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Safe to beach you v-drive on a sand beach?


ScooterM

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I suspect you'll get multiple theories on here but my preference is to never have the hull touch any bottom, including sandy beaches. If there is no dock at the ramp I would load everything in the boat prior to floating it and then have the people wade to the boat in the shallows. If I need to get people from the beach I motor close then shut it down and hop out. I then spin the boat around to have the swim deck facing the beach and just hold the boat off the shore while people are loading.

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In my boating world it's impossible to not beach the boat now and again (especially when unloading 6-7 people/their gear for a few night of camping on the islands). I keep it to a minimum; unload/load as required and get the boat on an Anchor Buddy & shoreline when done. I've never had any kind of problems and my hull looks fine (i've had both white hulls AND black hulls). Just be dang sure it's sand....

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When i had my last response, the previous owner had installed a nice clear adhesive cover for that went on the bow, you could beach without worrying about scratches and when winter came it peeled off with no damage to the hull. Apply a new one before summer came and away you went.

Cannot for the life of me remember the brand name though.

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Almost everyone (myself included) at our local lake beaches them in the sand, the dock is usually loaded up with fishing boats, sometimes the boats along the sand are parked like cars at WallyMart. A few people anchor out a bit and wade in, but the vast majority seem to beach their boats. And the vast majority are Bu's :crazy:

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Try putting 3M Clearguard under the nose. It is an automotive film that is clear and is applied to the nose and sides over your new car paint. Seek out an 3m Clearguard installer in Tulsa and have them apply a small amount. Actually you may search through the 3M product line and find a 3M clear tape that works.

One of my old buddies has a 1980's jet pump "ski boat" that he has had for 30 years. He beaches it all the time. He has worn a hole through the fiberglass that he had repaired.

I do not beach my boat except maybe once a year. I anchor nose out like everybody else here. The old Spyder is 19 years old and still looks new despite a typical 21 day annual usage.

I would definitely put some kind of film under the nose.

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never have beached mine - never anchored it either - we'll load the people and gear prior to launching - dump the boat in they motor back and it's over the front for me - same with putting in after we're done just in the reverse order...

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just curious what the best way to park and load everyone in if the boat ramp doesn't have a pier/dock.

I put everyone in the boat in the staging area, and launch them all in the boat. After I park the truck, I have my wife idle back, where I wade in, catch the bow, spin the boat by hand, and hop on the platform so she can idle back out to deeper water. If the water is really deep/shore is steep, I will just step from shore to the bow. I don't like beaching the boat but that is personal preference. I don't want all the sand/dirt tracked over the bow when you beach it, and no matter how soft the sand it is going to leave marks on the hull. They don't call it "sandpaper" for nothing. :-)

-- Mike

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Load everyone and everything then launch.

If needed, I wade out and jump into the front and push the boat out as I go.

I only beached my Sea Sprite (I/O) one or two times in 10 years, and I hated to do that even on an older boat. I don't think i could beach my new Bu!

Edited by Soon2BV
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  • 1 month later...
<br />Load everyone and everything then launch. <br /><br />If needed, I wade out and jump into the front and push the boat out as I go.<br /><br />I only beached my Sea Sprite (I/O) one or two times in 10 years, and I hated to do that even on an older boat. I don't think i could beach my new Bu!<br />
<br /><br /><br />

I put a fancy "Keelshield" on the 23 LSV - best decision! I beach from time to time but don't like to much... The keel guard works great - been on the boat for a few years and looks as good as new as does the underside of the boat! I went with white - the same color as the hull - I have seen others put the same color as their trim - looks sharp but I just didn't want to show off the keel guard...

M.

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Anchor Nose out rope off the transom to shore and use the big ole tube for shuttling people back and forth :thumbup:

Ive never beached a boat because of scratches but I also thought the tracking fins would hit bottom,is this not an issue?

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load then launch or swim platform towards shore beaching will damage your keel

If in doubt, always trust the poster with absolutely no punctuation.

Sand *shouldn't* hurt your gel coat (it's really, really tough) and plenty of people beach their boats all the time, but I don't because I don't have reason to, so I can't recommend it.

I would worry about stress on the tracking fins though, if it's real shallow angle up the beach and/or you're going to get a lot of left to right waves from the lake/river current.

When we go near the beach to let the dogs out for their business, I pull in toward the beach, crank hard to side at 3.5 feet, cut the throttle and let the back swing around so that the swim platform is toward the shore. If we aren't in at least 4 feet of water starting out again, I will either wade and push us out or we tool out real slow until we 4-4.5. That's if we are starting a rider from the shore.

The tube is good way to get people/gear onto the boat if they can't get wet.

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I agree with Tyger. Its not the keel I worry about in sand, it'll be fine. Its the tracking fins and prop that I'd worry about.

I've seen people beach their boats and then of course everyone sits on the back swimstep or even just use it to get in the boat. The prop maybe just inches above the sand but then add 400 lbs of people jumping around and the prop is now smashed into the sand (or rocks). And the fins.

I've only beached mine twice since I've owned it and didn't feel good about it both times.

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