Leaving boat in water.

[Dogleg]

I have had a M26S Since I bought it new in 1991. I have never left it in the water. My wife has been after me to leave it in a slip on the lake so we don't have to rig it up.

I told her if I was going to do that I woulld get a keel boat.

I just don't know about leaving it in the water. I would have to put bottom paint on it I would think. Also paint the center board. also paint the centerboard well. and what about the water ballast tank I guess I would have to do something to that I would think. Then maintain it. and repaint it every few years.

My boat has been stored indoors and covered and looks like new. I just hate to think about leaving it out in the weather all the time.

Any thoughts or experences with leaving a water ballast in the slip year round?

 

[BrokeNotBroken]

I leave my boat at the marina most of the time and only pull it when the weather gets really cold or I want to work on something. I love having the boat setup so that I can take an afternoon sail. Yes, I had to paint the bottom, centerboard and centerboard well. I will probably need to put on a fresh coat in 2-3 years. I pour bleach into the ballast tank to reduce the odor but haven't had any problems with it. I would suggest waiting until the sailing season aproaches and then put it in a slip for a month and see how you like it. If the marina is close enough to home, you may find that you really like it. If the marina is far from home, I wouldn't do it.

 

[Brian Buzz]

I feel the same way. My 1991 Mac has a hull that looks like the day it was made, always kept on the trailer, never painted. I would buy a sailboat that has a fixed keel and more headroom if I was paying slip fees. Living in Southern California I need to lease the slip year round. The cost of the slip is about $4k a year. I can stay a few days to a week at a time in the visitor slips so I don't set-up and take down the mast the same day. I think about the money I'm saving so it doesen't bother me. I don't think I spend $500 a year on this boat and it is in great shape. This boat is not the hole in the water that you throw money in. Actually, it's a very cheap way for friends and I to have a lot of fun. Now, with that said, I would pay up to $200 a month for a slip and paint the bottom if I had a 5 month season and then I could put it on the trailer and bring it home. In other words, I'm cheap. Hope this helps.

 

[chp]

Have a look for a place where you can dry store it at a marina. I do that and there are no obstacles to the ramp. I leave all the rigging up and it takes me 10 minutes to launch. A slip where I am costs $2200 for the season. Dry slip is $600. Yes I would like to have a slip sometimes, but the money I save can be spent on other toys for the boat. I can clean and wax the hull all I want. I also find that this keeps the boat dry inside. No condensation when the water is near freezing and air is 80 and humid in the spring.

 

[Justin_NSA]

All good arguments for keeping it on the trailer, but if the admiral wants a slip....
I have to admit, it is nice to just hop on and go, or bunk down in the slip with shore power. Our slip is less than $400/year tho.

 

[FlbkRoxie]

All good arguments for keeping it on the trailer, but if the admiral wants a slip....
I have to admit, it is nice to just hop on and go, or bunk down in the slip with shore power. Our slip is less than $400/year tho.

I agree. We keep our boat in a slip for 3 months in the summer, just to use for quick weekend getaways, and family outings. We call it our "floating condo", since it is in San Diego Bay and we live an hour away. We can go downtown, visit our daughter, go to a ballgame, or out to a nice restaurant, then spend the night on the boat, and not have to drive an hour home, or spend money on a room. It works well for us.

We don't have the bottom painted. The first year we had it at the slip we had it bottom cleaned but not often enough and ended up with some crusty stuff which had to be removed. Lots of work. The second year I asked around and found out that to have it painted would be way more than we wanted to spend. The guy at the yard said just to have it bottom cleaned more often, which is what we did, and it worked great. But if you leave it in year round, you probably would have to have it painted.

We find that we use it a lot more often if it is in a slip. We're older and the work trailering it an hour, and then putting it in and pulling it out of the water for a weekend is just not worth it. So rather than let it sit in the driveway, we pay the $$ and are happy that we do. Take it from the "admiral" of RoxSeas, try it! You can always pull it out if it doesn't work for you.

