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Beaching legs?

Started by Paul Thomas, October 03, 2016, 10:47:41 AM

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Paul Thomas

Despite the claim in the sales blurb that the WB would dry out upright, this is clearly not the case as the keel is several inches deeper than the bilge boards.  Has anyone addressed this issue?  Has anyone fitted legs, and if so where and how?  Dinghy cruisers simply pop a fender under the bilges to keep their boats upright, but I'm not sure I could lift her up to do that.

Martin

Hi Paul.

I have dried out a lot both here on the Suffolk coast and in Britany. Yes. You are right that she doesn't stay upright on a hard bottom (although the mud around here is fine though as the keel sinks in). However, as long as there aren't two of you trying to sleep on board, the leaning over isn't too much of a problem as you simply sleep on the downhill side. Beaching legs would work, but there will always be the problem of stowage on a Winklebrig.

As an aside, I have found that much more of a problem  when running aground or drying out is the rudder. More than once I have run aground under sail (the rudder always touches first). You then have the dilemma of whether to lower the sails (you are never head to wind when stuck fast!) or to let go of everything and try to remove  the rudder. I have tried both, and having found myself under sail, adrift without a rudder being blown onto a lee shore,  I can verrify that the former is less stressful!

I now have a retractable rudder (like a dinghy)  and sleep much better.