Boat left in the water dilemma.

So I know leaving your boat in the water isn't a great idea at all.


However this may be the only way I can have it stored in my private lake without launching daily. More specifically Shore Stations. They have simply run out of room and want to accommodate everyone. They easiest way to gain space in t heir eyes is to eliminate the use of a Shore Station. Don't get me started about that, but in the vent they do.......Any other lift options for an area with no electric that has a narrower dimension than the Shore Station.

So I may have to leave my boat floating. Anything I can do to protect it? Bottom paint or a sealer? I am anal about my boat and it will absolutely make me sick to see it floating. However riding is waaaay more important
I have toyed with the idea of just launching on the days the boat would be in the water. The problem for that is you can only launch early am and late evening due to the fact the launch ramp is next to the private beach. They don't want the boat traffic while all the little ones are playing around the beach. Totally understandable and reasonable if you ask me.

They have these
http://www.airdock.com/
or these
http://www.ez-dock.com/content/view/88/308/lang,us/

Not sure exactly what kind of room you have, but there are plenty of these type docks out there.

I don't think you could use that type of lift with an inboard, but I am not positive. It doesn't look like it.

If they are going to ban shore stations they should make the ramp more accessible. How big is this lake? The space a lift takes is the same as needed to dock the boats. I cant see how removing the lifts will make more room on the water unless they are all in the middle of the lake.

maybe experiment with www.sharklet.com , they're working on marine bottom coatings.

Looking at your profile, I believe that you have a Mastercraft. What I would be most concerned with is the warranty period with regard to blisters, as a result of leaving your boat in the water. Specifically, is your hull warrantied against blisters and for how long. Thats the risk in my eyes. If you do get blisters, it is costly to repair!

That airdock looks nice, and can be used with an inboard. Wonder how much it costs??

Pull it out of the water every 2nd weekend and give it a full detail and let it dry out. Bottom paint will be your friend if you're not concerned about resale value.

Sailboats use bottom paint all the time and there are several different kinds but not sure I would go that route unless your gel coat starts going. It would be very difficult to get a brilliant shine once you start bottom painting. Most hulls will be fine with just minimal precautions though, but blisters are a risk. Scrub the bottom every 1-4 weeks depending on lake conditions, wax, and when I kept my boats in the water I dry docked them a couple of times during the season to let them air out. Make sure your battery and bilge pump ALWAYS work.

How exactly does banning shorestations save space? I love politicians. Our lake has a number of massive public piers with slips that are side-by-side. 1/2 the boats have a Shorestation and others leave their boat floating. It is crystal clear from looking at the size of the slip that is can not be made any smaller by removing the lift. A Shorestation is about 6 inches wider then the boat on either side. Can you really dock a boat and leave it floating in any less space then that? What an absolute true bunch of morons (sorry for my frank comment). I would guess somebody in the city council has a beef with the Shorestation dealer.

Just leave it in the water. It is a boat and who cares if it gets some osmotic blisters. They don't hurt the boat. You will have to scrub around the water line every few weeks to get the water scum off the side of the boat but that isn't hard with a medium bristle brush. Also pull it out a few times a year and clean the hull really well and wax it. I grew up with an 84 Mastercraft that sat in the water from late April till middle October every year. It got pulled out a couple times a year to clean the bottom good. Over the coarse of 10 years of doing this the boat got small osmotic blisters. They affected nothing. You could put on bottom paint but I would rather have the blisters than bottom paint on my ski boat. Unless it sits year round in water or sits in salt water I wouldn't do bottom paint. If you are anal deal with having to pull the boat in and out every time.

Blisters on a boat are the equivalent to rock chips on your truck.... mostly cosmetic. Cleaning it & drying it out every couple weeks has worked for 3 boats for me over a lot of years, including a Mastercraft & a Malibu.

You can get blisters just from leaving your boat on a trailer that has wet bunks.

AirDocks can be setup for an inboard. You can see a Nautique on one on their site: http://www.airdock.com. I've seen lots of guys dis the thing, but never seen or heard an owner who doesn't love it.

I have left my boat in a marina for 3 years, and I have zero blisters etc... I hope it never happends to me, but so far so good!

The reason for the Shore Station dilemma is due to the fact that not all the boats have a dock floating. 60% of the boats are moored with stake in the front and a buoy in the rear. Docks were optional to the owners. Most of us that "use" the boats regularly added the dock and the station. Two boats share one dock so the space is saved. The reason the shore station takes up space, according to the board, is the fact that the boat next to you now has to move further away. This is due to the fact the boat next to you not only needs space from you but now needs the space from the post as well. Again not my beliefs or suggestions. Just the way the board sees it.

I thought about the air docks and what not, but problem is no electric to run the compressor.

As to the lake size its the shape of a dog bone and 225 Acres. Just the right size. The best part is it 25ft deep down the middle. Its also stocked with fish every year. 2700 Walley and 2000 Northern to come this spring. So can't complain too much. They take care of it for sure.

My plan for now is to just launch the boat the day before my days off and then pull it out the last day. Usually 3 days sitting and then wipe it clean. The blister reason is def why I am concerned. Especially with my 2000 X-Star. I want to keep it nice for resale purposes so in the next year or 2 I can upgrade.

The whole ban hasn't been finalized as of yet. We have the same arguments as those stated on the space of a shore station, but it ain't looking good.