 

[Brian Buzz]

$400/year, you lucky dog, That's a no brainer I would paint the bottom today and be in the slip tomorrow if I could that deal. I had a 27 Catalina fin keel and kept it in a marina in San Diego Bay. They charged $16.50 a foot a month plus electric. I can have a Macgregor 26 plus a new car for that bill. It comes down to what you feel comfortable spending I guess.

 

[Brian Buzz]

RoxSeas That sounds like a great idea. You can't get a month to month slip in Oceanside harbor but it sounds like you can find one in San diego or Mission Bay. Now you're starting to make me think about how nice it would be to have the boat in Mission Bay for the summer months. Someone told me that you can damage your hull having it cleaned underwater without paint.Is that the case? Does anyone know how much a paint job cost today if you do it yourself?

 

[Dogleg]

I love the idea of a slip. Going down getting on the boat and sailing for the day, or anchoring out for the night then bringing it back to the slip and buttoning it up and driving off. We have done that for a week or two at a time before depending on vacation. We have a place at the lake but we live 5 1/2 hrs away. I was debating about how well a water ballist boat would hold up. Bottom paint , slip fees,lines and deck deteriating in the hot Texas sun, bird shit. etc...etc.. I should get less finniky. :=)

 

[anchorclanker]

Our 222 has not been out of the water in at least 8 years (when the previous owner bought her), and possibly not since 2002. While I have not seen her undersides entirely, we did yank her over this way and that and scrubbed her belly. and she looked "okay". For a boat thats nearly 30 years old and which has sat bobbing at the dock continuously in the Arkansas Sun for so long, she looks amazingly well.

In fact, her cabin had not been opened or anyone aboard her in three years until we purchased her last May (2012). We found her basically dry with no strong odors, but did find some mildew on a cushion due to the forward hatch having a minor leak.

We washed all the cushions, hosed down the sails, gave the boat a good scrubbing, sealed the hatch, and she is doing quite well. I hope to bring her home this spring and give her a long needed manicure/bottom paint/keel maintenance, but I cannot see any reason for her not to remain in the water afterward. Of course, im in fresh water and have no knowledge how long a boat could stay in salt water, but I don't think three years left in the water here continuously would do any harm at all, provided it gets some attention from time to time. The lines have suffered the greatest toll and all need replacing, but that would have occurred regardless.

I think if we had to trailer her to the lake and do the whole set up and down each time, we wouldnt use her as much as with her ready to go. Its enough effort just bringing the needed food, beverages and gear down to take her out now, I cant imagine trailering her adding to the desire, but I can appreciate that some slips are simply unfordable and aren't really an option. Ours are $1100 a year, btw.

 

[finding41]

I have mine at dock without hydro or water. Total with park permit for boat and vehicle is $502 a year. May to mid Oct. One heck of a deal!
As for painting it yourself. Check Sumners web site. He describes all details of how he did his Mac 26S.
Its not to hard! I rolled a coat of ablative on mine on the trailer in about 45 min. It took 1Q. That with Squeaky (4) helping! The picture made the yacht club news letter.
I plan to strip my bottom and put a protective layer (2) of epoxy then ablative this year. Painting over what I did was just to get me in the water for my first year sailing.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

only 1quart? I used a gallon and a quart! (alabative)

do it like sumner 2 coats, w/ different colors. so when the top coat wears off, you know its time.


if the wife wants it, just do it and don't look back.

 

[finding41]

Yep just one quart. I even had a couple oz extra! You can see I was going over another old coat so I wasn't too concerned with the thickness of the coat I was applying. I hadn't had the boat in the water yet.
Oh I moved the can with the leftover the other day. What is left rattles around inside it! I have to open it and see what it has transformed into.

 

[FlbkRoxie]

if the wife wants it, just do it and don't look back.

Oh, I can't wait until I tell my husband you said that:dance:!!!

 

[Dogleg]

"It's better to be wrong in Heaven, than be right in Hell."

(Att. Statement has been greatly overexagerated for humor value)