Slip vs. Trailering

amanphoto

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jun 21, 2008
Messages
336
Re: Slip vs. Trailering

Update.

We are now in a Slip and love it. When your launching 3 times a week it gets old fast. Found a nice place half way thew the season.
 

Brewman61

Ensign
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
996
Re: Slip vs. Trailering

Where you are at makes a big difference. Public parking for trailers at all of the nice lakes around me is very minimal and goes away fast on weekends.
Plus the line of idiots at the launch make putting in and pulling out a real pain point. I'd take my slip any day of the week.
Yeah, there is likely some additional wear and tear by having it float so much but I bought my boat to use.
People who own boats that are too large to trailer and who live in the land where it never snows, keep their boats floating 24 X 7 X 365 for years. Many on salt water. I figure I'm only in fresh water for 6 months, then 6 months in storage. My 7 year old boat is in pretty good condition, considering.
 

haulnazz15

Captain
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Messages
3,720
Re: Slip vs. Trailering

there are always pluses and minuses to each method. We have done both and have seen the pros/cons. The pros of slipping (especially with a lift) is that the boat is ready and waiting for you, so you only have to load up the car and go. The downside is mainly security, in addition to cost. I can keep a close eye on my boat when it's at home, but we've had watersports equipment stolen, as well as several hundred dollars worth of batteries (bass boat) and fishing equipment stolen. I have also heard of gasoline being siphoned from slipped boats.

Another possible pro to the slip is that you may have great neighbors to hang with around the dock, but they could be d!ckheads as well, so it's a double-edged sword.

Pros to the trailer is obviously having the trailer at home for security, also for always having the trailer available in case you need to make a repair that would otherwise be inaccessible in a slip. It's all in how you look at it, and the size of the boat can be a major factor as well. I don't mind towing 20-23 foot runabouts to the lake as it isn't a big hassle, but towing a 30'+ cruiser is a pain and isn't pheasible for most people without a 3/4-1 ton truck, much less getting the wide-load permits, etc.
 

adam7

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Jul 30, 2010
Messages
97
Re: Slip vs. Trailering

I looked into keeping my boat at the marina, but it is way more expensive, especially considering I don't have to pay to launch it. Right now it sits in an open storage area for $55 a month that I'd need to keep either way because the marina does not have storage space for trailers.

$55 a month is $660 a year for storage either way. If I want to stay at the marina for a month it is $15/foot, which is $285 a month. 2-5 months is $252/month. I can see maybe paying for 2 months for a slip in the prime season for $500, but beyond that, I'm not so sure. Although I would definitely love the convenience.
 

Brewman61

Ensign
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
996
Re: Slip vs. Trailering

Yup. Cost is something to consider. I pay thru the nose for my slip, but I know that without it, I'd boat way less often. Launching is free for me, but lack of adequate parking makes it a nightmare. Ironically, I live way closer to the public access than my slip. There are no pay launches on my lake, so it's either fight for parking or pay for a slip. It's that popular of a lake.
 

rwidman

Lieutenant
Joined
May 27, 2004
Messages
1,396
Re: Slip vs. Trailering

Dry is better for the boat. Boats are meant to get wet, not stay wet. That is advice straight from both marine surveyers I have hired in the last 11 years.

A quality built boat can stay in the water just fine. Drop by any marina and take a look. You are talking to some strange surveyors or you are putting words into their mouths.

A lot of things go into the choice of wet slipping, trailering, or dry stack storage. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. One thing for sure though, you will use and enjoy your boat a lot more if it's in a convenient slip and you can just step in and go.

Depending on the marina, there may be a social life as well. We often spend time on the dock socializing without even taking the boat out.
 

Beefer

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Aug 4, 2008
Messages
1,737
Re: Slip vs. Trailering

I know this is a thread that was drug up from the dead, but since w'ere at it...

I live where boating is 365 days a year. Many folks around here trailer, and the state (FL) has made many accommodations for the boating public, so there are ramps everywhere.

When we bought our first boat, I had never trailered/launched a boat, as I grew up in MY where my dad (and later I) kept them wetslipped for the season. I knew the hassle of trailering would keep us from going out too much, so we went with a hi 'n dry first. $80/month. Couldn't argue with that. We used the boat 3-6 days a week. I doubt we would have used it that much if we trailered. I see so many nautical lawn ornaments around here, it's almost ridiculous.

We moved up in boat size, and the rate would have tripled. Not happening. We found someone who was renting their dock on the waterfront (ICW) home, for $100/month. Ok, we're in.

I am literally on the boat daily. We have 24 hours access, much like a wetslip or trailer, and we do use it at all hours. Some nights we're sitting at home, and decide 'let's go to the island (or wherever).

If we lost this slip, we would be willing to pay up to $300/mo for another one (they're much much less then that tho, $12/foot per month. The convenience and usage we get from having it wetslipped is totally worth the money. The savings in headaches and hassle with trailering, and the ability to use it like a car, are so worth it in our eyes. My 2 cents.
 

hostage

Lieutenant
Joined
May 4, 2010
Messages
1,291
Re: Slip vs. Trailering

Lots of good points. I ended up trailering my boat and keeping it across the street from the launch. I am usually out in the water quicker than I see people with slips.
 

AndrewsArk

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Jun 28, 2010
Messages
94
Re: Slip vs. Trailering

I currently trailer and probably will until I get a larger boat down the road. My 19' isn't hard to launch though so I'll save the money for a while yet.

We do have some awesome marinas around here though that I would love to be a part of.
 

SS MAYFLOAT

Admiral
Joined
May 17, 2001
Messages
6,372
Re: Slip vs. Trailering

As my experience goes, boats under 24' are a lot easier to tow, launch, and recover. Less headaches with worry about theft, vandalism, and weather problems. Boats over 24' are a bit more of a chore to tow, launch, and recover. I slip mine for the season. Pull it out about halfway through the season and pressure wash the hull. Mine is 28' and is a handful to tow back and forth to the lake. This is the first year in 9 that I haven't put the old gal in the water. I sure to miss being on the water every weekend. I'm just glad that I've been promised my old slip back next year :D Dang Honey Do List kept me dry this year. Oh well, I'll be back for another 9 years next season....:D
 

haulnazz15

Captain
Joined
Mar 9, 2009
Messages
3,720
Re: Slip vs. Trailering

I thought of another point to add to the discussion. Those who have a slip for their boat, tend to only go to that lake/body of water. People who trailer their boat are more likely to visit another body of water in the area. So a big part of choosing to slip or trailer is how much you want to be on the same body of water every time. Tulsa has a decent lake in every direction from the city within an hour. Sure I have my preferred lake, but it's fun to go somewhere different for 3-4 weekends out of the year.
 

actionljackson

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Apr 9, 2007
Messages
96
Re: Slip vs. Trailering

Why spend 700 dollars to set your suv up and then not trailer the boat?
 
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