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Old     (hawk22)      Join Date: Jul 2006       06-20-2017, 10:33 AM Reply   
Can anyone chime in about keeping your boat in the water over summer. Do's and Dont's. Things you wish you would've done or known sooner. We get to live it up for a summer with a house on the lake. I've always dreamed of this lifestyle, but as we are moving I'm starting to process things I've never had to think about like: best method to tie up boat to the dock. Is there a cheap lift alternative? or just a good bumper tie up system? Will the extra sun exposure take its toll on the vinyl? Is there some cleaning/conditioning process you do to prevent too much sun? Will remaining in the water discolor the hull? Should I remove it from the lake every so often to clean it or something? Then just thought of this, what about filling the boat with gas? Whats best solution for filling up on the water (no water gas station obviously). Should I leave cover on the boat overnight or will that cause it to mildew etc?
Old     (kmayotte)      Join Date: Aug 2010       06-20-2017, 11:56 AM Reply   
My G23 (and previously 2004 Super Air) stays in the water at the dock all summer.

Mooring whips keep it off the dock (bumpers would just scuff) and I tie up with 4 lines (2 to each cleat in a v-shape). The boat barely moves in even the stiffest breeze and never contacts the dock unless the whips are off. Properly sizes mooring whips will run around $600. See here

I pull the boat a few times a season and wash the water line off and give it a top to bottom wax but in the fall I have to due a full bottom clean. Our lake is very clean but you still get algae buildup on the hull.

I always cover my boat overnight to keep the dew, pollen and insects off. If it's wet I make sure it stay open enough to dry out but if a boats wet in the evening it will still be wet in the morning covered or not, so covered is a better option through the night. Then dry it out the next day.

We have the option to buy gas on the lake but I prefer to fillup 5 gallons cans at the local gas station and fill the boat using a magic shaker siphon. I have 10 cans which gets me through the weekend. I save about $0.70/gallon doing this or $45/tank. My engine is ok to run with ethanol and I add Sta-bil treatment anyway.

Last edited by kmayotte; 06-20-2017 at 11:59 AM.
Old     (JR_88)      Join Date: Jun 2015       06-20-2017, 3:17 PM Reply   
You don't say whether you are in a cove or like me in open water where your boat can take a beating if you aren't prepared. Before my lift, dock lines should cross so the cleat at the front of the slip ties to the rear on the boat, do this on both sides. Yes your dock lines will rub but your boat is not going anywhere, even when you've got cabin cruiser wakes coming through. The shaking the boat does will make you uneasy but holds steady. Center the boat in the slip when the water is calm, then leave the lines attached to the dock and simply detach from the boat when heading out that way you are always centered and no chance for anything hitting. I never had a need for additional bumpers.

Gassing up I use 4 - 5 gallon cans and use a battery transfer pump. Just sit the can on the sunpad above the gas cap and slide it in. It'll run through a 5 gallon can in a couple minutes. You'll want a large funnel to get the remainder from the gas can. I only run non-ethanol and it's still a dollar cheaper than filling up at the lake. I saw a similar pump at Home Depot in the lawn mower section but this is what I use.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Old     (infinitysurf)      Join Date: Apr 2017       06-20-2017, 4:57 PM Reply   
As mentioned....I would cover boat when not using, just dry it out the next day if needed. If you got power at dock....you can start a box fan before you cover it up and it will keep it from smelling by circulating air, I do that often even if not wet tho I do have covered storage and dont have to use cover often. I still use a fan often to dry out areas under seats, rear lockers, etc

On vinyl, for SURE treat it using 303. You can use a cleaner first if needed (lots of brands out there...for mild cleaning, a mix of water/vinegar works well enough), but the 303 will keep the vinyl in good shape and it wont dry out...you are supposed to apply it to "clean vinyl". I use 303 on all vinyl after every use..if you are using boat every day, you can probably do that every 2-3 days and be ok since its not the cheapest stuff but works great for upkeep.

Without power, that magic shaker siphon is pretty sweet, I have one too...it does have to run "downhill". Here is a link:
https://www.amazon.com/Hopkins-10801...+shaker+siphon
Old     (Laker1234)      Join Date: Mar 2010       06-20-2017, 8:07 PM Reply   
Check your warranty. On mine, if the boat is in the water for more than 2 weeks straight, the warranty on the hull is voided.
Old     (tripsw)      Join Date: May 2006       06-20-2017, 9:05 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by Laker1234 View Post
Check your warranty. On mine, if the boat is in the water for more than 2 weeks straight, the warranty on the hull is voided.
Seriously?! A boat belongs on the water, right? May I ask what boat you have? This might be totally normal, I've never owned and probably never will own a new boat, but I'm totally surprised to hear this.
Old     (hawk22)      Join Date: Jul 2006       06-20-2017, 10:52 PM Reply   
Ya I saw some mooring whips at the dock...hoping they are adequate otherwise sounds like I may need spring for some better ones. That's crazy about the warranty. I will definitely read through that, but I hope that's not the case....

Keith next time ur at ur boat, snap a pic if u don't mind. Would love to see the setup u r talking about (not sure I understand the V u r talking about).

I've been a boat owner for 15+ years, but never had the problem (luxury) of storing at the dock so this is a first, I really appreciate all the feedback guys. Any more suggestions, keep'em coming.
Old     (rallyart)      Join Date: Nov 2006       06-21-2017, 12:00 AM Reply   
Mooring whips with Spring Lines work well. I'm on a big lake with sudden mountain storms. My boat is on a buoy most of the summer and we swim or paddle out to it in the morning. Make sure you take some time to open everything up occasionally as some parts of most boats don't dry very well. The water on my lake is very clean so there is no significant build up on the hull of algae or water crud. If you get some, just scrub it off at the dock with a hull brush. You will get the surface damp with dew every morning but that usually dries quickly. It's great having the boat ready and in the water whenever you want.

