Drying out a 36
Hello All,
I plan to dry out Seamróige (36/021) along side our our yacht club's drying posts shortly to give her a late season scrub, check all below the waterline and also measure her up for a yard trailer for hauling her out for winter storage.
Have any any 36 owners, past or present, experience of drying out alongside a quay wall or scrubbing posts? I am a little concerned with her keel's forward rake she might dry bow down excessively and would be grateful if anyone could share their knowledge if there are any techniques in particular I should use aside from tying her off fore and aft, using springs amidships and a with halyard tied off or weight on her drying side to ensure she drys successfully without this happening. The drying surface the keel will rest on is level concrete, designed for this purpose, however I'm always a bit nervous about drying alongside.

Many thanks in advance,

Brian.

Brian,
for us, Mediterranean guys, where the amplitude of the tides seldom exceeds a few decimetres, what you are talking about is a source of almost incredulous wonder like an alien world!
Beside this useless amenity I have a couple of maybe-more-serious thoughts:
1) just looking at the lateral design of the 36 present in this site, I have no doubt that the vertical of the centre of mass of the boat falls well within the foot of the keel. The engine itself is right there. Unless you have an unusual amount of chain forward I would not worry.
2) as both the designer and the yard are, or were, in parts of the World where tides are important, I am sure that they already took seriously into account the operation you are considering. Another reason for not worrying. This is to state that if, for example, we were discussing of a boat built in Italy I would be certainly very worried!
3) I found an articulated discussion on drying out on the forum of PBO. You will notice that indeed most of boat owners are quite worried the first time... but, hopefully, uselessly! You may consider browsing it.

I and other friends of this forum are surely very interested in looking at pictures of the operation. It would be fun if you could share them.

Daniel, 411/004

Thanks Daniel for your reassurance. But I won't visit the thread from the PBO forums for fear of fueling impending nightmares and waking up in cold sweats before the operation.
I have indeed planned to remove all weight from both ends of the boat beforehand.
I guess it's just the worry of drying out for the first time and not knowing exactly what to expect.
Plan is to dry her out next week if our inclement weather allows for a quiet 24hr period.
I will post some photos of the operation, and I just hope and pray they're not of a disaster!

Best Regards,

Brian.

Dear Brian and Daniel The Swan 36 hydrostatics suggest that the center of gravity is approx 4.3 m aft of the waterline forward end. This is right where the keel sole begins to rise forward, and indicates a close call in reference to the fore and aft balance when drying out. If the bottom would be soft the keel probably partly sinks in, and causes the bow to drop. This moves the c of g forward, which will drop the bow more... Fortunately you have a concrete bottom
The mooring lines you mention need to be kept tight while the keel takes the ground, and looked after during the critical moments so they are not overloaded, and keep the boat parallel to the dock. Pls note that winches are not made for taking upward loads.
The recommendation would be to also put some additional load in the stern, so much that the bow is lifted say 4 inches. This moves the c of g aft, and keeps the bow up.

I would also like to point out that the Baltic Sea in practice is without tides, and at the yard the effect is in the order of an inch or so. High and low pressures and winds affect the water level much more
Best regards
Lars

Well, I admit I made several wrong guesses! Sorry, my fault!
Indeed I just checked the original "Lines plan" of the 411 and realized that the vertical projection of the C.G. (which is clearly marked in the drawing) is also very close to the forward end of the keel foot. A non reassuring position for drying out.
Maybe, as Lars suggests, it would be wise to move the chain, the anchor, the winch handles, the boxes of spare screws, etc, all aft...

Daniel, 411/004

Thank you Lars,
This info is most helpful. I'd expected her to dry a little bow-down due to the shape of the front end of her keel.
Also knowing now that this is the exact point where her C of G is will enable me to plan to take particular care with her lines as she settles and also add some weight to her stern beforehand to move the C of g a bit further aft.

Best regards,

Brian.