Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

[mike64]

My brother-in-law has a place on a lake that he's letting us stay at for a few days next week. I can leave my boat in the dock, which would be very convenient, especially since the boat launch is way on the other side of the lake, a couple miles away.

But my old boat has always been trailered. I'm concerned that something like a slow leak from the plug or a heavy downpour will mean I wake up the next morning to find my boat underwater. The only cover I have is a cheap one that has tie lines that run under the boat when it's on the trailer, not a snap-on type. And I don't have a bilge pump, although pricing them online it looks like I could pick up a cheap one for less than 20 bucks.

So what do you guys think-- should I attempt this, or just deal with the launch at the other end of the lake? Anybody else try docking their old boat after only trailering it?

 

[MudSkunk]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

a single rainstorm isnt going to sink it. a slow leak will only sink it after a very long time sitting. check it each morning and evening and you will be ok. just run the bilge in the evening/morning and see if water comes out. if your skieing you will want to run the bilge because entering leaving the boat with a swimmers will add a surprising amount of water.

 

[oshkoshboating]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

IMHO, I wouldn't.

You can wait until the day before to check the weather, but as you know, the weather changes quickly.

Also, I get the feeling that even if it will be 100% guaranteed sunny, you won't be sleeping well that night - you will be thinking alllllllllllll night "is my boat slowly leaking?".

Doesn't sound like fun.

But as my wife jokingly (???) says, I put the anal in analyst (I am a computer analyst).

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

really you could up the anti and get one of the newer pumps with a built in float switch. not one of the cheap ones that cycle every so often. i haven't looked but closer to 75. and would be a good investment. the second consideration is do you have good enough battery to run one if needed.

i would get a pump and be happy to save the time every day twice a day messing around a launch.

 

[Jonathan3206]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

really you could up the anti and get one of the newer pumps with a built in float switch. not one of the cheap ones that cycle every so often. i haven't looked but closer to 75. and would be a good investment. the second consideration is do you have good enough battery to run one if needed.

i would get a pump and be happy to save the time every day twice a day messing around a launch.

yep

 

[Searay 150merc]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

My brother-in-law has a dock that he lets me use, I put the boat in Friday night and pull it sunday night. If it rains during the night just pump it out in the morning. We have never had a problem "yet".

 

[Tahoe 55]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

You really should have a bilge pump anyway. So, if it was me, I'd spend the $50 on a pump with a float and wire it direct to the battery (with a fuse or breaker in-line of course). Use the slip and save on the time and aggravation each day dealing with the ramp. Seems pretty simple to me. A little preparation before the trip and then go and have a relaxing good time!

 

[mike64]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

Thanks for the replies so far! If I do this I don't think I'll get an expensive bilge pump with a float because I probably wouldn't need it for more than a few days a year. A cheap one would probably do ok for the short time I would need it...I think like mudskunk says, I'll just check the bilge a couple times a a day and run the pump when needed.

jaxnjil has a good point about the battery though. I believe my battery holds a charge well but I've always topped it off before I go out. Where the dock is I would need an awfully long extension cord to run my charger. But a few days' use, running the pump every now and then, probably wouldn't take too much out of the battery I would hope.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

You don't mention what you have for a boat. Is it a 20' fiberglass bowrider or a 14' tinny? My 14' tinny could get a full foot of water in it without even a worry about sinking. I would just bail it and be on my way. If you have a bowrider or anything with a permanent battery, you should likely have a bilge even if you trailer. What will happen if you get a hole out in open water? Use a bucket? I guarantee a bilge will bail much faster than you could ever do it yourself. I consider a bilge pump with a float switch to be as important as floatation foam. In an I/O, water just a foot deep will kill your starter. Then you are really SOL.

 

[Tahoe 55]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

If your using you your boat every day, it will charge it's self as you run the engine. No worries about having to charge it at night...

If you go the slightly cheaper route of a no float pump, you have to buy a switch. Figure out where to mount it and depending on where you mount, could have a lot more wire to buy... Just something else to consider.

The float style would be easier and cleaner to install, I would think...

 

[scipper77]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

simple.
Launch boat drive to dock. If boat is taking on water drive back to launch and retrieve. It would take around a foot of rain to sink my 17' er. That's not going to happen.

