How to Free a Boat Stuck in Mud

Whether you've nosed up on the bank to let traffic thin or a squall blow over only to realize that a falling tide will leave the bow--the front--of your boat high and dry, or if down-flow has silted in a formerly "good" passage along the banks of a river, getting stuck in the mud is just part of boating. You can break the suction between your boat hull and the muddy bottom with a simple maneuver, or you can wait out the tide. Sometimes, you might have to try both.

Things You'll Need

• Day shapes
• Red lights

Instructions

1. Turn your wheel hard to the right and engage your engine in forward, at low speed, until the back, or stern, of your boat starts to move to the left, pivoting on the front of the boat.

2. Take the engine out of gear and turn your wheel hard to the left. Engage your engine in forward, at low speed, until the stern of your boat moves to the right and comes to a stop.

3. Center the wheel and apply full power astern. Swinging the stern from side to side breaks the vacuum in the mud under the keel, allowing the boat to break free.

4. If this maneuver fails, wait for the tide to rise. The rising tide will float the boat off of the mud bank.

Tips & Warnings

• Shift movable cargo and people to the stern to help break the mud's grip on the hull.

• If your vessel gets stuck in the mud in the middle or along the side of a waterway, remember to fly the appropriate day shape (two black balls, one above the other, on your mast) or the appropriate lights at night: two red lights, one above the other on the mast.

• Do not overload the stern of the vessel when shifting cargo.

Resources

• Modern Seamanship