Dry Dock or Wet Slip?

[Brigator]

Hey Everyone,

I have been enjoying my Gulfstream 232 for a little over a year now. I use the boat about 4x a month year round and an opportunity has come up. I am currently paying $250 at the dry dock (three sides are covered) and the marina across the ICW has offered me a wet slip with a lift for $300 a month. I have never had a wet slip. What do you guys think? Wet slip or stay at the dry dock. The deal is only good til tomorrow (Sat). BTW

Brian

 

[Curmudgeon]

The lift let's you come and go when you please. If the dry dock doesn't and you find yourself planning trips around dock constraints, it would be worth the slip to me ... :wink:

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

How much more time and money are you willing to spend on the extra maintenance you will be having due to keeping her in the water? You will need to paint the hull with an antifauling paint for starters. Then you have extra corrosion from the zincs on the motors, trim tabs, the electrical system and so forth. Mold and mildew become a bigger problem too when she is kept in the water 24/7. In the end you need to weigh these things against the convenience of the slip and casting the line and heading out.

 

[Curmudgeon]

How much more time and money are you willing to spend on the extra maintenance you will be having due to keeping her in the water?

:huh The slip comes with a lift ...

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

I am sorry, I did catch that. I still tend to think you will have a few more maintenance issues due the humidity and closer proximity to the salt air. My long term goal is to have an express 330 and should it work out I will keep her in a dry stack.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I have no problem with a dry stack, other than planning trips around the fork lift and dock space. Did it all summer without much trouble, but for $50 more I opt for a sip/lift, all else being equal. I wouldn't think there's much difference between a lift and a stack 50 yds away as far as the air is concerned, either one is gonna have built in negatives in that respect ... :|

 

[drbatts]

My last boat was rack stored, while my current grady resides in the water 8 months out of the year. The rack was nice as the boat stayed cleaner as it was stored inside. I also did't have to worry much about weather/storms as I do with the boat in the water. otherwise it was a pia. you have to work around the hours of the lift, so most trips took a little planning. i have had transducer knocked off accidently. I have come back on a saturday night to have to double and triple park the boat too tie up. Now I have a slip, I can come and go as I please especially afterwork evening trips. I don't have to worry about finding an open spot when i get back to the dock, or getting bumped by other boats. bottom painting sucks, but it shouldn't be a deal breaker. as far as im concerned to me its a no brainer. dock all the way.

 

[westar]

Go with the Wet slip. You are getting the best of both worlds - convenience of being able to come and go as you please plus keeping your boat out of the water via a lift. Also, I would doubt that you'll have additional maintenance issues by using the Wet slip/lift.