Not getting stuck in the mud

Boats can either be left moored in the water or hoisted out onto land. However, there are occasions when a boat needs to be swiftly launched into the water and then recovered again. If the need, whether civilian or military is urgent, it is to be expected that conditions are quite likely to be very unfavourable. Either the weather will be stormy and the water rough, or the tide will be out. This can be a major problem around parts of the United Kingdom where the sea may be a mile or more away from the land at low tide. The traditional way of quickly getting a boat in or out of the water is to use a slipway, with a winch to pull the boat back up when it is recovered. These typically cost millions of pounds each, and do nothing to cope with a mile of mud banks. Small yacht and motor boat owners launch from and recover using a trailer, pushed down a ramp while attached to a motor vehicle, usually a 4x4. Users can sooner or later expect to have problems when they get stuck in the mud below the ramp doing a launch or recovery when the tide is out. They will then soon realise that the sea and motor vehicles are not at all compatible, and if they manage to recover the vehicle at all, will find that it has suffered much damage. The Challenge The answer for those who really need to do this in difficult circumstances is to use not only a sea compatible trailer, but also a sea compatible tractor. A conventional tractor for land use will not do. Water will get into the electrics or into the air intake and it will at once cease to function. There are many problems to overcome. How does one deal with air cooling of the radiator? Should the driver be in a cab, which may cause the tractor to float away in a rising tide until the cab fills, or should he be in the open and exposed to the elements? Should it have tracks or wheels? Tracks spread the load but it is hard to waterproof all the component parts. And what happens if it gets stuck in the mud with the tide coming in? Do you accepts its loss, or do you make it amphibious? In that case, is it cost effective to make the boat amphibious instead? You could, but amphibious craft are not usually compatible with the worst kinds of weather. There are no simple answers, but the design that we describe in our June edition fulfils all goals and meets all requirements without wasting money. It is the fruition of much experience and a long period of development. It is also, you will have to agree, quintessentially British in its design philosophy, as is its application. See if you can come up with anything better.