"First time in a slip" questions

[Ward H]

Going to try putting our Newport 17 into a slip for the balance of the season. Looked at Mariner's Marina on the Barnegat Bay yesterday. Nice bath house, club house and docks look good. Great location.
My other thought was a club on the Delaware River but I think the BB will offer the better chance of decent winds most days. I am looking for steady winds so I can fine tune my sailing / sail trim skills.

Got a couple of questions.
1. Hull is tight. Had it in the water for a week and not a drop came out the drain when I hauled it out. But, i know it can rain and things happen. Any simple suggestions or do I need to install a battery and bilge pump? Slip does not have electric. Is it to much of a risk to wait to hand pump it dry when I get to the slip at minimum every two weeks? The cockpit has a drain hole over the swing keel but the bilge can only drain when out of the water.
2. I have a new main sail. For the 3 months it will be stored flaked over the boom, can I get away without a sail cover and not ruin it?
3. Can I safely store the gas can in the cabin and connect to the outboard when I go out? I don't think I should leave it connected to the outboard, should I?
I didn't see anyone using dock boxes.

I am sure the marina management will help me get settled but any suggestions for a first time "slip in a marina" user?

 

[Chris Patterson]

#1-There is a nifty device I've seen advertised somewhere, (SO sorry I can't remember who), that is a bilge pump that works off of your dock lines, compressing a small "pumping apparatus", and it requires no power. Around 50 bucks if I recall.
#2-No, I would not leave the sail in the sun that long. Cover it, or stow it.
#3-I doubt seriously that leaving a tank connected to the motor will hurt anything, outside of the sun "cooking" the gas line, and making it brittle. But I'm sure people do it regularly anyway. But, I don't know if I could recommend leaving a gas container of any kind in a cabin. You know, fumes, sparks, explosions, yours and the neighbors boat burning to the waterline, little nuisances like that. I believe I'd just leave it sitting in the cockpit, maybe a small chain around it if the rogues were bad there.

 

[Gunni]

Absolutely, positively, do NOT leave an outboard fuel tank hose connected to your motor. You need to close the tank vent to prevent water entry, vapor escape when not in use; the resulting tank pressure will fill your carburetor, cylinder(s), and your oil sump with gasoline. Remove the line and replace the outboard fuel barb cover on the motor. When reconnecting, vent the tank pressure before connecting the fuel hose to your motor.

 

[NC-C320]

On the outboard, after using the engine, disconnect the gas line from the engine while it is running at the dock and let the engine burn all the gas that is in the system until it stops. Even then, give the starter a few pulls...somethimes it'll fire up again and run for a few seconds. Over time, I find that I have fewer trips to the shop for engine repair when I do this. Apparently, the gas in the engine can evaporate over time, and leave a gummy residue that can foul the carburetor. You won't have any problem starting the engine again because when you pump the pressure bulb, you will supply gas again to the engine. Recommend that you do not store gas can inside the boat to avoid possibility of explosive fumes accummulating inside the boat.

 

[Joe]

Pretty much intune with what everyone says...

item 1....... cover the cockpit area with a tarp if there is no drain.. then invest in a bailing scoop and a plastic bucket to remove the residual water. Or you could buy a small hand pump with the flexible hose at one end. You really should have a bucket and sponge on board any how. I wouldn't install an automatic electric bilge pump if you're just worried about rain water finding it's way aboard.

Item 2....either remove the main and stow it inside, or purchase a cover... don't leave it on the boom uncovered... besides wrecking the sail, it's about as lubberly a look as you can have for your boat.

Item 3.... when you're done with the motor, disconnect the fuel line and run the engine dry so there's no gas residue left to clog up the jets. Close the tank's vent and leave it right where it is. DO NOT store it in the cabin.... gas vapor is heavier than air and will sink to the bottom of your non-draining bilge.. The tank needs to be in a ventilated area. If you're worried about theft.... buy a bicycle lock for the tank.

 

[capta]

I guess y'all haven't heard of "Murphy's Law".
Install a 500 or 750 auto-bilge pump and get an inexpensive solar charger (maybe automobile type?). Better to have & not need.....
Do not leave your sail on the boom, cover or stow; unless you want a new one soon.
Why not take the gas tank home & stow it in the garage or somewhere out of the sun? I wouldn't stow it inside the cabin. It'll make everything inside smell of gas if it gets hot inside the cabin.

 

[finding41]

Racoons, Opossums, and critters in general. They don't ask before they come aboard looking for food. They will if you have any food on board.
I agree with the other comments. Maybe get a bit bigger solar panel. It willl be handy in the future.
Don't try to store gas that has ethanol in it. Get good gas.

 

[tommays]

None of my small boats on moorings ever had a more than a hand pump

Victoria 18
J24 2733
J24 2930

The more open boats here use a boom tent to keep the rain water out

 

[Dougo]

Don't do as I did when I first got my boat. I keep my boat on a mooring, quite a ways away from shore. Must have had big winds when I wasn't there and the cockpit drain plugged with leaves that had blown in. Well, the cockpit filled with water, almost to the companionway, and yes, my 1/2 full fuel tank had free range to float around the cockpit for a couple weeks. I take the tank in to the camp when putting her away now!

 

[Ward H]

Would a boom tent eliminate the need for a sail cover? I can see where it would help to keep the cockpit cleaner and hide the gas can when I leave it there. Taking the can home is not an option due to fumes in The SUV.

