I don't think the boat would be under the oaks, though still a valid point which I hadn't considered. May be why the boats there look less well kept?
Looking for opinions on slip dilemma
- Thread starter hawk232
- Start date
I can't say what is right for you, but you're not signing up for life, are you? You could try one for a year, then the other, then decide. For the first year I owned my larger boat I was visiting all the time for work and projects. I was constantly out there in the evenings removing and installing stuff -- sometimes the same things, if I screwed up! I'm 30 minute drive to the boat, so it was not much of a pain, unless if I forgot a tool at home. After a few years, you work on improvements less, so you don't visit as often for projects, only maintenance and sailing. Perhaps you should try the closer place for the first year, and see if you mind the motoring, then try Option 2 after you finish all your initial projects?
I pulled my boat from the Marina in October in anticipation of moving. I parked it under a pine tree from October to March.
That was a big mistake!!!!!
I spent three days with mold killer and a CASE of paper towels. Then a day with a hard scrub brush on a broom handle. She looks good again but it was a lot of work. And trees shed bugs .....Trees and boats don't play well together.
Absolutely agree with that. We kept one of our sport fishing boats in Amesbury, Ma on the Merrimack River.
God did it suck, no wake all the way to Newburyport till you could open it up
Aside from everything that has been mentioned, what about draft and the skinny water there. I'm about 40 miles south and draw 4 feet. A low tide can have it's challenges here and we are a bit deeper all around. No problem for your Cat 22 but add another two to three feet of draft and all that changes. I know I'm probably preachin' to the choir here...just sayin'.
I agree, unless you then have to motor 12 miles for a day of sailing. Then all you do is work on it, not sail it.
sure. You have to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer.
I haven't done much day sailing since I sailed dinghys as a kid. When we kept our boat in the river we weekended all the time. Out Friday evening ,home Sunday night. We lived on the boat so not far to travel. Upside is not having to haul the boat for bottom paint. Salt kills the fresh water growth and fresh kills the salt water stuff. Now we are about 5min from the boat. It's in salt water so it's a 3 hour trip for a haul out every couple of years. Still don't day-sail but we're out for 5 months every year while we're still young and healthy enough to enjoy it. So many variables, depends on how you see your self using your boat.
Another thing I would consider is boat traffic. A narrow channel that's not a no wake zone and power boats can probably make that 6 miles miserable for a sailboat.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around the 3 miles into the gulf before it's deep enough to sail! I think I would look for another location besides Option 1 or 2, even if it means a longer drive. I think a six-mile hike in the boat to sailing grounds will be a greater deterrent to sailing than a longer drive, but if it is an hour drive and a 3-mile hike in the boat, that might be an equal deterrent. I would rather have a 2+ hour drive and be in a good marina that gets you into the gulf with almost immediate access.
@Ward H is right, if you are not a social recluse, choosing a good marina carries a lot of weight. If you don't like the surroundings and the neighbors, it will get depressing really quick.
I had a nice inland lake to sail on with my boat just 5 minutes from my house. After a decade of that, I was tired of the same routine and I wanted space. Now, it's a 2+ hour drive one way, I sail less, but am enjoying the sailing far more. Also, the marina is filled with sailors and that makes a difference. There were very few sailors to see on a regular basis on the lake. I would look for the location that has the most active sailing scene.
@Ward H is right, if you are not a social recluse, choosing a good marina carries a lot of weight. If you don't like the surroundings and the neighbors, it will get depressing really quick.
I had a nice inland lake to sail on with my boat just 5 minutes from my house. After a decade of that, I was tired of the same routine and I wanted space. Now, it's a 2+ hour drive one way, I sail less, but am enjoying the sailing far more. Also, the marina is filled with sailors and that makes a difference. There were very few sailors to see on a regular basis on the lake. I would look for the location that has the most active sailing scene.
@hawk232 it is your boat and only you can really decide.
