Keeping ski boat at the marina

[matthewwatts]

Go easy on me. I'm new to the boating world and needing some gently guidance. I just bought a 16ft ski boat. It has a 3.0L Mercruiser and the outdrive on it. I have no desire what so ever to haul the thing to the lake every weekend when I want to go out and want to make it as easy as I can on myself as it will most likely either be just me or my three year old daughter and myself. The local marina has a slip available and is reasonably priced. It will be a wet slip and does not have a hydro lift. My boat has an automatic bilge pump. I'm only planning on leaving it in the marina for the summer and then will take it out and store it.

Is this okay for my boat?

 

[rallyart]

My boat floats on a lake for a couple months every year, as did my last boat. I've never had a problem with either boat. You should make sure it's well covered when you leave it. I also found that a solar trickle charger was a good thing and I would leave mine on the dash looking through the windscreen.
Depending on the water, you might need to spend more time cleaning the hull. Some gel coats that have not been applied perfectly can blister. You also can get a lot more bird goo on the boat, but if your trailer it you can get bug goo so what does that matter.
My personal philosophy is that the boat is for my enjoyment so I'd rather it be the best for achieving that. Also that it is a boat, so should be designed to be on the water. Boat companies that don't make boats for the water should go out of business.

 

[henleyhale]

Wet slips are hard on a boat with alot of through hull fittings, if you can dry stack it the marina will do the hard work for you it will be less costly than a wet slip, and alot easier on the boat, the draw back is if your going out you need to let the marina kniw during business hours ahead of time and they will take it down and moor it to the dock for you, when your done just take it back and leave it there and they will put it back. Not all marinas have a Dry stack, and stationary wake towers will Prohibit its use. Also most marinas require a full year contract, so reasonably priced is x 12 even when you store it on a trailer.

 

[matthewwatts]

Thank you for your response. The slip is covered so there's some benefit to that. I will make sure that it keeps a cover on it. The slip has electricity and the owner of the marina said that a trickle charger wouldn't be any extra cost to run. My main reason of being concerned was that I had read fiberglass hulls don't particularly enjoy staying in the water for extended periods of time, but this one may just have to deal. I'm a stickler for maintenance, though, so I'm sure I'll pull it out a couple of times even this summer to have it cleaned.

 

[H20Rat]

It will be fine... Just keep our drive down!

 

[henleyhale]

Hes right itll be fine its you boat man enjoy how you want to enjoy it, when i was a kid someone hot wired dads pontoon boat at a marina and left it high and dry on some rocks, then when the warden tracked us down and we got our boat back to the marina it half sank from the hole theyd put in the pontoon, i still wonder how the hell it all happened, but i remember having the key when we walked down the dam to dislodge it. As far as the fibeglass goes thats a non issue its the water creeping into the thru hull fittings causing rot thats the worry, if it was an outboard with only a drain plug submerged there wouldnt be much worry, but those transom seals arent to friendly on an i/o

 

[redneck joe]

Yeah leave the drive down. Dry storage is best but relax it will be fine. Since you have a covered slip im assuming you are more south than north and you will want to pull a couple times to scrub.

 

[gddavid]

I would barrier coat and apply bottom paint to the hull. The barrier coat will prevent the hull from blistering, which is less likely to occur on a boat kept out of the water for the majority of the year as the gel coat can dry out however it is relatively cheap insurance against the nightmarish condition of blistering. Bottom paint will reduce marine growth build up. Fresh water generally presents less marine growth than salt or brackish water but you will have a mess on your hands in any water unless you are willing to scrub the hull and outdrive weekly. Keep in mind that outdrives require different paints than general bottom paint which contains copper and will eat up your drive. Go to the marina and ask what other boaters are using on their boats.

 

[matthewwatts]

I'm feeling much better now. Thanks y'all. I'm in a fresh water lake here in Tennessee. I'm ready to get it back from the mechanic so I can get out and enjoy it. I didn't want to get out and stranded on a boat I knew nothing about so the mechanic is going through it and taking care of anything that he sees. When you guys say keep the drive down you mean just leave it in the down position as if I'm about to take off in it as opposed to raised when it would be trailered?

 

[redneck joe]

Correct. Your bellows (big tube with mechanical stuff in it form inside to outside) is better off when in the down position, long term. So down when in the water , up when trailering, down when storing.

And of course don't ask many of us how we know - but always do a walkaround before taking off from the storage to checck several things, including making sure the unit is up for the road trip.

 

[matthewwatts]

Just like don't ask me how I know you're supposed to make sure the drain plug is in before you put the boat in the water.

 

[redneck joe]

and, and, and....

 

[moosehead]

Ahoy Matthew, congrats on the new boat. It is a great family activity, you'll make memories. Get a proper boat safety course for you and your family members.

You'll get both sides of the wet slip argument, and I've done both setups with my boat. For the last 5 years, we have used a covered freshwater wet slip for 3-4 months, and stow her the rest of the year in a very dry climate. Change out the bellows at least once every 2 years to help avoid a leak and sinking. No doubt, you'll get more time on the water with a slip, both in an individual outing and across the season.

Thus far, I've avoided blisters. Could be luck, could be our dry climate for majority of the year when she's on the trailer. Either way, I'm about to invest in a lift.

Despite it's intended use, all gelcoat is porous. The simple blistering explanation (sans chemistry) is that water eventually, over time, enters via the gel, and gets trapped between the fiberglass and gelcoat layer. In the process of trying to escape, blisters can form. As suggested, proper bottom coating can help protect the gel and delay/avoid blistering, but it can cause a negative hit to the value of your boat. So can blisters.

Many boats sit in the water over much longer seasons, and over many years with no issues. Others swear by trailering or lifts to avoid the risk as well as protect the craft from rough water and potential damage from banging around in the slip. You can also expect some damage from constant trailering and dry stowage, even if careful, stuff happens.

The real question is how lucky do you feel?

 

[MTboatguy]

Just like don't ask me how I know you're supposed to make sure the drain plug is in before you put the boat in the water.

That is always fun, Just don't ask me about it!

 

[redneck joe]

I'm feeling much better now. Thanks y'all. I'm in a fresh water lake here in Tennessee. I'm ready to get it back from the mechanic so I can get out and enjoy it. I didn't want to get out and stranded on a boat I knew nothing about so the mechanic is going through it and taking care of anything that he sees. When you guys say keep the drive down you mean just leave it in the down position as if I'm about to take off in it as opposed to raised when it would be trailered?

I'm going to guess you are on watts bar? Put yourself on here if you have not done so:

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat-...bers-map/page5

 

[matthewwatts]

Thank you everyone. Finally got the boat in the water today (After replacing the starter, fuel pump, head gasket and a full tune up). Ran it for about 30-40 minutes, ran into the store to get something and came back out... now it won't start. I'm thinking the carb is bad?

 

[southkogs]

It's cranking but won't catch? I'm thinking since I just monkeyed with the fuel line, I'd double check that and make sure things are sparkin' like they're supposed to.

 

[UncleWillie]

Make sure you didn't accidentally pull the safety lanyard.
It will make you scratch your head for more than a while wondering how you did it!

 

[redneck joe]

Make sure you didn't accidentally pull the safety lanyard.
It will make you scratch your head for more than a while wondering how you did it!

This or if not cranking make sure it is not in gear.