keeping boat in water

[royal1]

the local marina finally called after 3 years saying they have a spot open..1900 dollars for the season..huge increase! would you guys leave your boat in the water for the season?

[cadunkle]

Plan on pulling it once a month or so for a good cleaning. Maybe once or twice a season if your water is very clean and you don't get much marine growth. Make sure you have a good cover that keeps water out, and a reliable (if not redundant) battery/bilge/float switch setup if it'll be unattended for longer periods.

Personally I'd love to keep mine in the water. I'd imagine it would get a lot more use since I don't have an hour or two on the head and tail end of hooking up to the truck, getting everything together and loaded for a day on the water, towing, ramp fees, etc.

[jsandy]

keep in water as in floating? or in a lift? there is no way in hell i would keep mine in the water all year long. no no no no.

[royal1]

no it would be floating. its all black boat so little worried about what it will look like in the end, however it would save a ton of time and get alot more use

[michael hunter]

I agree with Jsandy bad mistake . Not only will it get the bottom trashed but the sun and rain will finish the rest of it . People ask me how I keep my 22 year old Sunsport looking so good. I always reply its easy the only time it sees the light of day is when I'm in it.

[cadunkle]

My thoughts on the matter is it's just a boat, it was made to be used and designed to be in the water. Use a good cover that keeps it dry and should be no problems. I never understood why people get paranoid about it.

At our lake house we keep a boat in the water there (just a '92 I/O) but it's in the water 5 months out of the year on a mooring and has been since new. No blisters in the gel or other issues from it. Everyone else on the lake keeps theirs floating all season too. Don't think I've ever seen anyone who has a lift.

When I bring mine up though, I'll pull it every couple days to get gas. I can't justify spending $50 more just to get gas on the water when I can see the boat ramp from our dock and the gas station is about a mile down the road. I'm used to trailering so to use the boat every day and only trailer every few days is fine. If I find a good deal on gas cans I might buy a bunch this year and see how much aggravation schlepping 8 or 9 gas cans around is compared to trailering.

[Diggs]

Really depends on you. If you are a meticulous person it will drive you crazy. If you are not that meticulous and just value the extra time and ease of being on the water, then do it. With a black boat you are going to need to put some serious love into it when you do pull it out to get it back to normal....
I could never do it cause I like to take really good care of it and I just would not sleep at night with it not sitting in my garage. That is just me and not the norm..... To top it all off that is alot of corn to spend to store the boat..... I bet you could give $1900 to your best unemployed riding buddy and make sure he has the boat at the ramp when you get there and clean when he pulls it out. He would probably be stoked!

[jsandy]

i dig Diggs idea. (ha! puns are fun and i'm board at work) but i'm just one of those crazy anal people that has to know exactly how my things are, even if it is "just a boat" and the fact that i did'nt know if someone else was on it or if a tie broke loose and the boat is grinding up against the dock. i just would'nt be able to sleep well at night either. and btw "just a boat" is a exspensive just

[Fman]

I agree with Diggs, if you are not meticuluos about your boat probably wont be a problem. Would definitely get a very good cover, and pulling the boat on a monthly basis seems like a great idea to detail and inspect. The convenience would be great. But what about having to lug your boards and gear in and out every time you leave the boat? tower speakers? stereo equip? does the dock have security?

They are just "boats" but they are very expensive, hand made watercrafts. I always look at the future when you sell the boat, much better resale with a meticuluos maintained boat.

Personally, I would never be able to do this, because I am way to metuculous about my boat. I really like having it in the garage, out of the elements. First thing my dealer said when I traded in my '08 was, wow, this boat looks brand new, and it had 231 hours on it.

[michael hunter]

''Just a boat'' Maybe your 92 IO is just a boat. As for me its never been just a boat more of a passion or maybe an obsession. I can just imagine what that 92 looks like after years of sitting in the weather in the water. Ill bet it doesn't look like this.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn127/suprahunter/supranauti024.jpg

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn127/suprahunter/SkiDogHHRSupraPicture008.jpg

[cadunkle]

The '92 I/O isn't my boat. Mine is an '89 Saltare. I wouldn't sweat leaving the Saltare in the water for long periods. It sits outside as I don't have the money for inside storage and it's too big for my garage. Eventually I may try to do build something to keep it more protected from the elements but such is life. Considering I don't have the money for inside storage, you can imagine that owning a boat is a huge expense for me. But at the end of the day it's still just a boat.

It's the memories I make while I'm on the water with friends and family that matter, not obsessing over every detail of my boat. When I trailer to the river there's a lot of work involved... On top of 6-10 hours on the water of mostly riding. There's a few hours of work on the head and tail end to get the boat ready and put it away. I think we all know what's involved and how tedious and time consuming it is. When I go out usually I'm up at 5:00 so everything is ready to go when my friends arrive or to meet at the ramp and ride shortly after sunrise, by the time I'm home and everything is clean and put away it's dark.

It's a lot of work owning a boat if you want it to stay nice. These are the things all the friends who ride don't see or understand, then they moan when you ask for $20 for gas, which doesn't even cover the amount you burned while dragging them around while they rode on your boards wearing your vests... much less cover wear and tear, gas in your truck to get to the water, etc.

