Beaching on the sand

D

Davey

New Member
Mar 17, 2008
23
Gold Coast Australia
Another newbe question. I have recently purchased a 2008 175, Alpha 1, 3.0 Mercruiser. We sometimes island hop around the Gold Coast (Australia) for short stops and I was wondering if it is okay to lightly beach the front of the boat on smooth sand (no rocks) while we go ashore. I have also been lightly beaching the nose of the boat beside the boat ramp while fetching the trailer when using the boat alone. There’s no jetty near the ramp to tie up to.

Is this going to cause long term damage? The bow centerline is already looking a little dull & scuffed after only 7 hours on the clock. Are there any products around that provide a protective coating for this type of scuffing? Should I stop doing this and use bow and stern anchors instead?

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
 
Its fine as long as you want to damage the front of the boat! It is sand and as long as the boat is slowly rocking you will get a sanding effect on the gelcoat. I don't know if this will work where there is regular wave action but on our inland lakes I always would drop anchor off shore and back in. Then I would tie another rope to the shoreline so the boat would maintain its position. This allows you to use the boarding ladder to get on/off the boat. Adjust the ropes so that you step off into knee deep water.

Also when going to the ramp you could nose in but I usually had someone hold the boat in place while I went and got the tow vehicle. You would be better off either teaching someone to drive the boat or backing up the tow vehicle. My 15 year old has been driving the boat on the trailer since he was 11. Does a great job. Just have to make sure you train them properly. He started with the old 160 we used to have and has been doing it with the 220 the past 2 years.

Put you boat info in the signature line for future use.
 
What wish2fish said... I always keep my fiberglass from hitting anything, the launch area ramp(I always held or had someone else hold it while I got the trailer if there's not a dock to tie up to - if I'm alone, I anchor it out offshore, and swim in to get the trailer), rocks (doh), sand, etc. and my gelcoat's still in perfect condition after 8 yrs of a fair amount of use. I'd seen others when I was looking for my first boat that didn't follow these rules... major cracks/scratches in the gelcoat, so much so, some of them must have been leaking, not to mention, this makes the boat look so horrible. I also saw a number of these boats with fiberglass patch kits on top of this, that were just fugly...

-Garth
 
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This just appeared in the "Ask Dr. Gel" section of 'Boating On The Hudson' magazine - thought you might find it helpful:

>Beaching your boat without protection is like using 40 grit sand paper on the keel every time you run it up on the beach.
You’re scratching off gelcoat each beaching and eventually you’ll be into the fiberglass. So, if you’re going to continue to beach your boat a keel
guard is a good idea. It will protect the keel from all kinds of hazards. Keel guards are available in many price ranges and qualities. If you purchase and install one on your own it is essential that the hull is properly prepared. Keel guards must be installed on good clean gelcoat to get the best
adhesion. The adhesive on the keel guard is designed to adhere to the porosity in the gelcoat. If you have worn
through the gelcoat into the fiberglass you will be wasting your money unless a repair is done first.<
 
Beaching is pretty common on Lake Michigan beaches because our sand is so fine and most places from Indiana up to Leland have few or no rocks. We've beached all of our I/O boats and the outboards too with little noticable damage other than some minor dulling of the gel coat. I've seen lots more damage to gel coat from power loading trailers that produced chips that go through to the matting. We've alway wet slipped our boats so the minor cosmetic damage was never visible and of no real consequence.
 
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I agree with everyone above that beaching on sand is gelcoat suicide. But here is something to consider. If you are on an ocean or the gulf for that matter, and you nose up; you better be mindful of the wave action and the tide. A fiberglas boat gets pretty heavy when it pitches sideways and the tide runs out. If you don't have a seatow membership, I can tell you that in 2001 it cost $638 to pull a 20 foot Cobia off the beach. :smt021
 
we beach ours regularly....

also had the keel guard installed from day one.. and I do recommend having it professionaly installed... I did the first one myself and thought I was being meticulous with the prep ( but apparently not..heh) the next one I let the dealer do it so if there are any more issues I can go back to them! I just cleaned the bottom side this weekend and saw no dulling yet around the keel guard so I guess it must be doing it;s job for now.
 
Triumphs are made right around the corner from my house. A few years ago at the local show they had a 2lb sledge there to hit their boat with. While I was talking with the salesman, my 5yr old son picked it up and went over to the Cobalts:wow: Needless to say, I've never seen the hammer at the shows since then. Tough boats. SB
 
Thanks heaps for the feedback! Wish2fish I couldn't figure out how to make that map for my location on that map site work. Not very computer literate. My signature shows my location if any members or moderators are able to do it on my behalf? Thanks again, this is a great forum.
 
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Newbie said:
Triumphs are made right around the corner from my house. A few years ago at the local show they had a 2lb sledge there to hit their boat with. While I was talking with the salesman, my 5yr old son picked it up and went over to the Cobalts:wow: Needless to say, I've never seen the hammer at the shows since then. Tough boats. SB
Click to expand...
Are you Bubba?:smt043:smt043:smt043
 
If you are going to use a keel guard, be sure to sand the area first. Beaching for a couple of months will prep your keel just fine (joke).

We beached our 250 for 10 years. Our sand here is pure white and very fine. It probably scuffed it a little, but no worries. In the winter, we beached and climbed down off the bow. If your sand is the standard, light-brown stuff, it may be much more abrasive.
 
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