Want to keep the boat in a marina for summer.

[Lil Rascal]

Hi Brats,

I have been thinking that this summer I would like to keep the boat in a marina for 3 months to make it easier to use. This would be in salt water. I have a few questions and would also like any recommendations that you could give me. I do not want to bottom paint, so what are my options? Do I take it out every 2 weeks and wash down. Is it better to hire someone to clean the bottom? How about shore power? Do I leave it plugged in all the time? Engines in the water or out? Do I need to flush the engines after use like I always do when I trailer it? Etc... Any ideas you can give me or advice would be great.
Thanks,

Scott on Lil Rascal

[starcrafttom]

I dont want to pay taxes either but good luck with that. If you are going to have it in salt you need to paint or waste a lot of time cleaning the hull every week.

If you can flush the engines at the dock then tilt them up and out when you leave the boat. Good time to check and replace your zincs on the motor and bracket ( mount)

If you have a charger then leave the shore power plugged in. If not I dont me a reason to unless you are going to run a heater or dryer. do you have a fridge?

[JamesTXSD]

Hi Scott,

This topic comes up regularly, especially as we get closer to the time that folks in the northern climes start thinking about boating again. The main reasons for keeping a (trailerable) boat in a slip is the convenience of "hop on, untie, and head out," and the social aspects of marina life. Foregoing bottom paint negates a lot of that convenience, assuming you will pull the boat out every couple of weeks. That said, if you are set against bottom paint, you can sure do it the way you are considering, either pull out or pay someone to dive/scrape. You may wind up with a scuffed up bottom, though.

Even if you do bottom paint, a boat in the water still needs some bottom attention... it's just that the bottom paint makes that job WAY easier and the need for it less often.

We have bottom painted all of our boats; do it right and there doesn't have to be a downside; some folks think that bottom paint affects hull performance, but it doesn't have to be that way. On a trimaran that we raced, we had the bottom paint sprayed on - the finish was smooth as a baby's bottom. A roller works fine for our C-Dory.

We don't leave our motor in the salt water unless we are running it - so, motor up for us when in a slip. The "plug in or not" is dependent on whether you have anything that uses power, like an on-board battery charger and/or fridge. Our boat has both, so we keep it plugged in when at our dock.

The best thing for an in-the-water boat is regular use. Rinse it down after each use, if that's allowed. We kept one boat in a marina that didn't have water or power; I used a bug sprayer with water to keep the boat clean. If the docks have public access, you'll want to keep window covers on (we do that even at our dock at the house). Make sure you know how to tie a cleat knot and see if your neighbors know how, too. One time a previous boat of ours was damaged in a storm... because several boats got loose and smacked into ours!

All that said, we like our trailer for hauling the boat to great cruising areas, but once we're where we want to be, a boat belongs in the water. Enjoy your summer and keep us posted on your "marina life."

Best wishes,
Jim B.

[thataway]

Warning! If you are going to keep the boat in the water for 3 months, I strongly advise you to put an epoxy barrier coat on first, and then bottom paint. The reason is not only that you need to have the bottom cleaned every several weeks--and there will be growth in S. Calif. The more important reason is to prevent blistering. There are several types of blistering--but one we have seen in the C Dory line is just under the gel coat--and is a bit different than the blistering that you may see with osmosis.

I know of at least 5 boats which have had that type of blistering. The cost to repair that is far more than the cost of epoxy barrier coat to begin with. It will not be covered by any warrantee.

Yes, there are many boats without epoxy which have not had blistering. BUT you do not know if your boat will develop it or not.

The motor needs to be flushed after each use.

The lower unit must be out of the water. If you cannot raise it fully, then the skeg or part in the water needs to have a special bottom paint made for aluminum.

I watched boats this winter in the keys, where they were being hauled every two weeks (about the same water temps as S. Calif. in the summer)--and there was enough growth that scotch pads had to be used as well as pressure washers. The high pressure washers are not good for the gel coat.

[journey on]

I was just looking at ads for slips in Marina Del Rey, and LA Harbour. LA Harbour was $250/mo for a 25' boat and MdR was (on special ) $335. Add taxes, etc. and there you go. If you measure a C-25 from the tip of the pulpit to the back of the motor, it'll be well over 26'.

We had our 25' sailboat in the Sacramento area for 2 weeks one year. When we pulled it out cleaning the bottom was a bear. In the SoCal salt water, you can pull it out every 2 weeks, and even if you immediately clean it off, it isn't gonna look like new at the end of summer. Underwater bottom cleaning is for boats with bottom paint and gets done monthly. While Dr Bob is correct about sealing the bottom to prevent blistering, I don't think 3 mos is going to cause that.

Your choice.

Boris

[Larry H]

I kept my 22 Cruiser in a Ventura Marina in a 'boat bath'. The bottom grew stuff anyway. The growth was a real nightmare to remove. I had to go over every square inch with a razor blade to remove the growth of a kind of worm. Even if you use your boat everyday, stuff will grow.

I would follow Dr. Bob's advice and use bottom paint over a barrier coat.

[Pacificcoast101]

Boat baths, or Bottom Liners still require the use of swimming pool chlorine tablets to stop bio growth on the hull. I've had four boats in slips in SoCal for several years, so being a scuba diver helps. We usually rub the hull at and below the waterline at the first sign of algae. We haul our Tomcat out to change the lower gear oil, but we take care of everything else in the slip. After two years in the slip, it still looks beautiful.

[jennykatz]

We keep our boat in Naples fl and pull it out usually twice a yr . but without bottom paint I would have to pull it out every week in the summer . If you are going to keep it in the water for 3 months bite the bullet and have it painted or do it yourself .

I usually pull it out in June and repaint bottom which is on the trailer and then wax and do all the zincs change out all fluids and filters.

[thataway]

In Southern Calif, using occasional wipe downs, you should get at least 2 years out of a bottom paint job--full time in the water. (I had boats in the water full time from 1962 until 1992 in Long Beach CA.) Use a paint which can be hauled and then put back in. I have using Petit Vivid on my boats. The Caracal is going on 3 years, and I have not had to touch up the paint. about 50% in the water and the other 50% on a trailer or lift.

[Lil Rascal]

Thanks for all the great information. I really don't want to do bottom paint, so it looks like I will need to come up with another plan. Maybe pull it out once a week and clean it off.

Thanks,

Scott on Lil' Rascal