At the end of the day it's still just a boat. I may well have mine until I bite the dust. Being fairly young that means in 5-10-20-?? years I'll being doing stringers and floors, and all new upholstery, and engine/trans rebuild, and ... You get the idea. So be it. There's wood in my boat and I know eventually it'll rot. Such is life. Things wear out, and can be rebuilt and restored.

My boat may not be perfect but I think it's in nice condition. I don't sweat leaving it on the water for a few weeks during the summer. I just spent a small fortune (to me anyway) to get a few seats reupholstered and to have s snap cover made. As much as it pains me to have snaps I want it to be easy to keep it protected for those 2-3 weeks a year it stays in the water. At the end of the day I don't obsess over my boat, I obsess over the next time I can get out on the water and ride with my friends, even if the water's under 50* and the air is chilly.

In any event...

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/cadunkle/Supra%20Saltare/IMG00028-20100910-1521.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/cadunkle/Supra%20Saltare/P1020520.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/cadunkle/Supra%20Saltare/P8151402.jpg

[cadunkle]

For reference since you were wondering... This is the I/O that spends at least 5 months of the year in the water since it was new. Just a thorough cleaning on the bottom once a year when it's pulled out. It's not in the greatest condition, but that's mostly since it's sort of the family bicycle... Everyone uses it when they stay at the lake house, except me since i have my own boat.

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/cadunkle/Misc/P1000553.jpg

http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o234/cadunkle/Misc/P1010606.jpg

[sybrmike]

Close to wrapping up bringing back what's left of the black on my 89 Saltare after many years of obvious neglect. The dark colors really take a beating if left outside.

After all this work trying to restore the color, no way would I leave a black boat out in the elements. Heck, I may not ever take it out of the garage again. JK.

[jet]

NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enough said!

[viking]

pardon the pun but "whatever floats ur boat" :mrgreen:
Some guys like fat chicks, I don't. To each their own!!

[jsandy]

agree completely do whatever you want but when you think of whats best for your boat in the end i would never do it.

[michael hunter]

Cad
You make a good point about making memories. A lot of the work and cost of maintaining a boat can be avoided . You must understand sun and water are not your friend. keeping the boat dry, shaded, waxed and 303ed are the best way to keep it up. I understand about being short on money but what you dont spend on upkeep will bite you in the end. My Sunsport is 22 years new and still has the original floor,stringers and interior there are no signs of problems except the foam in the lower back seat is starting to flatten out from age.
I guess what I'm saying is its easier to maintain than rebuild and cheaper too. To me spending a rainy day detailing my boats is more like therapy than work. At the end of the day I'm glad to see you out boating in whatever boat you have we are all making memories.

[royal1]

an update..i went and checked out the marina the spots are 20 feet across and they are fitting 2 boats in there...i have decided id rather be the first one to scratch my new 21v then the guy trying to fit in his 83 bayliner beside me

[docdrs]

slimy grimy if your leaving your boat in the water , search it on you tube, works just like on the video

[dshaff24]

I dunno how I really feel on this.. Ive got a boat slip and always kept my boat on it until I rebuild my supra.. Last year I left IT on the dock for a month... and even then I was always thinking about it..

My main reasons for not docking is... the electrods in the water eat the aluminum parts.. example would be the wake plate.. or swim deck plateform..

Water lines wash right off with slimy grimy so that was never a big deal..

Definitly get a good cover and water proof it with scotchguard for peace of mind

[doofus]

No way I would leave my boat sitting in the water unattended for any lengthy period of time.

Like some others on this site, I am meticulous (or anal) when it comes to cleaning and storing the boat at the end of a day's riding, and there is no way I could attain that level of cleanliness if the boat is continually left ouside exposed to the elements.

I have sold every boat I have ever owned for more than I originally paid for them simply because of the fact that I keep them so clean and well maintained. I sold my last boat (before I bought my current Supra 22SSV) over the internet sight unseen to a guy on the other side of Australia to where I live. I sent him heaps of pics of the boat before he committed to purchase, and the final sale price was $2000 more than I had paid for the boat 5 years ago. He said he had never seen a boat so well cared for for its age.

So if you dont care about maximising the return on your boat when you eventually sell it, by all means, leave it moored if it makes it easier for you to use it, but I would say that the condition of the boat will deteriorate over time when compared to if it was stored at home under cover.

[KG's Supra24]

I would be concerned about the boat beating up against the dock as much as i would the color fade.

In my case, I would have to become much more disciplined about cleaning it out at the end of the weekend if i left it in the water. I have a storage close to the lake but i often bring the boat home to do a full blown cleaning every other weekend or so.

[rideevol]

Any boat left in the water may experience metal pitting. The stray electrical current causes damage. You need to consider a way to give the galvanic action a non-destructive path. Salt water needs Zinc anodes, fresh water needs aluminum anodes. Your ride plate is aluminum and will develop pits from constant water contact. Check with any marina for stories on all the other parts that erode in the engine, etc.:(