Launch and Land on a Sandy Beach

[Hua Hin Sailing]

I have sailed dinghies and larger sailboats all my life and I am going to start a sailing school in Hua Hin, Thailand. I am shortly taking delivery of a 4.80 m Far East Boats RIB with 40 HP outboard 2 stroke Yamaha with power tilt and lift for the security.

The boat will be launched and recovered from a sandy beach. Launching is not really an issue as the beach shelves gently and heading out into the surf is just a matter of strength to get it out deep enough to drop the engine sufficiently to gain traction.

My worry is returning to the beach in surf. We're not talking large waves here, maybe 18 ins to 2 ft, as otherwise the dinghies wouldn't be out. Is there a definitive manual for coming ashore? My natural instinct would be to run it into the beach bow first with engine raised as far as possible whilst keeping traction. But I'm sure that there must be better and safer ways. Landing on beaches in the yacht's tender was always more exciting than one would want. In a larger boat the forces are much greater and so a safe technique is required.

All help on this would be much appreciated.

[lukewhiting]

With my thundercat I get in close & then turn the boat to face the wAves the boat sits easier. Then you don't get waves swamping over the back.

If it's rougher & I want to get close but not beach it I'll do the same but then end up reversing in.

[stray]

My worry is returning to the beach in surf. We're not talking large waves here, maybe 18 ins to 2 ft,

After reading up on the subject this seems to be the way;

How to beach launch a boat in the surf. - YouTube

[Mollers]

Too easy in the vid. Short, sharp shore slop makes it almost impossible. I beach launch the SR more than slip. Launching is usually ok, recovery can be well tricky. If There's a significant shore dump, she stays on a mooring. :-/ The waves will / can dump the boat on the trailer. Not good. :-(

[Hua Hin Sailing]

Originally Posted by stray

After reading up on the subject this seems to be the way;

Thanks Stray. That's an excellent little movie. I'm sure it's not as easy at it looks there but those a very similar conditions to our usual weather. The key is obviously not to stint on the quality of the trailer. That might be difficult here in Thailand.

I wouldn't want to leave the boat in the water overnight but it does seem sensible to rig some kind of solid mooring a few metres off. Problem is that the beach shelves very gently and so the sea can go as far a 60 mts out from the high tide line.

[stray]

Too easy in the vid. Short, sharp shore slop makes it almost impossible.

True, but the Op said, It's a gently sloping beach, not more than 1.5 to 2ft waves.

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by stray

True, but the Op said, It's a gently sloping beach, not more than 1.5 to 2ft waves.

Ah right. Let's hope that old King Neptune has his tape measure handy when yer man wants to launch. ;-)

[JamesF]

We see similar conditions at low tide, and use much the same boat handling techniques to the ones in the video, unless the swell's big enough to start capsizing RIBs.

Admittedly, it's not usually quite that slick. He did well to hold the boat launching — we usually have two crew plus three or four helpers.

The difference with us is that we don't usually take the trailer into the water. We have keel protection and slide the boat across "ways" instead*. It means we don't have to get the boat floating before turning it bows-on to the surf. We also land straight onto the beach, pull the boat out, then recover onto the trailer.

Our way is easy with a 4m Searider and a few people, but harder with the 4.8m Ribcraft. It's just over half as heavy again. It needs a couple of people to hold it upright on the ways.

As you've already said, a good trailer with lots of guide rollers would be really helpful. I've tried putting our boats straight on the trailer a few times, and with narrow keel rollers and one set of guide rollers, it's a waste of time. That said, it does work quite well launching when it's reasonably flat.

The lifeboat next door are getting one of the same boats as us (4m Searider), but with a very different trailer: all guides and no keel rollers, I think. That should be much easier to aim for, but will be a bit heavier.

* Thick plastic pipe sliced in half is good.

[stray]

Ah right. Let's hope that old King Neptune has his tape measure handy when yer man wants to launch. ;-)

Better still, let's all stay safe and dry on land.

Mollers, stop playing Devils Advocate, the man asked for advice on launching and retrieving in small surf on a gently sloping beach, and that's the best video I could find.

Now if he'd asked about big surf .............

RUBBER DUCKIES CAN SURF, THE INFLATABLE RESCUE BOAT.wmv - YouTube

[Hua Hin Sailing]

Originally Posted by JamesF

We see similar conditions at low tide, and use much the same boat handling techniques to the ones in the video, unless the swell's big enough to start capsizing RIBs.

Admittedly, it's not usually quite that slick. He did well to hold the boat launching — we usually have two crew plus three or four helpers.

The difference with us is that we don't usually take the trailer into the water. We have keel protection and slide the boat across "ways" instead*. It means we don't have to get the boat floating before turning it bows-on to the surf. We also land straight onto the beach, pull the boat out, then recover onto the trailer.

Our way is easy with a 4m Searider and a few people, but harder with the 4.8m Ribcraft. It's just over half as heavy again. It needs a couple of people to hold it upright on the ways.

As you've already said, a good trailer with lots of guide rollers would be really helpful. I've tried putting our boats straight on the trailer a few times, and with narrow keel rollers and one set of guide rollers, it's a waste of time. That said, it does work quite well launching when it's reasonably flat.

