Boat in the water all season

[GbayGiant]

I fish at least 3 or 4 days a week during the soft water season and have always just left my boat in the water at my sisters dock instead of pulling it in and out all the time.

It has it's obvious conveniences, saves a lot of time etc.. but I think it wears your boat down a lot quicker to, banging the dock puts dents, skratches the paint, shaking things loose over time and the sun beating on it all day.

 

Anyone have one of those lifts to keep it out of the water ?

Where do you guys keep your boats ?

what are some things you could do to maintain your boat if it's always in the water ?

[irishfield]

John, my Glastron spent from May 13th to Sept 21st in the water this year and May 12th until October in the water the year before. I had three bumpers on the dock side of the boat and always tied off the outboard rear cleat to a deck cleat out on the L dock. This holds the boat off the dock and I also found with the floaters that any wave action generally holds the boat off the dock anyhow due to the rebound wave.

 

First summer I was lazy and left the top off 99% of the summer...but it was pretty rainless in 2005. Last year I was pretty good about putting the full top on every night after fishing to save the interior. Traded it in on my new Lund and it's advertised, without a lie, as a "10" right now.

 

Winters it was stored inside my hangar.

 

My new Lund will see the same service. It will be going in right after ice out and other than a trip to Lakair in June it will stay in the water right thru into the fall and then I'll be fishin GBay for Muskie, with of course a trip to BOQ in Novemember.

 

Lake Temagami is a tad cleaner than most though....skum line from 5 days at Lakair last year was worse than an ENTIRE season in the water on Temagami. At the lake I use a scrub brush once, twice max, a season quickly around the water line of the boat to clean it off and then a quick hull cleaner and high power wash when I bring it home to store for the winter.

[lew]

Except for trailering to different lakes about once a week, my boat never leaves the water the entire season and is still in great shape. I have good bumpers that hang over the side and also have rubber strips along the side of the dock to prevent any dings. I keep a good coat of wax on the motor to keep the sun from fading it, although the boat cover has faded a bit over the years. Whenever I put it on the trailer for a trip each week, I'll normally give the hull a wash just to keep it nice and clean.

 

No reason it shouldn't stay in good shape while it's on a dock....hopefully anyways.

 

It's nice too having an electrical outlet at the dock where I plug my on-board charger in at the end of the day and everything is charged and ready to go each morning.

 

I spend most of the season up at the lake and it sure is nice to be able to just walk down to the dock and head out fishing any time of the day or night and know the boat is just floating there waiting for me

[Cast-Away]

John, have you thought about boat whips to keep the boat away from the dock? They are expensive but work very well. Here is a link from Cabela's:

Cabela's

Bass Pro at Vaughan Mills sells them locally.

 

By the way, where on GB do you live?

[GbayGiant]

Thanks Wayne, I bet you've been thinking about this too, with that new machine of yours.

 

It's nice too having an electrical outlet at the dock where I plug my on-board charger in at the end of the day and everything is charged and ready to go each morning.

 

Lew I'm jealous. I ran a power cord from the boat house down the dock and my sister almost killed me, lol, shes a neat freak to say the least, she doesn't like anything laying around, I can't even have a drink on the table when I stand up to go to the bathroom by the time I get back my full drinks gone and shes washing it in the sink. I told her to see a shrink.

So I have to haul those heavy batteries all the way to the boat house 20 yards away.

 

Cast Away, I'm in Pointe au Baril. The boat I have now is old and beat up but I'm planing on saving my pennies up this year for a new one. A guy across the channel has one of those they look like they would do the trick for sure, definitely an option.

Edited April 5, 2007 by GbayGiant

[Dondorfish]

I leave my boat in the water from the 2nd weekend in May - till Thanksgiving weekend with no real problems - other then the slime scum at the water line. Anyone got a good hull cleaner for aluminum boats?

 

 

Don

 

 

[Bernie]

Up until this year my boat has spent most of the summer in the great outdoors. Each spring it sees a generous coat of wax top and bottom. Because it's used most every day the bottom stays relatively clean-even in Nipissing. Good bumpers or dock whips to keep the side of the boat away from the dock like Wayne says. The boat still looks pretty good for a 1996 but there area couple minor battle scars from over the years of hauling groceries, lumber and other building supplies, and of course more than a few fishing excursions. No carpet in my boat, thank goodness. A little care goes a long way for a long life.

[lookinforwalleye]

My boat is in the water from the first week of May until the 3rd week of October, I have good bumpers on the dock so scratches are not a concern, I have float switch for the bilge so rain is not a concern the two concerns I do have with leaving it in the water all the time is UV rays eventually degrading the carpet and people using my boat as a lounger while they fish off the docks.

[Cast-Away]

John, do you know the manager of the liquor store Eldon? He is an old friend of mine. I also know a local handyman named Barry Ley.

 

Either of them ring a bell to you?

[Cookslav]

If its a lift you want I stumbled across these used...

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/f-boat-lift-W0QQi...ordZboatQ20lift

 

hope it helps?

[BLACKFISH88]

automotive department c tire called autosol you will be amazed at how clean this will bring up a tinny.