For me I would select option 2. Why? Because when I go sailing I want to be sailing in open beautiful waters. Let me put this in perspective. I located my boat in the Northern end of the Puget Sound where there are Hundreds of square miles of water to explore. There are talented marine repair facilities and great dock friends to share the marina boating experience. Going to the boat is a multi day adventure that I do about every 3-4 weeks. Sometimes it’s for boat maintenance. Sometimes it’s for extended multiple week sailing. It always feels like a vacation. It is a 265 mile drive one way.
What am I missing? I can’t just drive 45 minutes to the nearby river which would let me sail up and down the river east to west and west to east.
If you need that immediate fix then do what some have done on this site. Get a trailerable dinghy that you can sail in shallow waters. I decided to get kayak for the local waters when I just need that short break from reality.
As was said earlier it is not a forever decision. Over the next few years you may change your marina several times.
I would start with Option 2.
Let us know your decision and also how you find it works out. Best wishes and fair winds
For me I would select option 2. Why? Because when I go sailing I want to be sailing in open beautiful waters. Let me put this in perspective. I located my boat in the Northern end of the Puget Sound where there are Hundreds of square miles of water to explore. There are talented marine repair facilities and great dock friends to share the marina boating experience. Going to the boat is a multi day adventure that I do about every 3-4 weeks. Sometimes it’s for boat maintenance. Sometimes it’s for extended multiple week sailing. It always feels like a vacation. It is a 265 mile drive one way.
What am I missing? I can’t just drive 45 minutes to the nearby river which would let me sail up and down the river east to west and west to east.
If you need that immediate fix then do what some have done on this site. Get a trailerable dinghy that you can sail in shallow waters. I decided to get kayak for the local waters when I just need that short break from reality.
As was said earlier it is not a forever decision. Over the next few years you may change your marina several times.
I would start with Option 2.
Let us know your decision and also how you find it works out. Best wishes and fair winds
I currently have a sea pearl 21 and a hobie adventure island. both trailerable, rigged in less than 15 minutes and can sail in inches of water. I can get my fix if I need to!
I just cant help but wonder if having the boat close for the first month or two might not be my best option. Realistically for the first month, if it were close, I would go to the boat every day for SOMETHING, even it was just to sit and stare at her...
@Roland5048 option 2 would be skeleton key marina in Hudson. Option 1 is in Yankeetown on the Withlacoochee river
I just cant help but wonder if having the boat close for the first month or two might not be my best option. Realistically for the first month, if it were close, I would go to the boat every day for SOMETHING, even it was just to sit and stare at her...
@Roland5048 option 2 would be skeleton key marina in Hudson. Option 1 is in Yankeetown on the Withlacoochee river
Nothing wrong with sitting on the boat and just enjoying being with her.
Actually, you'll go every day for NOTHING. My boat is a few hundred yards away. I have gone down down MANY times to do something, but ended up sitting in the cockpit (bow in, so I'm facing the creek) enjoying the surroundings. You can always use my excuse, "I'm pondering how to do this next job of _________(fill in the blank)".
I use that one at home too. Every time Bev catches me staring off into space!
If you are primarily working on the boat and not sailing, then closer is better by a long shot. I have many duplicate tools and parts because the tool I needed was 40 miles away and the hardware store 4 miles away.
For the long term, you'll be happiest at a pleasant marina, with folks you enjoy being with, and is close to your sailing grounds.
Many of us don't have the option of monthly slip rentals, up here in the frozen north slips are leased by the season.
Option 2 sounds better to me. I drive 1-1/4 hours to get from Home to our boat on KY Lake. Been on boat 1148 nights so it’s worth the drive to us. Initially with a boat it’s all about sailing. After a while it’s a balance of staying on board and socializing with those at the marina. Spend some nights on the boat and the drive is spread over two or three days instead of one. Just be sure you get a boat you can live on with HVAC, toilet and kitchen. Also if you are married, get your wife on board with some amenities and you’ll have sure success.