Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

canuckjgc

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Aug 15, 2008
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154
Has anyone had success installing a stainless steel shoe on the forefoot of a fiberglass boat for beaching? Seems like a better option than the rubber type keel guards....any thoughts appreciated.
 

jaxnjil

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

i dont know.
i use a keel sheild and beach all the time on rocks and sand.
this works well for me and the keel sheild people are great to deal with+they have more colors available if thats what your into
not sure how you would mount SS with out drilling and bolting and then have to seal the holes.
 

ondarvr

Supreme Mariner
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Apr 6, 2005
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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

How much money do you plan to spend on a custom made SS item like that? Keel Guard type products work very well.
 

canuckjgc

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

I was worried about the rubber keel guards wearing out and having a nightmare removing the epoxy...but if they last a long time and work on pebble beaches (not just sand) then I'll consider it.

Yes, the stainless guard must be bolted in.
 

capt sam

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Jan 14, 2009
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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

you're not gonna wear a keel guard out.
 

tashasdaddy

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

beach properly, and then anchor off, and you don't even need a keel guard.
 

jaxnjil

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

the one on my boat was 20 years old and it is common use to beach nose in here. mine was getting beat up and i changed it more for looks than lack of function.+ i wanted a differnt color.

it wasnt that bad of a job to change. your right about cleaning the old off as being the hardest part.
 

Fu-Inator

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

I looked into a keel guard for my bowrider. When I read the installation instructions it said that I had to rough up the gel coat before applying the adhesive. To me that is a little counter initiative; I put the guard on the protect the boat but I have to scratch it up to put on the guard? lol.
 

jaxnjil

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

beach properly, and then anchor off, and you don't even need a keel guard.


i know you keep saying this and i have asked before and ask again.
how do you get to shore when the water temp is below 50* with out freezing your butt off?
i'm lucky to get with in 6' of the shore if i anchor bow out and thats with a steep shore.:eek:
 

canuckjgc

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

I agree -- water is too cold around here to get wet. Need to beach.
 

a70eliminator

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

I looked into a keel guard for my bowrider. When I read the installation instructions it said that I had to rough up the gel coat before applying the adhesive. To me that is a little counter initiative; I put the guard on the protect the boat but I have to scratch it up to put on the guard? lol.


All you do is scuff it a bit with a scotchbrite pad your just removing wax and dulling the surface, you could buff it right back out if you wanted.
 

QC

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

Yeah, I agree with TD . . . Buuuutttt where we boat it is just what you do. Water is not cold, it is just the common way people hang out where we go. You put her on the beach and leave her there while the kids play etc. I used to always anchor off. And I was always swimming to get stuff for the beach, toys, suntan stuff, more towels etc. etc. If there is sand, the boats around here are beached and tied off to a stake. Just the way it is . . .
 

seaman campbell

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Mar 16, 2008
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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

it is just the common way people hang out where we go. You put her on the beach and leave her there while the kids play etc. If there is sand, the boats around here are beached and tied off to a stake. Just the way it is . . .

I agree with TD and QC. Same thing in my neck of the woods. Everyone goes to one of two sandbars and beaches, then we all hang out together. The sand bar we usually beach on is a little rocky with river pebbles but we pull onto the sandbar slow and easy and generally I get off and pull the boat up a little further then stake it off. I have only seen a couple boats here with keel guards.

TC
 

jaxnjil

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

have you checked the water temp at mead in the last few days? 50* to 55* and about 5* colder at powell:eek:

li'm going down there any day now and any thing under 65* is dog-gone cold to me.:mad:
when you anchor bow in you are able to step off the boat and on to dry land.

my point is-and i'll ask again, how do you guys beach or anchor bow out with out getting in the water. and if your not getting on to the beach, whats the point of getting that close in the first place?
my boat draws 3' min under the transom and drive. with drive all the way up. allow for wave action ect and i'm in 4' deep + how ever far it is to wade to the shore.:confused:
do you guys carry wet suits?

so far no one has told me how to anchor bow out and get to the beach with out getting wet from over the hips down.:(

and any way how can you call it beaching if your boat never touches the beach? isnt the the way your talking about just anchoring close to the shore?:rolleyes:

if beaching is so wrong why are there so many keel sheild products for sale and why do i see so many people doing it? in many cases over and over?:D
 

erikgreen

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Jan 8, 2007
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3,105
Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

Well, what folks in my group do when the water temps are between 35 and 80 (basically anytime) is have one of the guys jump off the boat in his dry suit and walk to shore :)

I think the only way to stay dry is to find a dock, or toss your line to someone on shore, or beach the boat hard and step off on dry land.

Lake invader has some nice landing craft with bow ramps though... hard to get wet with one of those, plus you can drive your jeep off and go dune jumping :)
 

QC

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

if beaching is so wrong why are there so many keel sheild products for sale and why do i see so many people doing it? in many cases over and over?
It's not that it is so wrong, it is that if you can avoid it you don't have to:

1) Glue stuff to your hull

2) Hear that really cool crunchy sound when there are rocks and/or shells mixed in with your sand

3) Climb underneath to see all of the nice scuff marks on your hull

4) Post on iboats about what you're supposed to do about the spots where it has worn through the gelcoat

5) Post on iboats to find out how to get the glue muck off of your shirt

6) Post on iboats to find out how to get the glue muck off of gelcoat

7) Post on iboats on how to remove the whole thing because you put it in the wrong place

8) Post on iboats to find out if you can simply glue a new one where the old one was when it wears out

9) Post on iboats to ask why it's bad in the first place . . . :p :D
 

jaxnjil

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

Lake invader has some nice landing craft with bow ramps though... hard to get wet with one of those, plus you can drive your jeep off and go dune jumping :)[/QUOTE]



dosnt that require running bow first to the shore any way? and so beaching.
 

jaxnjil

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Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

i would give you a e for effort QC; in your response of 9 answers you did answer one question.

i can see this is going the way of power loading what kind of oil to use and all the other stuff that several peeps refuse to admit conditions could warrent two,or god forbid, more ways of doing things.



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Nandy

Commander
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Apr 10, 2004
Messages
2,145
Re: Stainless steel shoe on fiberglass forefoot for beaching?

Can I sugest someone start a post about the validity and opinions about beaching a boat? Is kida rude to take over someones elses thread...

Canuck, I think the stainles stell will last longer but if the install process is to bolt it in the hull, well, not sure how that work if you have a deck. Keelguard is a proven system and should do the trick.

Good luck...
 
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