Well guys could use a little guidance. Due to the crowded boat ramps locally over the past summer and expecting a repeat nest year, I now have managed to secure moorage in a marina about 30 minutes from home for 5 months May through September. Not since my commercial fishing days have I left my boat in the salt. My baby will be leaving the snugness of a heated garage to face life floating on her own. I do not want to bottom paint so am looking at ways to keep her clean and as little corrosion as possible. Considering pulling here out once a month or more on the trailer for a scrub down. Anything you would suggest as to prepping her for this lonely float. Both kicker and main can be raised clear of the water but part of their mounting brackets will remain under water. Should the outboards be sprayed with some kind of anti corrosive? Will the through hulls be fine (2006 208 ). I do have access to fresh water wash down. Will also consider bringer her home for a few days if the weather makes boating a no go. Any thoughts on keeping her as pristine and happy as she is now would be appreciated.
Leaving home for moorage
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If salt or brackish water, you will be seriously sorry if you moor for 5 months. The only option that will help is to pull the boat frequently and power wash the hull and running gear. The frequency depends on the location and to an extent the water temps. In my boating area, most of the go fast boats are not bottom painted but are rarely left in the water for more than 3 days.. Our water is salt, NY area.
Trap:
In my experience, a non-painted hull left in the water for more than a week without bottom paint will accumulate growth and barnacles soon after.
To not let it get out of hand to the point where you need professional cleaning, acid, power-washing and the like, you will absolutely need to pull the boat at the ramp every couple of weeks at the minimum. Once a week would be better. I know of no way around this..If others here do, please tell him.
A word about ceramic coating as an alternative. ALL ceramic coatings do is make the hull waay easier to clean after it starts to accumulate growth. It does NOT repel marine growth as bottom paints do. I know this first hand as I have ceramic on my Marlin hull. It's better than nothing, but it is not an alternative to a good bottom paint.
Obviously, if your pulling that often, you lose the convenience of keep the boat in the slip and your back to the crowded ramps. I will not try to talk you into bottom paint, as you mentioned you don't want to go that route. You will pay a price if you slip the boat without it.
In my experience, a non-painted hull left in the water for more than a week without bottom paint will accumulate growth and barnacles soon after.
To not let it get out of hand to the point where you need professional cleaning, acid, power-washing and the like, you will absolutely need to pull the boat at the ramp every couple of weeks at the minimum. Once a week would be better. I know of no way around this..If others here do, please tell him.
A word about ceramic coating as an alternative. ALL ceramic coatings do is make the hull waay easier to clean after it starts to accumulate growth. It does NOT repel marine growth as bottom paints do. I know this first hand as I have ceramic on my Marlin hull. It's better than nothing, but it is not an alternative to a good bottom paint.
Obviously, if your pulling that often, you lose the convenience of keep the boat in the slip and your back to the crowded ramps. I will not try to talk you into bottom paint, as you mentioned you don't want to go that route. You will pay a price if you slip the boat without it.
I think the water you are in is going to determine how long it can stay in the water before hard growth (barnacles) starts. Where I am in Maine, I have left an unpainted boat in the water for a solid two weeks without any growth, at all. The warmer the water gets, it becomes more active.
My personal opinon on this? I wouldn't do it. It sounds like you enjoy having a clean boat, which certainly ain't a bad thing! Getting soft growth is one thing, but once you start getting barnacles... that's a whole 'nother story. You can scrape them off, but there will still be the residual "glue" that sticks them to the hull... which is also hard. To get rid of that completely, is a very time-consuming process (and possibly costly). You could check around with locals and see if anyone keeps an unpainted boat in the water and how they fare, but I really think your only (safe) option is going to be to paint it.
My personal opinon on this? I wouldn't do it. It sounds like you enjoy having a clean boat, which certainly ain't a bad thing! Getting soft growth is one thing, but once you start getting barnacles... that's a whole 'nother story. You can scrape them off, but there will still be the residual "glue" that sticks them to the hull... which is also hard. To get rid of that completely, is a very time-consuming process (and possibly costly). You could check around with locals and see if anyone keeps an unpainted boat in the water and how they fare, but I really think your only (safe) option is going to be to paint it.
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Unless you have a lift or jet dock, as enticing as it sounds to have it moored, I would probably pass. Even in you post, you sound sad that your boat will be subject to the elements. Mine is by no means a new boat, but no bottom paint and secure and clean in inside storage makes me happy. Having it at my home in a heated garage would be ideal, but that's $40K away, so warehouse storage works for now.
I just deal with the ramp and go on with life. Mine will be sitting in the water in the Keys for a week in May, not happy about it, but I'll give her a good wax on the bottom and go on. I will freshwater flush daily after use, and give her a bath when I pull before heading home to Kentucky.
I just deal with the ramp and go on with life. Mine will be sitting in the water in the Keys for a week in May, not happy about it, but I'll give her a good wax on the bottom and go on. I will freshwater flush daily after use, and give her a bath when I pull before heading home to Kentucky.
SkunkBoat
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I think bottom paint is a must in that scenario..
One problem with mooring is the lack of fresh water flushing of the motor(s). In the old days without flush ports on outboards, thats just the way it was of you were not on a trailer. Now you can flush at a dock but moorings need a pretty long hose
One thing I learned recently is that you should raise the motor and put the lock on and then lower the trim rams. That prevents them from corroding at the waterline. part of brackets in water can be sprayed with outboard antifouling (trilux)
One problem with mooring is the lack of fresh water flushing of the motor(s). In the old days without flush ports on outboards, thats just the way it was of you were not on a trailer. Now you can flush at a dock but moorings need a pretty long hose
One thing I learned recently is that you should raise the motor and put the lock on and then lower the trim rams. That prevents them from corroding at the waterline. part of brackets in water can be sprayed with outboard antifouling (trilux)
Are you talking about a mooring field, or a wet slip?
