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Stuckness check-in...

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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/05/2012 : 13:50:37

Lake Ontario is down. So is our harbour.

I got a 6' deep slip and counted myself lucky all year. Now I'm dragging the bottom every time I enter/exit the slip. Luckily the bottom is black ooze and nothing solid.

I have been getting out at least twice a week since the water level really dropped in the fall, so I have carved a channel for myself. The guy in the slip next to me, who actually draws less, is totally stuck. His boat hasn't moved in 3 weeks though.

With haulout a couple of weeks away, the club is getting nervous about how the boats will get to the cranes. We are a fairly sizeable club, and we now have a raft of big boats out in the harbour who can't even get into the marina.

I have been asked to relocate my boat so that the club barge can remove my dock and try to float it under my neighbour's, lifting his dock (and boat) with it. Its gonna be a fun weekend. The guy across teh fairway has a viking 22 that has been sitting up on its keel for weeks. The hull isn't even close to touching the water. It has a for sale sign on it.

There's gotta be some other good late season water-drop stories out there...

"Iris"
1984 FK/SR #4040
http://frosthaus.blogspot.com/

Take a minute to register your boat with the association!!
http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/owner_questionnaire.htm

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 10/05/2012 : 14:22:29

I dunno... My slip at home goes from 5-6' down to about 3', then back up, and back down... every day. If I drew 4' (like I used to), I'd be stuck in the mud twice a day.

Problem solved.

Edited by - on

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 10/05/2012 : 15:20:58

Yeah, with Sarge depth at the dock shouldn't be an issue anymore.

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5376 Posts

Response Posted - 10/06/2012 : 08:33:24

I used to have a slip in the river where generally I'd have enough water to get in and out of the slip and up and down the fairway solo and with guests. As Dave S+!nkp@#er said, the tidal range is pretty constant, although where I am, we experience 6.5 ft (2m) variation.
A few times a year, depending on the moon's phase, apogee and perigee, winds and alignment with the sun, we'll experience lower low tides and higher high tides by 1.5 ft (50cm).
One such day my son and I were heading back in and we were hauling a$$ to oppose the current. When we got down the fairway, three dockmates were waiting for us on the dock and we cut speed to make the turn into the slip. Just then our speed slowed abruptly and we stopped.
We were about 12 ft (4m) from the dock and I was at a complete loss to comprehend the situation. Was it my engine? The wind? The current? Then it dawned on me to check the depthmeter - 3.9 feet!
Aha! Now what?
Luckily we had help. After the guys all stopped laughing, my son went forward and tossed a line to the guys dockside. They tugged and I revved the engine but no luck, this wouldn't be easy.
We made enough progress so that my son (6'4", 200#) could step onto the dock and just then the boat came up enough to motor and be dragged over the hump. Once on the dock we had a few more inches so we floated.
This situation only happened a few hours on a few occasions each year.
I couldn't imagine this being the norm for weeks at a time with lower lake levels. The global weather variation appears to be affecting lake levels all over the country, with the Great Lakes hard hit (that's a huge amount of fresh water and so a large deficit). Of course there are years with greater than average rainfall, which can be a worse situation.
Chris - can you on Lake Ontario take advantage of a wind-driven seitche? Or are you too far west in the lake for that to affect levels?

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 10/06/2012 : 09:52:11

Chris, this post would be so much better with pictures...

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 10/06/2012 : 12:05:17

I've been battling low water since around Labor Day weekend. Since that time it was a coin toss if I had enough water to leave the slip. Last weekend I tried motoring to the haulout slip at the boatyard where I winter, but I couldn't get within 100' of it without getting stuck in the muck. After numerous attempts over two days, I threw in the towel and made arrangements to winter at a different marina which required renting a car hauler to move my cradle to the new place. This morning I motored from a temp slip at the new marina to their haulout slip, but due to westerly winds, water levels were even worse today. I ended up getting stuck and unstuck numerous times before eventually getting to the haulout slip, but I made it.

I just hope there's enough water in the Spring or I may have to stay on the hard next year!

Edited by - on

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5376 Posts

Response Posted - 10/06/2012 : 13:38:36

Can you get any relief if you heel the boat over? If you get 3 or 4 of your heaviest friends to sit out on the rail, how far over would you have to heel to squeak by?
Sort of reminds me of that YouTube video where the guy hung a giant water-balloon off the top of his mast to pass under a low bridge. Hmmmm…

Edited by - on

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 10/06/2012 : 19:27:02

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Voyager
 Can you get any relief if you heel the boat over? If you get 3 or 4 of your heaviest friends to sit out on the rail, how far over would you have to heel to squeak by?
Sort of reminds me of that YouTube video where the guy hung a giant water-balloon off the top of his mast to pass under a low bridge. Hmmmm…
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

They do it for going thru Lake Okeechobee. A launch comes out and attaches carrels to a halyard or two and off you go.

As a expert on running aground, 6'6" draft, I'd try to heel her over. Completely empty her, heel her over and then use a powerboat to alternately pull from one side or the other. I've also heard of divers float bags attached to the keel as a means of keeping her heeled.

sten

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Prospector
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
3159 Posts

Response Posted - 10/06/2012 : 19:58:39

Too late for any really good pics David, we spent the day at the club moving boats around and getting the unstuck.

Haulout is in 2 weeks. If water levels drop much more before then, the boats won't be able to reach the cranes.

Went sailing this afternoon. Damn that was some big water out there!

Edited by - on

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 10/06/2012 : 21:06:56

I've hung off a shroud, feet on the rub-rail (with other people) trying to heel a boat far enough to back off a soft grounding... In my neck of the woods, worst case, you just need to wait a few hours for the tide to lift you--unless you were "unlucky" enough to run aground at dead-high. (That's almost as "unlucky" as getting stuck under a bridge at dead-low. )

Edited by - on

rrick
Captain

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USA
261 Posts

Response Posted - 10/06/2012 : 23:58:37

Inland northwest experienced record precipitation this year. Not that you would notice on the lakes around here. Summer long irrigation and hydroelectric keeps lake levels seasonably predictable. I guess we have muck for soft groundings too, but isn't the norm for our geologically recent lakes the 20 grit or worse gravely bottoms?

Edited by - on

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.