Landing on the beach

IamSam · 23 July 2021, 18:28

I am fairly new to boating in the UK and have hired a rib for a couple of days in August before hopefully purchasing next year. I didn't ask this question during my PB2 and it didn't come up in conversation:

What are the rules for landing on a beach in the UK? Especially beaches that might have lifeguards and are busy?

I will be taking 5-7 people out for day trips (including children) and it would be nice to get my passengers onto the beach for a picnic without either a kayak or swim to shore from the anchorage

beamishken · 23 July 2021, 19:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by IamSam

I am fairly new to boating in the UK and have hired a rib for a couple of days in August before hopefully purchasing next year. I didn't ask this question during my PB2 and it didn't come up in conversation:

What are the rules for landing on a beach in the UK? Especially beaches that might have lifeguards and are busy?

I will be taking 5-7 people out for day trips (including children) and it would be nice to get my passengers onto the beach for a picnic without either a kayak or swim to shore from the anchorage

No specific rules on most beaches unless they have local swimming only areas.we regularly beach with the kids & if its a reasonably steep beach we can usually nose up and jump over the bow without getting wet feet just nose in half trimmed up.
If its a shallow beach then you have to get wet up to your knees.
Obviously try and avoid coming into a beach that is mobbed with swimmers & paddlers

IamSam · 23 July 2021, 20:03

Thanks for the reply! Does a beach with lifeguards and bathing flags make any difference? Do beach lifeguards have a regular VHF channel you can call them on to make sure you can come in safely?

beamishken · 23 July 2021, 20:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by IamSam

Thanks for the reply! Does a beach with lifeguards and bathing flags make any difference? Do beach lifeguards have a regular VHF channel you can call them on to make sure you can come in safely?

Personally I'd probably avoid a beach with lifeguards as its likely to be busy I'd probably try to land outside the flagged bathing area that the lifeguards cover as that tends to be where folk congregate. If I was heading to that type of beach I'd probably head to one end or the other in the hope of finding a quiet spot. Even just leaving the boat sat in the shallows of a busy beach can get your nerves jangling when kids are running & playing near the boat. If someone is playing or distracted & comes in contact with a tilted outboard the result wont be pretty & while not your fault you're going to feel responsible. The good thing with a boat is you can go places other folk cant get to so no need to stay where the crowds are

Maximus · 23 July 2021, 21:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by IamSam

Thanks for the reply! Does a beach with lifeguards and bathing flags make any difference? Do beach lifeguards have a regular VHF channel you can call them on to make sure you can come in safely?

Why would anyone even consider it?
It's only common sence (and maners!) to totally avoid any flagged (patroled area) and very potentially crowded area whith children... Lilo's ...Elderly paddlers.. ect when Beach landing your RIB SURLY !

There's plenty of coastline to choose a safe spot to land or beach where your pressense won't cause any problems for anyone afterall

If in doubt... don't land

TmMorris · 23 July 2021, 21:39

The joy of a boat is that you can reach beaches that cars cannot.

Rather than going somewhere there will be plenty of people in the water and at the edge it's probably more logical to use the boat to its real advantage and find a beach only used by boaters?

Limecc · 24 July 2021, 05:15

Two things come to mind.
Even if a beach privately owned, it's got public right of way to the high water mark.

We found while beached there are certain audacious people, mainly kids, who feel they have a right to go and fiddle with you boat.

paulbrown22 · 24 July 2021, 08:32

If it's a chartered boat as well, I'd be very careful if you are going to try and land on a beach to check the sea bed, so you don't smack the prop and/or skeg, damage the hull, etc., and incur additional fees. If the sea bed has a reasonable drop off angle it's much safer/easier than a very long shallow beach, which is what most of them around Poole Harbour are like...!

Maybe even get to waist depth trimmed up and have someone jump in and pull it the last bit? Obviously make sure you've checked what's happening with the tides as well if you don't want to come back and find it fully beached on the sand - on a reasonable sized RIB, despite what many people in Studland seem to think, you aren't just going to drag it along the sand and back into the water...

ShinyShoe · 24 July 2021, 09:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulbrown22

If it's a chartered boat as well

Oh good lord! Can a mod sticky this post! It needs to be instantly findable when the next "I bought a RIB and think I can rent it out to cover my costs post appears"!

Imagine owning a charter boat and knowing there are people who want to beach your pride and joy.

mickter · 24 July 2021, 09:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Oh good lord! Can a mod sticky this post! It needs to be instantly findable when the next "I bought a RIB and think I can rent it out to cover my costs post appears"!

Imagine owning a charter boat and knowing there are people who want to beach your pride and joy.

Isn`t that why people fit keel guards.

