Boat sits in fresh water full time, looking for some advice

[dfarhood]

So our boat usually sits in the water at the marina for the summer as we do not have a truck anymore and we can't put a hoist in and it is causing a couple of problems. First the wedge is corroding and i'm wondering if there is any way to slow or prevent this from failing, it is already our second wedge since I believe 2004 or 2005 (first bracket).

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Second the water leaves a horrible brown residue all over the bottom of the hull, after cleaning would waxing it even help if it is in the water for 2-3 months? It's pretty depressing looking at how nice everyone keeps their boats on here and then looking at ours... I need to catch up to the rest of you with protecting/maintaining the gel coat. If there is something I can do even though it is going to sit in the water all summer what would be the recommended way to clean, and then polish/wax?

I noticed somewhat recently that there is some cracking in what I hope is just the gel coat (never been taking on water so I'm not really worried on that front. Just wondering if there is anything I can do about this

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the swim platform mount is a little concerning, I'm not sure why that is happening, we never have anymore weight on the platform that I would think is normal... Just people.

Also not sure if this is a common problem but about a year ago our lumbar support on the drivers seat stopped holding the air in it, has anyone taken it apart and repaired it? probably a winter project next year.

[Jimmypooh]

A shore lift will be your best bet. Buy a used one and make sure it has newer cables.

As for leaving it in the water - you're not going to find much that will help. Get in the water and start scrubbing.

[Falko]

I've seen people attach sacrificial anodes to their wedge when left in the water. You'd want a magnesium type. That should help the deterioration.

As for the hull staining, nothing you can do to prevent it. Cleaning it, I always cleaned my boats with The Works toilet bowl cleaner which is 15% HCl, mix it 50/50 with water and spritz it on the hull let it soak a few minutes then rinse. Soak the trailer down first as it isn't good for the paint.

The cracking, I don't know what's causing that. I doubt it being left in the water is the issue.

[Steve B.]

The cracking is probably blistering. Like mine. Ugh. I have to leave it in the water all summer too.

Steve B.

[robtr8]

Most boats are built with polyester resin which, over time, absorbs water. The gel coat is the water barrier. If you have to leave the boat in, treat it like a yacht. There are barrier coat's and bottom paints (not the same thing! Do your research.) that you can use to protect the fibre glass. Water absorption damage is usually indicated when you see blisters in the gel coat. http://www.zahnisers.com/repair/blister/blister1.htm

Those cracks could be freeze damage but it's more likely stress cracks.

[BlastRlxi]

Most boats are built with polyester resin which, over time, absorbs water. The gel coat is the water barrier. If you have to leave the boat in, treat it like a yacht. There are barrier coat's and bottom paints (not the same thing! Do your research.) that you can use to protect the fibre glass. Water absorption damage is usually indicated when you see blisters in the gel coat. http://www.zahnisers.com/repair/blister/blister1.htm

Those cracks could be freeze damage but it's more likely stress cracks.

Actually, the gel coat is porous which is why you get blisters. Over time, water gets trapped between the gel coat and the fiberglass causing the blisters. Bottom paint, if applied correctly, will prevent blisters but will destroy the resale value of the boat.

[Bill_AirJunky]

I keep mine on the water too. But I pull it every month or few weeks to clean it up, dry it out & just go thru any outstanding issues. Usually this can be timed with any run of crappy weather or time spans when I'll be out of town & not able to use the boat anyway.

Wax definitely keeps the lake funk from building up so much. Plus it hoses off easier.

I don't think I could do any of it without the use of a truck though. Just one of those tools you have to have when you own a boat.

[obski]

I keep mine on the water too. But I pull it every month or few weeks to clean it up, dry it out & just go thru any outstanding issues. Usually this can be timed with any run of crappy weather or time spans when I'll be out of town & not able to use the boat anyway.

Wax definitely keeps the lake funk from building up so much. Plus it hoses off easier.

I don't think I could do any of it without the use of a truck though. Just one of those tools you have to have when you own a boat.

Pretty much the way we do it also.

Stress cracks in the gelcoat can happen. You can repair them yourself, but I would recommend that those be done by a pro. Those are not blistering and are not caused by having the boat moored in the water. Blistering, as discussed above, can happen from leaving the boat in the water. The blistering looks just like it sounds - like a collection of little blisters. They will sometimes go away after the boat is out of the water and the gelcoat has a chance to dry out, but more often they will need to be repaired. Again, something you can do yourself, but I would have them taken care of by a pro. I will do small gel repairs myself, but leave the bigger ones, or more involved ones, to the service department at my dealer.

There are some great advantages to keeping your boat moored, but there are some downsides too.

[obski]

I'll add another bit of advice for making the maintenance a little easier. We keep a scrub brush in the boat and then periodically when we are out we assign someone who just finished riding to take the brush for a trip around the boat. By preventing the large buildup of the Willamette scum, which is pretty nasty, when we pull it out the cleaning becomes less work.

