over night in h2o

[trevor.walker]

Hey any advice on what to do when you keep your boat (89 conbrio classic) in the water anchored at shore over night. Yes this is my first boat and i am a total rookie. thank you.

[DKJBama92Mariah]

Welcome to the board and to the water.

If you are tying off to a dock, make sure you have plenty of fenders between the boat and the dock. I would use 3. When you tie off, you don't want the lines too loose or too tight. You dont want the lines so tight that theyvkeep the boat from moving up and down with the waves, but you also dont want them so loose that the boat can get a running start and slam against the dock,

You have another option if you can find the right spot. You can put the boat at an angle between the shore and the dock tying the bow off to the dock and the stern to a tree on shore; just make sure its a sturdy tree.

If there isnt a dock, you can only get away with tying both ends to shore if the water is deep enough and you are up in a cove where there is a minimal possibility of waves crashing the boat into the shore.

If neither of these will work, then you'll have to anchor a little ways from the shore. I'd say at least 20-30 feet just in case your anchor slips. Make sure you get the right type of anchor for the type of bottom the lake has. i.e., rock, gravel, mud weeds. A local boat dealership should be able to help you with this. You'll want to set two anchors: one off the bow and one off the stern. When you do this, point the bow of the boat into the wind. Also, spade-type anchors have to be set into the bottom; you cant just chunk it out there and expect it to hold. Set the bow anchor first. The amount of line you let out should be 2-3 times the depth of the water. Once, bow anchor is out, SLOWLY back the boat to set the anchor into the bottom. Have a helper hold onto the line, and they'll feel it when it catches. For the stern anchor, the easiest thing will probably be to just get in the water and set the anchor by hand, then just tie the line off to the stern with it pretty snug. Instead of the stern anchor, you could also just tie the stern off to a tree. If you do use a stern anchor, i would still run a line from the boat to a tree on shore just in case. It doesnt have to be tight, it just to keep your new boat from taking a little trip of its own if the anchor breaks loose in the middle of the night.

That ought just about cover rigging. You might also consider upgrading to an automatic bilge pump. I left mine running overnight once and it BARELY cranked the next day.

I'd take anything valuable that you care about onto shore with you. Also, don't leave the keys in the boat.

Good luck and holla back it you have any more questions.

I dont know if i could leave mine overnight somewhere. I'd be so worried that i wouldnt be able to sleep. But dont let that dissuade you, enjoy your boat. If shit happens, thats why you have insurance.

Cheers,
DKJ

[trevor.walker]

thank you so much for the info. i really appreciate it. now i have a good peice of mind.

[riveredge]

I leave mine in the water all summer, it definitely means more wear and tear, cleaning, etc... I agree with all the above and all I'd say is definitely put in a float switch for the bilge if you do it very often - piece of mind and it only comes on if you get water above the level of the switch - I'd leave mine alone for a month without worries, other than not getting to use the boat!
If you have a cover, definitely put it on! Nothing good can come of condensation or anything else that might get in there...

Good luck and have fun!