Re: Do you beach your boat?
Like all boating questions, the only answer is "it depends" and the variety of circumstances in the answers so far shows this. Type of hull, type of beach, tides, alternatives, frequency, all come into play.
But the question describes beaching the "wrong" way. Grinding on rocks in waves all day is wrong--as is pounding against a pier, but that doesn't mean that mooring is bad. So except in still water on soft bottoms, most beachers move the boat out to float after unloading.
There is also the "scratch tolerance" factor just as there is "dent tolerance" in 4 wheeling. Some people would freak out if the point og the bow keel gets a 2 inch long scratch in it. Others use their boats for fun and don't care. You aren't going to "hurt" anything with scratches and it would take a long time to rub through anything, so it's a cosmetic issue, and that is one of personal preference. (there is a risk of damage from large pointed rocks, and beaching can increase that risk, but that's obvious and not really beaching.)
As for tides, it is an acceptable method of bottom cleaning to let the tide go out so you can access the hull to scrape it but that takes some skill and knowledge of the tides.
Dingbat points out an important factor the new boater may not appreciate; beaching bow out (with the stern floating) takes more effort and skill but is the safest, when conditions warrant.
