who leaves their boat in the water for long period

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I always thought if you left a boat in the water with no bottom job on it that it will begin to form barnicles after a week or so. I put my boat in the water for the day and it ended up being 5 days, so I was thinking I was going to have atleast some algae on it but nope it was clean as can be. I think I'm going to start doing that more often. That way I can get more use out of it instead of going through the hassle of trailering it just for an hour or two of usage.
 
Was just talking about this with some boater friends the other day. In the waters around me it takes weeks to get build-up. It can be a real chore after 3-4 months of being in the water.
 
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My aunt and uncle always leave their boats in the water down in Rockport. He'll take them out of the water periodically to give them a good cleaning. I used to always help him when I was growing up. I always loved it!!
 
Actually, no. I see what you are saying, but woodies require that there is at least a portion of the boat in the water to keep the wood in decent shape.
Most boats have some build up on them. Our pontoons always have the "barnicles". Our Nautique requires a scrub every year, and it is almost always out of the water. But it does depend heavily on the environment and the water.
 
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Most lakes now add bleach to help stop that bad ol' barnacle thing.
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Some lakes here have zebra muscles that like to get up inside your boats water intake. Never had a boat in much longer, but they remain pretty clean after a week or so.

My 'rents have a farm pond with an aqua patio (~8x8 pontoon platform with a ladder) floating in the center of it. That thing can be in there all summer and come out with just a little algae. I need to go out and get that thing yet.
shocked.gif
 
Originally Posted By: Dorian
Actually, no. I see what you are saying, but woodies require that there is at least a portion of the boat in the water to keep the wood in decent shape.
Most boats have some build up on them. Our pontoons always have the "barnicles". Our Nautique requires a scrub every year, and it is almost always out of the water. But it does depend heavily on the environment and the water.


Do you have much salt water in OH?

Barnacles grow in salt water.
 
I've kept boats sitting in salt water tied to a dock most of the year, coming out for winter storage and back in the water come spring time.

I had the boat bottom painted with no worries from barnacles, algae or other unwanted things attaching to the hull.

Very convenient, kept my fishing equipment on the boat. All I had to do was grab a few bottles of water, go down to the marina, start her up, untie the lines and go. I was pulling away from the dock while my buddies who started at the same time were trying to get their trailered boat attached to the tow vehicle so they could go down to the ramp to wait in line and launch.
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Water is the worst thing you can put a boat in.


Being on the trailer is hardest on it because it's not evenly supported vs the water.
 
Have a boat lift - going to miss that soon and back to pulling trailer - hour long pulls and public ramps.
(Selling camp)
Sold the V hull - nothing but shallow water skiff now so easy tow
 
I moored mine for a season in salt water. Never did get it completely clean.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Originally Posted By: CT8
Water is the worst thing you can put a boat in.


Being on the trailer is hardest on it because it's not evenly supported vs the water.


Good point, boats really need to be supported properly, many trailers with rollers are the worst, bunks, properly done are very good.

..on the flip side ...

stored in the water leads to water intrusion, in some cases through the gel coat, also the stringers and of course the transom ...

its a coin toss unless done right for either one ... meaning, well built boat for in water, well built trailer for out water.
 
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OP and I both said "barnicles" because that is exactly what they are like.
The Zebra muscles are absolute PITA. The Yamaha 60 on my aunts pontoon needs to be flushed regularly with the garden hose to work them out of the water intake. If a boat isn't supported properly on a trailer it likely isn't supported properly on a lift. Guess I never thought of it that way.
 
I got a 96 19 ft Marada since she was born.....boat has never stayed overnight in water, but rather the trailer. A properly fitted trailer will support the boat fine. I use bunk rows, now the wheel type, to me, that's too much pressure on a single point where the wheel hits the hull. A lot of people do not know how to properly put a boat on a trailer, and that's where the damage occurs. The boats I've seen sitting in the water for long periods have always had problems mechanically and cosmetically. Lot's of time for moisture to work up in there and then hope like heck you don't have cats that like to hang out at the marina...they will move into your boat and do absolute carnage to it and not to mention the tons of alive and dead bugs you'll collect over time. There's also the cost factor to park it at the marina. It just seems to me if you can that taking your boat out of the water every time is much better for your investment if you can. It all depends on the size of course. Anything bigger than a double axel trailer would be a PITA, but if you got that much money, then money isn't a factor.
 
Originally Posted By: totegoat
I moored mine for a season in salt water. Never did get it completely clean.


THIS ^^^

Barnacles create a glue that is impossible to get off a hull and a boat in warm salt water fo one week actually has microscopic barnacle growth already.

Barnacles grow faster in current than in brackish water,
 
Originally Posted By: Schmoe
I got a 96 19 ft Marada since she was born.....boat has never stayed overnight in water, but rather the trailer. A properly fitted trailer will support the boat fine. I use bunk rows, now the wheel type, to me, that's too much pressure on a single point where the wheel hits the hull. A lot of people do not know how to properly put a boat on a trailer, and that's where the damage occurs. The boats I've seen sitting in the water for long periods have always had problems mechanically and cosmetically. Lot's of time for moisture to work up in there and then hope like heck you don't have cats that like to hang out at the marina...they will move into your boat and do absolute carnage to it and not to mention the tons of alive and dead bugs you'll collect over time. There's also the cost factor to park it at the marina. It just seems to me if you can that taking your boat out of the water every time is much better for your investment if you can. It all depends on the size of course. Anything bigger than a double axel trailer would be a PITA, but if you got that much money, then money isn't a factor.


Voice of ezperience.
 
I had a brand new 19' fiberglass runabout that I left in a freshwater lake for a year. I scrubbed the bottom several times as best I could without taking it out of the water because at the time I could not afford a trailer.

"Bottom" line was that the water changed the surface of the fiberglass. I could get the algae off the bottom but the fiberglass changed and was never again smooth. Our lake is a very clean lake also.

Another fiberglass boat I had I left in the water for 10 years or so. After it built up a coating of algae etc. on the bottom it just stayed that way and I used the boat often during those years.

What I did find out was that I used the boat when I kept it in the water about three times as much as I did when I had kept it on a boat lift as it was a hassle to get the boat out of the water on the lift.
 
Was also going to add that if you're not parking your boat covered, the sun will terrorize your gel coat, just a matter of time. Trailer and covered is the key to long boat life IMO. I'm a former Mercruiser mechanic and I've seen the difference enough that when I did get a boat I liked, the '96 Marada, I literally did opposite of all the problems I had seen....and the boats I didn't need work besides the normal maintenance of fluid changes and water pumps, were those trailered and parked covered. My boat still looks practically brand new except for a few scratches that were alcohol related....but that's another story.
 
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