Do you beach your boat?

[izoomie]

Just wasting some time looking at the used boats for sale waiting for spring, and I notice a number of people show their boat pulled up on shore on a nice sunny day. The picture looks great but I can't help wondering what damage they are doing to the bottom of their boat while is sits there all day rolling with the waves and grinding against the bottom. I don't think I would buy a boat if I saw a picture like that. I sure would be checking the hull closely if I really wanted it.

Do you guys/gals beach your boat on a regular basis?

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

Yes, when boating on the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. I'm pretty careful about not plowing into banks or sandbars when beaching, and the keel doesn't really show any signs of wear. We do see boats around here with beach rash, but it's not that bad. The banks have fine sand or are silty, so they aren't too bad, and there often isn't that much wave action. If I had a nice newish boat, I might consider installing some sort of keel guard, but I'm not sure I really need one. So many people around here beach, that I wouldn't think twice about considering a boat that was pictured on the beach; it would not be a huge concern.

Checking out the hull and keel before buying is probably not a bad idea, especially if you live in area where beaching is common (and if the shore/bank sands are coarse).

Jim

 

[eavega]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

When we have beaches (lake has been above full pool for the entire season, so beaches were few and far between) I beach the boat all the time. On my previous boat, it necessitated me repairing the keel after one season. The next season I saw one of the lake guides in a center console run his boat UP THE RAMP to let on a customer. I asked him how he kept from tearing his hull apart, and he introduced me to the Keelshield. The next week I installed a Keelshield on my boat, and never worried about it again. After a year of boating where I would beach multiple times in a day, there was no damage to the hull, and even the Keelshield didn't show any kind of abrasions or wear. It was the first improvement I made when I purchased my current boat last year.

Rgds
Eric

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

Guess I'm in a different class only because I run an aluminum hulled boat. Where I launch is a semi-private primative ramp with no pier and just a gravel ramp. So every time I come in or go out it gets beached while I park the trailer. A glass hull might cause a bit more worry.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

Never beached my glass hulls. I now have an alum boat now that I can "use" without worrying about looks. I do with it as I choose, including driving it onto the launching ramp to pick up my sweetie if there is no pier, which is usually down here.

Mark

 

[SDSeville]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

I beach most of the time (see profile pic), but only if it is sand and water is fairly calm. Otherwise I break out the anchors.

My boat is 27 years old and I finally had a little wear on the keel (no keelguard). I patched it up with some Marine Tex and back to business.

 

[jkust]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

No, my boat has never touched sand or bottom. I simply moor it a few feet out and let it ride the waves. Just have to make sure it is deep enough for the drive to not bob up and down into the sand.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

Thats why I have a pontoon, beaching it is no big thing.

 

[jkust]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

Thats why I have a pontoon, beaching it is no big thing.

I'm going to say that 90% of the boats at the sand bars are now pontoons. They have completely taken over.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

Just wasting some time looking at the used boats for sale waiting for spring, and I notice a number of people show their boat pulled up on shore on a nice sunny day. . . .

Do you guys/gals beach your boat on a regular basis?

No. Only beached it on one occasion and it was a fairly sharp drop-off. So the stern was in about 4-5 feet of water while the bow was ashore. Even then, I used two anchors to keep it slightly away from the shore and fully floating.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

Never beached any of my boats, tin or glass. I buy boats new and have Keelguard installed at the dealership before bringing her home.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

I'm a fisherman and because of that and the waters I fish, I only use a tin boat. They are tough and consequently an occasional bump into a stump, rock, or log is not an issue. I did own a few glass boats and beached those on the Mississippi and St Croix River beaches and sand bars on a regular basis without damage. My beaching method was a little different than one might expect. I did not run the boat into the beach but rather got up close, killed the engine, raised the drive and then had a couple passengers go to the stern. Since these boats were under 20 ft, I was able to pull the boat onto the beach a good bit so it would not rock nearly as much as it would if it was just nudged onto the beach. Worked for me.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

I go to great extremes not to beach a boat. Nothing good comes to one that beaches a boat in tidal water.

 

[SDSeville]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

I go to great extremes not to beach a boat. Nothing good comes to one that beaches a boat in tidal water.

Good point. I have almost been left high and dry a couple times when beached at our local lagoon. Luckily my boat is only 19', so we were able to push her back in. Don't beach there so much anymore. If I do, I make sure I am familiar with the tides for the day.

 

[QC]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

This really depends more on the type of boating you do. Very popular where I boat. I've never liked it, but peer (and Admiral) pressure won out. I had the bottom re gelcoated a couple of years back. Just part of the deal I guess.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

Typically here in TN the bottom is more rock than beach. If I can find a spot to truly "beach" the boat on sand, I may do so gingerly. Otherwise, I try and keep her off the rocks.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

If I do, I make sure I am familiar with the tides for the day.

Tides are not your worst enemy. A rogue wave or wake is by far a much bigger concern

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

No. Only beached it on one occasion and it was a fairly sharp drop-off. So the stern was in about 4-5 feet of water while the bow was ashore. Even then, I used two anchors to keep it slightly away from the shore and fully floating.

Actually, now that I think about it, I have beached twice. This one was tide related :facepalm:

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

Nope I have a keelguard but just don't do it. The lake I go to is mostly rocky shore. If I wanted to be on the beach I wouldn't be in the boat

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Do you beach your boat?

I beach A LOT, as in a typical weekend, the boat will spend 4-6 hours in use, and other 2 or 3 days tied up on the beach. Nothing bad happens, just have to watch out for storms and waves. I also have a keelshield, so unless you get unlucky enough to park with a rock right by the hull, nothing bad happens.