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Thread: Boat slip vs dry dock
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03-27-2014, 12:24 AM #1Senior Member
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Boat slip vs dry dock
This summer I have the opportunity to keep my boat in a wet slip at our local marina and wanted to get some general opinions about it. I have always dry docked (inside) or at least had it garaged, so having a wet slip would be new to me. Only issue is that I wouldn't have a lift or canopy, so I'm having trouble deciding if it's worth the convenience or not. It would be great to just jump in and head out, but also seems like a lot of wear and tear leaving it in the water full time. I would definitely invest in a better cover, but am more concerned with hull fading and stuff.
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03-27-2014, 01:55 AM #2Senior Member
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Fiberglass could possibly blister. Water will do that.
Jack Beams
'05 Outback DD
325HP EFI Indmar
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03-27-2014, 09:26 AM #3
IMO, if there's no lift or canopy it's not worth it to me. You'd have to pull the boat out every few weeks to prevent blistering as stated before and wash the underside because lake/river grime and crap will accumulate. The sun will be hard on your cover and gel that is visible. Plus you have to lug your stuff each time to the boat anyways, and if you have speakers/stereo equipment then there's always the chance for theft.
Up to you, different pro's/con's.2008 Supra 21V-Currently For Sale
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03-27-2014, 09:52 AM #4Senior Member
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Re: Boat slip vs dry dock
Don't listen to these guys, having a wet slip was the best thing we did last year. Just the amount of time/headache you save from not dealing with people at the ramp is priceless.
I highly doubt blistering is a real concern, it could happen, that's a concern for boats in the water for years at a time, a few months is nothing. How many boats are made of gel coat/fiberglass? I had mine in for months, so does everyone else.
What problems you will have are, you'll use the boat more, anyone can get the boat ready or put away. And a scum line, which can be very icky depending on the water. Plan on having the hull acid washed at the end of the season..$200?
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2002 Moomba Mobius LSV - Sold
2006 Moomba Mobius LSV - Sold
2017 Moomba Craz - Enzos, Lead
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03-27-2014, 11:01 AM #5Senior Member
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Re: Boat slip vs dry dock
Make sure you introduce yourself to the other slip owners, we tend to keep an eye on each others boats. I'm changing locations this year so I may be back to storage and ramping every time, it's going to suck..
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2002 Moomba Mobius LSV - Sold
2006 Moomba Mobius LSV - Sold
2017 Moomba Craz - Enzos, Lead
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03-27-2014, 11:36 AM #6
I would agree with parrothd -- it really comes down to convenience vs. the small impact to the boat.
We have had boats (many different ones, but our Moomba for only 1 yr) in our wet dock for 25+ yrs at our private residence. The convenience is unmatched -- 5 minutes to being out on the water (with 4 of those minutes in packing up the cooler!! ) vs. 30+ minutes when having to deal with the ramp, crowds at the ramp, grumpy kids wanting to be out on the lake NOW, unloading, etc.
As for the downside, I have never seen any blistering but I would typically pull the boat from the water if it wasn't going to be used for more than 2 weeks. The scumline can also be a problem, but a little elbow grease and a good cleaning could easily take care of that.
I love to keep my boat in great shape like anyone else, but I don't want to sacrifice spending more precious time on the water just to keep the boat in pristine condition. It's like the guy with the beautiful car who only takes it out of the garage to clean it and then it goes right back in -- how much fun is that? Is it great to look at -- sure, but I'm more about USING the boat than worrying about resale value. But that's just me and everyone has different thoughts on that.
So, IMO, the convenience definitely outweighs the downsides.Mike
2013 Outback V
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2003 SeaRay 182 -- gone but not forgotten...
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03-27-2014, 12:07 PM #7Senior Member
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Boat slip vs dry dock
Thanks for the advice. I have the option of installing a lift and canopy, but would have to buy it 3-5k and not sure how long I intend to stay in the area. Would be a lot of cash if I only needed it for a season or 2.
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03-27-2014, 02:03 PM #8
Smitty, I totally disagree with these guys saying to leave the boat in the water. I don't see the actual boat you own as part of your profile but I am willing to bet that if its a Moomba inboard boat its worth quite a bit of money. I left my boat in the water on lake wylie for 3-4 months and I got blisters in the gel coat. I sold that boat immediately after I realized what they were. Yes it is convenient but gel coat blisters are not something that you can just fix easily.
I would highly recommend you finding a marina that has dry storage racks. I have my boat stored at one of these facilities here on Lake Lanier and it is totally awesome. I have to call them 1 hour before I want to go boating and they have it in the water waiting for me when I get there. No tipping or extra charges for dropping it in the water. I have priced wet slip places in the local area and they are actually more expensive. When the boat is take out it goes in a dry storage rack out of the sun and weather
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03-27-2014, 02:24 PM #9
Now you guys have me interested........as I said I've been doing this for many years and never had any blistering before but now you have me worried
What causes the blistering? Does it happen to have anything to do with the temperature of the water (all of our boating is in MI where water temps never get very high) or some sort of factor of the water's acidic factor or just that its "wet"? Or maybe it has something to do with darker colors that might attract more sunlight??
Inquiry minds (me) want to know.....Mike
2013 Outback V
- ballast: 900# rears / 400# center / 650# IBS
- audio: Exile SXT9Q x 2 towers / Kicker KM65 x 6 cabins / Xi 12 sub / Javelin & XM15.4 amps / ZLD
- FAE
- DIY suckgate
2003 SeaRay 182 -- gone but not forgotten...
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03-27-2014, 02:32 PM #10
I had a white hull on the boat that blistered so the darker color had nothing to do with it, I actually did a lot of research and never really found out what specifically causes it from a resin / color / water perspective. I do know that its water that gets absorbed into the gel coat and gets trapped between the gel coat and fiberglass. It literally looks like your boat has blisters all over the bottom. The boat I had that did this was a monterey (before seeing the inboard light) and I don't know if the materials used are inferior but I do know that monterey makes a good boat for an IO.
If your going to leave the boat in the water you should seal the hull and paint it with defouling (?) paint. This is a process that needs to be redone at a specific duration.
I absolutely refuse to paint that crap on the bottom of my baby so I choose to go dry storage and make that phone call. Just my experience though.