touching sand in a slip ?

[CaptNemoO2]

Originally Posted by Kd9truck

Yes, what slip are you in? I was up in Oyster Bay for 7 years, should I be worried about the depth?

7.5 foot draft might be tough, though thankfully they did dredge the inlet, so you should be good there for about 2 years before it fills in again. If you're in D15, there has not been a boat in that slip for years, so there's not really a hole there anymore. There was a 65' sport fishing boat there, but he was not there often because the slip didn't have enough power. You probably won't be able to back in just yet, the bottom is visible at low tide, and the visibility is about 2 foot on a good day. They are currently finishing the rest of the bulk head, replacing the swiss cheese wood that was letting all the mud into the marina. They were not contracted to dredge, but I'm hoping they at least pull the mud from the slips and put it behind the bulkhead. The pictures below were a winter full moon low tide, it usually does not get that bad in the summer, but gives you an idea of the bottom topography. D15 is two slips closer to the camera than the police boat.

The bottom is soft mud, about 1 to 2 feet thick at least. I draw 6 feet and my keel sits in the mud at low tide. It won't do damage, but it can be a pain. I usually give about 2 hours either side of low tide and still push through the mud sometimes. I do have a big wing though. The mud leaves a stain on white bottom paint, as you can see.

BTW, all of us at the marina had the same thought as you with the trash pump, we just haven't done it yet.

[sailingharry]

Bottoms can be harder than expected. I have a CSY 44 in my private slip for the winter, in hopes he can "wallow out" a deeper spot for my boat. We've had several extreme low tides, putting him 1' or more aground. Unfortunately, rather than digging a hole, he has been upwards of 8" or more out of the water.

[gonesail]

i would be concerned about the blade rudder. mud would be a lot better than sand. i would be looking for a deeper slip

[Kd9truck]

Ok all…..The location had me hypnotized, I passed on the slip, my hull is in great shape, the whole boat is, sailboats are designed to float. 1 storm and I’m buried in there.

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by CaptNemoO2

7.5 foot draft might be tough, though thankfully they did dredge the inlet, so you should be good there for about 2 years before it fills in again. If you're in D15, there has not been a boat in that slip for years, so there's not really a hole there anymore. There was a 65' sport fishing boat there, but he was not there often because the slip didn't have enough power. You probably won't be able to back in just yet, the bottom is visible at low tide, and the visibility is about 2 foot on a good day. They are currently finishing the rest of the bulk head, replacing the swiss cheese wood that was letting all the mud into the marina. They were not contracted to dredge, but I'm hoping they at least pull the mud from the slips and put it behind the bulkhead. The pictures below were a winter full moon low tide, it usually does not get that bad in the summer, but gives you an idea of the bottom topography. D15 is two slips closer to the camera than the police boat.

The bottom is soft mud, about 1 to 2 feet thick at least. I draw 6 feet and my keel sits in the mud at low tide. It won't do damage, but it can be a pain. I usually give about 2 hours either side of low tide and still push through the mud sometimes. I do have a big wing though. The mud leaves a stain on white bottom paint, as you can see.

BTW, all of us at the marina had the same thought as you with the trash pump, we just haven't done it yet.Attachment 273417Attachment 273418Attachment 273419Attachment 273420

Not sure I’d put my little boat there

[OS2Dude]

I would be concerned that if it doesn't wallow a hole, it may actually pack the sand harder each time the tide is low and refill when the tide is high. You may find eventually the boat can't sink into the sand anymore and it is sitting on the keel without any support to keep it from heeling over. If your keel is bolted on, I'm not sure if the suction caused by the boat being in sand is enough to put undue stress on the keel bolts as the incoming tide lifts the hull while the keel is stuck in the sand. What happens if a squall comes in at low tide? Large waves pulling and rocking the boat while the keel is embedded in sand can't be good.

[howardatviking]

Agree with michughv over here we call it prop wash to clear the birth, make sure boat is fully secured and can't move then use prop wash at low water, remember to reset mooring lines after

[Hasbeen]

I ran a 120Ft tourist boat from an allocated berth at a public jetty in a Great Barrier Reef tourist town. The solid bottom depth at the berth was adequate, but it used to silt up over time.


We had to reverse about half way into the berth & tie the boat firmly occasionally on a spring tide as it was approaching low, We would run the motors on about 1/5 throttle for a few minutes about 3 times to blow the silt out as low tide dropped. This would clear the silt for the next few months.


It doesn't take much to remove silt. Real sand would be a different matter.

[Leighpilot]

Rudder touching the bottom ? A hard no for me.

[Mother1ship]

ummm, keep in mind that touching sand means that any water intakes you make have (air conditioner? freezer? watermaker? even the cooling for your engine?) will be succking from that same area. sand in your air conditioner is no bueno, same for all the other devices that need water for cooling. Just a thought...

[OneBoatman]

I wouldn't pay money knowing this is what I've got to deal with. If she is aground with an average tide change imagine how she will lay under Spring tide conditions or when a storm passes nearby. Your dock lines may rip out cleats, your mast may encrouch or hit the boat in the slip next to yours. Not to mention the loss of use during times of low water. Of course you need a permit to dredge but that is up to the marina's owner.

[captbrigh]

The marina I'm in has drain water coming off the local road and silts in every year. So, try backing your boat into the slip. Tie it off well, and leave the boat in reverse to prop wash the silt out of the slip.

[Kd9truck]

All the posts were very helpful, I was able to find some one here at cruisersforum who gave me first had data on the slip and the marina. As stated a little earlier in the thread

I’ve decided on NOT taking the slip

For a great many reasons, if it was just silting in my slip and the fairway to the state channel was deep I might consider a “hydraulic overhaul” with my Yanmar but that is not the case.
I’ve got a great mooring in a well protected deep water bay on an inland sea other wise known as the Long Island sound.
Thanks all.