Why moor?

A couple years back we had a bad ice-storm, i.e. freezing rain on top of heavy snow. Branches fell on wires and I lost power for 3 or 4 days. Thankfully, Adeline offered a toasty refuge until the power came back on.
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The Wallas provided the heat while the Yamaha 1000 powered my microwave and kept the batteries topped. I ran my Comcast cable into the boat to keep me entertained with TV/Internet.
 
Jim & Dara":1ay2m9q2 said:
I'd love to have BOTH for many of the reasons stated above.

Jim, hows the diving in Texas? I already wear shorts year round the warm weather would be a bonus.
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Hi Jim & Dara,

Average daytime high in January of 70º... but the water temp is generally in the upper 50s that time of year. The water temp gets well into the 80s during the summer. I'm really not a diver, preferring to spend my time ON the water, with a boat between me and the water. :wink: But, there are a couple of dive companies on South Padre Island.
 
For us, when moving from the cd-16 to the cd-22, it was the cost of getting another tow vehicle that led us to choose a place where we could be pulled out and stored on our trailer. It's not dry storage, but it works for us. It's not too expensive, fairly close to our house, and I can continue to drive my older subaru.

Now, because C-sweetness is close to us, one of my favorite things to do after work is to head down and putter for an hour to two. A great way to end the day.
 
We owned our own slip with our previous boat, so we keep the boat in the water when we are not trailering the boat to other parts of the country. If we didn't own the slip, I'm pretty sure that I could not justify the cost for the little that we use it out of our home port. Most (90%) of our boating is after we trailer the boat somewhere (North Channel, Erie Canal, Trent Severn, etc).

Funny how sick we were selling our Trawler, only to realize that having the ability to trailer the boat is what we really love. Extends our cruising grounds.
 
One of the things that we really like about the C-Dory is the flexibility. We keep the boat in dry storage at the yacht club that we belong to when we are not keeping it somewhere else. When we want to spend the weekend over in Chactawhatachee Bay and Destin, we drop the boat in the water and tie up in a transit slip at the club for the weekend. When we want to spend the weekend running around the sound near our house, we keep it in the water behind the house. When we want to work on it, we keep it in the driveway. It's the best of all worlds! I can see many reasons for keeping the boat in each of the places that we keep it (including over at Wefing's to have work done like it is now--good excuse to go the Apalach and have oysters). And yes, I too occasionally hang out on the boat when it is on the trailer. Just can't get enough of it.

The flexibility we have with the C-Dory is great. We keep our sailboat in a wet slip--it's not trailerable. It is nice to be able to jump on the boat and go (but it takes a long time to get anywhere--anyone want to by a nice sailboat?). The wet slip is convenient for running down to the boat and just casting off, but the Island Packet is not flexible. I could see keeping the C-Dory in a wet slip if I were going to use it most everyday, even then I would want it on a lift. We kept our Corsair Trimaran on a mooring for a while. It was convenient to have the boat in the water, but it was a pain to have to dingy out to it. The Corsair was somewhat flexible. We could keep it in the same places as the C-Dory more or less, but putting the mast up and down limited the flexibility. We haven't used a dry stack with any of our boats, but I can see the advantage of it.

So I like the arrangement that we have with our C-Dory. On the trailer sometimes--in the water sometimes--it's all good.
 
For many of the mentioned reasons we keep our boat in the water all year. We put 17 nights and 120+ hours on it in the last year and thats not bad for two full time workers with a three year old. If we had it on a trailer, we would have used it less than half that much I am sure. I have calculated costs and thought long and hard about both arguments and I see how different folks in different places would have different results.

For Us.....
We only pay 192 per month at Port Orchard Marina for a covered 28' slip and that includes taxs,fees, and some power use. Add that to about 100 bucks every three months for in-water hull cleaning and zinc service plus a nice coating of Multi-season non-ablative paint as seldom as every 3-4 years (with that cleaning and regular use) and the costs are still less than 300 dollars per month including setting aside nearly 1000 bucks per year for bottom paint.

Now we don't have a trailer for our 25 and we don't want one although we do have an entire lower section of our property with it's own driveway with power hookup that we have used for trailer parking so storage is not the issue.

I have no emotional or functional need/excuse to own a large truck capable of safely towing our boat. We have owned tow vehicles and towed travel trailers for the last few years and I actually don't mind towing things around but how much would I spend to purchase,insure, and maintain a vehicle capable of towing our loaded boat? I know it would far exceed 300 per month for us and simply add expense and complication to our boating life. I could drop a car and drive it around all the time but I generally drive an honest 40,000 miles per year and that's just too much gas.

