Keeping a boat in a slip (no lift)

idoublebogie 05-07-2005, 9:21 PM

This summer Ill be keeping my ski boat in a slip that is in a channel and fairly well proected from any large waves.

Is this overall a bad idea (leave it sitting in the water)? Is there anything I can do to protect it more (without getting a lift)?

(x_star05) · (x_star05) **Join Date: Mar 2005** 05-07-2005, 9:47 PM

are you going to bottom paint your boat?

(midwesty) · (midwesty) **Join Date: Aug 2003** 05-07-2005, 10:39 PM

interesting topic..i am inquiring as well...where are you located?

(tige22ityper) · (tige22ityper) **Join Date: Dec 2003** 05-08-2005, 12:58 AM

I am doing the same thing this year until I can afford a lift. I think it depends on how clean the water is and how secure the dock is. The dock I have us pretty secure and the boat is tied up lock tight. I use 4 bumpers to keep it off the dock. Would like to use mooring whips, but don't really need them. Our lake doesn't get that rough. I take it out about every two weeks to clean it. The bottom looks perfect and there is no scum line. Many people at our lake keep their boats in the water. Haven't heard of anyone having any issues. I think you should be fine as long as you remove it periodically to wash it.

d_fresh 05-08-2005, 3:27 AM

There is a thing called osmosis. Gell coat is poris. I have a '92 Sunsetter that I left in the water for a season. There were blisters the size of a pencil eraser all over the boat, below the water line like the measles. Keeping a boat in the water is a gamble. Take the boat out of the water about every 3 weeks for a day as insurnace. Good luck!

(bwood) · (bwood) **Join Date: Jul 2003** 05-08-2005, 3:52 AM

Doug is right it's a gamble. Some boats get blisters and some don't. I left my 04 VLX in the water last year and got some small blisters by the end of the year. Thank god that thay were not too bad and my dealer fixed them for free. I will not be keeping my boat in the water this year and would say that if you have a nice boat dont do it. Oh and I pulled it out every three weeks for a good cleaning, witch was a pita. Like Doug said pull it out and let it dry out. If it's in the water for three weeks I would let it dry out for a week or more. Some people say three weeks in three weeks out. What kind of boat do you have Jon?

(bob) · (bob) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 05-08-2005, 11:02 AM

the newer boats should be fully capable of staying in the water and not blistering, id be more concerned with the shaft packing leaking and a bildge pump or battery failure

idoublebogie 05-08-2005, 5:32 PM

I have an older i/o ski boat. Nothing special just thought Id get some info from some "boat" people being a newbie. We will see how it goes this year and maybe get a lift or trailor it (yuck) next year.

(krbaugh) · (krbaugh) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 05-08-2005, 7:42 PM

"the newer boats should be fully capable of staying in the water and not blistering" Wrong

If you don't get blisters count yourself VERY lucky. IF you do get Blisters they are VERY expensive to fix correctly!

(jnewcom) · (jnewcom) **Join Date: Mar 2003** 05-08-2005, 10:08 PM

I guess it depends on what type of boat you have. I would never keep mine in the water, but I'm very particular. If its a farily newer boat and you take care of it, it shouldn't even be a question. If its a real old boat and you're not too worried about it I guess you could

(mnwakerider) · (mnwakerider) **Join Date: Jun 2004** 05-09-2005, 12:56 AM

I have kept my boat (1990 MC) in the St. Croix River. We have a house boat also. we take care of it and clean peridoicily and have had no such blisters or any other problems. IT also alows you to get out there for those 1 hour sessions a lot easier...

(airbesar) · (airbesar) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 05-09-2005, 4:56 PM

We've kept a 2000 Malibu Escape in the Sacto River for 7 months out of each of the last four years. No blisters but the bottom gets seriously algaed. We usually clean the hull twice a year - it's a job and a half. The swim platform often touches the water as the boat sits there and I'm noticing some deterioration there. We keep a cover on it and I haven't noticed any problems with the upholstery, once the lousy stuff they used that year was all replaced.

It's definitely harder on the boat to be out there all the time but the opportunity to walk out the back door and jump in the boat is priceless.

(krbaugh) · (krbaugh) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 05-09-2005, 5:14 PM

Leaving your boat in the water is like playing Russian roulette with 3 bullets in 6 shooter. You might not get the blisters but...... why take the chance.