Get a bilge pump, even if it's a manual pump.

What kind of boat are we talking about here. a row boat, a 26' CC ?

If you needed to it would be pretty easy to take the battery out of the boat and bring it to the charger. I'm sure this would be easier than daisy chaining extension cords (and safer).

 

[mike64]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

You don't mention what you have for a boat. Is it a 20' fiberglass bowrider or a 14' tinny?

It's a 16' glass closed-bow.

If you needed to it would be pretty easy to take the battery out of the boat and bring it to the charger. I'm sure this would be easier than daisy chaining extension cords (and safer).

Duhhhh...didn't even think of that :redface:

Good points about the pump-- if I get one without a floater I'd have to run wire for a switch. Which wouldn't be too big of a deal. I'll have to do some shopping around and decide what's the best pump for what I need without spending too much $$.

 

[StoutMann]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

You can cheap out on a piece of equipment that is designed to save your boat and maybe in an extreme situation your life if you want. I wouldn't. I'm not trying to be rude but, I think it would be wise to weigh the pro's and con's before making a decision. An automatic bilge pump will come on before you realize there is a problem possibly giving you enough time to deal with the problem before it's too late. Example: You're launching your boat and for whatever reason the plug was left out. Before it's off the trailer the pump starts spitting out a garden hose size stream of water. You quickly pull it back out and avoid a major problem. The pump just paid for its self before you even got on the water. (Don't ask where I got that scenario from) I think they're great, cheap insurance. Have fun out there.

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

even if it will be 100% guaranteed sunny

LOL we're talking about Michigan here...not a likely scenario.




If you are only going to be dealing with smaller inland lakes then you might be ok to get a manual bilge, if you will ever be on the big lakes or in any kind of weather/waves I agree that the float switch bilge may be the way to go. Like mentioned already, it will probably pay for itself by saving you the replacement cost for anything that isn't supposed to get wet.

Also I would absolutely dock the boat for the entire weekend and enjoy being able to walk down and and take off in seconds

 

[waynehol]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

Boats are made to be in the water. Use the dock and enjoy the ultimate in convenience and ease for a few days.

Do, however, get a decent bilge pump with switch, About $60.00. Well worth the peace of mind as shown in a couple examples here. The pumps working occasionally wont drain the battery much at all.

I have a 16' flats boat tied to my dock 24/7 here in Florida. In the summertime, it rains almost every day. Pump hooked up to battery directly with built in float switch. Back up pump with seperate float switch set higher than the primary. I sleep like a baby.

 

[mike64]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

Here's what looks to be a great deal on an automatic bulge pump on iboats. Is SeaSense a good brand?
http://www.iboats.com/SeaSense_Auto...2568515--**********.106664572--view_id.392307

Couple questions about bilge pump installation--

I have a pretty small bilge area and I typically put my plug in from the inside. With a pump in there it might be hard to get to. Are pump installations designed to be easily moved/removed?

What type of hose do I get-- anything special or just a short length of generic rubber/plastic hose that fits over the pump outlet?

 

[lowkee]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

That is def a good deal. I would worry about the float, as you would never know if it was stuck. but even a hidden float switch is better than no float switch. That blue base is actually a mounting bracket with quick release snaps, so you can pull it out easily without having to remove the screwed down mount.

The hose is just a barb connector, so anything will work. I am partial to the clear hose, as you can get the eye candy of watching the water go through it. No real benefit, of course, just cool to watch.

 

[mike64]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

Thanks lowkee.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

Here's what looks to be a great deal on an automatic bulge pump on iboats. Is SeaSense a good brand?
http://www.iboats.com/SeaSense_Auto...2568515--**********.106664572--view_id.392307

I guess we'll see....I just ordered one myself. I, like you, will be docking my boat for a week next month when we go to the shore and an auto pump will provide a good deal of peace of mind.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: Opportunity to use a dock for few days but boat's always been trailered

I guess we'll see....I just ordered one myself. I, like you, will be docking my boat for a week next month when we go to the shore and an auto pump will provide a good deal of peace of mind.

good luck and good choice IMHO. the switch will pay for its self if you ever need the pump. chances are when you need it you might not be there to turn it on.
if you don't have battery problems you should be ok these don't pull many amps. and of coarse no amps if no leaks