Do we miss the trips to inland water bodies? If we were moored somewhere more restrictive than the gateway to the inside passage, maybe, but we travel alot and also keep kayaks and a little motor boat handy to visit them. Honestly, until there are whales, tides, and general mystery in those lakes, they won't fulfill our boating wants.

I know this applies easier to me in the northwest than some of you in harsher climates but I still think the below statement is a good measure.

If I ever find myself "winterizing" or storing something, I re-evaluate why I have it and if I am using it enough to justify its existence in my life. And yes, I have sold many fun toys in my short life.

Our C-dory will be sold before it will ever be winterized by us. It has heat, an enclosed cabin, batteries galore, and shore power for that "off season". Winters are quiet out here and we like quiet on the water as well as off.

Thats our take as new boaters but old recreationalists.
 
Just like a lot of C-Brats, we've kept a boat in the water and another on the trailer, though not both at the same time. They both have advantages. For example, getting to just go sit on the boat and drink beer in the afternoon is lovely. We did have a slip at the yacht club, and you could go up and have another beer there. And of course, some boats you don't trailer.

When Judy went to Hawaii for a week, I put Journey On in the water and had a great time in San Diego Bay. Anchored out, etc. And for those of you who have a dock attached to their lot, I don't know whether to applaud or cry. One doesn't often have that luxury in SoCal anymore. Even when we did live at the beach, the marina was 20 miles away.

One thing I haven't seen too much in the above posts is the cost of a slip. Except from Joe, another California resident. Slip fees in my part of the woods run $10-$12/ft/mo. In addition, the cities have figured out that isn't enough, so they've added taxes on the hole in the water (not kidding) and every fee possible. So figure out $320+ per month for a C-25, which measures out at ~27' with outboard. Plus another $30/mo for the bottom cleaning. And the nearest marina with an open slip is 40 miles away.

I thought that putting in the cement pad in front of the house was expensive, but it's paid for itself. And we can launch anywhere from San Diego to Ventura with a few hours drive (and some gasoline.) And I just walk down the hill to work on the boat (and up the hill for the tools I need, and then back down the hill, etc.)

For us a full time slip doesn't make sense, but it's a lovely thought at times.

Boris
 
we store the boat at our house and trailer it to the local ramps most of the time. I think that if I had it in the water I would use it more. as is I only average about 200-300 hours a year. If i could afford it I would put the boat in dry storage , which is the best solution in my opinion. no bottom paint, dry and out of the sun, always ready to use with a phone call and i don't have to trail. They will also place it on a trail if i want to go some where else. when the boat is paid off next year I think dry stack will be the way to go. Its cheaper then buying a house on the water with a dock.
 
We are fortunate to get the slip we have for less than 200 a month just 15 minutes from the house. I know others would have to move to get that and hey I know a place.... I did forget to mention that going out to work on the boat at a nice quiet marina on a nice evening surrounded by boats is much better than working in my driveway and I have a really nice quiet driveway. I really can't even express how much nicer that is to me than I thought it would be. Being on the water is really just different and packing up the tool box/work tub for that days project is fun as well.
 
Tom, I hope the dry stack place has hours to meet the needs of a fisher guy like yourself. My brother-in-law has considered that but found the limited hours make little sense when coupled with the timing of fish activities. I am sure some must get it right. How do dry stackers keep the boat charged and keep access for tinkering? The bottom maintenace is really not as big a deal as some make it out to be. Regular cleaning makes all the difference and that can be scheduled with a dive service and billed to your house with no hassles on your side. I am just glad I don't have to do it with a 50 footer. At least not yet!
 
Aurelia,

Our dry storage place, Twin Bridges near Anacortes, is great! As Tom stated, it's as easy as calling on the way up to the boat, loading all of our stuff (including fishing stuff) and taking off. The beauty of dry storing there is when you bring the boat back, you can have them put the boat on a stand so you can wash the boat and flush the engines. Plus, I spend many hours a year there just simply doing projects while on a work stand. We don't have to bottom paint her or even winterize because she's sitting in a nice temperature controlled building all winter. We don't need to keep the batteries charged because our boat isn't really drawing any power when just sitting. They will even gas her up before our next trip and the price per gallon is competitive. For a few extra dollars a month, they even store our trailer on a lot.

For us fisher people or those who like to leave early (I fit in the first category), you just ask them to put the boat in the water at closing time and the boat is sitting there, waiting to be loaded up. You can even spend the night at their dock before leaving at no extra charge. They have nice clean restrooms. The only drawback is no showers, oh well...

