Pulled Daydream Out of Blaine Marina

P

Pat Anderson

New member
We thought we would put Daydream in the Blaine Marina for the season last May, and we just pulled her out two days ago. We thought it would be really convenient not to have to launch and retrieve at the boat ramp every time, but it didn't turn out how we had hoped.

Our slip was way too narrow with another boat only a couple of feet away, and the fairway was very narrow as well. The wind was always blowing in the marina. Long and short of it, it was not a good experience. We did not go out nearly as much as we had hoped. To add insult to injury, there was all kinds of stuff growing on the boat from its time in the water. I SaltAway'ed it today, and will pressure wash tomorrow!

Now just hoping the guides I ordered from Pacific Trailer months ago arrive before NEXT boating season!
 
I note that most of the 25 foot C-Dorys in Squalicum Marina, a few miles south of you, are in the 30 foot slips, not the 26 foot slips. There's a lot more room between boats and the fairways are much wider.

Does your boat have bottom paint? I've found the bottom paint is not all the effective at keeping algae from growing on the below-waterline sides of the boat (easily remedied with a scrub brush), but I've not encountered any issues with "stuff" growing on the bottom. If you don't have bottom paint, well, you've made a lot of barnacles very happy.
 
Ohhh... waiting until the next day may have made your work even harder. The slime that collects on the bottom seems to turn to a concrete-like substance as it dries. If you have bottom paint, it generally comes off pretty easy; seems like the slime can't get a grip on the gelcoat. Same with barnacles - with bottom paint, you can usually "flick" them off, without bottom paint, you will be doing some serious scraping.

Having had Wild Blue in the Gulf waters, the warm water makes the growth happen fast. We did spend 3 summers living on her in Friday Harbor, and even with regular outings, there was work to be done when she came out of the water... but that was pressure washing in a sling immediately after pulling her out.

Good luck with the process.
 
A data point.......

I leave my boat on a mooring ball for weeks at a time here in the cooler climate of the Pacific NW. I do not have bottom paint. I find that if I pull the boat every 3 weeks and pressure wash the bottom (as well as trim tabs, engine, etc) all is well. I can push that to 4 weeks if I must. But if I go beyond that, the barnacles seem to get a foothold. In 3-4 weeks they pressure wash off relatively easily...after that, not so much.

Also, to handle the "slime....turns to a concrete-like substance" problem, I force myself to quickly wash down the worse of the slime with a regular hose on the very day I pull the boat (this is not necessary on the very bottom of the boat since the slime is minimal where the sunlight never shines). Then I can wait a day or two to pressure wash. But as the poster indicates, the sooner the better.
 
I use to keep my Tolly at Scalicum harbor. Loved that marina. Though you'll always want to plan on high winds. I always was and learned a great lesson be prepared on both sides of the boat with fenders and line ready. I'd be there in a heartbeat if possible.
 
To answer the question, yes, we did have bottom paint, we had it done in 2016 at Bitterend Boat Works at Hilton Harbor. It is, as it is supposed to, wearing thin now with quite a few spots where the fiberglass is showing through. Turns out that we really did not need it on the Loop because we were moving almost every day, but it did its job in Blaine Marina!

Yesterday I pressure washed Daydream's hull. LOVE that pressure washer. Almost everything came off, and it looks great. SaltAway and pressure washer, what a great combo to keep things looking good! We have some scrapes and scratches that we might or might not take to our fiberglass guy, probably will when we get back from Arizona in mid-April next year.
 
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