HOW TO DRY OUT ALONGSIDE

Knowing how to dry out against piles or a wall can save time and money for working on the hull

- Rachael Sprot

Whenever I launch a boat for the start of the season, I say a solemn goodbye to its bottom. As soon as it's launched the underside becomes a foreign land, and one which will only be rediscovered at the end of the year. You hope that the anodes last and the critters don't over-colonise its neglected flanks. But there are times when you need access below the waterline mid-season: perhaps there's an odd vibration coming from the propeller shaft or you've had a grounding and need to inspect the damage. Or, even worse, just after you've launched you realise the new fridge anodes are still on the nav table.

This is exactly what happened to Jane Bradshaw and Soyoung Lee, owners of Jalan Jalan, an Island Packet 380. Would they bite the bullet and pay for another haul out during the season? 'She's got a long keel,' said Jane, and I'm not afraid to use it.'

Most yachts can stand on their keels if they're given enough lateral support to keep them upright and longitudinal support to prevent them from tipping nose down or nose up. A long-keeled boat is better suited to the process, and I chose my own boat, Nimrod, partly because her long keel would allow me to do so more easily. Fin keeled yachts can dry out too, though it needs to be done carefully. In a cradle, most of the weight is taken on the keel, with shores supporting the overhangs and beam.

When drying out though, the bow and stern are fully suspended, and lateral support tends to be one-sided against piles or a wall. Some boats, especially those with bulbed keels, are not designed to take much compression load through the keel and to do so could be disastrous. If in doubt, check with your surveyor or the manufacturer.