For ten years mine has sat for a couple months each summer continuously in the water. Any boat that can't take that is more of a bathtub or pool toy and is not worth owning.
Old     (james)      Join Date: Feb 2010       06-21-2017, 7:51 AM Reply   
We keep our boat in the water all summer long which only works out to about 3 months here. We use yellow poly ropes and have had no problem over the last 10plus years. We also use a shaker siphone to fill it. We use 303 protectant 2 times a season. All we do is give the hull a good cleaning at the end of the season.
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Old     (hawk22)      Join Date: Jul 2006       06-22-2017, 11:57 AM Reply   
Does anybody know the best way to connect the mooring whip to the boat? There are mooring whips but no rope. The space that is designed to hold the rope looks pretty small, I'm guessing it would fit maybe a 3/8 inch rope? Does that seem adequate? Are you just looping the rope through? Or carabiner?
Old     (hawk22)      Join Date: Jul 2006       06-22-2017, 11:57 AM Reply   
Also any suggestions to keep geese away from my Waterfront and dock?
Old     (buzzardmountainz)      Join Date: Jun 2010       06-22-2017, 2:13 PM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by hawk22 View Post
Also any suggestions to keep geese away from my Waterfront and dock?
I use a paint ball gun. Haven't had to use it once this year after blasting them all last year.
Old     (infinitysurf)      Join Date: Apr 2017       06-22-2017, 10:09 PM Reply   
Haha, love the paintball gun thing, priceless. Totally something I would do.....
Old     (wazzy)      Join Date: Nov 2001       06-23-2017, 9:41 AM Reply   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGca6Wh3dnY .... jus' sayin'
Old     (355spider)      Join Date: Aug 2015       06-23-2017, 1:52 PM Reply   
Leaving a boat in the water without bottom paint can run it. I take mine out weekly to clean it.
Old     (dbdb)      Join Date: Oct 2005       06-23-2017, 9:06 PM Reply   
Something I wish I would have done earlier is how to tie knots quicker and better. I've downloaded the knots3d app and have spent some time learning how to do a few of them quickly.

http://knots3d.com/
Old     (nailem)      Join Date: Apr 2011       06-24-2017, 9:20 AM Reply   
Are you tieing to one side or Are you in a U shaped slip? Before my lift I bout the long bumper pads and attached them to both sides if the slip, I tied my ropes to the dock and used caribener to hook to the back D rings, in the front I just looked through the front cleats. This way everything is on the dock and you do not have to get anything out each time. I tie the ropes so the boat would come close but not touch on either side even when pushed hard. The only time the boat hit or rubbed the bumpers is pulling in or out but allowed enough movement between boat and dock.
I would never bottom paint a wake boat.
Old     (nailem)      Join Date: Apr 2011       06-24-2017, 10:04 AM Reply   
Actually in the front I took ropes from the corners of the dock and ran them both to a caribener and attached to the front D ring. I use to loop through the cleats but the ropes rubbed. Hooking to the D rings prevents any rubbing.
Old     (infinitysurf)      Join Date: Apr 2017       06-24-2017, 9:06 PM Reply   
Put bottom paint on a tow boat and you can count on losing thousands at resale...some people probably would not even buy it if it had bottom paint, myself included cause I learned my lesson when I bought a 2006 Sea Ray I/O years ago that had been bottom painted. Constant maintenance, looked like crap cause they have to sand boat to prep (that eats thru your gelcoat) and bottom paint rubs off since its organic.
Just pull boat and clean it every few weeks. Don't know what year/brand you have...some, (like Centurion) have a great gelcoat warranty, others don't. Most, if not all, have some sort of disclaimer about leaving boat sitting in the water in the fine print cause it really depends on the type of water boat sits in. If its brackish, you can have more issues than regular lake water (some gelcoats can "blister" over time). So many variables. Most quality boats will never have an issue sitting in water for couple months if you take care of it.
Old     (hawk22)      Join Date: Jul 2006       06-24-2017, 11:12 PM Reply   
Ya no plans to paint my brand new boat...never heard that before. The dock is just one side unfortunately. It looks like mooring whips might be the way to go...although I am looking at some used options for a boat lift potentially. That would be ideal, but cost will probably prohibit that. If it were my house it would be a no-brainer but since I'm only renting at this point, good enough might have to be good enough
Old     (nailem)      Join Date: Apr 2011       06-25-2017, 7:14 AM Reply   
Whips and pull once a month to clean is what I would do then. I use to keep mine in for 3 months straight and it was fine. Did this for years. Cleaning after 3 months sucked so pull it every month, I was just lazy.
Old     (kmayotte)      Join Date: Aug 2010       06-26-2017, 6:24 AM Reply   
Here are the photos of my dock setup. Two lines straight from the cleat to the dock. Then two lines angled toward the center posts to prevent fore and aft movement. The boat is a good 3 ft from the dock and even the stiffest broadside wind will not push it against the posts.

The cover is a custom dock cover with snap as it's much easier to put this on then the factory mooring cover when you have 6 lines tied to the boat.

The water line is already scummy after a month in the water so I'll tackle that when we're on vacation there in 2 weeks.
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