Dumb Question? 'Beaching' vs 'Running Aground'

[TrevC]

[Canibul]

There still seems to be some slight confusion here. If your hull contacts submerged parts of the planet that are not composed of water, but are surrounded and covered by it, and it is a surprise or happens inadvertently, that's running aground.

Putting the boat hard onto a shore on purpose is beaching. If you can get out and walk to the nearest tree, and you intended to do that, it's beaching.

If your hull contacts the bottom around pilings or docks, that's running aground.

Great photo, Trev. What's holding her upright, just the balance?

[TrevC]

I'm fairly certain the bottom on the Alubat Ovni designs is flat, and the centreboard would be pulled right up. I seem to recall the rudder being hydraulic too. Nice trick for shallow waters.

Does anyone know if Ovni means UFO? Or is my French way off?

[BubbleHeadMd]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

Not a dumb question at all. There is a great book called “Riddle of the Sands” that is all about 2 British sailors doing that every night just prior to WW1

For a while…Twin Keel mono hull boats were becoming popular because they could easily beach and sit upright

Like these Dufours

Sabre Boats for sale UK, Sabre Used boat sales, Sabre Sailing Yachts For Sale Sabre 27 Bilge Keel for sale - Apollo Duck

That is SO COOL! I'd love to have that ability. I don't think we have tides extreme enough here though.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by planetluvver

I will put the topic here, because of the embarassment factor.

While out on the river yesterday, someone mentioned a Dana 24 as a "go anywhere" boat. Although I do not enjoy the prospect of going solo, let's just say that I seem to have a knack for unsatisfying romantic entanglements, so a tiny cruiser that I can inexpensively single-hand myself may be the way to go.

Anyway, they talked about the keel, and I asked if that meant the boat was "beachable." I was laughed at and told,"THAT'S called going aground, and you never want to do that. I said that the Pardey's talk about beaching their boat, instead of needing to have it hauled out. I was told that the Pardey's are crazy. Another person conceded that yes, in emergencies, in isolated areas, sometimes this tactic is used, as if it were always a last-ditch effort to avoid sinking.

I was surprised to see that in a boat full of sailors a unanamous opinion on anything. Is it true that a boat's ability to beach a boat is a non-consideration?

PL

They are anything but crazy. Careening has been done for hundreds of years to service/repair the bottom of very large boats. Pardeys had a custom boat designed with a fully retractable keel & rudder so thay can park it in soft sand to do the bottom on the tide cycle. I have seen photos of their boat high & dry on low tide.

Here is a link to a lot of photos for this. SOme boats do this well. Others will need to be cribbed below or tied to a pier.

https://www.google.com/search?q=tida...w=1142&bih=570

[fryewe]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Pardeys had a custom boat designed with a fully retractable keel & rudder so thay can park it in soft sand to do the bottom on the tide cycle.

I gotta get me one of them...

[tomfl]

As mentioned some boats can be beached, or what ever you want to call it, for bottom work. The boat should be designed for it and even some boats that seem to be ok to beach can be damaged if beached.

I tend to think paying a yard to have a boat hauled is worth the money to me. Most yards have things like power washing, power outlets for tools, and fresh water hoses. While I try to carry a good supply of tools on my boat I do have access to more specialized tools in a yard.

YMMV

[krafthaus]

Isla Carenero (Careening Island) at Bocas del Toro, Panama was named as such by Columbus as that was where he careened his boats in the day.

According to the Lonely Planet travel guide, "In October, 1502, Columbus' ships were careened and cleaned on this cay while the admiral recovered from a bellyache."

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by TrevC

Does anyone know if Ovni means UFO? Or is my French way off?

You are right

Objet volant non identifié - Wikipédia

[Jimbo485]

Objeto volador no identificado!
OVNI

[Jimbo485]

We have careened various monos (often without even a wharf or pile) and now the cat does it without a halyard or anchor or a handy tree. 1000s of years of sailors have shown us how....

[Freddy_Vagner]

I had a classic (too old) wooden 26 footer with a swing keel so we could beach/run her aground with ease.

We liked to explore rivers so it was was great to be able to get right up onto the beach/river bank and allow the dogs to jump off and do some running around and exploring. We could also camp (good way to avoid cabin fever) and build a bonfire.

Once we motored into something submerged at night and bent the propeller to hell and worst of all the seal around propshaft began to leak badly, so much so that the two bilge pumps were of no use whatsoever. No problem, we just motored (with great vibration) to shallow water beached her and then waited for daylight to fix the damage.

If we had a yacht with a fixed keel she would definitely have sunk. Our swing keel saved the day.

[Freddy_Vagner]

BTW some people haul a boat to change a simple thru hull fitting; extremely expensive way of avoiding a liter of water from running harmlessly into the bilges... Try using a couple of carrots: one to plug the hole in the hull until you are ready for the replacement and the other carrot to plug the hole in the fitting until you clamp the hose over it (make a silicone seal beforehand). Or easier still, if you have a swing keel; beach the boat!

[Freddy_Vagner]

Maybe "running aground" is accidental and "beaching" is deliberate???

[Jimbo485]

We found even a pair of socks does ok for a few hours.