Grounding Shoe

Once again I find I am way behind on updates to the website and blog.

Since the beginning of the Covid shutdown, outside contact has been strictly limited. As things have tentatively opened up we are wrapping up the last few projects. The biggest hurdle was to get a survey for insurance purposes. And since the surveyor is known to me through work, I asked for recommendations as well.

Other than a few regulatory oversights, which we are correcting, the main recommendation was the addition of a grounding shoe. A grounding shoe (sometimes called a keel shoe) is a metal “shoe” that attaches to the base of the keel and protects the keel from excessive wear and tear when the boat bottoms out. This is particularly important in rocky areas, something we do not have here. The other, and probably more important role of the grounding shoe, is that it extends under the prop and the rudder protecting those vulnerable (and expensive) items from damage during close encounters with the hard bottom in shallow water.

So I looked at some of the trawlers in the boatyard and set out to design a shoe. I’m not a welder, but was fortunate enough to have Glen Adams from JAARs Maritime mission to offer to help. Glen is a welder, and we were able to tack up the assembly this Saturday. He will complete the welding in his shop and we’ll mount it on the boat in a few weeks.

Stay Tuned.
And as always, thank you for keeping us in your prayers.
RV