After reading the Oregon Inlet topic, I had a question. If your on a big boat (anything other than a bow rider or small runabout, lets say a 50 footer with inboards), what are the beaching procedures? I have always known that in the event of an emergency, head for shallow water. But, I always worry about pushing rudders and what not up under the boat by hit the beach too hard. You want enough momentum to truly beach, but not to hard as to make matters worse. What's everyone else's feelings are on the matter.
Beaching
- Thread starter LBDboater
- Start date
I guess you would have to ask what is the distress situation?
If it were flooding, I guess my first choice would be to call for help, run the bildge pumps, shut down my engines (if not driving the bildge pumps), anchor the boat and then try to stop the flooding.
If you are taking on water, where is it coming in from? Is an intake hose loose? You just may need to shut down an engine to resolve that problem. If you are hold, can you plug it or place a matt over the crack or hole? Do you have crew available to do this while you radio for help and plan your next move or are you by your self?
If you're in a situation where your last option is beaching or having the vessel sink, who cares about the rudders and props! Beach the boat and put out the anchor to keep from being blown off (or pushed off by current). At least you'll still have a boat to salvage.
Adam
If it were flooding, I guess my first choice would be to call for help, run the bildge pumps, shut down my engines (if not driving the bildge pumps), anchor the boat and then try to stop the flooding.
If you are taking on water, where is it coming in from? Is an intake hose loose? You just may need to shut down an engine to resolve that problem. If you are hold, can you plug it or place a matt over the crack or hole? Do you have crew available to do this while you radio for help and plan your next move or are you by your self?
If you're in a situation where your last option is beaching or having the vessel sink, who cares about the rudders and props! Beach the boat and put out the anchor to keep from being blown off (or pushed off by current). At least you'll still have a boat to salvage.
Adam
Several years ago while running downsteam in my F32 Trojan on the Sacramento river I started taking on water very quickly. She came off plain and lost power when I discovered 8" of water in the galley. One motor stalled, and I almost panicked! I thought about putting it in gear and putting her onto the rocky riverbank rather than sinking in the middle of the river but I calmed myself and opened the hatches to discover water nearly 2 foot deep, halfway up the motors. I soon discovered the large intake hose at the thermostat housing had come off and with the engine running, it was pumping water into the bilge at an alarming rate.The pumps finally took over and I limped home on one motor. Later found that the riser was clogged up, building pressure in the cooling system and blew the hose off the housing. In that situation, beaching the boat would have been a last ditch effort to save the boat. I'm glad I didn't over react. To my way of thinking, anything bigger than a trailerable boat gets anchored out rather than beached.
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If you are beaching a 50' inboard, you gotta expect damage. Maybe you will get lucky, but my money is on your getting a repair bill. If I am sinking in a boat like that, the tow bill would likely be greater than the damage to the running gear and I would not really worry about it. Mind you, I would try to minimize the problem, but each situation will be different, and the response would be tailored to the particular situation.
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We have about one boat a year come off the moorings and hit the beach. The waves turn the boat sideways, then beat the boat til the hull cracks. Sand and water fill the boat, making it impossible to refloat. The next week, they usually take a saw to the boat and take the pieces away. In the winter, when the sand leaves the beach, you can see the keels of these boats sitting on the rocks.
Where there are waves, it might be better to have the boat sink in shallow water, than being beaten by waves on the shore.
Where there are waves, it might be better to have the boat sink in shallow water, than being beaten by waves on the shore.
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Your first priority in an emergency underway is to mitigate the emergency. Little electric aquarium pumps aren't going to do a damned thing to cover any real flooding until you stop the flooding and keep things stable enough for the pumps to run all afternoon and night to clear the water. Those toy pumps are to clear rainwater and light downflooding - nothing more serious than someone peeing on non-watertight engine hatches (why you'd want non-watertight closures is beyond me. Maybe nobody thinks it will ever happen to them). They're not for damage control. Don't kid yourselves into thinking they are.
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i agree... that most boats are not equipped but an extra 3000 to 6000 GPH capacity will by you time to find the leak and slow it before it's too late or until the cavalry arrives.
as t6oo beaching an inboard boat, it depends on where you are, the conditions and the existing damage. it could save the day in calm waters and a steep beach or make it worst (shallow and rough)
as t6oo beaching an inboard boat, it depends on where you are, the conditions and the existing damage. it could save the day in calm waters and a steep beach or make it worst (shallow and rough)