 

[Joe]

Would a boom tent eliminate the need for a sail cover? I can see where it would help to keep the cockpit cleaner and hide the gas can when I leave it there. Taking the can home is not an option due to fumes in The SUV.

No....... a boom tent is not a substitute for a sail cover..... either buy a sail cover, remove the sail, or remove the boom with the sail attached..... or do whatever you want. If the vent on the gas tank is closed, there will be no fumes.

Sorry to be so blunt, Ward, but since you won't be away from the boat for more than a week at a time I can't imagine enough rain to fill up the cockpit. If it does rain unusualy hard. don't you live close enough to go by and check it?

 

[Mulf]

Barnegat Bay vs Delaware River

Agree with most other answers. As to the BB vs Delaware question, due to life changes we had to leave the Barnegat Bay area where we had our ODay 222 at Mariners. Great place, nice people, protected slips, short distance to motor before sails could go up, then usually great winds. Put her on the Delaware for a year but found the strong currents and all the boat wakes took all the fun out of it. Moved on to the Chesapeake and never looked back.

 

[shemandr]

Regarding the drainage issue - I once had a boat that was not self bailing in a marina. It sank multiple times from rain water. If you don't want to cover the cockpit, or install a bilge pump, maybe you can have someone check it frequently - like the marina staff. I also know of situations in non self bailing boats when the pump ran the battery out and then the boat sank. Then there's my dink which I've found gunnels awash on several occasions from rain water.

 

[Ward H]

Joe, blunt is good. I do tend to over think things.

Mulf, thanks for that post. Good to hear confirmation of my thoughts and choice.

I will be taking the boom/sail off and putting it in the cabin until I get a sail cover. Easy enough to do.

As for water in the boat, I've had 4"s of water in the cabin once when I forgot the drain plug. No big deal, it drys out. As Joe said, we don't get that much rain in a week or two. Time to stop worrying about it.

I appreciate all the advice. Will be putting it in the slip this weekend, barring bad weather.

 

[RedRex]

I'm weighing in late, but I should tell you I've kept my N17 in a slip in a local lake for four years now, torrential rains, high winds, unless leaves can clog your cockpit drain, no problem. I have been a fresh water sailor for these four years now, and by comparison ti BB and salt water in general it stinks! I know the marina (even where your slip probably is) and the bay well enough to know you're gonna have a ball, learn a bunch, and conclude that you're going to want a heavier boat so you don't get tossed around so much. And your big worry will be to check your dock lines in a wind driven high tide.

Fair Winds,

Cap'n Red

 

[Ward H]

Finally got to the marina today. Repairs, weather, and sickness got in the way the past three weekends.
To start, we got E-Zpass and it was great to go past the cash lines at the ACE and GSP booths.
Went to the Barnegat Municiple Ramp to put in. Man was it busy. The head stay gave me headache during setup. I could just not get the pin into the chain plate. I had to remove the tape and cotter pins and give the turnbuckle some slack. Finally got it and the rest of the boat ready to launch. Guys on the dock were saying that is why they don't have sailboats, too much work. Didn't know the cute blonde next to them was my wife.
Couple of nice guys did help my wife with dock lines when the boat floated off the trailer. Trouble getting out due to traffic in the channel which runs right past the ramp.
Then motor died. Started OK but died every time I put it in gear. Was now at the mercy of the wind and being blown into the dock with boats swerving around me.
I had tried the integral tank. Now I switched to the external tank. Got running and ran out into the bay for some space to get sorted out. I was beat, wife was hungry so we motored back into the channel to find the marina and our slip.
Almost there and noticed the fuel connection to the OB was leaking. Quick drips. It was plugged in all the way. Crap!! Motored on in and found the slip. Shut down OB and disconnected hose asap.
Had lunch, rested and cooled down. Then tried the integal tank again on the OB. Backed out of the slip and put it in forward. It died again. Crap! Crap! It was time to settle the boat, put on the new dock lines and call it a day.

Did meet some nice people at the marina. Met a guy named Dick who knows Capn RedRex.

All in all, A lot of work to get it set up and in the slip but it is now there. Ready to step on and sail the next time we go down. Just need to figure out the OB. Will research that later tonight.

Thanks Everyone

Ward

 

[Stu Jackson]

Nice job. Glad you made it. Before you go anywhere, tensions the forestay. Then find the fuel "issue."

 

[Forrest15112]

I misunderstood what you meant by "first time". Carry on.

 

[relentless lily]

Treat your OB like an aircraft engine and make sure it runs properly before attempting to go out with it. You and others will be safer and you will enjoy the experience more.

 

[rgranger]

Absolutely, positively, do NOT leave an outboard fuel tank hose connected to your motor. You need to close the tank vent to prevent water entry, vapor escape when not in use; the resulting tank pressure will fill your carburetor, cylinder(s), and your oil sump with gasoline. Remove the line and replace the outboard fuel barb cover on the motor. When reconnecting, vent the tank pressure before connecting the fuel hose to your motor.

right! and I'd add running your engine dry after your remove the line.

And I just roll my main around the boom and stow the entire thing in the boat. I had a friend who left his V21 at a marina for 4 years and never a drop in the boat. You might want to just take a trip to the marina the first few times you have a bad rain and see how she is doing. You will either learn that you need a bilge pump and can worry about it then, or yoou will learn that you boat can take a lot and you can sleep better. At my marina, I did see a boat sink from a snow storm. But a bilge pump would not have helped that. I think the snow melted some, then froze--plugging the drain--- then is started raining and the aft got pooped.