(norcalmalibu) · (norcalmalibu) **Join Date: Jun 2004** 05-09-2005, 7:24 PM

If your gonna leave a boat in the water, at least have the bottom painted. I cant belive anyone would leave a boat in wiht out it for an a period of time more then a week.

idoublebogie 05-09-2005, 7:30 PM

My whole reason for having my boat in the water is because it is jointly owned with a friend (a whole nother issue that works great). We both need easy access to it and love to use it on a weekday for an hour after work. WE are gonna risk it.

A side note this Sunday in Madison, WI our 15 year old boat started right away when the 2 year malibu next to us didnt.

jlm 05-10-2005, 6:21 AM

I hear penicillin clears up the blisters. Star Brite hull cleaner will remove the scum line that will develop.

(bob) · (bob) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 05-11-2005, 5:49 AM

Ok, so people with boats larger that cant trailer are playing russian roulette? I dont think so and the paint application process should be better since more small boats are made then large boats, more experience. Come on now if you buy a 40-50' boat are you really going to have to worry about blisters?? Id have someones azz if i had blisters on a new 40' boat from sitting in the water for 7 months.

(ryanbush11) · (ryanbush11) **Join Date: May 2003** 05-11-2005, 6:10 AM

The 40-50' Boats that sit in the water all the time have the bottoms painted so that they don't blister.

(krbaugh) · (krbaugh) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 05-11-2005, 6:19 AM

Like Ryan said bigger boats that are always in the water have a barrier coat painted on them.
Jon asked a question and was given lots of advice. He has decided not to listen to almost everyone telling him he could very likley get blisters. It is his boat and his choice to make.

(wakeguru) · (wakeguru) **Join Date: Feb 2003** 05-11-2005, 7:12 AM

Air Besar, you can raise your platform a bit to keep it out of the water and prevent the deterioration. Their was an article on it on this website. They used some mounting blocks made of plastic, I think.

Check it...I found the article:
http://www.wakeworld.com/articles/2003/transom.asp

(airbesar) · (airbesar) **Join Date: Mar 2002** 05-11-2005, 9:42 AM

Thanks for the tip, Dave. I hadn't seen that article. I expect I will have to replace the platform and will look into raising the new one.

To steal the thread, anyone ever use Ipe for a platform? We're having a new deck put in at the house and might have some left over. The stuff seems pretty tough and is supposed to last forever.

mikep 05-11-2005, 3:07 PM

I kept my 2000 Tige' 21V in the water for two straight seasons with no blisters at all. The only issue I had was the dinge on the hull that I was able to get off with hull cleaner.

I'm keeping my 2003 Tige' 22V on the water this year, but I'll make sure to take it out and clean it every couple of weeks.

flipout 05-11-2005, 3:16 PM

If you bring up monster towers web site, you can see my platform I had made out of red wood. It looks as good today as it did new over two years ago.

(bob) · (bob) **Join Date: Feb 2001** 05-12-2005, 5:21 AM

I dont know about bottom paints preventing blisters but they do prevent algae and growth as indicated below:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Anti-fouling bottom paint is a specialized covering applied to the hull of a boat, designed to slow the growth of organisms that would attach to the hull and affect performance and durability. Other types of coatings can act as a barrier against corrosion on metal hulls, or improve water flow past the hull of a high-performance racing yacht.

In the days of the clipper ships, sailing vessels suffered severely from the growth of barnacles and weed on the hull which, left unchecked, reduced the maximum speed of the ship and also its ability to sail upwind -- both of which affected profitability. Thin copper sheets were nailed onto the hull in an attempt to prevent this. An visible example of this may be seen on the clipper Cutty Sark preserved as a museum ship in dry-dock at Greenwich in England.

In modern times, paints are formulated with toxic copper compounds or other special chemistry which impede growth of barnacles, algae, and other such organisms. Since such a barrier ablates slowly, it must be renewed periodically.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottom_paint"

Why Should I Bother Painting My Boat?
Once fouling has established a hold on a boat hull it will rapidly spread or "colonize" the surface. Prevention is therefore better than the cure of having to remove the fouling by scraping.

There are a number of key reasons to keep your hull free from fouling:

Safety - Heavy fouling growth reduces responsiveness of the craft. The added weight of the fouling can make the boat sit lower in the water than intended. This can have obvious implications in heavy weather conditions.

Protection - Prolonged growth of certain types of fouling can damage the substrate of the hull. For example, the natural glues used to attach organisms to the hull can damage wood and fiberglass. Fouling can also clog water intakes and cause damage to the engines.

