To keel or not to keel

[Moki]

I have always had keel guards on my previous boats to protect the keel when beaching at places such as Lake Powell. Has anybody ever put a keel guard on their Tige. I know the Pros, are there any compelling Cons?

[dogbert]

I don't think you want to beach an inboard boat because there's too much potential for damage.

[mtnsmith]

I beach mine as you can see in my pictures, but I only do it where I am absolutely sure of the shore and what the depth is along the edge of the water.

[Moki]

Originally posted by mtnsmith
I beach mine as you can see in my pictures, but I only do it where I am absolutely sure of the shore and what the depth is along the edge of the water.

Do you have a keel guard?

[mtnsmith]

No, I am thinking of it though. Since my lower hull is dark blue I did pick up a couple little marks that are more visible than they would be on a light colored bottom. I am going to ask my dealer if he has seen any adverse effects on an inboard when I pick up my boat tomorrow. I'll post what he has to say about it.

[chpthril]

I've had a KEEL GAURD brand on both my previous 2 boats. They worked great to protect the bottom. But, both of them came loose. The 3M adhesive 'let go' from the keel guard, not the bottom of the boat, but what the factory puts together! I plan on putting one on before next year, but will not buy a 3rd KEEL GAURD. anybody used a KEEL SHIELD brand?

KEEL GAURD

KEEL SHIELD

[Gschmidt1]

guys...rather than beaching, why dont you just throw anchor in shallow water. Its really not hard, saves you money, and its easier on your boat.

[chpthril]

I've always beached my 2 I/O's. This being my first IB, grounding the running gear or picking up sand/mud was a concearn. I have done the 'anchor and back in to shallow water' thing. It works great for rough bottoms and shallow lake shores. There are a couple of places that I go that are plenty deep to beach safely. One lake we go to is so deep that it would take 150' of rode to anchor, much easier to beach.

Thanks for the suggestion Gschmidt1.

[dogbert]

Every time I've gotten too shallow in sand, I end up with a small bend in a prop blade, so I stopped doing it.

[chpthril]

I got one small ding last month while anchored overnight, water level was returning to normal level after 3 days of hard rain.

[Moki]

One of the problems is that we camp out at Lake Powell and we need to get all of our gear off of the boat and on to the camp site. We cannot drive our gear to where we camp. If we have a house boat, then we can dock along the side of the houseboat. But, we we camp on the shore more than we do with a houseboat. The only options that I see are to find a good steep shore to beach the boat on and then keep it there or to beach the boat until everything is unloaded and then anchor it off the shore line. Any other suggestions?

[Moki]

Originally posted by dogbert
Every time I've gotten too shallow in sand, I end up with a small bend in a prop blade, so I stopped doing it.

How much water is required not to hit bottom. Don't the boats draft in about 18 inches of water. I know that you need additional for getting planed, but how much?

[talltigeguy]

Moki,

You could try backing the boat in, but with a bungee cord or dock buddy attached to the anchor. When you want to get to the boat, you pull the boat in closer (still will need to get in up to your thighs) and hop on the swim platform. Then when done, the bungee pulls the boat to a more safe depth. This has worked for me.

I have found it very difficult to keep the boat from turning sideways when I beach it nose first, and thus getting the running gear into the sand and mud and risking damage.

As far as the draft goes, I think about 18-20 inches is probably about right, but then some yahoo in a loaded up wakeboat cruises by and throws a 2 foot roller at you. Best to have 3-4 feet of water under the transom, IMHO

[Wake Havasu]

get a Bu they have removable skegs!

[dogbert]

Originally posted by Wake Havasu
get a Bu they have removable skegs!

LOL, too bad it's manual.

Seriously, your boat will draw between 24-26 inches empty. But, if you're standing on the swim platform, it will draw more, especially with more people. That's when I've gotten the dings in the past. Seems like the new Acme CNC 3 blades are more susceptible than my previous 4 blade OJ.