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I am assuming by the question that you will be launching from a trailer?. In which case launching the boat from a slipway would be best after high water. I am no expert but if you have any sort of problem with the towing vehicle surely it would be more comforting knowing the tide is going away from it rather than towards it.
I have recently bought my first boat which I have been restoring. It is nearly ready to go into the water now, and like yourself I will be launching from a slipway. That is the way I will be doing it.
Good luck
FLATTY
I have recently bought my first boat which I have been restoring. It is nearly ready to go into the water now, and like yourself I will be launching from a slipway. That is the way I will be doing it.
Good luck
FLATTY
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2,399 Posts
It depends where you're launching from.
Some slipways you can launch ok at any tide state, some, well, you can't, you have to launch at specific times, you need to find the info on the slipway you intend to use, if not, you could arrive to find there isn't enough water to get launched, or, you get launched with just enough water, only to find you're out for half an hour, get a problem, but there isn't enough water to recover the boat and have to sit out the remainder of the ebb and a load of the flood tide to get the boat back onto the trailer.
There isn't an answer to the best time to launch, it's all dependant on the slipway and what you plan to do, work this out for yourself the best you can, then suck it and see
I'm also pretty new to sea boating and learnt pretty quickly that you need to be very careful with your launching plans / times etc, on my second launch, if i had left it literally another 10 minutes before coming in, i would have missed the recovery window and would have had to wait about another 4 / 5 hours before i could get the boat recovered.
HTH
AL ..
G
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·Something I have to bear in mind at Rye Harbour where I have generally launched from is the speed of the tide in the harbour. The harbour has a 6 kt limit but the tide flow up the harbour channel can be as much as that. I always launch in an incoming tide so that I can steer the boat safely against this tide and then come in on an outgoing tide if possible for the same reason. Trying to keep below the speed limit while still having control over the boat would be impossible otherwise.
The other option is to launch and retrieve at high slack water. If you get any problems you still have a fair amount of time to sort them out if necessary.
Your best bet would be to ask people close to where you intend to launch for more accurate info as every slipway is different and has its own problems and benefits.
Go to your local slipway and watch and learn one day, it will be worth the time involved.
The other option is to launch and retrieve at high slack water. If you get any problems you still have a fair amount of time to sort them out if necessary.
Your best bet would be to ask people close to where you intend to launch for more accurate info as every slipway is different and has its own problems and benefits.
Go to your local slipway and watch and learn one day, it will be worth the time involved.
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The bottom (far end) of slipways often have drop steps, pot holes, sudden soft mud and other traps. Therefore it is best not to launch or recover after half way to low water. That is unless you know for certain that the slip is an all states of tide slip. Untill you gain experiance if you try and launch or recover on an ebb you will get problems. A you will be stressed because you will feel the water is running out as indeed it is. You could arrive and find several boats infront of you waiting to go in or out and by the time it is your turn the water has practically gone. You could get the trailer stuck in a pot hole or drop off by backing it up too far to get the boat in the ebbing water. You could run the boat up to the slip, nip off to get the trailer to recover and after getting back to the boat discover that it is high and dry 'cos the water has gone.
So to start with, launch or recover on a rising tide and you'll have plenty of time to get things done.
However the very best thing for you to do is go to a popular slipway on a weekend. Take a flask and sarnies and NO BOAT! Just sit and observe. It is an entertainment in it's self. You will see the experts: One or two guys that back down without snaking like an eel, un clip the boat, launch, recover the trailer and away in less than 5 min'. You will see the the quite balmy to the RYA 'expert' that has done all the book work but no practical, take half an hour to launch a 10 ft dinghy. All of them are an education for you. Do this first before you even get your boat to the sea.
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