My 82 USY 18 has never been docked for a season as it's easily trailerable. This year, I'm thinking of geting a slip (freah water but the lake gets scummy late in the summer). Bottom looks good, some dings on the centerboard. Anything I need to consider? Thanks.
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What I look for
Most important to me is will the boat be protected from waves. Does your boats freeboard fit the finger? If it is a 4 point tie up that won't matter In reverse, I prop walk to port so I like a port side tie as I pull in bow first Imagine strong winds from different direction and think about where it will blow your boat if backing Meet your neighbors, if possilbe, especially if you spend time just hanging around. Good neighborsenhance dock life, but bad neighbors can be a problem. I had a neighbor with a dog that he would leave tied up to dock and then go into town leaving the damned dog to bark like crazy, and sometimes, crap on the dock.
Most important to me is will the boat be protected from waves. Does your boats freeboard fit the finger? If it is a 4 point tie up that won't matter In reverse, I prop walk to port so I like a port side tie as I pull in bow first Imagine strong winds from different direction and think about where it will blow your boat if backing Meet your neighbors, if possilbe, especially if you spend time just hanging around. Good neighborsenhance dock life, but bad neighbors can be a problem. I had a neighbor with a dog that he would leave tied up to dock and then go into town leaving the damned dog to bark like crazy, and sometimes, crap on the dock.
Higgs my cat died from Antifreeze
She was a very nice old cat that stayed mostly in the house. It was a horrible slow death. The antifreeze gets transformed in the liver and the toxins kill the animals kidney's. We called a vet and he said that if it's been less than a few hours he could treat her but after 12 hours of so there wasn't much that he could do. My son found her in the basement and it had been at least 12 hours. We kept her warm and gave her water and she improved for a few hours . She was in incredible pain and we were going to take her to the vet for euthanizing but she died first. It was heartbreaking for the whole family especially my daugther would had got "dot" as a kitten when she was 5 years old. "dot " was about 9 years old at the time that she was poisoned. If you are going to kill an animal stomp it to death. Grab it up and coke it to death. Heck stab it to death with a pencil or drown it, beat it to death with a big stick. But please don't poison it with antifreeze. I can't imagine a more horrible way to die.
She was a very nice old cat that stayed mostly in the house. It was a horrible slow death. The antifreeze gets transformed in the liver and the toxins kill the animals kidney's. We called a vet and he said that if it's been less than a few hours he could treat her but after 12 hours of so there wasn't much that he could do. My son found her in the basement and it had been at least 12 hours. We kept her warm and gave her water and she improved for a few hours . She was in incredible pain and we were going to take her to the vet for euthanizing but she died first. It was heartbreaking for the whole family especially my daugther would had got "dot" as a kitten when she was 5 years old. "dot " was about 9 years old at the time that she was poisoned. If you are going to kill an animal stomp it to death. Grab it up and coke it to death. Heck stab it to death with a pencil or drown it, beat it to death with a big stick. But please don't poison it with antifreeze. I can't imagine a more horrible way to die.
Higgs the key to dealing with a barking dog is:
Ya gotta be smarter than the dog. A pocket full of peanut butter mini-cookies will make friends with any dog. Just dole them out one at a time as you walk by. and pretty soon the dog will think that he has you trained to supply him with cookies.
Ya gotta be smarter than the dog. A pocket full of peanut butter mini-cookies will make friends with any dog. Just dole them out one at a time as you walk by. and pretty soon the dog will think that he has you trained to supply him with cookies.
Here are some things I look for in slips...
Wind Direction: I like to have the wind either on my bow or stern. If neither is available, then a wind direction that will take you down the lane toward open water. To Port Backing: Because of prop walk, I back to port without difficulties. Check to see if you have a right hand (probably) or left hand prop. Combination: With a right hand prop, and with the wind on my port side, backing out of the slip will pull me to port and the wind with push the bow to starboard. If my lane departure is to starboard, then I have it made. Easy backing and departing. Plus an added bonus, when approaching my slip, the wind will slow me and will gently push me to the starboard finger for easy exit of the boat. Good luck, Paul.
Wind Direction: I like to have the wind either on my bow or stern. If neither is available, then a wind direction that will take you down the lane toward open water. To Port Backing: Because of prop walk, I back to port without difficulties. Check to see if you have a right hand (probably) or left hand prop. Combination: With a right hand prop, and with the wind on my port side, backing out of the slip will pull me to port and the wind with push the bow to starboard. If my lane departure is to starboard, then I have it made. Easy backing and departing. Plus an added bonus, when approaching my slip, the wind will slow me and will gently push me to the starboard finger for easy exit of the boat. Good luck, Paul.
First thing to look for?
Availability ... which is usually the biggest issue. After that, the other conveniences are icing on the cake! You might want to try a mooring. They are normally about a quarter of the cost or less, your boat takes less beating in a blow, and your boat looks way more picturesque when you are driving by the lake! Seriously, some marinas can be very exposed to the wind, and in your midwestern location, I would bet that could be the case. If the slip isn't wide enough to tie the boat off with adequate space or adequate cushioning, you can suffer some damage at times. I've seen it on our lake even though waves aren't a problem. Often times, the slips are designed with one finger for every two boats, which does not give you much opportunity to tie yours off at four corners. On a mooring, be concerned about adequate weight (yours won't need much, especially if it is sunk in mud), and keep your pennant from chaffing. We use a bridle for our Starwind 27 with 2 pennants for redundancy. Our mooring block is close to a yard of concrete. A mooring is less convenient, what with the rowing out to the boat and all that nonsense. But the cost savings is pretty nifty. We pay $450 for our season, vs a minimum of $2,800 for a slip (if I could find one). The slips I could find are WITHOUT shore power or water. There are a few locations on the lake that offer those amenities, but they are unavailable to sailboats and besides they cost about $4,800 for the season.
Availability ... which is usually the biggest issue. After that, the other conveniences are icing on the cake! You might want to try a mooring. They are normally about a quarter of the cost or less, your boat takes less beating in a blow, and your boat looks way more picturesque when you are driving by the lake! Seriously, some marinas can be very exposed to the wind, and in your midwestern location, I would bet that could be the case. If the slip isn't wide enough to tie the boat off with adequate space or adequate cushioning, you can suffer some damage at times. I've seen it on our lake even though waves aren't a problem. Often times, the slips are designed with one finger for every two boats, which does not give you much opportunity to tie yours off at four corners. On a mooring, be concerned about adequate weight (yours won't need much, especially if it is sunk in mud), and keep your pennant from chaffing. We use a bridle for our Starwind 27 with 2 pennants for redundancy. Our mooring block is close to a yard of concrete. A mooring is less convenient, what with the rowing out to the boat and all that nonsense. But the cost savings is pretty nifty. We pay $450 for our season, vs a minimum of $2,800 for a slip (if I could find one). The slips I could find are WITHOUT shore power or water. There are a few locations on the lake that offer those amenities, but they are unavailable to sailboats and besides they cost about $4,800 for the season.
Here is what I would do...
Wax her real good! Keep cleaning the bottom when you anchor out or beech her. Thanks it!
Wax her real good! Keep cleaning the bottom when you anchor out or beech her. Thanks it!
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