[Sixball]

Bottom paint in the past helped control growth. I have not done much since the late 80s 90s but back then we used Epoxy to seal the boat then put the bottom paint for speed and growth. The Epoxy was the water barrier.

[Levi900RR]

I don't think I could do any of it without the use of a truck though. Just one of those tools you have to have when you own a boat.

No offense to anyone but... I always feel like if you own a home, boat, lawn tractor, garbage cans, a large dog, a garden, etc... and you don't have a truck you are kind of useless.

[dfarhood]

Unfortunately a lift is not an option because it is not a private dock, and even if it were allowed the shape of the dock and our particular slip wouldn't allow for it.

Never heard about the magnesium anodes, when looking into it it looks like people were attaching them directly to the foil which seems a little less than ideal, but then again so is corrosion. I guess I'd need one for the foil and one for the bracket on the transom.

For the hull cleaning my dad used to do the toilet bowl cleaner, was just hoping there was some alternative to that since my understanding was that if you don't work quickly enough it'll start to eat away the gel coat. And yeah I didn't think the cracking was from being in the water just threw it in the same post as with the driver seat lumbar support.

Bill, my late father and I used to do pretty much the exact same thing but since the last truck we had was his company car my family has been out of a truck for a while and just borrowing the neighbors at the beginning and end of the season. We try not to abuse the borrowing too much and I know we need a truck, hopefully we'll be getting one soon, but all things considered I consider myself fortunate that my life wasn't completely uprooted.

How much would you expect the gel coat repairs to cost, DIY or professional? I can't really imagine trying it for the first time on a spot so clearly in view but just curious. And I usually do the same thing with the brush but it only does so much when the boat is in the water so much longer than I am scrubbing.

Not really a fan of bottom paint, just makes me think salt water.

I don't want to start an argument here or anything, but saying no offense never really makes it less offensive. We know we need a truck and it is in the works, I personally haven't had much time for car shopping with the way school was this last semester. I’m just trying to figure out the best way to keep up with things in the meantime until we get one.

[CliffB]

Fiberglass boat hulls absorb water over time. Most fiberglass hulls left in the water on a continuous basis are between 10% and 15% water by weight. It's a little less if you keep the bilge dry and have a good bottom paint, but there's no keeping the water out of the fiberglass. Why? Because fiberglass layup has air pockets and is porous. Vacuum bagging is used in laying up carbon fiber so it's much less porous and rarely has any pockets, but regular old' fiberglass layup is going to take some water over time. A good gel coat slows the intrusion of water but gel coat is somewhat porous too so it's not a barrier. A good bottom paint will also help slow the intrusion of water. The water content in the hull can be a problem over time as it can lead to bubbling of the gel coat, cracking of the gel coat, and damage to the hull itself if exposed to freezing temperatures.

Personally, I wouldn't use a marine bottom paint of the normal variety on your boat. Instead I would likely paint the bottom with something like Awlgrip if I was seeking to add some bottom protection. This paint is technically for the hull topsides. I would pick a color which is neutral/same as your hull color so that if you choose to set a waterline it won't be too obvious. Getting a waterline right can be a very difficult thing......

There are floating boat lifts, perhaps that's an option?

[Bill_AirJunky]

I hear ya dfarhood. Best of luck getting a vehicle to do your boat duties.

As for the hull cleaning, there are a bunch of guys here on TMC who have used the toilet bowl cleaner. Apparently it does work, but it is harsh, not just on gelcoat, but uppholstery, skin, eyes, nose, etc.

Frankly I use Starbrite Hull Cleaner, available at most any marine shop, boat dealer, etc. It's still harsh on the skin, eyes & nose.... and maybe even on the gelcoat. But I find I can work in 5' or 6' long sections & get the job done pretty easily.

[robtr8]

BlastRlxi and CliffB are more correct. I guess I should have said "more of a water barrier but not meant to be left submerged". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelcoat

Bottom paint is designed to keep the growth off or allow it to be sloughed off easily. http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=2325&familyName=Interlux+VC+17m+Extra+with+Biolux+Bottom+Coating An epoxy barrier coat is applied first. http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=113&familyName=Interlux+InterProtect+2000E+Epoxy+Primer

I agree that bottom paint is a resale killer on this kind of boat but so is just leaving it sit in the water.

No offense Levi but there are a lot of boats out there that you can't tow so a different strategy needs to be considered. I brought one of my boats home one spring with my F250SD. That was a fun/scary drive.

Edited May 21, 2013 by robtr8

[Levi900RR]

I completly understand, I guess I figure if you have the means to own a boat big enough that you can't tow it with a pick up truck, you're not too worried about paying someone to deal with it.