rack storage vs slip vs trailering...better for boat

[Schmaltz~Herring]

Parker;

Where do you keep your boat? I keep mine at jonathans when I'm down there,tried pga and the other s around wpb, they stink.

JIK

[KevinM]

One real big advantage to trailering is you don't have to drive 50 miles to work on it, if you do and forget a tool, you can see that it would get old pretty quickly. Some marinas will not allow you to do your own work other than cleaning. I've done both. Even though trailering has it's cons, I still like it above rack storage especially if I decide to go to the keys, it's costs a lot less to trailer the boat 150 miles than run it there and you don't use up 2 days of vacation time running it down and up. You also don't have to rent a car. I have to agree with some posts, the boat gets pretty dirty in the shed, especially if you are in the bottom rack! The other thing I did not like about rack storage is, if you come back after hours, the boat sits in the water till it opens, the same goes if you want to use it real early the next day, it sits overnite. Exposed to any overnight storms, or crooks!

[This message was edited by KevinM on 10-01-03 at 03:33 PM.]

[ArtW]

I've done all 3 in my boating life.
Trailing is the biggest pain in the a**.
Racking kept the boat clean, but you had to plan everything in advance. If you wanted to go fishing at 6am, the marina has to put the boat in the water at 4pm the day before. So all decisions had to be made ahead of time. No 8pm ...let's go fishing.
The slip is the most convienent. You can go down to the boat in the middle of the night and get something you forgot ... come and go when you please.

[Blue C's]

quote:Originally posted by TRAFFICLAWYER:
Parker;

Where do you keep your boat? I keep mine at jonathans when I'm down there,tried pga and the other s around wpb, they stink.

JIK

TRAFFICLAWYER, Seasport Marina, right on the Jupiter Inlet, which is another reason it is the way to go. I'm 5 minutes, at idle speed, from the ocean.

I used to be at PGA when I had the Pursuit, but the attitudes stunk and the distance to fishing grounds was too far. seasport is not the cleanest, most well-kept marina, but they are up-grading often and I get along great with the forklift operators. Last month I complained about scratches on my engine cowling caused from the forklift, along with a couple other spots and when I went away for a week, they had a glass repairman come in and fix everything! No charge, no questions asked and the boat's bottom and engine cover look new again.


There are definitely disadvantages/dangers wherever you keep your boat and I only wish I could keep my boat on a lift behind the house, but the "hidri" works out great for me. The hardest thing I had to adjust to was their operating hours. They do not open until 7:00 a.m. and it's not early enough for me. On days I want out earlier, I keep the boat in the water either at the marina or at a friend's house the night before.
It is not cheap, but I like it this way!

[SeaJay]

I am with ArtW. The slip is the most convenient. The cost for me ($2200) per season is small compared to the cost of a decent boat these days. I can't fathom springing for the cost of a decent $50-75K boat and being left at the start of the season not being able to afford a slip. If that was the case I would buy a less expensive boat and bank the difference in price to be used for the next 5 or 10 years of slip fees.

[grunthunter]

I keep my boat on a covered rack and love it. The boat stays clean, out of the water and sun. I call when I leave my house and the boat is in the water when I arrive at the dock (<15 minutes). No need to battle for a ramp. No trailer to maintain. Mechanic goes right to the boat. They even wash the boat. Of course I pay for this, but I use the boat more b/c of the convenience. Nothing worse than an unused boat.

[Drifter]

The coast is 90 or so miles from me, and I keep my boat inside a dry-stack. I will never trailer again. Any dirt and dust that gets on my boat easily hoses off. Like someone else metioned, tipping the dock hands goes a long way. They usually rinse my boat off before I arrive (after I've called ahead to request a launch). They usually put the console and leaning post covers on before storing the boat if I fail to do so myself. If they see me coming in to dock, they typically come over to lend help. I've experienced no damage from forklifts or mis-handling. In addition, service for boat and motor is available on site. My boat is on the bottom level, so I can stop by anytime and drop stuff off, pick stuff up, make modifications, etc.

I had purchased a tow vehicle for my last boat, which was trailered. I traded for a larger boat (w/o trailer), mainly affordable because I no longer needed the tow vehicle (which was sold).

I might try a wet slip one of these days, but I'll never tow again.

Drifter

[Dr. Strangeblood]

Parker-
Are you North or South of the Jupiter Inlet?

[Dr. Strangeblood]

Nevermind-I just noticed the second page...What do they charge a foot there? I was at Seasport but they started to get expensive. I am at New Port Cove by Peanut Island, but those guys are downright scary with a forklift.

[Blue C's]

Dr. Srangeblood, I actually live in PBG and keep my parker at Seasport. The cost of rack storage for the 23' Parker is higher than most 23's because with the engine bracket and pulpit the boat is 27'6" o.a. It costs me $320 a month.
Just like paying a little more for a good mechanic, I am happy with paying more for the convenience factor. I am 5 minutes from the ocean and the mechanic at the marina is a certified Yamaha mechanic. I have made many friends since I have kept my boat(s) there over the years and learned a few things also. Scenery isn't bad either.

[Dr. Strangeblood]

Parker-
I'm sure we have run into each other there. I left back in Feb. after being there since 1994. My 30 Grady sat right at the very front of the lot by the entrance. I like the people there but I was just trying to cut my expenses. But after seeing how rough New Port Cove is on the boats with their fork lifts I am considering going back if there is any room.

[cavitating]

I keep my Scout 175 at home under a canopy. I drive 125 miles from Orlando to St. Petersburg and its a pain but I love having the boat at home where I can play with it all the time. I never have to remove the electronics. Being a light combo its easy to go back and forth.

