Salt Water Docking Maintenance

R

RobLL

New member
It looks like we will be moving into a condo near the Bremerton ferry terminal and marina. It will be tempting to just put the boat at the marina and walk over to use it. What kind of maintenance issues and costs would I typically be looking at. It has been bottom painted.

Alternatively I could dry store it at a relatives and launch it when I wanted. But having it always available would be fun.
 
Zincs, keep an eye on on them and replace as needed. Flush the motor after each use, make sure bilge pump is in good working order don't want to come back to inches of standing water. Maybe even set up a second one in the case the first gets clogged or stops working as they do. If your going to be leaving the boat for weeks at a time its usually a good idea to get someone around to check on the boat for you. A case or two of beers should help in that regard. Also make sure your not using old dock lines. When in doubt purchase a new set for the home dock and use the old set for when your cruising. I usually replace every other year on a moored boat.
 
Seems like a "slant back" (tonneau) cockpit cover might be nice (if you don't already have a camperback). Would keep most rain, etc. out of the cockpit. Not that that's particular to salt water, but more just keeping the boat in the water.
 
It's amazing how rodents can find a way aboard.

I went cheap and drilled a center hole in "swag" Frisbees you get at boat shows, with a racquetball (free at the gym) on the boatward side of the line to keep the Frisbee perpendicular to the docklines.

I remember a guy at Chula Vista Marina when it only had 3 ramps, that used the big Foster's Beer cans, and swore by them keeping critters out...or at least you didn't care.
 
We moor every year for the fishing season. The boat gets a lot more bird crap on it, but its better fun to clean the boat up at the marina than home anyway. The hull gets bottom growth on it, even when you use it often. I try to pull out every month or so and clean it off, but Ive gone as long as two months. I don't have bottom paint.

I wish I had fuel injection, because I can't flush my motors like some people can (unless somebody knows a trick?). With the motors tilted out of the water, the carbs won't run so I can't flush. That's been ok so far and I change the water pump every year just for peace of mind. I always leave the boat with the engines tilted out of the water.

Overall, not a whole lot more maintenance IMO, and we end up using the boat much more because of convenience.
 
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