running aground advice needed.

[keithm]

Went out yesterday at low tide, fish finder not working constantly telling me i had 60 feet of water. Unfortunatley i put the boat into the mud twice- yes the prop went in. Churned up the mud and caused the engine to stall a couple of times.

When i got back i checked out the prop no visible sign of damage (but the mud really is very soft round here (East Coast river Blackwater). I flushed through the engine with freshwater when i got back- is there anything else i should have a look at.

On the way back she felt like she was vibrating a bit at very low speeds (about 4knots), but i'm to new to this lark to know if that is just a normal result of the turning effects at low speeds.

And as for the fish finder?????

[simmons0]

How fast were you going at the time?
Had the transducer popped up?

[TIM]

I wouldnt worry too much about vibration, if it only dose it a 4 knots .... once it dosent get worse at higher speeds.......

It sounds like you werent going too fast...ie you didnt describe you digging the boat out., throwen out etc.... so In soft mud I would think you are OK

When something happens to you in a boat... you start to notice everything...

If the prop and gearbox arent bent, chiped or anyway damaged.. and the vibration goes away at higher speeds, and you didnt hit hard... in soft mud ....

I would say you are OK

[Phil Chitty]

If you were deep enough in the mud that the prop was churning through it and then you felt vibration at slow speeds you may have damaged your gearbox.

I would get it checked out before you use the boat again as the small amount of damage you've done this time will soon get bigger with continued use.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you !

Phil

[Matt]

Originally Posted by TIM

When something happens to you in a boat... you start to notice everything...

That is sooooo true. Every little noise that you previously didn't notice suddenly becomes a really big deal. I've become ultra ultra paranoid about noises since a little incident earlier this year.

[Alan]

Originally Posted by keithm

Went out yesterday at low tide, fish finder not working constantly telling me i had 60 feet of water.

And as for the fish finder?????

Fishfinder clearly cream crackered as 6ft of water is an elegant sufficiency in the Blackwater and 60ft is highly unlikely! Transducer may be pointing backwards - gets flipped up by hitting something or flow of water at speed. If its pointing downwards then summats wrong!

Whereabouts on the Blackwater did you run aground?

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by keithm

..Went out yesterday at low tide, fish finder not working constantly telling me i had 60 feet of water. Unfortunatley i put the boat into the mud twice- yes the prop went in. ...

Do you know what nautical charts are?

[keithm]

Will check the transducer when i can find where it is located.
Going at about 4kts at the time as i was approaching Brightlingsea Harbour.
Jwalker - I am aware of nautical charts, are you aware of Brightlingsea mud and the River Blackwater?

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by jwalker

Do you know what nautical charts are?

That may sound a bit harsh, but 'tis good implied advice.

Local knowledge is can never be under-estimated, and walking the banks of rivers and estuaries at low water springs can be valuable both for seeing the route that a river bed takes and what hazards are covered by the water at high tide.

I guess that you have an alloy prop - have a close look for any damage. If it looks like it's been clonked, don't try to mend it yourself (unless you've done this sort of thing before) but take it to a specialist.

[tim griffin]

daft question but, did you not calibrate your finder when you first got it,
if not you will have to use a lead line marked at 1 metre intervals something nice and heavy on the end of the line plop it over the side (make sure line is vertical for accurate sounding and no tide running)read off the depth marked on line and input this to you echo sounder and offset it this time by 3/4 ft so you have a allowance under the skeg that should solve that problem, but do read instruction manual first as it will guide you through calibration and setup.
next get a chart of your area figures on the chart are for LAT lowest astronomical tide so they are the worse case scenario also a tide table of your area then you can work depths at different times of day and check against your now calibrated sounder happy boating
regards tim
www.griffmarineservices.co.uk

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by keithm

I am aware of nautical charts, are you aware of Brightlingsea mud and the River Blackwater?

Oooo, you're very sensitive.

In all the years I've been boating (too many), I've never yet run aground or bent a prop. Does everyone who goes boating in that area get stuck in the mud (twice)?

A fool isn't a person who makes a mistake, it's a person who makes the same mistake twice.


Edit: I'm a bit Mr Grumpy this afternoon.

[Phil]

well JW you may have deep water ,rocks etc. but we got mud and sand banks absolutely treacherous , appear from nowhere- normally run aground twice a day .Just part of the Thames Estuary fun

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by Phil

Just part of the Thames Estuary fun

OK.

[keithm]

Thanks Phil, and there rests the case for the defence!!!

JWalker sorry if i was a little oversensitive it's just that i feel like such a prat.

[Mike B]

Mud / silt / sand if sucked into your water intakes may not have done the impellor much good so it may be worth checking it / getting it changed expecially if you can't remember when it was last done.

I understand they make a bit of a mess if they start to break up.

Cheers

Mike

[Red Fox]

I know a bloke who spent an hour fishing in 60 ft of water with shoal after shoal passing under the boat but not a single bite. It was only then that he realised he had the fish finder on 'simulator' mode! Check your buttons!

[Richard B]

[myndit]

I view it this way:

If you ride a bike, you will fall off someday.
If you drive a car, you will crash someday.
If you pilot a Rib, you will go aground someday.

Propellors are consumable items, as are rubbing strakes etc

Avoid grounding if you can, but some day, it will happen to you like it or not.

Anyway, its' nice to know somebody else does it from time to time....


Doug

[Phil Davies]

Originally Posted by jwalker

Edit: I'm a bit Mr Grumpy this afternoon.

A grumpy Scotsman - oh, surely not? What, with England losing the footie and all!?

[gavin]

I would think that the prop rubber cush drive would fail before you damage the box