(Message edited by xstarrider on December 02, 2009)

My last boat spent two or more months at a time in the water. No problems. I'm guessing the gel coat is not worse now than it was in 1985. My '06 has spent three summers now in the water for two months solid. No problems.
My lake is pretty clean and the water is not especially hard

As a side note I'd prefer to stake the rear and put the nose out so it would handle wake rollers better.

I think you can use the boat for power to blow those air docks up.

Yes, you can use the boat's battery to power the Air-Dock. You can order them configured for AC or DC. I have a "C model" Airdock for my Malibu 23 LSV and it works great to get the boat out of the water. I am going to sell it this spring since I have moved up the waiting list to a covered slip w/ lift at my marina.

You can also get a 12V DC winch for a traditional boat lift. That is in the event you find a way to continue using one.

AirDock also has a DC option to fill from a compressor that has a solar charged deep cycle battery in the package..... just like most other lifts.

http://www.airdock.com/frame_1.htm

It all depends on the water conditions of the lake or river.I left my boat in the water from march till end okt every year.I take it out every 2 months and clean it with +/- 20% diluted hydrochloric acid much cheaper than starbright bottom cleaner and faster.Btw a good osmose protection system is an expensive treatment,those are a minimum of 7 layers epoxy and you don,t have to worry about osmose anymore for the next 5-7 years.depending on marine growth it is wise to refresh the anti-fouling every 1 or 2 years.

There is also a nanotech treatment,.75 bucks for 50 cc ??...yeah right!
There are lots of boatlifts,imho the best is the sunstream floating.My friend has one.
Or maybe a seapen.com.au will fit your needs.

But i,m not that anal,i work alot to pay for my toys,so after work i stop at the marina and i want to enjoy every spare minute i can.
Filing the ballast already makes me grumbling.

"So I know leaving your boat in the water isn't a great idea at all. "

I got a good laugh out of that one.

I have a shore station and I only use it when a storm rolls through. Otherwise I much prefer to leave the boat floating in the water.

However I'm probably not like you so I'd say just pull it out when your not using it.

What are the fines if you keep using your shore station?

Who is the one grumbling? You'd think on a 225 acre lake there would be plenty of room for boat lifts.

Are you a deeded land owner or is it more like a club membership?

225 acres?? Thats not much more than a pond!

Our own lake is about 700 acres. It takes about 3 minutes to ride across. Or maybe 20 to ride the perimeter.

Frankly, I'm surprised they allow boats to stay on that small of a lake at all.

Private ski lakes are around 13 acres at a minimum.

I'd check with some of the smaller hoist companies. I've worked with Great Lakes Lift and they will custom build a hoist to your needs.

I leave our boat in the water from the End of April to the end of October.

I usually take it out a couple times during the season and give it a nice coat of wax. Meguiars NXtech is good stuff!
I usually in the summer when the water is warm enough put on the scuba mask, long-ass snorkle and wipe down the hull with a sponge to keep it looking build up free!

Btw the end of the season you can't even tell it was in the water for 6 months.

Some people cringe but enjoying the boat is far more important than the hypothetical chance of a blister 5-10 years from now.

Also one thing to check is the ph balance of the water. This would have an effect on the growth on the boat and such.

"225 acres?? Thats not much more than a pond!

Our own lake is about 700 acres. It takes about 3 minutes to ride across. Or maybe 20 to ride the perimeter.

Frankly, I'm surprised they allow boats to stay on that small of a lake at all."

Nominee for "most out of touch" post of all time right there!!! I emailed that to some friends. Keep them coming please!

A good size waterski lake is about 10 acres so I'd think 225 is OK. My lake is about 76,000 acres so it takes a few days to ride the perimeter, but I don't know anyone who tried that.

Uncalled for Joe. WTF? Who are you to judge?

I understand a private lake being 10 -13 acres. But we're talking about a lake with docks & boats kept on the lake, and boarders & skiers kicking up wakes. It was just an observation. Lakes that size in the west many times have rules restricting it to non-motorized boats only. Obviously that varys more than I thought.

(Message edited by bill_airjunky on December 04, 2009)

My apologies- rereading my post, it was uncalled for. It's just, around here, a lake that is over 300 acres is a "big one" and often not even worth riding on in the middle of the summer because there are so many "little ones" that are glass all day. My favorite lake is 140 acres and it has several dozen shore stations, docks, and boats in the water from may to september, and my favorite dozen lakes to ride on are all under 300 acres. However, I could certainly see how different areas of the country could lead people to viewing lake sizes differently.

It just reminded me of an inside joke with my friends when we were at a wedding in Texas. We told the brides family we loved to waterski up in Michigan. Her uncle looked pale almost immediately, and he took me aside and asked if we actually got in the water in Michgian. In his view, Michigan might as well have been Antarctica. It's funny how strange perceptions are some times.

Our lake is 165 acres. Works for us. Great sandbar for socializing, Good lines for skiing and boarding.

I hear ya guys. Caught me by surprise. Like I said, here in the west, most lakes that size are not allowed to have gas motorized boats on them. Many of the lakes we're used to riding on are 1000s or 10000s of acres.

Yup lake is plenty big for boarding and skiing. Not the biggest, but again its private. The size is the reason for all the dock and pier issues arriving as more and more houses on the water are adding boats and the want to accommodate everyone and not have ifts and docks scattered all around the lake.

As far as the acreage. Its on the bigger side for a private lake. Well we'll see what's going to happen. Thanks for the possibilities and the help.