Buy an old boat trailer and put tall side guides on it. Then you could tie
off the boat and as the water fell, the boat would land on the bunks and be
just like trailered. You may have to add more plates on the bottom to
prevent the trailer from sinking in to the ooze.

"uncle k" wrote in message
link.net...
We live near the mouth of a river, on a sal****er bay. When the tide is
in,
the average depth is about 13' and comes right up to the bulkhead. At a
0'
or minus tide, the mudflats are exposed. On our side, the flats go out
about 1/2 mile, then there is a sudden drop off to 35 fathoms. Needless
to
say, this presents a challenge, trying to time it right when we come and
go
in a boat.

That challenge aside, the next hurdle is where and how to moor the boat.
Much of our tidelands are covered with oysters, which can do serious
damage
to the hull. I have a fixed mooring buoy, where the boat can rest on a
harmless, muddy area, at low tide. But, even that doesn't always do the
trick, depending on the pattern of tides for the different seasons...
i.e.
summer and winter tides are extreme - spring and fall tides are more
mundane.

My idea is to build a boat-shoe. Something I can drive the boat into,
then
move it in or out to suit the tides, so we aren't left high and dry. The
other benefit is that it would include a sling, keeping the boat off the
bottom, regardless of the tide. Generally, it would look like a simple
boat
slip, using pressure-treated lumber and styrofoam logs. I'm thinking
maybe
a few lengths of firehose would work for a sling that the hull could rest
on, when the tide is out.

So far, this is just an idea. I'm curious as to whether anyone has
actually
used such a contraption and has any info to share. Or, maybe someone has
a
better idea. I'm all ears. Thanks in advance for any constructive
thoughts.

Unc

PS Not that it matters (as far as concept goes), but I will be using
this
for a 14' glass runabout and a 16' wood cuddy cabin, both with outboards.