rack storage vs slip vs trailering...better for boat - The Hull Truth

scottne · 10-01-2003, 08:06 AM

I'm looking at rack storage for the new boat over trailering 50 miles each way. I could also maybe obtain a slip. The rack storage is 1/2 as expensive.

Are there any negatives to rack storage in terms of boat wear and tear over trailering or being in a slip?

sprtpilot · 10-01-2003, 08:13 AM

They all have their advantages and disadvantages. For me, the rack storage was a pain at busy times (coming and going) getting the service from the dock hands, and even docking space. And, I enjoy having my boat in a slip (covered) with shore power. You sure pay a premium for the wetslip though!

baldy · 10-01-2003, 08:19 AM

A friend who rack stores his boat curses every time he goes to pull it out - it's covered in rust flakes from the rack structure and the forklift's diesel exhaust leaves a coating on everything. He has an hour of cleaning before he even takes it out.

How big is the boat? If it's trailerable without much pain that's the way I'd go. I currently trailer my boat and love the flexibility of being able to launch at different places, take it in for repairs, work on the boat at home, etc. Then again, I only trailer an average of 10-15 miles and my boat is 4,000 lbs. and I can keep it in the yard beside my house under a canopy.

B-Faithful · 10-01-2003, 08:24 AM

If you live 50 miles away from the boat, rack storage should be fine. Your trips will probably be planned therefore you can make arrangements to have it launched. I wet slip my boats because I live less than 4 miles from my boat and want to use it on a whim and not have to wait for the boat to be launched. I also will take late evening boat rides when the marina is closed-which would be impossible if I were in a rack. The rack will allow you to not have your bottom painted and your boat to stay cleaner.

grin · 10-01-2003, 08:31 AM

50 iles trailering each way is probably enough to justify rack storage. I have done all three and now I am on a trailer and like it best, although I live about three miles from the ramp. Slip storage is nice but requires both the most cost and the most maintenance and takes the biggest toll on your finish. Rack storage sucks if you are the type who is always tinkering and adjusting and getting every little thing correct. But if you live 50 miles away it is unlikly this is something you would be doing anyway. Indoor rack storage might cause your boat to be dirty, but it will get dirty sitting outside also, and a boat stored indoors for a couple years will clean up to virtually new vs a boat stored anywhere outdoors. Outdoors you might as well face it, you will need to wax more often and the upholstery will need replaced every 3-5 years and fading will occur. Another indoor storage benefit is, you can leave alot of equipment right onboard like gaffs and electronics vs sitting at the dock for thieves. Personnally, I dislike rack storage the most, but if I lived 50 miles away, I think that is what I would do.

FireFly · 10-01-2003, 08:38 AM

I am pretty sure you are from the Boston area. I did the trailer thing last year and hated it. Hated going back and forth and hated the long lines at Cashman and Salisbury.

This year I went to Ferry Landing in Newburyport. They offer a limited number of land storage spots. You basically keep your boat on the trailer in the yard and use their ramp.

If I need to take the boat to Maine or the cape, I pick it up there.

The longest wait I have had all season for the ramp is 6 minutes. The ramp is not a public ramp and it's well lit. They have a washdown station 50 feet away.

Only negative is the fact that I have to drive a vehicle with a trailer hitch each time I go out. So I use my wife's SUV

No doubt I'll be doing this again next season.

Key West 1900cc
Yamaha F115

Blue C's · 10-01-2003, 08:40 AM

For me, ANY inconvenience that "rack storage" would cause is nowhere near as bad as dealing with the IDIOTS and DRUNKS at almost every boat ramp I have ever used! I will NEVER trailer a boat again! I wouldn't own another boat if you told me I HAD to trailer it!

I have a great situation at the marina where I keep my Parker! The help there are nice people and I am a heavy tipper.

When I show up in the morning and they see me, even if it is just while I'm parking my car or going into the ship's store, my boat gets put in the water and they walk it to the end of the (floating) dock. When I get my gear unloaded, I go to the boat, start the motor and while it is warming up, I wash down any dirt/dust on the boat, load the boat and go! We are talking a span of about 10 minutes TOPS! When it's really busy, it may take 20 minutes. On busy days at the boat ramp, I have spent well over an hour waiting to get my boat out of the water.

Baldy is right, the rusty dirty racks can stain your boat and the boats inside the "barns" seem to get dirtier than the boats kept outside, which is mostly diesel forklift exhaust soot. I am outside, on a top rack and fortuneately for the guy below me, I keep my boat spotless.

Not cheap, but the way to go!

p.s. When you get on a first name, friendly basis with anybody, things always seem to go much smoother!

NewMoon · 10-01-2003, 08:49 AM

How about leaving your boat on a trailer at the Marina, is that a possibility?

202 Scout Sportfisher, Suzuki 140HP, fish out of Point Judith, RI

Seacat FL · 10-01-2003, 08:53 AM

I keep my 22 Pro-Line Walk on a lift in my backyard. It is far superior to trailering or leaving in the water. Can always walk down and tinker with the boat if I want and I can be underway in 10 minutes from leaving the back door.

I have never tried rack storage but if I was 50 miles from the water it seems like it might be a good option for convenience and security.

dry doc · 10-01-2003, 08:57 AM

if you were to survey who lost their boats with
isabel, it WONT be the rack guys...whether theft
or storm surge or bottom painting or galvanic
problems, i have been hidri for 30 years and
wouldnt think of otherwise....did some trailering out of the rack, and this does give
some bigtime range....you CAN keep the boat for
routine use in the rack and trailer it on major
expeditions as well....the rack MAY have a drip
or dirt issue, but nothing like the threats of
wet storage..................dan

Fishing-Rod · 10-01-2003, 09:56 AM

I live 40 miles away from my boat keep but store it on on trailer at my Marina on the back lot... and it is about 1/3 the cost of a boatel. My Marina has 6 ramps so putting my boat in whenever I want has never been a problem, even on weekends. It a very good solution for me.

