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Maintaining a lift-stored boat


TCdave

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2 hours ago, ibelonginprison said:

1. Get a lift cover, or a permanent roof over it. Chris Fo'by'fo Gilly Suit that posted above has a nice dock. Nice. Like, I want to come sleep on it in a hammock nice. And his boat does NOT look like a "I leave it on a lift in my dock" boat. He keeps it legit clean. His boat looks as awesome as it does because he keeps it out of direct sunlight.

2. A good synthetic sealant SHOULD last you longer than a wax. They're right, above, though. No amount of wax or sealant will prevent oxidation entirely, you can only limit it. Hula makes a marine specific sealant: http://products.hulaboatcare.com/big-kahuna-polymer-sealant/ 
I use Menzerna / Jescar PowerLock sealant for my cars and my boat. Haven't found anything that goes on easier, comes off easier, and protects better/longer. http://www.amazon.com/Jescar-Power-Lock-Polymer-Sealant/dp/B00P87W0IU/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1462302813&sr=1-1&keywords=menzerna+power+lock+sealant  Some people just prefer a marine specific product. But in the last 3 years using Menzerna I've never second guessed using it.  @ConnollyCrew had his first experience with it a couple weeks ago. Ask him what he thinks. :)

3. CrankyOldJeep is also correct, if you let it just sit it will rot away - get the trailer up on jack stands or blocks, so the weight is off the tires, then cover the tires so the UV ray's don't deteriorate the rubber. Cause after 2 years of sitting in the sun, even new tires will crack and start to blow out when you load it up and take her on a trip. Make sure to keep the grease fresh to help push moisture out that builds up in it. 

 

Speaking of which... I need to take a dose of my own medicine this weekend and holla at my trailer up at the marina to grease it and check the tires etc. 

I tried the Menzerna sealant as previously recommended by ibeloninprison on the boat this spring and I too am a convert.  Wow, super easy to apply, and my boat looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor.  Couldn't be happier.

My boat lives on a lift all summer and I'm a little anal retentive on its upkeep and appearance.  Treat it like its on a trailer, wipe it down after use, keep it covered and definitely invest in a good lift canopy and you will be happy.  Cant beat the convince of dropping it in the water and being under way in a matter of minutes.

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Sounds like I'm going to have to give this Menzerna a try. I've been wanting to apply a good sealer to keep the white hull from staining below the waterline.

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22 minutes ago, chris4x4gill2 said:

Sounds like I'm going to have to give this Menzerna a try. I've been wanting to apply a good sealer to keep the white hull from staining below the waterline.

When you detailing her next? I'll come up and bring some stuff.

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What's your recommended detailing arsenal? I'm starting from scratch as far as supplies - everything I had in the cabinet at the boat dock got washed away.

I typically use a decent wax with a buffer at the beginning of the season and then use the Eagle One spray wax for wipe downs while on the lift. I'd like to go with a sealer this time because the bottom of the white hull started to get a little dingy last year. Was hard to get all of that cleaned off. Do you wax after the sealer?

 

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You know, it's kinda funny, it seems the canopy for the lift is your best option but there are two sides to that.  We have a lift, at a slip, and a canopy for the lift.  I am selling the canopy.  The boat has a cover on it 100% of the time, and it stays clean with the cover on.  Last year was our first year at the slip, prior to that we spent 20 years with our own lakefront home and the canopy was perfect.  But it was a different lake (small), and it was our full time house.  Two main reasons that I have elected to NOT have a canopy:

  1. Our lake is 4,500 acres; water, woods, dunes, etc. and the bugs and spiders are ridiculous, so we would rather deal with getting them off the cover and board racks than getting them out from the underside of the canopy, dropping down on you, pooping on the boat and/or cover, etc.
  2. We are on a slip and the boat is our lounging area.  I'd say 2/3 of the time on the boat was on the water, an 1/3 of the time we took the cover off the boat and just sat in it with the radio on and a few beers.  For this reason alone, we will not have the canopy.  Had this discussion again yesterday with the wife.
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1 hour ago, Michigan boarder said:

You know, it's kinda funny, it seems the canopy for the lift is your best option but there are two sides to that.  We have a lift, at a slip, and a canopy for the lift.  I am selling the canopy.  The boat has a cover on it 100% of the time, and it stays clean with the cover on.  Last year was our first year at the slip, prior to that we spent 20 years with our own lakefront home and the canopy was perfect.  But it was a different lake (small), and it was our full time house.  Two main reasons that I have elected to NOT have a canopy:

  1. Our lake is 4,500 acres; water, woods, dunes, etc. and the bugs and spiders are ridiculous, so we would rather deal with getting them off the cover and board racks than getting them out from the underside of the canopy, dropping down on you, pooping on the boat and/or cover, etc.
  2. We are on a slip and the boat is our lounging area.  I'd say 2/3 of the time on the boat was on the water, an 1/3 of the time we took the cover off the boat and just sat in it with the radio on and a few beers.  For this reason alone, we will not have the canopy.  Had this discussion again yesterday with the wife.

