I prefer to anchor out when we are camp-cruising, but with Alaska’s 20′ tide range that isn't always an option in some of the shallower coves. Boats with flat bottoms wide enough to keep them upright will ground comfortably on a falling tide, but our Caledonia yawl, with its narrow keel, will come to rest heeled over. This is where beaching legs, also known as sheer legs, come in handy. This decidedly low-tech gear is just the thing to keep your boat upright on the beach, allowing the continued use of your boat as a base camp between tides.
Without her beaching legs, this Caledonia yawl would be resting on her planking and heeled at about 10°, the angle of her deadrise. With the legs she's level, supported by her keel and gunwales and fit for habitation.
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I made a set of legs for my Sam Devlin Eider, a 16′ sprits’l cutter with a keel that draws 2′. They worked great. When the boat was beached the deck was at waist height and I could easily climb aboard.