"I do have access to fresh water wash down", is a little contradictory
for a mooring, unless you are washing it at the dock, and then motoring back to a mooring.
"I do have access to fresh water wash down", is a little contradictory
for a mooring, unless you are washing it at the dock, and then motoring back to a mooring.
Trapper said, "I do have access to fresh water wash down", in the original post. Doesn't matter if you are flushing, or washing down, by the time you get to a mooring both are of minimal use.
That's actually a fallacy. A boat is no more prone to blisters painted or unpainted. Antifouling paint is not "waterproof". Plus, the better the gelcoat formulation is (Grady's are quite good), blisters are mostly non-existant.
A big thanks one and all for your thoughts on my move to a moorage. I will be docked with access to fresh water. Have no issues with pulling it out whenever necessary to scrub down. I am retired so do not look at this as a chore but as bonding experience with my 208 yacht. I live in cold water country so this will help with the length of time between scrubs. I think for me it will be a time of wait and see how growth develops on the hull and then make my haul outs accordingly. If there comes stretches of bad weather I will bring her home for that duration to rest comfortably at her res. in the boat house (garage). I am 30 minutes from the marina so easy coming and going. I will be talking with others at the marina who I have heard have unpainted hulls and see how they deal with the issue of marine growth. Thanks again, and yes you guys have made this the great and helpful forum that it is !!!!!
Left my fisrt boat (Arima) in the SF Bay for 4 months w/o bottom paint. It was a bloody mess covered with barnacles. Got them off with a lot of scrapping.
Good luck on this,
Lee
Good luck on this,
Lee
SkunkBoat
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IMHO...I would still put an epoxy barrier before bottom paint. Then use a good ablative that others at your dock use.
So its a dock not a mooring...thats good.
Paint it and enjoy the trailer/ramp- free life of going to the boat and going out...docking and going home...or hanging out at the dock with a beverage... DON"T LOOK BACK!!!
Now you can go boating for an hour if you want...catch a sunrise or a sunset...
So its a dock not a mooring...thats good.
Paint it and enjoy the trailer/ramp- free life of going to the boat and going out...docking and going home...or hanging out at the dock with a beverage... DON"T LOOK BACK!!!
Now you can go boating for an hour if you want...catch a sunrise or a sunset...
Thanks all..... In deep meditation....in my boat ...in the boat res..... quite comfy. Talked to a guy who has dock space at the same marina, no issues with barnacles but some green growth in time. There appears to be quite a lot of fresh water run off into the marina in the winter not so much in the summer. I will report back on my decision and the results. Just having a tough time roughing a up a PRISTINE hull and covering it with some ugly bottom paint (never seen handsome bottom paint). Out of curiosity and quiet desperation, is any one familiar with this https://www.passagemaker.com/the-vetus-maxwell-workbench/how-to-keep-hull-marine-growth-in-check Pricey, but not sure what yearly bottom painting costs, anyway since is too wet and windy to fish today, I am cruising the web looking for excuses to stay dry.
Bottom Paint is downright gorgeous compared to what will happen in a few weeks in the water....
Fresh water doesn't matter except to eliminate the barnacle aspect. I took my Marlin to Northern Michigan in '19 and after 4 days in 70-73 degree water I had a discernable thin layer of green growth that I could feel on my fingertips, and this was clear water that you could see 5 feet down in.
Granted, it was very light and easily removable because of my ceramic coating but, the point is, after a few days "It Starts.."
I opted to just dive the hull rather than pull a 30 foot Marlin out at the village ramp every week. Do you realize how long a 30 ft. hull is when your upside down in a wetsuit, sponge in hand with a snorkel mask at 66 years old? It stretches to Eternity, especially when you have a Medicare Card in your wallet....
It wasn't but a few weeks into my summer stay that I was paying local kids $50 a shot to clean it for me. At the end of that month, I swore never to wet slip the boat again.
Obviously, I'm not the Captain of your boat; I expounded on my experience a bit to just give you more info on what's coming. From the way you like to keep your boat up, your kinda like me, and I'll never do it again.
Good Luck In Any Case!
Fresh water doesn't matter except to eliminate the barnacle aspect. I took my Marlin to Northern Michigan in '19 and after 4 days in 70-73 degree water I had a discernable thin layer of green growth that I could feel on my fingertips, and this was clear water that you could see 5 feet down in.
Granted, it was very light and easily removable because of my ceramic coating but, the point is, after a few days "It Starts.."
I opted to just dive the hull rather than pull a 30 foot Marlin out at the village ramp every week. Do you realize how long a 30 ft. hull is when your upside down in a wetsuit, sponge in hand with a snorkel mask at 66 years old? It stretches to Eternity, especially when you have a Medicare Card in your wallet....
It wasn't but a few weeks into my summer stay that I was paying local kids $50 a shot to clean it for me. At the end of that month, I swore never to wet slip the boat again.
Obviously, I'm not the Captain of your boat; I expounded on my experience a bit to just give you more info on what's coming. From the way you like to keep your boat up, your kinda like me, and I'll never do it again.
Good Luck In Any Case!