 

Living in MI might make not having a canopy a little more acceptable to us than others. Our season is shorter than most; sun intensity and exposure are much less than some states.

For lounging... we want the sun since we don't see it all that often! Same reason I don't have a bimini.

Edited by Raimie
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3 hours ago, chris4x4gill2 said:

What's your recommended detailing arsenal? I'm starting from scratch as far as supplies - everything I had in the cabinet at the boat dock got washed away.

I typically use a decent wax with a buffer at the beginning of the season and then use the Eagle One spray wax for wipe downs while on the lift. I'd like to go with a sealer this time because the bottom of the white hull started to get a little dingy last year. Was hard to get all of that cleaned off. Do you wax after the sealer?

 

Tell me what exactly you are looking for (buffer with pads for polishing, or just a buffer to spread some sealant etc) and then give me a budget.

Then I'll put together a list of the detailing products that I use / keep on the boat. If we make it down near the dam in the next couple of weekends I'll let you try some of the stuff I keep on the boat and you can decide if you like it. 

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Not looking to spend a ton, just decent quality stuff. Right now I'm wanting to try the sealant because of the staining I mentioned earlier. I've been told it will last longer than a standard wax so I was looking into the Menzerna Power Lock. Still trying to figure out if that's a once a year application, wax afterwards, etc. I have a decent variable speed dual action polisher, and a walmart grade random orbital buffer. I need to go check the condition of my pads for them though.

 

So I guess what I'm looking for is a sealer and a quick wax/ wipe down spray. I'll keep using the 303 for the interior.

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I will be putting my 08 vRide on a lift in a Marina slip beginming this spring for the first time.  I have been reading the feeback in the previous responses and will be using most of them myself.  As always, this forum is a great resource.  The one area that I hadn't seen mentioned is using a ventilation fan/blower to dry-out/keep-dry the bilge.  Do any of you recommend that approach?  I will have access to electric at the dock.  

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To the OP....

 

You've been given TONS of good advice here.  The only think I'll add is that I would wax the liven snot out of your trailer before storing it outside for the season and plan on doing it again each time you do a maintenance wax on the boat.  My boat is a hoist baby, so I do a maintenance wax once during the season.  Same for the trailer.  I do need to get RV trailer covers as @oldjeep mentioned.  It's not been a priority because I don't trailer often.  

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8 hours ago, sim6784-ride said:

I will be putting my 08 vRide on a lift in a Marina slip beginming this spring for the first time.  I have been reading the feeback in the previous responses and will be using most of them myself.  As always, this forum is a great resource.  The one area that I hadn't seen mentioned is using a ventilation fan/blower to dry-out/keep-dry the bilge.  Do any of you recommend that approach?  I will have access to electric at the dock.  

Many on this site have a small wet vacs they use to remove water. I also keep some open compartments when closing up. I also keep a towel in my ski locker and take it out after a ski outing. The carpet in the locker is hardly damp that way. It did stop mildew in the locker.

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On 5/9/2016 at 1:44 PM, chris4x4gill2 said:

Not looking to spend a ton, just decent quality stuff. Right now I'm wanting to try the sealant because of the staining I mentioned earlier. I've been told it will last longer than a standard wax so I was looking into the Menzerna Power Lock. Still trying to figure out if that's a once a year application, wax afterwards, etc. I have a decent variable speed dual action polisher, and a walmart grade random orbital buffer. I need to go check the condition of my pads for them though.

 

So I guess what I'm looking for is a sealer and a quick wax/ wipe down spray. I'll keep using the 303 for the interior.

Sealant does last longer than wax. THIN, thin coats. Thin. Don't gob it on. So little of it goes suuuuuch a long way. You want just enough to have a haze, let it sit a minute, then wipe off with a good microfiber.  Wait 2-3 hours between coats, then do another coat. 2-3 coats will last you 2-3 times as long (or longer) as a wax will. True detailing enthusiasts put a wax on top of it, and that's what I do for our cars... but for the boat, I just do sealant and let it ride. No one will ever tell the difference on the water.

Grab the Menzerna sealant, pick up a black application / finishing pad (Lake Country, Chemical Guys) in whatever size fits your polisher and that will make it go easy. 
Then get some good, clean microfiber cloths to wipe the stuff off with.  I can do a full boat in like 30-45 minutes. That includes drinking a beer. Hula makes a sealant as well, haven't tried it, but it's probably pretty good. I just have had no need to ever look elsewhere after discovering Menzerna.

 

For in between's I use this: http://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-WAC_808_16-Optical-Detailer/dp/B004UPZXQM/ 

I buy it by the gallon. Keep a spray bottle in the trunk of each car, and on the boat. We're lucky in the fact that we don't have hard water, so we don't need anything stronger in order to keep the boat clean. That means it leaves the protection on there longer. 
 

