Keeping a boat on the hard for a year and a half - Opinions, please

bayview said:

Lakeland in not all that far from Tampa Bay . Little harbor on the wet side of the bay would be easy to access and is protected. there are also several marinas in Bradenton. They may not be the best marinas for frequent boating but would work for weekend work visits and boat trips.
probably only 1.5 hour drive.


IMO it is too early for you to buy a boat. There are always lots of boats for sale. Save the money and buy the same boat in two years more cheaply. Your savings go up while the boat price goes down. A double win.

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We spend a size-able amount of our time over in the Tampa/St Pete/Clearwater/Bradenton area. we kept our previous boat at Riviera Dunes in Palmetto. One hour, door to door.

Yeah, we've been going back and forth on that second issue. We're trying to be cognizant of life sometimes throwing good opportunities at you at previously-considered-inconvenient times. Best laid plans... you know. Life's a balancing act.

If your sure your not going to use it I believe I'd wait until a little bit closer to retirement. Give it a year. Still plenty of time to buy, and recondition, your boat. Look at every boat you can that's even close to what you want.
I'm one who thinks sitting is harder on a boat than using it.
Still working on land does have it's advantages and necessary for some work. I'm thinking money isn't an issue but the $$ savings from waiting would buy you new electronics if needed or go a ways towards reconditioning..
Still no reason you couldn't buy and refurbish for a year then splash and use. Only way to really know what you want is to use it.

This requires some elements of a winterization and some of attended living aboard. Among other things, I would not recommend periodic starting of engines unless they could be loaded (and thus oil warmed up), something you can't do when hauled. Properly stored they will not suffer, I've put vessels to sleep, properly, for 5+ years with no ill effects to engines and gens.

This was an issue that I encountered often during the recession, which prompted me to cover the subject in this article https://stevedmarineconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/DeepStorage122_04.pdf

If the boat was afloat and you could use it from time to time, that would be best. Disuse is the worst thing for machinery and systems.

bglad said:

The attached might be helpful. My office is nearby Green Cove Springs Marina where many snow birds hole up for hurricane season. I attended a few partial submersion events that occurred on the hard there that were entirely preventable so wrote this article. As far as I know they keep them on hand to give out to their tenants.

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Bill

A very good guide for extended storage, well done.

Re. #7, closing all seacocks could prevent deck, cockpit and other drains from draining. I would not close a seacock unless I was certain of everything it served (deck drains are sometimes T'd into other drains. I've had this a couple of times in my career when a tech closed a cockpit drain seacock during winterization, the cockpit filled and overflowed into the cabin.

Also, unless the vessel has a garboard plug, I would not disable the bilge pump system by plugging the discharge and/or turning off batteries. Sailing vessels in particular are notorious for leaking water through masts and partners. While the self-discharge rate of an AGM battery is low, if it's relied upon for bilge pumps it should remain on float charge (true for any battery that is powering a bilge pump). You do allude to this in section 14C, but owner experience really should not matter.

"Also, unless the vessel has a garboard plug, I would not disable the bilge pump system by plugging the discharge and/or turning off batteries."

All good advice and a good place to point out at least 1 bilge pump should be wired to the hot side of the batteries or shut off switch with an inline fuse. In other words always on and ready, no matter what.
If I need a bilge pump, I want it to run until the batteries die hoping somebody would see it running a lot and investigate.

Biocide

For that long it would not hurt to put a little biocide in your tanks. Bacteria live on the water-fuel interface and have a lot of undisturbed time in 18 months.

Keeping a boat on the hard for a year and a half

John,

I lived aboard in Palmetto for about 18 months before heading north.

When I bought her she hadn't been "run" regularly for 1-2 years. She was basically a floating office & "playpen". Her fuel was pea green and there was only 1/8 tank left. Biocide, full tanks, new filters, rebuilding the injectors, and cleaning the fuel injector pumps made her a happy camper. It taught me a ton about my engines.

I've been on & off the hard for the last due to mechanical issues & it looks like I may be there for another one.

I was aboard after 2 months without power. Green mold everywhere! Get a dehumidifier running asap. Sinus infections and bronchitis aren't your friends.

John.

kchace said:

...put out a bunch of "Damp-Rid"

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Have a plan to check and empty them periodically. Refresh/replace as necessary and make sure not to place them on surfaces that'd be harmed by any errant moisture.

It's good idea to get onboard and remove all of them before it gets moved so they any filled ones don't spill.

I keep a simple written list onboard of stuff that should be dealt with before re-commissioning. Simple stuff like a list of the seacocks or drains that might need a different position than how they're stored (water heater bypass, for one), plugs to be removed/replaced, filters to be changed, quantity of damp rid containers/bags onboard, etc. I scribble notes on what else worked/failed and keep it as a guide for next year.

We took 2 years to both visit many boat types and qualify our requirements then created shortlist. Then looked again and bought 3 months before retirement. Then took 12 months for deep dive restoration. Now happily with lovely craft wintering marathon ready for spring travel up the coast. But when you need itno sooner. Dial in refit go from there.

Leaving her on the hard for a few years should be no problem if you've done a good job winterizing her. A good Shrinkwrap job with support and ventilation is a must. All cabinets and doors as well as some ports should be left open. Have a good door on the wrap and check on her every couple of months. Winter has snow, ice, rain and humidity. Summer has heat, bugs and humidity too. Pull the bilge plug, drain and wax everything. One of those solar powered vents would be good too but I've never.



There will still be some surprises when you wake her up. Shouldn't be anything major.



Angelina has been on the hard during fuel tank changes, college, grad school, again during the "bad" year. Each time she came back smiling.

My vessel had been on the hard for several years before I found it, and there was damage that would have been prevented had it been covered. I think covering your boat is one of the best preventive actions you can take, and I am another owner who is a big fan of shrink wrap. The zippered door in a wrapped boat gives access when you want to check on things or work on things, and adequate vents will keep it from turning into a sweat box.

I sleep on board before and after launch and recovery, and use the toilets in the facility. Water tanks that are accessible can be emptied to "dry" with a water vac and a pet wand, something I do every year to winterize.

Another two cents for your consideration