Follow up Marina question.

[BillyO]

Hi, A week or so ago I had asked if anyone knew of "mast up trailer storage" at any marinas or boatyards on Narragansett Bay. I got some help, but began to e-mail a few of the places I found online. The gentleman I spoke to today offered a slip for a pretty good price for the season. (I have been checking the per foot prices for slips and moorings) My question to you folks is:
The boat is a Cape Cod Mercury 15. How would one leave an open cockpit boat in a slip? Boom tent with a tarp? I've seen open boats on moorings while kayaking, but always figured someone must go out and bail them out every so often.
I was kind of shocked when he said "slip", I didn't think boats this size rated them.
I'm going to keep checking around for options, but any help would be appreciated.

 

[Joe]

If you leave the boat in the water for more than a week or two you'll need to address the bottom fouling issue. The advantage of dry storage for a small boat are the convenience of leaving the standing rigging up buy very little bottom maintenance.

So.... keep an eye on the bottom growth... you may have to apply anti fouling paint.

I think the tarp is a good solution to keep the cockpit dry.... combined with a self bailing cockpit drain you should be pretty good.

 

[Ray Bowles]

I have 2 less than 15 foot boats for teaching kids to sail. Both are left rigged on trailers and then splashed in fresh water. They fill up with water too fast to leave on a mooring and don't have the hardware to tie up in a slip, although that is easily corrected.
That said, I agree with Joe that saltwater hard shell growth and slime would be a real problem in less than 10 days. A tight fitting cockpit cover would take care of the water intrusion and a lashed or removed rudder stops senseless banging but all this must be done around boomvangs, main sheets etc.
Store and splash is the only way I've been able to use my boats without wasting time and money. $200 a year for trailer space vs. $1400 for wet parking. Even with my deminished mental capacity that problem answers itself.
Ray

 

[BillyO]

Thanks for the reply's, I was so focused on what to do about the inside of the boat that I never thought about the bottom. (this is all completely new to me, I'm just a small sailboat/fresh water guy) Will continue to search for "on trailer" storage.

 

[Eric M]

I agree you are heading in the right direction with your on trailer storage with the mast up. Just makes it so much easier. Don't overlook sailing and "yacht" clubs. You may be surprised to find that membership + storage for your boat is less than storage alone at a traditional marina.

 

[BillyO]

I'll add yacht clubs to my e-mail list. It can't hurt to ask.

 

[31seahorse]

Why must the storage be "mast up"? That limits the storage to very near the water to avoid overhead obstructions like trees and wires. Mast down would expand your storage areas and make covering the boat much easier to accomplish with several tarps. You might even find a garage or barn space to rent to keep the boat and trailer under a roof.

+1 for the concern for the strength of the cleats, rigging, and rudder/tiller wear.

Phil

 

[Benny17441]

All marinas usually have odd shaped or shallow slips which accommodate small boats nicely. Since there is not much competition for them they usually sit empty but can be had at a reasonable rate. I think the clincher should be on how often do you intend to use the boat. If you are planning on sailing in the evenings and during your working week it might be worth it but if you only intend to sail during the day on your weekends dry docking might be simpler. The recommendation about using anti-foul paint in the bottom is a must if you are going to leave the boat in the water.

 

[BillyO]

Thanks some more for the reply's, as far as the "mast up" thing, that was just something that I thought would be nice, one less thing to do. I'm over an hour away from where I want to sail, and was just looking for ANY time savers. As far as a slip is concerned, I'm HOPING to be able to use the boat 2 to 3 weekends a month, and during a couple vacations, so I think I would rather keep it on the trailer. The mast really is pretty easy to step, so any "on trailer" storage will be cool. Sending out a few e-mails now. Once again, thanks to everyone who's helped!

 

[Ray Bowles]

BillyO, One thing you can do to make raising the mast faster would be to replace the shroud turnbuckles with the quick lock type. The pain in the fanny part of raising the mast every time is the tuning of the rigging. With the quick lock type the adjustment is always spot on. Raise the mast, snap the turnbuckles to lock, sail away.
Just a thought.
Ray