Hurrican grounding - Advice?

[flyingfin]

You are surrounded by other beached boats, so in the next two weeks all the insurance companies will have their salvage crews retreiving boats.

Usually they will bring in long reach backhoe to drag the boats that are totaled onto shore and crushed into dumpsters. Boats that can be salvaged or repaired will get lifted off by barge mounted cranes that will come to town some of which can operate in 24" of water.

Grab one of them and offer cash for them to lift you out to deeper water.

[buzzstar]

Just a slightly different tack- it seems the major concern is damage to the rigging, which could be both bad and expensive aside from the technique itself. While I do not know the bottom conditions, it looks as if you might be a prime candidate for a do it yourself pull/float off. I believe your draft is just over 4 feel with the winged keel. Once storm water and your own bigger but manageable "stuff have been removed from the hull, a couple of inflatable sausages (preferably heavier than the vinyl tow toys) securely placed snugly and just slightly inflated on each side of the keel and under the hull, perhaps with trash plywood under, and the whole kaboodle well strapped to the hull, and then fully inflated, ready to be towed off the beach into sufficiently deep water at the right tide point would do the job. Not too expensive, far less risky to the rig and the integrity of the vessel, and perhaps safer too. Good luck whatever you do.

[jimbunyard]

Originally Posted by Suijin

The guy is looking for advice, for options to consider. None of us are there, know what the bottom material/contour is, how deep is rudder is, what his stern cleats are like, etc. etc. That up to him to evaluate and factor into his decision making. It's entirely possible that he can drag the boat off if the conditions are right. For anyone to maintain otherwise, they are assuming much more than any of us know. It's entirely possible that he could pull it off easily. Only a closer surveying of the actual situation would reveal whether that was prudent.

And you don't need to sink the dinghy ffs. A 11' RIB filled with water would likely heel that boat 45' and still be floating.

And what is it with people getting high and mighty on this board and salting their posts with sarcasm as a form of insult. Sheesh.

I'm so ashamed.

[hellosailor]

I'd be concerned with damage already done, or that could be done, to the rudder and rudder tube. And if the boat was heeled hard over, with potential flooding through lazarettes or the companionway.

Finding a barge crane, looking for the next really high tide...anything that lifts the boat rather than using brute force on it. Five hundred bucks to a crane operator may be serious money, but I guarantee you that it is less than the cost of a new rudder and rudder tube.

Only the OP will be able to evaluate all the details to make right decision.

I think I'd also run off a thick wad of "business cards" of some kind. Cheap and gaudy and with a working contact phone number on it and the note that I wanted a barge crane or other small boat salvage help. Pass 'em around to everyone in the area, so if the right equipment comes in, they can reach you.

[Dwain]

Update: While I'm waiting on a high tide (Sept 14-17th) and patching up the house, I'm checking on a barge crane, lining up a water pump to do some jetting, and I've got a strain on it pulling off the shore to a strong piling (attached photo). I've put heeling/leaning on the back burner.. going to take it slow. Hey there's no slip fee on the beach! Thanks for the advise.

[JPA Cate]

Good luck with it Dwain, slow and easy does it. Sorry, but full moon was last night. I would expect it to be pretty neapy in a week or so. You might want to check that.

Ann