docking

Scott0 · Outlaw Joined: 29 Sep 2003 Posts: 160

i was thinking about docking my boat at a dock. It will just be sitting in the water all the time when im not using it, is that safe?

onthewater · Posted: Nov 09, 2003 6:54 pm Post subject: Re: docking

it is only as safe as you make it. Tie it up safely, use bumpers and other dock protection. Depending on your area...lock it up and lock it as many times as you can. Don't leave anything valuable on the boat. Get a good cover, if your cover lets water through make sure you have a good bilge pump and it works. Docking can be alot less trouble than trailering.

Don't know what your circumstances are though.

llenta · Addict Joined: 22 Jul 2003 Posts: 788 City: Davis

How long will your boat be docked for? unless it is a private dock where the public can't get access to it, i wouldn't do it on a regular basis. then again, you may live in a safe neighborhood where tower accesories are less then prime targets.
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Cobalt240Premier140 · Criminal Joined: 09 Nov 2003 Posts: 80 City: Westfield,IN

The only thing I would worry about is the excessive build up of alge and stuff like that. I don't know about the lake you will be keeping it at but if your a clean freak like me you won't like that. I know at the lake by my house if you let your boat or jet ski sit for even just a week without taking it out and running it and cleaning off the bottom it will start to build up and just make it twice as hard to clean at the end of the season. You can get it off no problem with a good acid wash if your willing to do the extra cleaning. Also like Onthewater said use plenty of bumpers and tie it up good if it's close to the loading ramps and stuff like that you'll get a lot of wash and rough water from everyone going in and out and water will break there from the rest of the lake. Other then that you should be OK.

Hollywood · Posted: Nov 09, 2003 7:24 pm Post subject:

We could really use some more information to properly assess your situation.

BIGMAC · Posted: Nov 09, 2003 8:14 pm Post subject:

Won't it blister your boat leaving it the water?

Partyb · Posted: Nov 09, 2003 9:15 pm Post subject:

I know we all love out boats, but an inboard tow boat is still a darn boat. They can be kept in the water just like any of the other gabillion boats that are kept in the water all season. Believe it or not they can even go in, dare I say, salt water. Seriously though. I kept mine in salt water for two seasons at a dock, just paint the bottom and flush. I keep it at dock in fresh water now year round. Just need to powerwash sides/bottom once in awhile.

Grace B. · Posted: Nov 09, 2003 9:31 pm Post subject:

We keep our boat in the water for 3-4 months out of the year, they are boats and they are made to be in the water! Just make sure when its at the dock to use bumpers (on the dock and your boat) and tie it up good. When we take ours out at the end of the summer, we just make sure to scrub all the algae off and then we wax it.

Doug · Posted: Nov 10, 2003 12:53 am Post subject:

OSMOSIS...OSMOSIS...OSMOSIS. The problem with leaving your boat in the water all season is the chances of blistering. There is no guarantee that it won't. If you call your dealer, they typicaly will tell you that it shouldn't be left in the water for more than a couple of weeks. The repair for something like that is in the ball park of $3000 ! They have to sand the gelcoat down to glass, fill in where the blisters are and re-gelcoat. Typically it is the whole hull under the water line.

prestige · Outlaw Joined: 20 Jul 2003 Posts: 133 City: Kelowna

Periodically take the boat out of the water and scrub it down (as often as you can tolerate - weekly?). Vinegar solution helps a lot. Paint the hull below the waterline with a good grade marine antifouling paint. (not the engine or drive).

Remove any valuables. Lock it with a chain and lock. A boat cover helps deter theft.

Use a boat cover and install and/or test your auto-bilge pump to help prevent it from filling with water.

Make sure it is well bumpered and tied so that mother nature won't beat it up.

Make sure you have insurance and that they don't have a problem with you leaving it in the water.

BIGMAC · Posted: Nov 10, 2003 10:01 am Post subject:

Why not get a lift? Why would you want to put your boat through that anyway? Sorry but just curious.

Partyb · Posted: Nov 10, 2003 11:28 am Post subject:

A lift is the key. But if you are keeping at a dock, or marina, they won't have that. I am not sure if that is what freemotion is talking about. If it is your own dock, a lift would be great. But right now I do not have the money for one, plus installation.

Hollywood · Posted: Nov 10, 2003 11:31 am Post subject:

Partyb is right. Don't be such a p*ssy about your boat. If you don't want it to get dirty leave it on the trailer in the driveway! Protect it as much as you can with a cover/bumpers and lock it up. Don't worry about all that "osmosis" either, boats are made to sit in the water!

True, most marinas don't allow lifts. They are very convenient, but certainly aren't necessary.

Grace B. · Posted: Nov 10, 2003 11:40 am Post subject:

Before we owned the Nauti, my dad had an American Skier and that boat was left in the water for 3-4 months a year for about 13 years. It never blistered anywhere and the gelcoat was fine. They are boats people and they are made to be in the water!

ellalenell · Posted: Nov 10, 2003 3:09 pm Post subject:

My buddies MC 190 has been left in the water practically year round for about 5 years (at times for a couple months it is in the garage) Just this year we noticed some blistering on the hull. It's a 94 though so... Like everyone else said, make sure its safe and buy a good strong cleaning agent for the build-up

projectely4 · Posted: Nov 10, 2003 3:55 pm Post subject:

these are boats we are talking about. they were made for the water. you only need to take it out every 4-6 months and it won't blister. there is no need to take it out every week unless you want to keep the hull spotless. i keep my boat in the water for 5 months approximately. then for the other 7 months our dealer comes and takes it and winterizes it. during the 5 months we don't take it out of the water once and our boat is fine.

Scott0 · Outlaw Joined: 29 Sep 2003 Posts: 160

im docking it at a dock because my car doesnt have to power to pull it. I get a friend with a truck to put it in during spring and take it out during fall. It is a rental dock with other boats, and i will get those bumpers and stuff, thanks for the info. but what are blisters

tryan · Soul Rider Joined: 06 Feb 2003 Posts: 257

dealing with a '78 boat it is totaly up to you. any of my boats would sink after a week or so. a covered 72 baked out in the sun for one summer. it ruined the gel coat.

you can leave it tied up, but things happen. a buddys boat sank because a bandana got stuck in the float switch for the bilge pump. the battery went dead and she went down and took the dock with it.

we get some wild storms in east tn, get some insurance that will replace your boat if something happens. are you on norris, telico or ft nasty?

for what is charged for docking these days, you could buy a truck with enough power to make it up the ramp and a summer of fees.

belmont · Criminal Joined: 29 Aug 2003 Posts: 75 City: Virginia

gelcoat is a porous material,blisters are caused by water penetrating through the gel coat into the fiberglass. when the water gets trapped in the fiberglass it causes a pimple like blister. just because you cant see the blister doesnt mean that it is not there, Are you in fresh or salt water?

Scott0 · Outlaw Joined: 29 Sep 2003 Posts: 160

fresh

wesgardner · Posted: Nov 17, 2003 5:42 pm Post subject:

Hey freemo,

Larger boats kept in the water all the time generally have a barrier coat of epoxy applied to the bottom, then they are bottom painted. For a new boat you can check the warranty on blistering - used to be boats didn't blister then in the 70's things changed...I recall some sailboats made by a French company and sold as Beneteau would blister so bad by the time you dug out the wet goo you were all the way thru the hull - there's a horror story for you...my expereince has been mostly in saltwater so I'm not real sure what the history has been been in fresh - some folks say it was saltwater reacting with the styrene in the polyester resin, so they switched to vinylester - gets way too technical for me but for most of us - go for it...

Wes