[Sea Wolf]

Get a nice slip in a marina that has "facilities", (water, cable TV, pool --etc), and use your boat like a summer home. If you have kids, they will make friends and in the process they will have a great time. Some of the best "dock side parties" start after dark in most marinas. Since you do not have to drive, and you can have fast food delivered directly to the marina, you are free to enjoy yourself. -----Just my opinion. -----Greg

[stan]

My boat rode out Isabel in the rack, came out good as new. An old loblolly pine crushed my trailer.

[Porkchunker]

I think I've got the best solution--at least for me.

I don't want the expense of a slip and the work associated with bottom paint. So slip is out.

I don't want the hassles of trying to schedule my comings and going with the marina and the forklift hours. So, racking it out.

So...I'm on a trailer, in the marina's fenced guarded lot. I have a key to the gate so I can come/go on my fishing schedule, not their work schedule. I can pull the boat home to do the pre-winterizing and springizing work. Plus being on a trailer allows me to move the boat to other interesting locations.

Skopje
Parker 2510 "Tina's Diamond"

[Lovebug]

Skopje,

I'm in the Baltimore area as well. Where do you store your boat? Do you mind sharing how much they charge? Thanks.

[JB2C]

Alot of this depends on the specific situation. Any of these methods can be good given the right situation and variables.

I wet slip. But have over the years trailered and dry stacked. I dry stacked for about 5 years. With my current boat, I decided against dry stack. Space is very limited for larger boats anyway. Most of the time it was fine, but the occasional scratches on the boat, and the occasional "I'm here with my buddies at 5am to go fishing and the boat's not in the water" made me decide against it. As Parker mentioned, get very freindly with the guys that work there. It certainly helps. My drystack had a terrible current running through, however. Some scratches were inevitable, whether it was I or somebody else running the boat. It's always a little more acceptable when you scratch up your own boat though.

Trailering wasn't bad. It depends on the availability of ramps in your area. I have a ramp that is fairly busy, but I've never had any issues there. I always have something I need to do if I have to wait 5 or 10 minutes to put in (normally only during a couple of the summer months). If you had a good ramp, without much of a wait to get in/out, and not too far to pull it, trailering is OK. My current boat is a little too big for me to trailer too much, however.

I've also tried 'on the trailer at the marina'. Didn't like it. But that was due to the distance from the marina and only one ramp available, however. I always ended up trying to put in late Friday when everyone else was trying to get out. I think this would work well if you have a little more time available to you, so that you could hook up, uncover, and generally not be in a rush to put in each time you want to use the boat.

I just got a wet slip a couple of months ago. So far, I love it. And it's cheaper than the drystack I was in. I can just untie and go. No forklifts. No minimum wage, don't give a &*^% yahoo bumping into other boats while putting in/out. No time spent hooking/unhooking from a trailer, or worrying about pulling a big load down the road. I especially like working on the boat (piddling is my wive's term for it) late in the evening. It's a small neighborhood marina, and very peaceful and quiet. And I can pull it out and trailer it home if nasty weather is coming, or need to do any serious work on it.

Bottom line:

1. Wet slip
2. On trailer at marina, with a lightweight cover.
3. Trailer, if distance is reasonable and ramp space is easily available.
4. Drystack

Each method can be good or bad. It really does depend more upon all of the variables involved. Cost of each method/ramp availability/boat size/tow vehicle available/bottom painted or no/drystack location, reputation and atmosphere/distance to the water/and a host of others, I'm sure.

Sorry for the long post. Hopefully, there's some useful info.

JB

26' Edgewater

[powhatanone]

I'm about to sign a one year contract for dry stack. I live a distance from the river and the trailering got old. I think perhaps I may spend more time on the boat if its in the water waiting for me. I am concerned about a couple of previous comments with regards to occasional damage etc.

I would like to hear from anyone that does drystack with regard to your experience. Is damage to drystacked boats a common occurence? It will cost me $110 per month at a nice marina with a brand new facility.

Appreciate your comments.

[Drifter]

Personally, I haven't noticed any damage on my boat caused by keeping it at a dry-stack.

One suggestion: Shop dry-stacks just as you would shop boats. In addition to discussing all relevant issues with the owner / operator, visit sometimes just to watch what goes on. For example, is every boat that is pulled get its' engine flushed and bottom scrubbed? How careful are the employees with the boats? Are the current boat owners the type of people you want to be around? (By that, I mean is the marina dominated by fisherman, and you're seeking more of a family-oriented boating facility...) What brands of motors are serviced on-site? It's important to learn about the marina before you lay down your annual payment, and before you learn that they're careless with your boat. Again, visit several marina's and just "hang out". Don't just compare on price.

Drifter

[Blue C's]

[quote]Originally posted by powhatanone:
I am concerned about a couple of previous comments with regards to occasional damage etc.

I would like to hear from anyone that does drystack with regard to your experience. Is damage to drystacked boats a common occurence? It will cost me $110 per month at a nice marina with a brand new facility.

Appreciate your comments.

In the 9 years of keeping my boats in dry/rack type storage, the damage has been minimal. I have had two transom mounted transducers broken and my engine cover/cowling scratched(just recently). The transom mounted transducer is a problem because it can be bumped by the forks and/or rack and I eventually mounted my transducer in the bilge. The engine cowling damage was caused when the boat slid back on the forks into the forklift. All of the damge was repaired at no charge to me and was done with such good quality that no previous damage is or was evident at all.

All in all, in my opinion, a worthwhile venture that I would suggest to anybody. I also believe it really helps with corrosion problems as rainwater is not as bad as saltwater.

One note about cleaning and "flushing", I do it all myself and the marina I keep my Parker at doesn't offer that service. I would not trust anyone else to do it for me anyway. Cleaning/waxing and flushing yourself, help you to see every area of your boat all the time and helps you to "discover" anything that should be dealt with or repaired that someones else might ignore.