Hi all,
I am considering getting a used Tiger and am wondering just how sensitive the hulls are to being dragged up on the sand.
Not talking about sailing up on the beach, would jump off the boat and drag it up on the sand.
I dont mind some scratches in the gelcoat - that I can repair.
Had an Hobie Cat 18, which was of course built like a tank.
The Tiger would only be used for cruising so not concerned about cosmetic damage.
Any advice much appreciated.
/Jens
How for are you dragging it up the beach?
if you are talking about short term parking, it isn't a big deal to gently lift the bows and park for a few hours...
If you are talking about you and your crew dragging your boat up 100' or so every time you sail - I would NEVER do that on my boats.
not a good practice (at all) but if you dont mind re-doing bottom jobs every dozen sails... i guess it's not gonna kill ya ... but if you hit a rock or metal... it's gonna scar your boat or puncture a hull.
You would be MUCH better served buying beach wheels
Edited by MN3 on Oct 12, 2015 - 04:18 PM.
Yes, just dragging it up smooth sand to park on the shore is OK, but even without worrying about damage, moving a 20 foot beachcat on shore needs Cat Trax or a LOT of muscle power.
So no structural damage should be expected to the hulls if we drag it up on sand for a meter or so, just to get out of the water - for lunch for instance.?
I ask because the manual does seem quite worried about beaches:
"- DO NOT BEACH. Beaching, even smoothly, may damage the hulls. use your beach dolley to take the
boat out of the water."
Most of the time the boat would stay on cat trax in a harbour.
Thanks for the quick replies!
/Jens
DO NOT BEACH. Beaching, even smoothly, may damage the hulls.
you will create scratches - if you can live with that .. not a big deal to stop for lunch.
I wouldn't walk away, would keep an eye on the boat, and i would make sure wave/tide action isn't working your boat up and down a lot.
why not carry an anchor ?
(i do both park and anchor, but only park in flat water, soft sand, when i know the tides and have a quick exit plan ready incase ...)
Had not thought of an ancor, that could be an idea.
There is very little, if any, tide action here in Denmark. So that is not much of a concern.
Good to hear the hulls can take a bit of beach resting.
Guys have raced Tigers (and just about every other F18) in distance ocean races where the boats are sailed right up on the beach. I would not be concerned at all about what you're talking about doing. Be careful around rocks (you could dent or puncture the outer skin of the hull). If you start wearing through gelcoat when dragging the boat around, it's time for a bottom job. Don't let it wear into the the fiberglass since it's much thinner than on the classic Hobies. Use beach wheels for moving the boat over any substantial distance. I would not fuss with an anchor.
sm
Hulls will be fine, We beached(pulled up about 40 feet) the tiger we chartered for f18 worlds the entire length of the regatta,
just watch out for them damn rudders & castings...they tend to break lol.
Thanks for all the fine advice, good to hear from folks with actual experience of sailing a Tiger.
It's easier to raise the bows with the sterns on the water and then walk into the beach