posted 05-04-2010 06:52 PM ET (US)     

Advantages of a slip: No more need to hook up, trailer to ramp, wait in line, drop in, pick up, trailer home!
Can hop right in and take off (or so I think).

Disadvantages of a slip: $1500/year, bottom paint needed, more salt on boat and motor, marina gas prices, less security.

posted 05-04-2010 07:42 PM ET (US)            

No bottom paint increases resale value and makes the boat
more attractive to fresh water boaters at resale.

No marina fees

Cheaper gas

Less wear and tear on engine and boat

Maintenance and tinker time is not limit to trips to the marina.

You can act quickly to protect the boat during storms when it's right outside your door. Do you trust the marina staff to get to your boat before wind/water damage in bad weather?

Trips to inland lakes is a trailer pull away. No hauling the boat out of the slip first.

posted 05-04-2010 08:08 PM ET (US)            

I bottom painted my 170 Montauk. I have her tied up at my dock. I dont see any more wear and tear on the motor or hull then if she was trailered. I have got home at 4-5 pm and jumped right in for a nice quick run on the Bay. Can't do that on a trailer.

Weather.. just check it every now and then for security.

SLIP

posted 05-04-2010 08:31 PM ET (US)            

Then there is the commrodorie in your marina. When the weather keeps you in, there's always people hanging on their boats eating, drinking, music, working on their boats, etc.

I am currently out of the water and for the second season I will be trailering. I burned one tank of gas including the second annual Manhattan trip. Normally it's a tank a month.

This year the hull hasn't hit the water yet. This would not be the case had it been in a slip.

The diehard Whalers might frown on bottom paint, but I've never heard anyone say "I wouldn't buy that boat...it has paint on the bottom," and that may very well be a geographic location thing.
Joe

posted 05-04-2010 08:41 PM ET (US)            

For one of my boats, I break my moorage leases every Oct, lose my $150, and then sign new lease in April (and launch the boat May 1). -- Luckily I am able to find moorage every year; I keep tabs on open slips.

I like to use my boat after work, and my better half uses the boat as well. (She would never trailer and launch the boat.)

It really depends on your use mode, and how often you use your boat.

I would not worry about the extra trips to the boat for work on things. It's a Montauk, not a wood sailboat, fix what you need to in the winter, and enjoy the summer.

I had a Montauk in moorage for 2 summers. In fact I commuted to work with it. (I could have rode my bike, but getting out on the water twice a day was pretty damn fun way to start the day.) Now I drive by my marina on the way to work, so it's real easy for me to stop in on the boat.

posted 05-04-2010 09:21 PM ET (US)            

I'd never consider a slip for my Montauk. We'd have to schelp
at least three loads of dive gear to the boat, and three loads
back at the end of the day. With the boat on the trailer,
we pull the boat with the gear on board, park next to the
rinse tanks and rinse, then pull into the dive shop and
tote tanks about 20' to the compressor. And the gear is ready
to go diving the next day.

posted 05-04-2010 09:55 PM ET (US)            

I have been using the lift recently. Double the price but really is worth it.

posted 05-04-2010 10:45 PM ET (US)            

As for more salt on the boat, if you get a slip with freshwater and hose down your boat thoroughly and rinse out the engine with the Yamaha "Freshwater Flush", I don't see much salt getting to the boat except for the bottom of the hull, which is already bottom painted....

Just haul her out over the winter and get all the maintenance work done then.

I vote slip,

posted 05-04-2010 11:03 PM ET (US)            

I agree that having to trailer the boat to a ramp will tend to reduce the amount of use of the boat.

I would worry about leaving gear on the boat at a slip, particularly on an open boat. As Chuck points out, you end up hauling gear to the boat every time you want to use it.

posted 05-04-2010 11:51 PM ET (US)            

If you slip, make sure you tilt up your motor and check your zincs alot. Bottom paint would be beneficial.

Depending on where you slip, security might be an issue.

posted 05-05-2010 09:46 AM ET (US)            

Kevin

posted 05-05-2010 09:52 AM ET (US)            

I rented a slip for many years and it was nice to be able to use the boat at a moments notice. But, the maintenance became an issue after the first couple of years. It is much more difficult to maintain a boat in the water. Even if you have a mooring cover local wildlife can be an issue. From slip spiders to raccoons, snakes, waterfowl, gulls, etc. a lot of inconvenience can be encountered. No matter what anti-fouling paint is used a boat in a slip will have some bottom growth over a summer in the water. Marina rules can be bothersome and nothing is worse than an unpleasant, or worse, slip neighbor. You must always be on guard against electrolytic damage if any portion of your engine is in the water or if you have any metal through hull penetrations. The electrolysis issue is exaggerated because it can change on any day because a nearby boat has not been properly wired or maintained.