All this for less than $300 per month. Actually the only other drawback is that we live in Seattle so the boat is pretty far away. But if we intend on hanging out in the San Juans or Canada for our boating activities, then Twin Bridges is ideal.
 
I second Peter's thoughts on Twin Bridges. We don't fish and don't need to leave Twin Bridges early in the morning. But it's not uncommon during the summer for us to eat dinner at home and leave the house around 7 PM to head up to the cabin for a weekend. Even though Twin Bridges is closed by then we just call before they close and ask them to put the boat in the water around closing time. Never had a problem.

Work stands are always available. Either you can do your own work, have one of the on site outfits do work, or have any offsite company come to the marina. Very flexible.

Twin Bridges is modern and clean. I think it is nicer than Skyline or Cap Sante for boats our size. The only down side is it's a bit further from the San Juans than those two.
 
everything that Peter said. On the hours, I think bayview in everett opens at 6am in the summer but they will launch your boat the night before if you are going out early. I tend to fish after work so its great for me. Now if only I could afford it, after the boat is paid off.
 
Why moor?
First, you must understand that in the Northeast mooring means on a mooring ball that you row/motor your dinghy out to in order to get to your C-Dory, not a slip.
Why? Try 12 ft tides that make ramps unuseable for two or three hours around low tide and a scarcity of floating slips that makes the price for a five month season the same as Sea Wolf Joe's cost for two slips for the whole year.
I do not moor for convience but out of necessity.
 
Moxieabs":1q1934qc said:
Why moor?
First, you must understand that in the Northeast mooring means on a mooring ball that you row/motor your dinghy out to in order to get to your C-Dory, not a slip.
Why? Try 12 ft tides that make ramps unuseable for two or three hours around low tide and a scarcity of floating slips that makes the price for a five month season the same as Sea Wolf Joe's cost for two slips for the whole year.
I do not moor for convience but out of necessity.
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The Cook Inlet Homer area gets 25 foot tides; in Prince William Sound you will get the occasional 15ft tide. In Turnagain Arm (A part of Cook Inlet) South of Anchorage we get bore tides; surfers will ride them for miles. All the harbors have ramps, long ramps, not a problem.
 
Hi,
For me I've kept a boat in the water a 24' Grady White Offshore for a few years, its not for me. I decided I liked boating better with my baby in the driveway. On the east coast we have some fairly serious storms which for me alone are reason not to want to leave a boat in the water for the duration of my boating season. Normally that starts for us in early May and ends in early December. In my mind not having a trailer sooner or later you will find yourself at someones mercy also not for me. Next year we will trailer the boat to Florida in March and in August out across country to Yellowstone. Living in Penna. it's about an hour to the closest beach/ocean. Having our boat on a trailer lets me take it to who ever I want and where ever I want for any kind of service. What I like best is if I want to go to Maine or Florida I can get to whatever area I choose reasonably quickly. So I simply have no desire to drive the boat via water to Florida mostly for the time that it would take. Second I can cover 1100 miles a lot faster and cheaper by road. That lets me spend more time at the place of my choice. As for the suggestion that your should sell anything that you have to winterize or store is pure nonsense. It only snows in the winter does that mean the kids shouldn't have sleds. It's hard to kayak over in the Delaware river when it freezes over. We love the different seasons. Winterizing the boat up for 3 or four months in our climate is just something you do. You don't throw away your swim suit cause the water gets cold. To each their own, but you can gimme that diesel powered pick up truck with boat on a trailer dragging behind passing those battery powered Toyota's going up hills and heading to places where the water isn't hard in the winter. It's priceless!
D.D.
 
Our water stays nice a soft in the winter so there is part of the regional difference I mentioned. Our hurricanes are also quite tame in the west so we get to skip that anxiety and only worry about poorly designed roofs falling down under heavy snow.

And I only suggested that storage/winterizing something makes me re-evaluate what it means to me and how its being used. Some things get sold becuase it makes sense. It's all about the resources something takes to maintain responsibly. I think a swimsuit or plastic sled falls a bit lower that a C-dory or motorhome or motorcycle or truck or jet ski or any manner of things we buy to fulfill our wants that require things like fuel, insurance, large amounts of space, and have depreciation issues.

A decent sea kayak can be neglected completely if stored well and sit for years only to re-emerge just as useful and valuable as when it went into hiding. Harder to do with your average power boat. Good thing C-dorys are not average!
 
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