Undercover or outside

Northern Spy said:

There was exactly one boathouse in Powell River on the chuk at Grief Point. It blew away. I watched it. The only other boat houses used to be up on the lake, they're gone now too. Owners of the damn got nervous about them.

When I was a kid there are all sorts of boathouses on the Seneca canal full of old wooden Elcos, Owens and Chris Crafts. I remember being bombarded by swallows when I went to visit boats in my canoe.

Nope, not a boathouse fan.

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No boathouses at all?

MurrayM said:

Outside.

While a boathouse may seem like a good idea where we live, it also comes with risks. A 49' Meridian sank during a 5.5' snowstorm last winter because the snow on one side of the boathouse slid off, unbalancing it, then the whole thing flipped and took the boat to the bottom. The boat was one year old.

Our boat faired better out in the open despite the road being closed for two days and no power at the marina;

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That's crazy stuff. You folks up north get the "tough boater" award IMO.

If the temp is lower than my age I don't want to go out on the water. ?

tego said:

Covered. 12x30 slip, electric, water included. Great restaurant, for $165/mo. I love this place! No more dang hurricanes ( I was in the eye of three in two years in FL). No salt corrosion, no tides, no coral reefs, and thousands of acres of national forest to cruise, hike and fish. We've got 40 lb stripers here on the Tennessee River. Gotta love it! Ben

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Wow. My $370 no longer sounds all that cheap. My slip is a little bigger at 40x15, but still.

Inside or out

We're in the open most of the year. I move to a nearby marina in a covered slip during the winter to keep Ice off the decks. This is the view from across the creek; The boat on the right is mine, the house belongs to my wife.

Now that's a cool setup.

My boat is my waterfront house. I can't afford both.

Those from the Puget Sound area, do you remember the December 1996 snow storm? 100s of boat houses/covered slips collapsed from the weight of a major snow storm. Edmonds and Meydenbuer were some of the worst damaged.

40' x 16' Covered - And, I/we like it!

Depending on the season... spiders, some bird shat, and dust is a bit of pia to clean off if boat is not used for a while. BUT... that all is more than offset by the huge reduction in sun and storm damage that occurs during outside dock-age. I figure the cost of covered dock is +/- equal to the cost of damage from the elements by keeping her outside. That means the covered slip is virtually free for us (compared to getting the damage while still paying for outside dock-age)... and... the hours of efforts required due to natural damages are 99% erased.

This is the first time I ever utilized covered berth. Been 7 yrs now with very OK, appreciated results. Also, in those years we've strayed aboard boat at dock less than handfull of times. We go to boat to go out and play/swim/be-free/enjoy/visit/BBQ - and the like! That's why we own her!!

Larry M said:

Those from the Puget Sound area, do you remember the December 1996 snow storm? 100s of boat houses/covered slips collapsed from the weight of a major snow storm. Edmonds and Meydenbuer were some of the worst damaged.

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Sure, but it wasn't MBYC - our roof is pretty skookum:


There seem to be some important distinctions to add to the covered vs uncovered decision. Covered slips - in general - are less available, more expensive, often closer to shore (more protected, shallower, more flotsam), and possibly lesser views. Boathouses are their own kettle of fish - some of them even have apartments with decks!

A covered slip obviously keeps the sun, rain, dew, hail, and snow off. In addition to reducing the maintenance cost, it's also much easier to actually perform exterior maintenance like varnishing, painting, or any project that involves exposing a part of the boat. Or leaving tools out for a couple of days. This was a great day to putter on my boat:

FlyWright said:

I'd do my best to have mine on the hard in those conditions.

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I'll do my best to not be in those conditions. I've never lived anywhere that averaged more than 4 to 5 inches of snow a year. In my lifetime our snowiest year was 15 inches. My wife was quite astonished, as was I, when in 2004 we had one day of 12 inches and I can assure you the marinas with covered slips were panicking and clearing it as fast as it fell. It only took 3 to 4 inches to make a visible difference in height of those docks. We had two covered but open slips at our house and got what we could reach with a broom, but that small roof area didn't really impact our docks more than an inch at most. An oddity about Charlotte NC where the snowiest year ever was 23 inches, there's never been a year with no traceable snow. 2010 was the only white Christmas either of us have ever experienced.

The only covered docks in our area look like they should have been condemned 20 years ago (including some of the boats under them)...

Covered. Bought a boathouse last December and love it. Really minimizes the upkeep on all our brightwork and other exterior surfaces. Actually we feel it will encourage us to get out boating more in the off season. We used to use a winter cover which was a pain to remove and reinstall. Now the boat is ready to go any time of year.
It's great to be able to access both sides of the boat from the dock and not to have to wait for the weather when doing exterior maintenance. Also I have a place to keep my extra boat maintenance supplies so they don't have to hauled back and forth when needed. The boathouse offers protection for the boat from other boaters who may have docking difficulties. It also makes singlehanded docking easier. Once the boat is positioned between the carpet lined sides of the boathouse it's not going anywhere and can be tied up in a leisurely manner. No problem with critters so far, touch wood!
Downsides? Well, as others have mentioned the boathouse makes spending time on the boat at the dock less enjoyable but that's not what we bought the boat for. I also find that I miss the opportunity to get to know the neighbours as I did in an open slip. When working on the boat it was a nice diversion to chat with folks as they came and went from their boats, now being inside I don't see them they don't see me. We have to lower antennas, mast and bimini before entering but that's not a big deal on our boat.

It would be a very rare covered berth that could accommodate my 32-foot air draft. Fortunately, I've no external woodwork, and there aren't major polluters in the area.

markpierce said:

It would be a very rare covered berth that could accommodate my 32-foot air draft. Fortunately, I've no external woodwork, and there aren't major polluters in the area.

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Yes, that's another advantage of covered berths...no clanging lines from the tall-masted riff-raff blow boaters. They stay far enough away for the rest of us under cover to enjoy the peace and quiet.

I've always been in covered slips, on the corp lake near home and now on the Mississippi River. I've stayed in open slips while traveling, it seems they are more abundant farther north on the river Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern Iowa. They also were the norm on lakes Michigan and Huron, I wonder if the sun would do less damage to gelcoat in the northern areas. My main complaint about covered slips are spiders, spraying doesn't seem to affect them, just kills a few and dozens come to the funeral. 44'x16' $293.00 a month.


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In or out

We don't normally get that much snow on the lower Potomac, but this is why I put her indoors over the winter.

Under cover might be nice but like Marin, our boat is our condominium in on the water. Our slip is now just behind Bella Donna (312145) and this the view...



Jim
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Outside and lovin it. We live on the boat when we're in town, love sitting on the back deck drinkin our Java with a clear view of Clear Lake and able to take advantage of the nice breezes...Inside of the boat gets a touch warm, but that's why we have 3 A/C's.

Undercover....teak decks.

Tried out my first covered slip today. I liked it. The shade was nice, even here. It would be nice to enjoy my cockpit in the rain without having wrestle with my canvas, too. It's like hanging out on my front porch at home. Lots of spiders though.

There is covered and there is covered as well. I think the height makes a huge difference in how one feels. When we lived on a lake, we had a gazebo like dock with a roof but no sides (regulations didn't allow enclosed). It was a great place to just sit in the boat and enjoy the view while protected from the sun and heat or rain.