TmMorris · 24 July 2021, 12:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Oh good lord! Can a mod sticky this post! It needs to be instantly findable when the next "I bought a RIB and think I can rent it out to cover my costs post appears"!

Imagine owning a charter boat and knowing there are people who want to beach your pride and joy.

If it's being rented out then it's no one's pride and joy though. Just a consumable corporate asset to be maintained to a standard commensurate with average consumer expectations. You'd also be expecting your customers to want to take it to places like beaches so protect it accordingly etc.

Jon Tallis · 24 July 2021, 13:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by IamSam

Thanks for the reply! Does a beach with lifeguards and bathing flags make any difference? Do beach lifeguards have a regular VHF channel you can call them on to make sure you can come in safely?

Totally agree with all the other comments re avoiding crowded beaches... But to answer the above...
If you HAVE to approach a lifeguarded beach, call the lifeguards on CH16 (RNLI lifeguards do monitor 16) and agree a safe landing point with them. Don't approach within the bathing area flags.

IamSam · 24 July 2021, 13:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShinyShoe

Oh good lord! Can a mod sticky this post! It needs to be instantly findable when the next "I bought a RIB and think I can rent it out to cover my costs post appears"!

Imagine owning a charter boat and knowing there are people who want to beach your pride and joy.

Taking your RIB onto the beach to load and unload passengers is fairly standard, especially in Australia which is where most of my boating experience is. There was even a popular thread here a few weeks about how an owner could get his wife of a 'certain age' onto the sand with a little more dignity than throwing her legs over the side.

I would never speed up to a busy beach and expect to land between the flags, but didn't know what the protocol was with regard to keeping lifeguards happy.

IamSam · 24 July 2021, 13:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Tallis

Totally agree with all the other comments re avoiding crowded beaches... But to answer the above...
If you HAVE to approach a lifeguarded beach, call the lifeguards on CH16 (RNLI lifeguards do monitor 16) and agree a safe landing point with them. Don't approach within the bathing area flags.

This is exactly what I was looking for, thank you. I didn't need a VHF course in Australia and have mine booked for September in the UK, so didn't know the lifeguards were on ch16

IamSam · 24 July 2021, 13:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulbrown22

If it's a chartered boat as well, I'd be very careful if you are going to try and land on a beach to check the sea bed, so you don't smack the prop and/or skeg, damage the hull, etc., and incur additional fees. If the sea bed has a reasonable drop off angle it's much safer/easier than a very long shallow beach, which is what most of them around Poole Harbour are like...!

Maybe even get to waist depth trimmed up and have someone jump in and pull it the last bit? Obviously make sure you've checked what's happening with the tides as well if you don't want to come back and find it fully beached on the sand - on a reasonable sized RIB, despite what many people in Studland seem to think, you aren't just going to drag it along the sand and back into the water...

Absolutely, I'm not going to completely beach a 6.5 rib with 200 horses on the back, there is no way I could drag it back to the wet stuff. I asked the question as it would be useful to pick up one of my passengers on the beach near their house than them come to the marina. When stopping for lunch on the beach I want to drop passengers, picnic etc off nice and dry, go anchor up and either swim to shore or pay someone with a SUP a tenner to borrow it for 5 minutes!

scrambler · 24 July 2021, 14:20

You might find this thread on another forum useful:

https://forums.ybw.com/index.php?thr...-poole.567276/

fastasfox · 25 July 2021, 12:18

Just watch out for breakers....they can cause untold problems......underestimate them at your peril!
Have fun.

_monkey · 25 July 2021, 13:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by IamSam

I will be taking 5-7 people out for day trips (including children) and it would be nice to get my passengers onto the beach for a picnic without either a kayak or swim to shore from the anchorage

I've ordered the parts to make a running line for an anchor (not sure this is what it's called in the UK) to make beach parking easier:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63ShKwldmUg

or

a super easy to fold tender:

https://www.3dtender.com/FOLDABLE-TE...48-58-0-0.html

hyndlandguy · 26 July 2021, 08:47

We do this in Cornwall, and due to the tides, I anchor off. We carry a 12v air compressor and blow up a couple of SUP's on the boat and use them to get ashore etc. Found that much easier than trying to beach, and then the subsequent hassle of tides / surf.

ShinyShoe · 26 July 2021, 11:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by TmMorris

If it's being rented out then it's no one's pride and joy though. Just a consumable corporate asset to be maintained to a standard commensurate with average consumer expectations. You'd also be expecting your customers to want to take it to places like beaches so protect it accordingly etc.

Well plenty of people come on here to say I have bought or am thinking of buying a beautiful RIB but think I can recover some of my costs by hiring it out, and wanting to know if others have experience of doing this.

I guess you are making the point very well that as a consumer you are unlikely to treat that pride n joy with the same respect you might if it was your own... ...which was exactly my point...