Dingy grows grass! Prevention concepts?
- Thread starter Chief RA
- Start date
Chief,
All life on this planet started in salt water man. Your fighting a losing battle keeping rubber in the water. There may be a bottom paint to use but, you should call the manufactures' tech support & see what they recommend.
I have not seen rubber duckies with bottom paint in my area. They are on davits or on land. I keep mine deflated at home until I know I'm gonna use it. I personally don't like Styrofoam as it ages and pieces start breaking off. The plastic/rubber/inflatable interlocking docks will last longer & look better, but they will also have to be scraped clean.
It should come down to how often you use it. Then, is it worth all the effort?
I like what Stu said, I see many people doing so much extra work just to keep them in the water. Even with a bottom paint 3 months later, you will be cleaning grass. Or, just hire a marine lawn service.
CR
All life on this planet started in salt water man. Your fighting a losing battle keeping rubber in the water. There may be a bottom paint to use but, you should call the manufactures' tech support & see what they recommend.
I have not seen rubber duckies with bottom paint in my area. They are on davits or on land. I keep mine deflated at home until I know I'm gonna use it. I personally don't like Styrofoam as it ages and pieces start breaking off. The plastic/rubber/inflatable interlocking docks will last longer & look better, but they will also have to be scraped clean.
It should come down to how often you use it. Then, is it worth all the effort?
I like what Stu said, I see many people doing so much extra work just to keep them in the water. Even with a bottom paint 3 months later, you will be cleaning grass. Or, just hire a marine lawn service.
CR
Actually maybe the growth on your dinghy is not such a bad thing. When mine starts to grow a beard I realize it's high time I got back out on the water. Herman Melville said it best:
"Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever my dinghy starts growing weeds; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off- then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can."
"Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever my dinghy starts growing weeds; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off- then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can."
Now, we just lift the dink/ob with a spare halyard overnight (just clear of the water). Usually, we're cruising somewhere, so it's our car and is ready to go every day. If we're at a marina, it lives on the foredeck these days.
I like that lifting concept Stu. It would be a piece of cake for my dinghy as I have ss eyes on my transom to hook to, as well as the front ones.
Chief
Chief
To me getting it out of the water seems easier than trying to scrape growth from the bottom. Of course the kicker is the weight of the engine and that is why I purchased one of the last 2 stroke Mercury 3.3HP outboards. At around 19 lbs I pick it up with one hand. I use the halyard to bring the dink on board and lay it flat at the bow. If space is an issue it could be partially deflated.
The problem with on deck storage is that the 10' inflatable blocks the forward hatch. I got my 3.5hp Tohatsu yesterday so motor weight isn't the problem now. I think I will try Stu's hanging concept. Chief
We hang our dingy like Stu instead of putting it on the bow for this reason.
I have also been thinking about going with the Dingy Sling. The guy who makes them lives in the same town as my summer marina. He is going to come by with one this spring and we will see how it works. Might be a good option for getting the dingy out of the water daily at the dock.
Interesting concept Jesse. I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts after you meet with him. The only concern I would have is chafing the rib where is rests against the boat?
