Leaving boat in water

[DerekBeaton]

My boat goes the water in May (fresh water) and stays there till September or later if I can arrange it. Blistering is indeed from hull imperfections and not from water as far as I can see from research - however almost all hulls some kind of imperfections so it may eventually happen- and faster on salt water - so keep a good polish on the hull which will help. The solar panel charger works a charm and for $20 really does a good job of keeping the battery up. I also use the in my cars in the winter time. Here's what I do:
- Take the plugs out after ever use and leave the to dry. Leaving them in can cause them to stick
- If the scupper valve is below the water line, make sure it is securely fixed and not leaking
- Spiders are a concern for some so I leave the cover on at all times if the boat is not in use - also prevents sun damage
- If you are worried about tying up, this is a favourite topic amongst boaters and simply asking around the dock will get you any number of suggestions. A walk around the dock will also give you lots of ideas. I use dock whips to keep the boat off the dock and they have worked well for four years. In conjunction with a good tie up system and a bumper or two you should be in good shape. We have weathered some severe wind storms with no damage to the boat.
- Take it out once or twice a summer as stuff can build up on the hull and an occasional rinse makes your fall cleaning easier
- I bought one of these http://www.h2out.com/products/application/boats and leave it in the boat all summer when the cover is on. When we are on the lake I leave it in the (throw it on the dash) sun for a few hours to dry out and use it again. Have had this for three years and it an expensive but very good product. I also leave in in the boat during the winter.
- Some lakes (in Canada at least) don't allow, or will have regulations around boat lifts so you might want check with the local environmental regs before you invest

Anyway - that's my 2 cents worth - hope it helps.

 

[rkluck]

Spiders are hard to keep out of your slip. The boat dealer here had something called Spider Rid (I think) and when I used the spray regularly it really reduced the spiders. I have tried several others with varying success. Our boat has been wet slipped for four years and I have not seen any blisters etc. on the hull. I would agree that the blisters are due to a manufacturing problem or something else other than being in a wet slip.