Houseboat Soft Aground

[BJFlittner]

I have a '91 Gibson 50' Standard fiberglass houseboat with twin inboards (& rudders) on the Ohio River in Evansville,IN. We often anchor behind a small island in 3'to 4' depth (we draw less than 30") with a sandy, pebble bottom. Sometimes, the downriver lock & dam has unexpectedly let out 1' to 2' of water overnight and left us on the 'soft'. The Gibson hull appears to flare up a bit toward the stern, and my question is: Does that protect my running gear from damage, or will sitting on a soft bottom put the boat's weight on the the props, rudders, shafts, struts, etc. causing damages?

 

[captainwjm]

Most Gibsons have v-drives, so your exposed shafts and props are less at risk due to their relatively short length. However, any unequal pressure, such as from an isolated rock, would be problematic. Rudders, likewise. If it were me, and I've had houseboats and been a river boater for 40 years, I'd check exactly how far below the hull my exposed parts were. If more than a few inches, I'd be leery of letting them sit on the bottom, soft or not. And, I'd keep a close watch on the shaft and rudder logs for excessive weeping, which could indicate out-of-alignment.

 

[BJFlittner]

Thx Bill, They are V-drives. She's on-trailer for winter storage -- different attitude than in-water, but I should be able to sight lowest keel depth to running gear depth.