How level, is level - on the hard?

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if I could get your thoughts on how level a sailboat should be while sitting on stands - mine has been on the hard for 1.5 years now and has about another year to go in terms of the refit. I put a level on the mast-step and the bubble was between the two center lines, but touching, perhaps even slightly breaking the right center line. So not perfect. Thoughts - am I over thinking it

Thanks,
Robert

 

It doesn't need to be level. The only thing to look for is that the cockpit drains.

 

Thanks Gonzo! I thought I might be over thinking it Have a great day and thanks again for your help.

 

It only depends if you are using the plumb/level for any work. If so, then it matters; otherwise no.

 

Thanks fallguy! I appriciate it - later in the refit I will be recoring 2 sections of the deck and now remember that I read the boat would need to plumb/level prior to starting that task. Glad that it is not required in terms of general storage and safety. Thanks!

 

Most production fiberglass boats I’ve worked on have some discrepancy in terms of transverse level, but few seem to suffer horribly from it.
As Gonzo mentioned, draining rainwater is very important, even at the cost of having the boat blocked up slightly askew.
Level on the hard may not equate to where the vessel sits on her waterlines either, which should be the final determining factor in terms of drainage.

 

This makes we wonder, if on some still calm day and the boat is loaded up and in the water, that I should mark the waterline on the outside and install RV levels set to zero on the inside. And check the clineometer in the cockpit for zero as well...

On my boat I levelled the side berths fore to aft and abeam on the trailer and then used a laser to project a new line for the v-berth to hull attachment. Previous owner had it mostly right but one corner was a solid 1" (2.5cm) out of level.

 

Well, for sleeping, I find head up is better than head low. So, I err on head high about 1" for head aft bunk.

Lotsa times; you can find a scum line on a hauled boat

 

Unfortunately the scum level is that with the boat moored and at rest. Add crew, essentials stowed for the trip and the level can be very different..

 

Post #2 covers the essential part. In reality,few boats float to their lines exactly. Mostly because owners tend to fill all the available space with "stuff" that just has to go along. Then they go online and get advice from forum experts about how big an anchor needs to be for their size of boat-then buy the next size up-just to be sure. Which does nothing for the trim. None of which matters for shore storage except for the need to be sure that long overhangs can benefit from support. I suspect several contributors to this thread have experience of levelling a hull and I'm pretty sure that those production boats alluded to in post #6 will have been craned out in an environment where getting boats out of the door fast was of greater importance than building them right. Quite possibly aided and abetted by a bonus scheme that rewarded the workforce for doing just that. Most people will buy those boats and be none the wiser. For storage purposes the usual principles are providing lots of support beneath the keel and making sure that other chocks and wedges bear on something other than unsupported panels.

 

I think this conversation indicates a fundamental problem with the question - what feature do you use as a datum to define level?

Static waterline - reasonable to measure but changes with loading
Existing interior joinery - not really relevant to the sailing characteristics of the boat
Chainplates - often used to set up rig square but may not correspond to hull
Keel centreline - impossible to measure afloat and often visibly wonky
Mast step - a small and arbitrary component

One thing I have learned is that you need the boat reasonably level in the water when you start to lift her in the slings, otherwise she will end up wonky in the cradle. Make sure the people manoeuvring the slings aren't all standing on one side of the boat.

 

Define level on a boat.
Moored loaded, unmanned
Moored unloaded, manned
Moored overloaded
Underway loaded
Underway unloaded
Under way and making way loaded and unloaded
It never ends...

There is no level on a boat.

For the purposes of this discussion I believe the scum line would be what the OP is looking to match as "level".
And to answer the question, no it's not critical to match it on the hard so long as your scuppers drain as Gonzo pointed out.
Unless you're doing work onboard and using level as a datum/reference.

 

The engine will have a
"do not operate beyond 15 degrees from level, for more than xyz seconds ( or minutes )"
type warning.

Within 10 degrees is fine.

Keeping it too far from level gets the fluids in the wrong places, and that can damage things.

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