Challenge: Getting a Boat with a 5.5' Draft Through a 5' Channel

[Dreaming Yachtsman]

Standard procedure for boats with draft of more than about 6 feet entering Livingston, Guatemala (Rio Dulce) is to have a tow boat slightly forward of the beam pulling on a halyard while the boat powers through the mud and sand. I have not done this myself but did see several boats dragged across the bar that way in May 2009.

[Fishspearit]

Cut 6 inches off of the bottom of your keel.


But seriously, why in the world would you want to put your boat somewhere that you can't get it back out easily?

[b-rad]

The yard says they have done this before by straping a air bag to the keel and heeling the boat over? Anybody heard of this? Does that sound practial and safe?

[hellosailor]

Sure, that should work. Especially if they have air bags & know how to rig them.

[Boracay]

The chart depths should be (from memory) mean low water. If your channel is tidal it may be possible to read the tide charts to work out a time to enter the channel shortly after mean low water and get your required depth.

Do adjust to get the tide time for your channel and don't do it on a falling tide...

[osirissail]

The dinghy soundings are the most confident way to find your way through. I always have one of the 3-piece extendable boat hook/pole on board. Extended it is almost 14 feet long. I mark with magic marker every foot up the pole. Then as the dinghy moves forward slowly I stab the water with the pole and read the depth. If a shallow obstacle is encountered, I stop and start stabbing the pole in the water in wider and wider circles around the shallow spot looking for the "deep water" if any. The GPS idea is good but you can also just take notes as to any reference things on land and how far left or right you need to be in the channel to avoid the obstacle.
- - And with the pole you can "feel" what the bottom actually is. Soft mud, hard mud, soft/hard sand or rock.

[b-rad]

I found a yard a few miles further that has 10 feet of channel, and they matched the price of the first yard.

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by b-rad

The boat is about 10 miles from the marina that is on this channel. Its closest marina that can pull a sail boat with more then a 4ft draft. I would like to have the boat hauled and a few things fixed before I do the 70 mile trip home.

Soooo... I build a Marina that can haul deeper draft boats and put it upstream of a shallow channel. Ok - good business plan -

Find out the depth from your water line to the bottom of the keel. Work out the triangulation to determine the heel needed. Preventer fore and aft to stop the boom from swinging.

Weight the boom to achieve the heel. Support the boom fully with the main halyard and the vang on tight.

Remember if you go at high tide and get stuck the boat may be in trouble. What is the tidal range? Is there a potential for he boat to tip over and take on water at low tide? Have a back up plan to get out.

[Ishmael]

The "Nantucket Camel Ride". This is how they used to get the heavy whaling and merchant vessels in and out of Nantucket harbor over the sand bar before the jetties were built and the channel dredged:

http://www.seahistory.org/assets/KIDS%20108.23.pdf

[sailone]

Heel the boat 18 degrees and you will be good....Barrels work well

[phantomracer]

This reminds me of... 80' mast under 65' bridge!

[mintyspilot]

Originally Posted by witzgall

Only 70 mils to get it home, and then you can pull her out then? What is so pressing that you cannot have it wait?

Chris

Since it was October last year, he either managed it ir is still stuck in low mud.....

[Connemara]

One of the neighboring clubs had a channel issue this spring. One boat came out, with a power boat tied to the top of the mast and pulling sideways.

Connemara