Despite the title, this is not an alcoholic post, quite the opposite. I am thinking about drying Offcutt out, but have heard various horror stories about the Twister's propensity to nose dive when dried out against a wall or posts, or even when blocked off ashore if not properly supported.
First question: is this a quayside myth, or a real problem - ie something we need to deal with?
Second question: if it is a real problem, and it has happened to you, what comments or thoughts do you have on (a) why it happened and (b) what you might have done differently to prevent it happening?
Third question: if you have dried out many times, and done so successfully without nose-diving, what do you do to prevent that happening?
I have dried out my previous boat (a Stella) many times and know how to do it. In the water on a mooring, Offcutt is slightly down by the bow (which is fine, once she gets going she levels off), which suggests she might also be bow heavy out of the water. All major tankage is at or aft of the chart table/galley. She has two anchors forward (10kg Rocna and 25lb CQR) plus 50m of 8mm chain, all of which I would take aft if drying out, along with the dinghy, which is normally stowed under one of the forepeak bunks. I'm wary of taking a line from the bow up onto the wall to stop her nose diving as the load on whatever it leads through or is attached to will be wrong, apart from the stemhead fitting, which is designed to take a partly vertical upward load (the forestay), but it already has some load (the forestay). The work I need to do is on one of the Blakes seacocks in the heads, it needs grinding in as it is leaking a bit, doable on one tide and yes I do have wooden bungs at the ready, but it also means I will be working in the heads, adding my weight (thankfully I'm not that heavy) there. The drying berth I plan to use has a very solid wall to lean against, bottom is spaced concrete railway sleepers, see photo. Offcutt does not have an option to fit drying out legs. My Stella did, but I never used them, as they looked more like can openers than legs, and I valued the integrity of her topsides.
Any other thoughts/tips on drying out? I suggest it might be useful to have a thread of collective wisdom on drying out for general consumption, and I don't think anything along these lines exists on the Association website, at least I couldn't find it if it does.
Thanks. There are also photos of dried out Twisters on the Twister facebook group, and I discovered there is a page here on the Association website at the bottom of the Technical Archive which says "If you dry out to scrub off fouling and are against piles or a wall be sure to secure the bow well. The Twister will not always sit upright on a flat surface. There is a tendency to kneel forward especially if the ground is slightly soft. No problem when the tide rises but uncomfortable aboard. John MacMullen notes that Crionna has never suffered any tendency to 'nosedive' when laying on walls or piles." I'm beginning to think that while Twisters do have a reputation for nosediving, there are very few documented examples of where it has actually happened. A thorough google image search didn't produce a single photo of a praying Twister, and only one ybw.com thread on dried out yachts falling over.
Dolphin (all GRP, no unnecessary weight forward) definitely will dip her bow when drying out, even if facing up a slight uphill slope - the rumours are definitely grounded in truth! I wouldn't describe it as violent nosediving, more gently rolling forwards along the forefoot, a bit like a see-saw.
Before the tide falls I drop the anchor and chain off the boat and move any weight I can aft, and I take a line from a bow cleats up around a drying off post to prevent the bow dipping. This has always been adequate to keep things level. You might already have seen the picture below on the Facebook group, it illustrates what I mean. In the past I've steadied things from the opposite end and have put a line from a stern cleat to an anchor point below the waterline.
Alastair - thanks, useful to have the extra detail over and above the photo which I had (unsurprisingly!) already seen.
Somewhere at the back of my mind is a recollection of a tragic fatal accident in Weymouth, where an owner was crushed to death by a Twister falling over. If memory serves, the boat was truly out of the water on the hard, not leaning against a wall/posts, but nonetheless it does suggest Twisters are inherently unstable when resting on their keels - not really surprising when you look at their side view, the forefoot is quite a long way aft, and the bow sections are full. Like all similar things eg the dog that never bites until it does, I think for me the take away for me is extreme caution, and take all possible measures to keep the boat upright (apart from the 5-10 degree lean in to the wall/posts) when drying out.
Hi
i have one picture of a nose diving twister. I promised the owner that I’d not publish it. He dried her out on a sloping seabed with the bow pointing to the sea and thus she was already bow down. Other way round and she’d have been find. No injuries. Only pride hurt.
the Weymouth incident was not a twister. The owner was anti fouling his boat. He moved the props so he could anti foul under them. The props were moved to the fresh new anti foul. This had not cured properly. It was not a good bearing surface.
Here's Tammie Norie dried out at Totnes.
As far as I remember, I ranged all her 60m of chain along the side deck and took a halyard ashore to tilt her over as she dried out. I expect the heavy BUKH engine helped prevent any tendency to fall forward.
The worst part was sleeping head down!
John Tetlow said
Here's Tammie Norie dried out at Totnes.
As far as I remember, I ranged all her 60m of chain along the side deck and took a halyard ashore to tilt her over as she dried out. I expect the heavy BUKH engine helped prevent any tendency to fall forward.
The worst part was sleeping head down!
John, is that a RNSA burgee?
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