Covered or uncovered slip?

Walking the dock at my local marina in Rockport Tx, trying to figure out what slip to reserve.

Wife wants an uncovered slip but I really want a covered slip so the sun doesn't wreck it so bad. The uncovered slip has a better finger pier for seating however. Trying to decide.

Covered all the way.

Is bird poop more of a problem with a covered slip? Not that sea gulls aren't a problem with an open slip. I just don't know which is worse.

I prefer covered, but if the wife has any issue at all with spiders - you got a big problem.

Yeah. Talked to a guy with a nice shiny sportfish and he said he wouldn't buy another boat that couldn't fit in a covered slip.

When the wife wants some sun we take the boat out, right? ?

Which marina in Rockport are you thinking of? I'll be splashing mine then docking somewhere in Rockport in a couple weeks. As far as covered, uncovered...if I had teak decks, I'd probably go with covered...with mostly fiberglass and good covers, I prefer open, especially when I'm on-board.

Wyoboater

I'm at Key Allegro marina. Nice bar and restaurant. $315 for a covered slip with a year lease (plus elec) but they are pretty narrow at 14'-15' depending on the slip. My beam is 12'9".

Delta_JimS said:

I prefer covered, but if the wife has any issue at all with spiders - you got a big problem.

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Spiders? Hmmmmm. I do see birds roosting in the rafters. Sure is nice and cool under here though.

I can't imagine preferring open but one thing I don't care for in my covered is the lack of light. Fairly dark inside the boat.

And the boat gets a bit dusty but we control when it gets wet.

Yeah it seems a little dark which is why the wife doesn't really like it. There is a nice little cove really close however so it's would be easy to motor over there and anchor and roast in the sun if that's what she wants to do.

It's so damn hot and humid here in the summer I really like the idea of covered.

Diesel is $2.82 here. Is that a good price? Seems like it.

Hmmmmmmmm, I have a 14' beam, I'll have to check it out when I get down that way..In Disguise is currently on the hard in Fulton getting a little delamination work taken care of.

The uncovered slip I like is #18 and it would be a good choice at 16'x45'. Has good seating area on the finger and some shade from the covered slip shed.

Get that one and I will come drink beer with you. And my wife can sit in the sun. Perfect !!

PERFECT! LOL, I'll check it out.

cardude01 said:

Trying to decide.

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Covered is better for the boat. Open is better for you if you use the boat a lot, which includes simply staying on it in addition to going out.

We'd love to have the boat in a boathouse in terms of the exterior protection of the boat and the ease of working on it regardless of the weather.

But we use our boat year round in the same way some people use a cabin in the mountains or whatever. We have a great view of the bay and the islands. If we kept the boat in a boathouse our brightwork would be perfect but we''d have a great view of the inside of the boathouse. For us, that would negate a big reason why we got a boat in the first place.

So it really boils down to how you plan on using your boat. If all you're going to do is work on it and take it out, then a boathouse is probably the better way to go. If you're going to stay on it even if you don't go out, have guests visit while you're in your slip and so on, then having it outside is better. Unless the marina is in a crap location and the view is warehouses or a garbage dump or something.

The view.

There really is not much of a view from any of the slips, so I went with the covered slip. Except for slip number 18 Wyoboater, that one is awesome. ?

I had lunch and a cold beer at the Grog Bar overlooking the marina and sweated my ass off sitting outside, so I figured I should go for the shady slip.

It's really hot down here Marin.
Hot I tells ya!

Covered is the way to go. I can pull my car right up to the slip and easy to unload. Car is covered too. Still, even covered its hot as all get out in the summer. Louisiana is a hot place too, don't have the nice breeze that Rockport has.

I agree with Marin's reasoning. In areas with tropical weather, however, I'd lean toward covered. The question is academic because the Coot's vertical clearance is at least 32 feet.

Greetings,
We were temporarily in a covered slip for maintenance. DARK!

For us, covered is a no-brainer choice. It's much better for the boat. Not just sun on the outside, but high inside temps are hard on everything.

Actually, we appreciate being under cover as much when it rains as when it's hot. We enjoy sitting on deck, nice and dry, while it's pouring.

The only downside as far as we're concerned is no satellite reception under cover.

cardude01 said:

It's really hot down here Marin.
Hot I tells ya!

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That's definitely a factor, and one that we don't have to deal with up here. For example, a drawback of a teak deck is that the wood gets very hot in hot climates. So for down where you are, covered moorage makes sense for the shade reason alone, particularly if the boathouse or covered slips are such that they get a breeze through them.

While Hawaii doesn't have the kind of heat one gets in the south/southeast of the US, I remember helping a friend maintain his fishing boat in the marina in Kaneohe Bay and being baked in the sun. I was aclimated to it having grown up there but it was still pretty uncomfortable.

Marin I'd never thought of using the slip for cruising at 0 knots. Can't beat the fuel burn though.

Lived on Willy for a few months before we went to AK and did enjoy time on the boat and in the slip. In the summer it's nice and cool under cover. Our slip is #39 so it's not far from the end so there's little foot traffic passing by. I'd like to meet more of the skippers on the float .. and talk boats of course but quiet is good too.

I'd be pleased if I saw no one today as I'm going to be pumping fuel and running the cans up to the car at high tide. Not sure but I don't think I'm supposed to do that. Wish me luck.

Who knows, cardude, we may share beer-30 in one of the two slips....week to 10 days me and the Mrs will be down there.

I would sure go with covered, if spiders are a problem spray the bottom of the roof and joists with Suspend insecticide it will keep spiders, wasps, and other insects away.

I got the covered one. If the wife hates it I guess we can move it.

Okie Dokie, saved me the good one..........

Cardude, can your marina accommodate 55 overall x 15 wide? Plan on heading your way in August.

http://keyallegromarina.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Marina-Map.pdf

Slip 1 on B dock was open. Says 14x45 but it's way longer than that and on the end so extra width would be OK. I know it's pretty big because back when I was looking at a big power cat I was going to stick it there.

Some of those other big slips might be available also. Call them up. They seem like nice people.

Covered all the way.

My gelcoat is original 1967. Covered berths that whole time means it should easily last another 50 years. The canvas likes it too.

Steve said:

I would sure go with covered, if spiders are a problem spray the bottom of the roof and joists with Suspend insecticide it will keep spiders, wasps, and other insects away.

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But aren't spiders expert in consuming other bothersome insects? Also, the idea of spraying insecticide overhead doesn't seem wise while unprotected.

Spiders eat mosquitos and roaches. I don't mind them.