in 3 places.
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
My second issue is to see if I can find someone who wants the Oak for lumber and will remove it for free or nearly free. Not sure how to find a tree service that will buy Oak.
Call the in-laws, tell them you have some free firewood for them for all they've done for you.
 
Jun 21, 2004
2,532
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
So sorry about the boat. Be careful attempting to remove the tree; dangerous work if you’re not experienced cutting trees. There were several individuals injured or killed in the aftermath of Katrina cutting trees around here.
 
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
Ok, so here is a couple of fun pics. As noted above, I was trying to be careful, as it is difficult to know where the load is distributed. So I figured I could use my Jeep winch to lift one of the branches off the boat - all done from a safe distance
Resized_20200811_175418_2749.jpeg
. That didn't work, as can be seen below. The Jeep front wheels are about 4 inches off the ground, and the limb didn't budge.
Resized_20200811_175513_3121.jpeg
 

srimes

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Jun 9, 2020
211
Macgregor 26D Brookings
Pull the rudder and tiller before you damage it! That's worth something.

When my boat got smashed I ended up parting it out for more than I had in it, and I was able to get a nicer one!
 
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SFS

.
Aug 18, 2015
2,065
Currently Boatless Okinawa
And another thought - We know your homeowner's policy won't cover the boat, but your auto policy might cover any damage done to the trailer. It's worth asking.
 
Aug 2, 2005
1,155
Pearson 33-2 & Typhoon 18 Seneca Lake
You have the sympathy of every boat owner who sees your post. Work carefully as you "pull yourself up by the bootstraps". Even smaller pieces of Oak are heavy. Best Wishes.
 
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Oct 3, 2011
825
Anam Cara Catalina 310 Hull #155 155 Lake Erie/Catawba Island
As srimes said you maybe better off selling all the parts, it is more work BUT you may end up with a greater reward!
 
Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
Ok, so here are some more pics:
Resized_20200819_113902_3224.jpeg
Resized_20200820_102819_1248.jpeg


I'm thinking of cutting the cabin off and turning it into a little putt-putt. Trim out the edge of the hull in Mahogany. The bench seats inside the cabin are fine, so plenty of comfortable seating area.
This brings up a question. This boat planes easily under sail. As such, will it plane reasonably well under motor power - say like if a dropped a 20 hp on it?
 
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Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
You could fill it with all the wood you are cutting up.... then light a match.:yikes:

That is a real gut wrenching set of photos. Sorry for the headache you are dealing with.
 
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srimes

.
Jun 9, 2020
211
Macgregor 26D Brookings
This boat planes easily under sail. As such, will it plane reasonably well under motor power - say like if a dropped a 20 hp on it?
No. Sails push from up high, pushing the bow down and stern up. The hull rocker counters this. A prop pushes down low, pushing the bow up and stern down. With the hull doing the same the stern will sink and bow will aim for the sky.

It can work as a low-speed cruiser that gets great mpg. Keep the same ballast if you go that route.
 
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Sep 20, 2014
1,320
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
I wondered if the angle of attack would prevent it from planing. Wonder if we could change the angle of the outboard to make the prop point down. That would lift the rear of the hull.
And yes, the only ballast is the swing keel, which I intend to leave installed. If you raise it up, the boat doesn't steer worth two hoots, so it needs it anyway.

RGranger - that would be one whale of a bon fire. It might burn for a few weeks. The guy did offer to cut some of it up for lumber. Tempting, but I already have more Oak than I will likely use in my lifetime.
 
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