These are out of stock right now, but I bought one, then went back and bought like four more.  They have pockets on the end that you can stick your hands in and it makes wiping down the boat beyond easy... it's almost cheating.
http://www.amazon.com/Zwipes-Premium-Absorbent-Microfiber-Drying/dp/B00H72YQV8/ 

 

If you want to polish it, you'll need something like this: http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DWP849X-7-Inch-Variable-Polisher/dp/B004W1WGIC/ 
I'm probably going to buy one this summer, (I've been using a Flex forced rotation polisher) so I'll let you borrow it if you decide you want to chew some adderall and tackle polishing that fat ho. 

Use a wool cutting pad, and then follow up with an aggressive pad to get any swirls/holograms out. 

Text me if you have any questions. Happy to walk you through what I did on mine. Which turned out not too bad for a 10 year old boat with over 500 hours.



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Thank you for all of the suggestions crew!

I have ordered a bottle of the Menzerna that I will apply before moving the boat to the lift, thank you ibelonginprison.

I made an appointment with a local canvas guy. He will make a custom sunbrella cover with snap on side curtains and it will cover the swim platform for $1250.00. I went with charcoal gray but I was considering red but thought it might fade to pink after a few seasons.

I have secured an indoor storage solution for the trailer.

A few locals brought up the issue of mold/mildew when putting a cover on a wet boat. What is the best process for avoiding this? Solar fan?

Edited by TCdave
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7 hours ago, TCdave said:

Thank you for all of the suggestions crew!

I have ordered a bottle of the Menzerna that I will apply before moving the boat to the lift, thank you ibelonginprison.

I made an appointment with a local canvas guy. He will make a custom sunbrella cover with snap on side curtains and it will cover the swim platform for $1250.00. I went with charcoal gray but I was considering red but thought it might fade to pink after a few seasons.

I have secured an indoor storage solution for the trailer.

A few locals brought up the issue of mold/mildew when putting a cover on a wet boat. What is the best process for avoiding this? Solar fan?

You have power on your dock?
If so, this: http://www.amazon.com/Davis-Instruments-Air-Dryr-500-Dryer/dp/B000B7MU9Q/ 
I use the 1000 cu ft one when the boat is either put up super wet, or going to be stored for more than a month. It's kinda big, about the size of a extra large, big ol' dinner plate for a fat kid.
Dries the inside out like a champ. And, it uses warm air convection to circulate and dry, so no fan, low wattage, and safe for boat usage. (No sparks from a fan or anything)

If not, probably a solar fan is your best bet, yes.

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  • 2 months later...

So this project is nearly complete. Our cove is pretty tight so I'm unable to get a traditional lift permitted. While searching for an alternative I stumbled across this thing called a Air-Dock. I thought it looked a little cheesy but it was the best thing I could find. It took me 2 days to assemble and it actually works pretty well. I contacted Mountain Island Canvas and they made the cover in charcoal grey which I really like.

  • Lift- $3200 plus $120 for long PVC pipes
  • Custom Cover $1250 including vents and poles
  • I found a great deal on indoor storage for the trailer and I can keep the boat indoors for the winter
  • I bought a bottle of the menzerna as suggested and I too am now a convert

Both have a 5- year warranty.

I still need to clean up the hoses and tie lines but it's all working. still practicing getting the boat back on the lift, it usually takes a couple of tries to get is just right. one cool feature of the lift is that you can park it on there when it's deflated and it will hold the boat in place, this is great when your out and come back to the house for lunch etc and don't have to tie it up or inflate it.

control box.JPG

finished front.JPG

frame assembly.JPG

lift delivery.JPG

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40 minutes ago, TCdave said:

So this project is nearly complete. Our cove is pretty tight so I'm unable to get a traditional lift permitted. While searching for an alternative I stumbled across this thing called a Air-Dock. I thought it looked a little cheesy but it was the best thing I could find. It took me 2 days to assemble and it actually works pretty well. I contacted Mountain Island Canvas and they made the cover in charcoal grey which I really like.

  • Lift- $3200 plus $120 for long PVC pipes
  • Custom Cover $1250 including vents and poles
  • I found a great deal on indoor storage for the trailer and I can keep the boat indoors for the winter
  • I bought a bottle of the menzerna as suggested and I too am now a convert

Both have a 5- year warranty.

I still need to clean up the hoses and tie lines but it's all working. still practicing getting the boat back on the lift, it usually takes a couple of tries to get is just right. one cool feature of the lift is that you can park it on there when it's deflated and it will hold the boat in place, this is great when your out and come back to the house for lunch etc and don't have to tie it up or inflate it.

control box.JPG

finished front.JPG

frame assembly.JPG

lift delivery.JPG

I have an AirRock also in my marina slip where I keep my boat.   It does take a little practice to get the technique and positioning just right to make it easy-on and easy-off.  But overall I really like it!

20160608_211746_zps1n7zd8mu.jpg

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