Storing a Laser hull in the water.

fstbttms · Jul 1, 2016

You clearly already know your two choices- keep it out of the water on a dock of some sort, or paint it. Your "skirt" concept (whatever that may be, is not an option.) If you paint it and keep it in the water, it's still gonna require frequent cleaning.

Do the math.

whatfiero · Jul 4, 2016

A lazer is so light I would try some dollar store rafts or something inflatable disposable under hull or aft davits on stern as if a dink

DougM · Jul 4, 2016

Make a little raft out of four inch PVC drain pipe. Light weight and simple. 4 sides and 4 90 degree elbows would make one. All you need is a hacksaw and some PVC cement, and some line to secure the boat to the raft.

DougM · Jul 5, 2016

patrickkidd said:
Yah that sounds like a good way to go, what would you use for floatation?

If the joints are properly cemented together, the hollow tubes should float on their own
Otherwise stuff the pipe sections with those foam swim tubes, before you glue the pipes together,they're inexpensive.

fstbttms · Jul 5, 2016

A customer of mine keeps his Laser parked behind his Hunter 36. He built a floating dock using really large PVC pipes (I'm guessing 8" or 10" diameter) and put a plywood deck on it. It floats high enough with just the Lazer on top but man, it is pretty unstable when you climb aboard to rig or launch the boat. My guess is that 4" diameter pipe is probably not going to do the job very well.

kito · Jul 5, 2016

What does the hull weigh?.......maybe 100 lbs? Why not store it on your C30 deck and drop it in the water when you take your big boat out. Cleaning that little hull would take all of 5 minutes. I sure would not put AF paint on it.

fstbttms · Jul 5, 2016

kito said:
What does the hull weigh?.......maybe 100 lbs?

130 pounds.

DougM · Jul 6, 2016

fstbttms said:
A customer of mine keeps his Laser parked behind his Hunter 36. He built a floating dock using really large PVC pipes (I'm guessing 8" or 10" diameter) and put a plywood deck on it. It floats high enough with just the Lazer on top but man, it is pretty unstable when you climb aboard to rig or launch the boat. My guess is that 4" diameter pipe is probably not going to do the job very well.

I might be in agreement with you, but I wasn't even considering anything other than simply keeping the bare hull out of the water. I wasn't proposing fully rigging and launching.
One can really get inventive here, creating a proper floating cradle, adding side decks. You name it. I would think the limitations would be space available and weight.

whatfiero · Jul 6, 2016

I know it sounds crazy but all those pvc fittings and pipe really add up a store $5 and below sells a pizza raft for. Cheep comes with inlets to tie together to others put my 10 inflatable up on 2 for summer bungy to cheep raft and at end season when rafts all covered in barnicals and slime I just stab rafts to pop drag out water up to dumpster and done. too big elibrate a rig you got to cut up and dispose

MrBill_FLL · Jul 6, 2016

norther tool has large stryofoam blocks for -free-
they ship the trailer with it...

just seal it or wrap it, and connect to your pvc raft.

MrBill_FLL · Jul 7, 2016

you don't want stryofoam to break up and pollute the water. so you have to (should) contain it.
you can wrap it with plastic wrap, stuff it into something large like a 20 gallon blue plastic water tank, (or 50 gal).

-its up to you how to deal with (aprox 2'x2' stryofoam blocks). but its cheap and it won't ever sink.

-When norther tool sells small trailers, they ship them with styrofoam blocks, that they need to dispose of. -takes room in the dumpster. -they are normally happy to give it to you, vs paying for garbage.

AXEL · Jul 11, 2016

Creating a raft out of PVC sounds like an idea, but how do you get the boat up on the raft?

SFS · Sep 14, 2016

Where did you source your foam to stuff in the tarp?