Speed and efficiency - Fouling causes drag. As drag is increased, fuel consumption increases and speed is reduced even to the point where a planing hull may not be able to get on plane. For racing boats, this can be the difference between winning and losing a race.
Courtesy Of http://www.yachtpaint.com/

As a matter of fact everywhere i looked i saw nothing about protecting from blisters as one would expect a company to be bragging, if their product was actually good at??

robertt 05-12-2005, 9:54 AM

On another thread I saw something about boat “skins” that are basically like a shrink wrap that is slick.

Has anyone else heard of this? I would imagine that it would start to look like crap after a while…but ………….

It may be a good option if its real.

The other thing that I was thinking about was the “lifts” that are basically nothing more than a big tube that you inflate under the boat. I am pretty sure you can use a shop vac to inflate them. I wouldn’t want to screw with it…but figure its worth throwing out there.

(stef) · (stef) **Join Date: May 2002** 05-13-2005, 1:41 PM

here in switzerland we have our boats in the water every year for 6 month. you can have antifouling painting with epoxy. this will do a berrier that prevent the osmosis. no problem after many years of use. the best way to prevent osmosis is to take the boat of the water in the winter time and humidity can go out of the hull. this product is Nautico plastorex

(big_ed_x2) · (big_ed_x2) **Join Date: Jul 2004** 05-13-2005, 3:39 PM

what kind of boat do you have?

(stef) · (stef) **Join Date: May 2002** 05-14-2005, 10:05 AM

as you can read in my profil a MASTERCRAFT MARISTAR 210 VRS. on this picture you ca see the paint

snapper 05-22-2005, 10:56 AM

Just happened to find this board while searching for ways to limit barnacles, so I thought I'd chime in.

I've got a 24'Searay Laguna I keep in a slip in Puget Sound. Bottom paint is not an option, it is a MUST! As are plenty of zincs, currents around here are notorious. Seems like hauling out every 8 weeks or so works well for me. Right about then is when the barnacles and moss start to get a foot hold. Hauling out gives me the opportunity to give the boat a thorough scrubbing and a few days to air-out.

Blisters are a different issue. While they can happen to any fiberglass hull boat, they seem to happen more often to smaller boats with thinner hulls.

(the_pimp) · (the_pimp) **Join Date: Sep 2002** 05-24-2005, 7:26 AM

Dudes, I have a '98 X-Star and have kept it in a fresh water on a dock lake for 7 months of the year for the past three years. I know guys on the same lake who have done the same for years and years without any worries at all. I have an inflatable fender about three meters long and a foot wide that holds the boat off the dock - so no damage even in gales! At the end of each season simply use a soft scrubbing deck brush and some algae wash/shampoo (don't breath it in or get it on your skin or clothes) then jet wash it clean and you're sorted. For the purists out there like myself, you can ensure the hull returns to as new with a once over with some t-cut or colour restorer - bit of a job though at the end of a hard working day to get under your boat in the middle of a freezing winter. But hey, enjoy the summer months leaving it in the water.
I believe you only get problems of osmosis when boat is in saltwater. Never heard of anyone havoing trouible with blisters before.

Hope that helps.
Matt

(rodmcinnis) · (rodmcinnis) **Join Date: Sep 2002** 05-24-2005, 2:57 PM

I used to own a 36 foot boat that was kept in fresh water all the time. Every two years I would have the boat hauled out and the bottom repainted and the blisters fixed.

Some boats seem to be immune to blisters, just like some people manage to avoid the flue. If you want to get an idea of the nature of the problem visit a boat yard where big boats are repaired. You will see all brands having blisters repaired. Some boats are certainly more prone to them then others, but any boat could suffer.

The real bitch for a ski boat is if the blisters occur on the side, near the water line. On my cruiser the bottom paint wrapped up the sides to an inch above the water line so any blister repair was covered over. On a ski boat, the blister repair will really muck up the gel coat and look ugly forever.

Blisters do take a while to form, so if the boat was stored on land during the winter you might not have a problem. I would expect it to take weeks to dry out, so the idea of hauling it out one day a month isn't going to be enough. The bottom paint will NOT prevent blisters.

stoked27 05-25-2005, 9:16 PM

Last season my '04 VLX got some osmotic blisters. I was even taking it out of the water once a week or so to try and prevent it. The dealer sent it to the Mailbu plant in Tennessee to get a new paint job, no problems, and got a new paint job out of it...but I would personally recommend getting a lift. Especially if the paint is not covered under warrenty anymore.

(roberto) · (roberto) **Join Date: Aug 2004** 05-26-2005, 9:53 AM

Anyone using the Air-Dock lift system? www.airdock.com. I'm considering buying this since I can't install anything permanent in the slip I rent for the season.