What's your haulout schedule

[Ski in NC]

I cleaned my bottom, wheel and running gear a few days before a month long trip. At the end of the trip, I dove on the boat and everything was absolutely SPOTLESS. Prop shined like new out of the box. And NO I did not plow through any sandbars.

Moss don't grow on a rolling stone!!!

 

[N4712]

Once a year.

 

[dhays]

WesK hit on a good point. What we do varies by the conditions of our local waters. I have a diver clean my bottom every 3 months. He checks the zincs at the same time and replaces them when they get to 50% by his estimate. It likely means that I'm replacing zincs more often than I might have to, but it also means that I never have to worry about the condition of the zincs. There is no way I want to dive on my boat in this water. It simply is too cold to just use a mask and snorkel.

 

[BandB]

We haul out once a year. Our norm for bottom painting is every 3 years. Most around us do 2 years, but with our regular maintenance our bottoms even looked very good at 3 years. We refresh the Prop Speed annually. This is on top of regular bottom cleaning, which we have monthly or in the summer slightly more frequently. All bottom cleaning is done gently, no scraping. We also don't do any heavy cleaning at haul out, just our normal. We're in a very high growth area and find the regular maintenance saves on the major. So our annual haulouts are really for all the metal and to just get a very good look at everything.

Others will argue that it's cheaper just to do nothing in between and do bottom paint every two years. It may be close, but I don't think it's as good on the boat. Also, it's a path to not knowing when anodes need replacing or when other things might need attention. I believe if it requires hard scrubbing and scraping to clean your bottom, you don't have the right paint or you're not cleaning frequently enough.

Now, I recognize our frequency only applies to a small region and isn't at all applicable to where many of you boat. In fact, when we're not in our home area and we're using the boat daily, we are able to clean much less frequently. We're also very careful when getting someone different cleaning and give them the supplies to use and very firm instructions.

Now, the best tool for bottom care ever invented (ok, not best ever) we've found to be the GoPro and similar cameras. Obviously, if you're a diver, you can go check in person. Still it's nice to be able to just use a camera and see what is going on.

 

[eagle419]

John,
Re your post #10 ..
Perfect colors.
Gleaming gloss white and red copper bottom.
Can't be beat.
Good picture.

Thanks Eric - I'm just a traditional kind of guy I guess

 

[psneeld]

A haulout sked and bottom paint and cleaning is sorta like what you like in a partner...


Depending on where you are, how you boat, what you want to do or pay for, etc...etc...will determine a lot of things.


Asking people what they do in completely different water, on a completely different schedule and income level is not really relevant.


There should be others nearby that have more relevant input and should be the best source of info.

 

[ranger58sb]

I try and go as long as I can, longest has been 4 years.
With the bottom paint being weakened by government fiat, how long before you get big barnacles on the hull?
I am at the 2 year mark, and got plenty.
With ye old good TBT paint, at the 4 year mark I was very clean.
We are near LAFB in Hampton Back River, so the lower Chesapeake Bay.

Went fishing last weekend, and had zero bites, and neither did any other boats did we see pulling in any fish.
Last few years have been poor, is the Bay dead or is it fished out by too many fishers?

We haul every year. Usually winter in the water, then haul in late May after the yard launches everyone else. Check underwater hardware, replace zincs, prop work if necessary (not so often), and usually touch-up bottom paint. Run the boat at least once/week. Full bottom paint every 3-4 years.

We're in what MD calls the "Trophy" rockfish (striped bass) season, and our minimum keeper size this year is 35". The season hasn't been horrible, but has been much cooler/wetter than usual. FWIW, recreational fishing -- including rod-and-line fishing from charter boats -- doesn't put much of a dent on the local striped bass population; that's mostly comes from commercial operations (nets and so forth). The other major crunch is about food supply and general water condition, and I've read Omega Protein down in VA is hauling all their "Atlantic" menhaden quota from within the Chesapeake rather than from the Atlantic. Which in turn means MD doesn't get as many menhaden as are necessary for the healthiest striped bass fishery up here... and for bay water filtering.

-Chris

 

[dwhatty]

A haulout sked and bottom paint and cleaning is sorta like what you like in a partner...


Depending on where you are, how you boat, what you want to do or pay for, etc...etc...will determine a lot of things.


Asking people what they do in completely different water, on a completely different schedule and income level is not really relevant.


There should be others nearby that have more relevant input and should be the best source of info.

Yup.

In the frozen NE our insurance requires us to lay up by Oct 15. So each year we haul about that time and change the oil and oil filters and in the Spring we paint the bottom, replace the zincs, replace the fuel filters, do the brightwork, etc.

We used to have the bottom pressure washed on fall haulout but, unless one's yard has installed a catchment basin, which ours hasn't/can't afford to, one can't do that anymore. (So now we scrubby the bottom and, in spite of the tarp on the ground, the same bottom paint slough ends up on the ground).

 

[sdowney717]

We have a six foot tidal swing but the boat goes up and down with the tide so it doesn't make a difference.

As for diving myself, I wouldn't do what my diver does for what I pay him. It's hard, dirty work in the heat and in the cold.

Idea is you bring in boat at higher tide, and when water drops bottom is exposed so you can see and clean it. I have seen pics of boats propped up on stilts at low tides. Or tied to piers. Usually the bottom is hard packed and rocky, so good footing provided.
like this here
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/p...ow-tide-on-stilts-royalty-free-image/73923890

http://www.bitsarecheap.com/2011/06...dy-dangling-by-its-mooring-lines-at-low-tide/