A garage kept boat will last almost "forever". Sure, you can paint the bottom, buy a cover, etc. and it'll keep in the water but its life will be shortened. OK, so you save a few bucks in gas, but you have to pay for a dock. Skip the dock and rent a garage.
A garage kept boat will last almost "forever". Sure, you can paint the bottom, buy a cover, etc. and it'll keep in the water but its life will be shortened. OK, so you save a few bucks in gas, but you have to pay for a dock. Skip the dock and rent a garage.
This "reasoning" applies to cars, too. The reason that most people decide it's not worth it to pay to garage their cars applies to boats, too. "Life will be shortened" by what? 6 months? 3 years out of 35? Besides, his boat is already 13 years old--maybe too late for the fountain of youth in the garage?
Your opinion is your opinion, but it's not very practical as advice.
Besides, his boat is already 13 years old--maybe too late for the fountain of youth in the garage?
Your opinion is your opinion, but it's not very practical as advice.
The boat is in incredible shape and is stored outside under one of those metal carport things with covers on it. It's too tall for the garage. I know its a boat and its not going to last forever, but I would like to get some money out of it when I improve in a few years.
a few summers outside won't hurt it, especially since you say you have covers. In fact, most docks are away from trees and therefore better storage. While no one "makes" money when they sell the boat, the most important thing is to continue your good maintenance.
I put the boat in the lake in May and take it out in October. The lake is super clean and the dock is in a sheltered bay. I snap the cover on when I leave and have no issues what so ever. In your case, the only thing I would consider adding is a pair of mooring poles to keep the boat away from the dock when someone comes by too fast and kicks up a wake.
This "reasoning" applies to cars, too. The reason that most people decide it's not worth it to pay to garage their cars applies to boats, too. "Life will be shortened" by what? 6 months? 3 years out of 35? Besides, his boat is already 13 years old--maybe too late for the fountain of youth in the garage?
Your opinion is your opinion, but it's not very practical as advice.
Different parts of the country I guess. Where I live 2-car garages are standard, and 3-cars are the norm for new builds. So, there is no "pay" to garage the car.
A matter of personal preference as well. I know people with rusty cars and scratched up boats, and they are happy with them. My 28 year old boat and 32 year old car are both in showroom condition. If they weren't I'd sell them or restore them.
OTOH I guess I missed the point about the 13 year old boat. Probably too old now to worry about it as far as aestetics are concerned. But comparing a trailer boat to a moored boat - the maintenance costs will not be similar.
I have trailered and moored. Kept the boat in the garage and in the back yard. The issues as I see them are ease of use ("trouble" launching vs. mooring all the time and all the "trouble" tying the lines and getting the cover on; worrying about storms, etc.) and level of maintenance. For me, buying a user friendly trailer and building the "boat garage" have solved all the problems. The boat looks like new and the maintenance is minimal. My boathouse cost $15K and I have 3 boats in her. No covers needed, no bottom paint and no UV to work on the boat.
You asked for opinions. If it were me I'd build a garage and / or boathouse and keep the boat a long time.
When we bought our last boat they included a slip for free for a year. I liked it for about 1 week. Every time the boat was dirty, the cover came off once in a storm and you have to pay for gas on the water. After 2 months it had so much growth on the bottom it would barely get out of the water. I pulled it out and it almost made me sick to see how bad it looked! Without bottom paint or a lift I will never leave a boat in the water again. I like to have it at home to tinker with also.
