Rio Dulce

[Tartan37CB]

congratulations captain
I agree with you. it's good to be cautious and aware.
i lived 2 years in cancun and tulum area. i wasnt afraid to go out and enjoy those areas and visited playa del carmen too. even worked in playacar.

it would be nice if you could just post a comment on here without anyone commenting on it. I didnt disagree . I merely stated crime exists everywhere and more crime exists within USA than all of the countries of central america together. but that doesnt stop anyone from living or visiting there. so why condemn visiting central america countries? the few isolated incidents are possible to happen anywhere. caution should always be given. but do you still cross the street or drive a car because drunk drivers and careless people hit and kill people occasionally.
how many armed assaults and armed robberies in San Francisco or Los Angeles in the last year or 2 ?
risks exist everywhere.
awareness is good. caution is good.
enjoy your travels.

[Sojourner]

It's also a hugely different question if you are a crew of males vs a family with kids, or a female crew in our case. Being boarded by 10-20 men with machetes will end tragically a female crew, guaranteed, even if they get out alive. There are an infinite number of sandy beaches in the world. Exactly zero of them are worth that kind of risk.

[donradcliffe]

I looked into the Rio Dulce with an 8 ft draft, and gave it a pass due to the potential for wear and tear on my keel.

[mvweebles]

Heeling a sailboat under fixed bridges on the ICW is not uncommon. Below is an older video of one technique using bladders from the halyards to induce enough heel. There's a 49-foot fixed bridge on the Okeechobee where a local guy has a cottage industry of tilting sailboats filling barrels of water on their rails in addition to halyard bladders.

For an 8-foot draft to reduce to 7-feet, would require about 30-degrees of heel. Certainly within the range of normal stress on a rig.

Would be a story you'd be telling for years, likely with a happy ending

https://youtu.be/CInYj5P4evA

[donradcliffe]

Heeling a boat on a river is one thing, heeling a boat on the open ocean is quite another.

[mvweebles]

YouTube video posted a few days ago about a sailboat being heeled over to cross the Rio bar. Boat draws 6-feet and had challenges getting over on a high tide.

https://youtu.be/sfB4v_TBdxM

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

YouTube video posted a few days ago about a sailboat being heeled over to cross the Rio bar. Boat draws 6-feet and had challenges getting over on a high tide.

https://youtu.be/sfB4v_TBdxM

Hard aground with 6' at high tide...they were off course.

[robert sailor]

Getting across the bar into the Rio is really not a big deal. It's done many dozens of times every year. There are guys there that are specialists in getting deep draft boats over the bar. If you draw much more than 6 feet it's going to be touch and go most times as when the upper river floods it moves the bar a bit and the course you used the last 2 years all of a sudden is not the best course in. If you catch a high tide of anything over 1-1/2 feet you can normally get through up to 6.5 feet. As others have mentioned getting hold of Raul can be a good move prior to crossing if you are a deep draft boat as he can have someone waiting for you. Normal fee is 50 bucks if they know your coming and if you just show up and get stuck you'll normally pay a bit of a premium. The Rio is the center of activity in this neck of the woods. It's a short 20 plus miles up to Fronteras, drop dead gorgeous ride up the river, its jungle here. The Rio is action centre and is home to around 600 boats in a busy year, many marinas with low prices. The boat workers can be first class if you dont shop bottom of the barrel. Cost of living over the season is cheap by anyone's standards and the locals like you because your bringing work and Q's to their country. It's a very safe place but most importantly your far enough away from the coast that it's pretty much hurricane proof. If you base there, your a day sail away from Belize and an over nighter to the Bay Islands. Many go somewhere cruisers have had anchors tied to their butt and often can't seem to get going once they visit the area...that can be an issue.

[danmhi]

is anyone down there in Rio Dulce (or been there this year) that could offer some insight into the current cost / quality of work ?

I called RAM and tried to get a indication of cost, but they weren't willing to give anything away....

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by danmhi

is anyone down there in Rio Dulce (or been there this year) that could offer some insight into the current cost / quality of work ?



I called RAM and tried to get a indication of cost, but they weren't willing to give anything away....

Still way less expensive than most anywhere else. Contact the following for some numbers:

Nana Juana Marina/Boat Yard
Abels Boat Yard
Cayo Quemado Sails & Rigging (Tom)
Seakist Services (Chris)
...

[mvweebles]

I know refits are labor intensive and thus cheap labor is attractive. But speaking as a guy who is finishing a refit in Ensenada MX (80 miles south of San Diego), there's more to consider beyond labor quality and cost.

Parts and material quality, cost and availability? This varies by project. Pure fiberglass work might be fine in the Rio, and there's likely decent carpentry. But cabinet hardware, counters, lighting, electronics, etc will have to be brought in from US. Time consuming and potentially expensive duty.

Access? Getting in/out of the location, especially on mañana time when the work drags on.

Depending on work scope, encourage you to look at more than just labor costs.

Peter

[Tartan37CB]

Originally Posted by danmhi

is anyone down there in Rio Dulce (or been there this year) that could offer some insight into the current cost / quality of work ?

I called RAM and tried to get a indication of cost, but they weren't willing to give anything away....

Ram does quality work but is also the most expensive, that is likely why they didnt share much information. Ram is also a great source for items you need you dont find elsewhere. They can get you all marine related items that west marine would carry. Remember freight and import tax which import tax totals is 27percent of your invoice vale.

Depends what kind of work you need done. Skilled labor is cheap but depending on who you use some charge more than others. Quality of the work like anywhere else varies. there are 3 haul out yards . Haulout prices vary some have a minimun lift charge. For my pacific seacraft flick 20 1 yard quote minimun charge of $375 just for haul and launch. The other yard i used charged $175 for haul launch 7 lay days n electricity. I did not ask Ram. Like everywhere else check your prices. Been going to the rio dulce 30 years. Like everywhere else things have gone up in price. Depends on what you need done as to the benefit of price savings. Best if your parts are with you when you arrive if possible. Rio dulce is still less than many other places. If you tell what all you need done it would be easier to refer. I was there in march when covid broke out there. It changed things alot but begining oct 1st many things changed back. But as any 3rd world country anything can change anytime anyway possible. There are tradeoffs for less expensive there. You have to weight all variables and decide benefits vs sacrafices. Spanish is primary language for most skilled workers and businesses. I hope this helps
Cheers

[hpeer]

Elsewhere, I cant recall, maybe the Rio Dulce FB page, someone used their dingy to do a very detailed sounding of the bar. It looked like the sounder was tied into a smart phone or something.

Any way....there was no discernible “channel”, the bottom was relatively flat with little valleys and hummocks here and there. One “route” missed most of the humps.

My takeaway is that it was a crap shoot. You could just happen to hit a lump and get stuck. Or breeze in.

It didn't look BAD, just know there are no guarantees.

But also consider your keel. If its of the delicate sort then you may want to think thrice. Some seem to touch bottom but simply power through the mud.

But after 2020 you should he used to unexpected consequences, no?

[danmhi]

Thanks for the replies

She's a 50' ketch, the big jobs are to unstep the main mast to replace the compression post top supports, bottom job with a few blisters to repair, lots of interior wood work (a whole new v-berth interior) and a few other spots of fibreglass work.

I'm currently in ft Lauderdale which seems like the most expensive place to get anything done!

[model 10]

I think the record for recent crossings is 8.2' They use 2 boats, one tilting and the other towing. I heard that the boat was at 45deg.