The lifeboat next door are getting one of the same boats as us (4m Searider), but with a very different trailer: all guides and no keel rollers, I think. That should be much easier to aim for, but will be a bit heavier.

* Thick plastic pipe sliced in half is good.

Thanks James

I've been looking at trailers here and I suspect that Respo is probably as good as I'll get. Something like this looks OK. You make a good point re manpower. This is something that I was hoping to avoid, especially in the early stages. The kids sailing instructor is quite a slight Thai girl and the boat boy is quite strong but it looks as though it would be prudent to have a second boat boy on the staff to be sure.

Expenses, expenses!!

[Bigmuz7]

Originally Posted by stray

Better still, let's all stay safe and dry on land.

Mollers, stop playing Devils Advocate, the man asked for advice on launching and retrieving in small surf on a gently sloping beach

But theres not a word of a lie in what he said.

With tubes going out beyond the transom theres a huge lift happens with even relatively minor waves, which makes you lose control of the boat.

The biggest Ive recovered on sand was an 8.5m with a 275 on it, in 2 foot waves, which was a life or death experience I wont ever repeat, I just didnt have options at the time .. well yes we did .. put it back on a mooring and forgot about it till conditions improved ...

Having watched the vid .. they were recovering with 2 blokes holding the boat ! .. if you dont get the timing right, or theres a delay controlling the bow onto the trailer, its all too easy to get in trouble.

Lots of factors are at play though .. how steep the beach is being the most significant IMO (and the wave height obviously) where I launch , the wave pattern and slope varies across the beach .. so you can usually find a spot that makes the job that little bit easier .. 5 -5.5M boats are about my limit

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by stray

Mollers, stop playing Devils Advocate,

Rather, attempting to highlight the inherent difficulties involved with surf launch/recovery, whilst you're doing the opposite.

I'm not talking from behind a keyboard here, I do this regularly. Unless you have a suitable beach, benign conditions and a suitable rig, it can be a challenge to say the least.
Yer man in Asia may have repeat conditions day in day, but we don't in this country. Surf conditions alter constantly.

I'm trying to add some balance should Mr. Beachside Newb be browsing, I feel that you are giving the impression that surf launch is a doddle, it ain't.

[Pikey Dave]

We once got caught out at Beadnell, where the launch is by council tractor off the beach. Flat as a witches t1t when we went out, but picked up onshore during the day. Came back in & the tractor had broken down & we had a couple of feet of surf. The boat was a 6.4m Osprey with an OMC V6 inboard, a heavy b'stard! I ran it up the beach & as each wave came in & lifted the boat, we inched it up the beach out of the surf. I brought the trailer down with the Disco & we dry recovered it off the beach, un hitch the trailer from the car, attach the winch to the boat & start winding. The winch pulls the trailer under the boat & the trailer hitch ends up about 6' in the air until the weight of the boat comes forward & it all settles down. hitch on & drive away. Hard work, but doable & no trauma trying to get the boat on the trailer in the surf.

[Hua Hin Sailing]

Thanks guys. You've pretty much confirmed what I thought. It isn't easy even in pretty flat conditions. An electric winch on the trailer would appear to make things easier provided there's a manual back up. But most of you have confirmed my original thought. Surf in and run it up the beach and get it out of the surf ASAP. For a 4.8m RIB it looks like a minimum 3 man job in calm conditions, rising to 5 men in 18ins surf. Don't try it in anything much bigger than that.

About 1000 mts away from the school there's a breakwater behind which the local fishermen moor their boats. From what you've all said I think I might be advised to look at getting a mooring there and motoring up each day. My biggest worry would then be the security of my brand new baby!

[stevedonna]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

We once got caught out at Beadnell, where the launch is by council tractor off the beach. Flat as a witches t1t when we went out, but picked up onshore during the day. Came back in & the tractor had broken down & we had a couple of feet of surf. The boat was a 6.4m Osprey with an OMC V6 inboard, a heavy b'stard! I ran it up the beach & as each wave came in & lifted the boat, we inched it up the beach out of the surf. I brought the trailer down with the Disco & we dry recovered it off the beach, un hitch the trailer from the car, attach the winch to the boat & start winding. The winch pulls the trailer under the boat & the trailer hitch ends up about 6' in the air until the weight of the boat comes forward & it all settles down. hitch on & drive away. Hard work, but doable & no trauma trying to get the boat on the trailer in the surf.

Thanks that makes utter sense . If I was in that situation I would have tried to winch it with trailer attached . Pure maths really trailer lighter than boat.


Sent from my iPad using RIB Net

[Mollers]

Originally Posted by Hua Hin Sailing

My biggest worry would then be the security of my brand new baby!

Leave a GSD onboard. ;-)

[Hua Hin Sailing]

Originally Posted by Mollers

Leave a GSD onboard. ;-)

Being a novice I'm not sure if you are recommending a German Shepherd dog or some piece of fancy kit, but it prompted the thought of GPS tracker which would of course take care of the security. Job done then and the breakwaters were inspected today and look absolutely perfect to moor the boat in protected water.

Thanks everyone.