Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

[F.H.B.]

Hi, all. Well, the newish wife saw my face ligt up when I talk about cruising and is voraciously learning about the lifestle begging to go NOW! We're building a custom 48' ketch that can crawl right up on a beach and plan to start out in Puget Sound where I grew up. We can't seem to find any info on whether it is OK to pull a boat up on the beach there. Can anyone comment?

I know that in some states it is illegal to to even pull a dingy up on shore

Cheers,
- John

 

[rbh]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

I cant see why there would be a law about pulling the boat up on the beach unless it was a swimming area, but thats just me.
post some pics when you do some travelling up the wet coast.
And welcome aboard.
rob

 

[tkrfxr]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

Welcome. This is the busiest boating forum around...
It has every imaginable subject covered...

Here is my favorite beaching on the dink...last july...

 

[trendsetter240]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

Hi, all. Well, the newish wife saw my face ligt up when I talk about cruising and is voraciously learning about the lifestle begging to go NOW! We're building a custom 48' ketch that can crawl right up on a beach and plan to start out in Puget Sound where I grew up. We can't seem to find any info on whether it is OK to pull a boat up on the beach there. Can anyone comment?

I know that in some states it is illegal to to even pull a dingy up on shore

Cheers,
- John

Well, I live in BC and there is certainly no Province wide law that you can't beach boats. There are many, many place that I have beached my boat, alone or with other boats.

Just don't pull up onto a public beach filled with people if you don't see any other boats there. Also there will be signs in some areas out on buoys stating no boats allowed on shore.

As stated earlier, swimming areas are always a no go for boats near the shoreline.

Happy boating! You will find some amazing spots here in B.C.

 

[F.H.B.]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

Well, I live in BC and there is certainly no Province wide law that you can't beach boats. There are many, many place that I have beached my boat, alone or with other boats.

Just don't pull up onto a public beach filled with people if you don't see any other boats there. Also there will be signs in some areas out on buoys stating no boats allowed on shore.

As stated earlier, swimming areas are always a no go for boats near the shoreline.

Happy boating! You will find some amazing spots here in B.C.

Thanks to everyone for the great welcome and help we already feel here. I grew up in the PNW on Puget Sound so I know what you mean by amazing spots. I can smell the CLEAN already

 

[Triton II]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

Good luck... post pix of the trip.

 

[slasmith1]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

The only problem is that most tidelands in the puget sound are privately owned so the issue would be tresspassing.

 

[Don S]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

We're building a custom 48' ketch that can crawl right up on a beach

Why are you going to shore? to paint the bottom, or just to look around? Any kind of a sail boat hull, is not going to be happy with going ashore just for looking around.

The beaches have rocks, not just soft sand so scratches in fiberglass will happen, dents, dings and scratches in aluminum. The water is cold, and there are tides that can keep you out of the water for 12 hours.
With a 48' boat, it's common to anchor out and use a dingy to row or motor to shore for short visits.

 

[F.H.B.]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

Those are good points. In reality, we like the idea that the boat can take some grounding not only for maintenance but for convenience. Likely we would not do so often but want to know the laws before we do it. There is something to be said for pulling up to a beach and walking off a gang plank when possible, but like I say, I doubt it would be often.

 

[TexMojo]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

I beach alot in PS but its either a 20 or 26 foot boat but I dont hang out there for long or overnight. Pierce county sheriff patrols PS waters in tacoma so you may call them. I would start with the sheriffs office where you plan to beach, as you already know, PS is pretty darn big. Who and where is building the boat?

 

[767Captain]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

A 48' ketch that you can beach? I've never seen something like that in my 30 years of boating, except for multihulls. Is it a cat? What type of hull configuration does it have? What type of hull material that can withstand rocks, stress, etc of beaching? Assuming it's some type of flat bottom, how is it designed to point to windward? Would love to see photos.

 

[F.H.B.]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

Thanks for the idea to call the sherrif! It helps to know who patrols the area.

The type of boat is called a "boxie" though many know them better as "sharpies". Check out _How To Build A Boat_ by John Teale as well of the forum for these boats and other books about them. The bottom is 4" of cold-molded wood and dense layers of epoxy and fiber glass. I'll post pictures when I get the design finished. There is also a production boat in FL with a lift keel that will slide up the beach but I forget the name of it right now.

As to pointing to windward, there is a lot of information out there that I am still gleaning but it should point 30 degrees with this design including a swing keel. The boat is heavy so for short tacks to windward like when I did the channel in San Diego it will tend to glide along closer to windward from momentum long and far enough to get to the other side and then tack over for a better reach. All boats are a trade off and this isn't meant for racing. Have a look at the sailing performance of a Bolger AS29 or AS39 or even the Hogfish designs and you will see what I mean. The amount of living space compared to the amount of actual sailing is what led us to this design.

Die-hard traditionalists of boat design should run away now . This design is _very_ traditional if you take out the influence that racing has had on design.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

You do realize that if you pull your boat up at high tide, you are going to be waiting awhile to get it back off right?

 

[F.H.B.]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

Yes. We have a lot of time on our hands.

I don't suppose the Puget Sound or BC area has good places to build one's own boat?

 

[rbh]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

Go and rent yourself a big shop with power and heat, then all your woodwork tools and have at her
remember, "always cut towards your chum, never cut towards your thumb".

 

[F.H.B.]

Re: Beaching the boat in Puget Sound & B.C.

"The best chum is the thumb gone numb." - Unknown crab fisherman

The shop idea is our thinking as well. If anyone knows of one on the water with a lift or crane services, then we don't have to limit design size as much for a trailer. Right now, we have a back yard in Utah but the shipping is $7k and we have to leave off the coach, limit the beam, etc. to get it behind a semi.