cheaper storage? cheap?reliable cradle? moring?

[John]

Can any body give me any economical suggestions as far as methods of winter and summer storage? Also I would like to get my own cradle if i can afford it.  My marina up here in Duluth charges about two thousand bucks a year plus surprise fees for little things bringing my yearly total for marina/ storage related stuff up to near $3000.00 bucks (and they aint super flexible or helpful for that matter) . But the lame thing is that there are only about three or four marinas in the Duluth area so my marina can stick me with anything they want. (For instance this year they charged all the owners with their boats still on stilts 90 bucks apiece with out any forwarning of any kind on an arbitrary date. and what could we say? Nobody can afford to be on bad terms with their marinas.) I have a 1978 30 foot hunter -cradle ideas anyone? I'm quite handy.

 

[Rich Stidger]

Decended from pirates

Marina owners are clearly the most unpleasant part of boating.I would contact the Hunter factory to see if they have drawings for a cradle. I think that you could make one if you have the welding talent.Will a cradle save you any $$? Our marinas charge storage for a cradle in the summer, so they got you either way...Once you get a boat that is too large to trailer home, I think they got you.....As an alternative, you can buy jack stands if you are going to store the boat at home.I would not use a mooring for winter storage. I do store wet at a dock almost every year.Good luck.Rich

 

[Bob]

Cheap?

John:I'm afraid that "cheap" and "boat ownership" don't go together. Kind of like oil and water.The city of Chicago is proposing a 25% tax on top of what we pay for our docks and moorings. Pretty much of a captive audience.Our dealership in Waukegan has a 300 person waiting list. Alot of the storage areas that were in Chicago sold the land along the river for condos.Your fees do sound a bit exorbitant BUT, if they have good service and qualified mechanics, that can save you a bundle in the long run.

 

[Richard Marble]

WHAT I DO

It costs me about $500.00 to have my 27 ft. Hunter trucked to my house. The boat is loaded on the trailer in the water. I also pay about $200. to have the mast taken down. I put my boat on jack stands. Once the boat is home the fees stop. Being able to Work on the boat at home is great. It costs the same to put the boat back in. As to the question of moring fees. I bought my own mushroom anchor, chain etc. for my moring back in 1998 for about $500.00 since then I pay $40.00 per year to the town its in for a permit for the moring. I have someone check the moring every two years for $75.00 a pop plus any repairs it needs. I used to have a Catalina 22 on a trailer. Launching was no fun beleave me and steping the mast was a headache. It also sailed like a dingy because of the low ballast weight.

 

[Dakota Jim Russell]

Build Trailer

In SD with no marinas that haul boats on our 200 mile long lake we haul our own on trailers. I pull my 340 with a Yukon. Be glad to give details if that interests you. Did it with a Hunter 30T, dropped the mast and hauled it to town to put in warehouse. Only problem was that the warehouse burned, and hence the 340 <grin>.Jim