I talked to a Marine Surveyor last year and asked him what's the best way to store your boat. He said your boat will last much longer and look much nicer if you can keep it out of the sun to prevent UV damage and out of the water to prevent galvanic corrosion, and hull saturation problems over the long term. You can prevent all this with proper maintenance, but you have to factor in the additional expenses each year of bottom paint, etc.

Thanks, Fishing-Rod

Mist-Rest · 10-01-2003, 10:06 AM

Fire Fly, What was the cost at Ferry Landing? That thought puts a happy spin on my lifestyle

Does anyone have a problem with theft or did you just pull all the stuff from the boat

Pulling a trailer is no big deal but the ease of just going is food for thought.

LINEMAN · 10-01-2003, 10:11 AM

50 miles is not that far....

hookemup · 10-01-2003, 10:42 AM

Hey Fishing-Rod,

I'm also in EC and am in the process of buying a boat on a trailer. I've been looking at hidri storage at places in Pasadena, but it's $2 grand per year including space for the trailer. Haven't asked about land storage on the trailer ... not sure it would work since most don't seem to have ramps. Where do you store your boat?

gw204 · 10-01-2003, 10:46 AM

I like the idea of keeping it on the trailer at the marina if that is possible. If not, and the boat is easily trailerable, my order of preference would be:

1. Tow it 50 miles each way, each time.
2. Slip it.
3. Rack it.

If it's trailerable, but not easily:

1. Slip it.
2. Tow it 50 miles each way, each time.
3. Rack it.

I've heard too many horror stories of incompetent fork lift operators damaging or even dropping boats. Racks can collapse. Hell, we had a few burn completely down, destroying all boats at a marina here in Pasadena a few years ago. My neighbor lost his Sea Ray.

My rig rode out Isabel on the trailer just a few miles inshore. Not a scratch on it....at least not a new scratch!

I've been trailering mine about 10 miles to the ramp for the last year every time I want to use it. Granted the boat is only 20' and I use a private community ramp, it's a piece of cake, even by myself. I stop just at Grandma's house just prior to the ramp to take the strap off, put the plug in and load my gear. 5 minutes later I'm floating.

Brian
1985 Grady White 204 Center Console
http://userpages.umbc.edu/~bmille4/sirreel/index.html

grreatdog · 10-01-2003, 10:46 AM

Here in Annapolis trailering is a pain because of TRAFFIC and there simply are not many ramps available. I like my slip but it does require bottom paint and a certain level of effort to make sure the boat stays above the water, the batteries stay charged, etc. The boatel storage that I have seen around here is pretty convenient, but the boat does tend to get pretty dirty. BTW - some boatel boats on the lower levels in low lying marinas did not fare so well in Isabelle.

[This message was edited by grreatdog on 10-01-03 at 12:55 PM.]

FloridaDan · 10-01-2003, 10:57 AM

I agree with Parker I would get out of boating if I had to use a launch ramp everytime. I also experienced every kind of hassle, people cutting right in front of me at the docks, idiots who take half an hour to haul out, you name it.

I tried rack storage and they damaged my hull and then refused to fix it. I didn't want to leave my boat in the water because I didn't have or want bottom paint on the boat.

The only option left for me was to buy a lift. I found a marina that would let me put my own lift in their slip and it was the best of all worlds. No ramp hassles, the boat stayed clean of diesel soot from rack storage, and I could jump in and be gone in a couple of minutes.

Try to find a decent used Hydrohoist as they are more mobile than a fixed lift and you may avoid permit hassles. Also be sure the slip you put it in is deep enough ( need about 5' if I remember correctly ) and wide enough.

It is the most expensive option but I used my boat alot more and probably saved tearing up the transmission on my truck over the years too. Plus it kept me from killing one of those inconsiderate idiots at the ramps and ending up in jail !

Fishing-Rod · 10-01-2003, 11:42 AM

Reply to Hookemup:
I keep my boat on the trailer at Fishing Creek Landings in Chesapeake Beach, MD for $750/year including the unlimited launch permit. The fishing in the Chesapeake Bay is MUCH better throughout the year the further south you go and the water is much cleaner. In the spring & fall trolling season very good fishing is just one to two miles out in front of the Inlet for Chesapeake Beach.

The easiest and quickest way down there is HWY 100 to I-295 South to the DC Beltway around to Hwy 4 south and then exit Hwy 260 East... it's about a 50 minute trip for me. I wish I was closer to the water but in Maryland any property close to the water is major bucks.

Thanks, Fishing-Rod

FireFly · 10-01-2003, 11:51 AM

Mist-Rest:

I'm "almost" positive it was $800 from 5/15 to 10/15 for boats up to (I believe) 25 feet.

It worked out great for me. The people (boaters and workers) are extremely nice at FLM. They sell ice and bait right next to the ramp as an added bonus.

Never a problem with theft. I don't leave rods on boat but do leave FF and other misc stuff.

Compared to trailering it's a great solution. A slip would be nice but I'll keep doing this for a few more years.

Key West 1900cc
Yamaha F115

Rocky · 10-01-2003, 12:03 PM

I keep mine racked, its an 89 mako and looks great, no mildew, rust or faded gelcoat.

Mako 251 http://members.fishingworks.com/Rman/index.cfm