Security is a big problem at most marinas. People steal mooring lines, anchoring gear, fenders, bimini tops, hardware and anything else left on a boat. Outboard theft is not uncommon nor is boat theft. I never had a boat or engine stolen but it's darned annoying to come down to the slip ready to go out and discover something important is gone. Also inconvenient and possibly dangerous is to get out in the bay and discover your anchor is no longer in the locker. Forget about any helm mounted electronics. The only way to keep them is to remove them after each outing.

I've now been trailering my 16 Dauntless for eleven years. I find it to be a far better arrangement.

posted 05-05-2010 11:00 AM ET (US)         

I much prefer to trailer my boat. I wouldn't sleep well knowing a few thousand dollars worth of kicker/downriggers/etc is just begging to be stolen.

Then there is the shuttling of all the other gear.

I can also find ethanol free fuel and not pay the higher cost of marina fuel.

The actual hooking up to the trailer and launch/retrieve process is far less work for me then the setup/teardown process to leave my boat in a slip would be.

Having said that... on the occasions where we find ourselves vacationing on the water with a secure slipping option I really enjoy being able to stroll down to the dock while sipping my coffee and simply fire her up and go.

posted 05-05-2010 01:56 PM ET (US)            

Also, don't let them scare you about resale from painting the bottom. All in all it isn't a big deal. I have sold my past two boats for market price and both had the bottom painted. Granted, some people will not buy just because it is painted, but those people are in the minority. I heard all the horror stories about resale and painting the bottom and I didn't see it at all when I sold my past two. I bet you out of 50 calls I got on each boat, probably only 5 lost interest because the bottom was painted.

Additionally, the wear and tear is no different keeping it in the water compared to on a trailer. I pull mine out 3 times a year and give her a good wax job.

posted 05-05-2010 02:03 PM ET (US)            

I also agree that a slip is far more convenient.

I vehemently disagree that maintenance is the same/similar. Most people (and literature) will tell you that maintaining a boat in the water is much more work than maintaining one on the trailer (even in fresh water). Your boat in a slip is constantly exposed to the elements (sun, sea, animals).

A Montauk on a trailer will easily fit into many larger home garages, and a full cover can easily be placed over it to protect it from sun and water damage.

There is virtually no opportunity for water intrusion on a well kept trailered boat.

My vote if your goal is keeping the Whaler in great shape for a long time is to deal with the added hassle of trailering.

If you want to just use it, realize maximum depreciation (or spend more money and time on maintentance), slip it.

Good luck - as I said above - it's a personal choice, and no answer is right for everyone.

posted 05-05-2010 02:15 PM ET (US)            

Maintenance/boat paint is offset in part by not having to maintain a trailer

No need for a tow car/truck

As knot said you can always take it home for the winter if you keep the trailer and get a friend to tow you.

Even sitting at the dock with your feet up is not to be understated

Try it for a season IMO and see if you actually get more use/enjoyment

Regards
Steve

posted 05-05-2010 07:08 PM ET (US)            

I've got the best/worst of both worlds --- I keep a Montauk without bottom paint on its trailer, share with a couple of partners a larger Whaler (21 ft prototype banana Revenge) that we keep in a Bodega Bay slip nine months per year, and have a sailboat in a slip in San Francisco. Sure is convenient to have boats in the water ready for quick use (and I haven't a choice with my 10,000 lb sloop), but there's no question that a boat in a slip requires more maintenance, unless you just let her go to the dogs a little appearance-wise (we 'Stike3' partners call it "keeping our Whaler in workboat condition").

I wouldn't be all that put off, however, about the stories about below-waterline blisters and dramatic weathering. Boats are made to sit in the water, not on a trailer...at least boats worth their salt. If you don't keep your Montauk totally covered, there's no doubt you'll experience some gelcoat fading and chalking, but so what? Anytime you want to make her a garage queen again you can just trailer her, rub her out and spruce her up, and Bob's yer uncle.

Just make sure you correctly apply good bottom paint (I prefer ablative so I don't get a build-up of many coats), and arrange some way to flush your motor(s) after each salt water use (we back our partnership Revenge into the slip and flush with the motors tilted up, really no more difficult or time-consuming than flushing on a trailer).

Good luck with your decision. Man, there's nothing like getting a sudden impulse to go for a cruise and having your boat just waiting for you, ready to go without the hassle of towing and launching.

Tony

posted 05-05-2010 09:59 PM ET (US)         

Sure, there is more maint.,but you'd be tempted to wax and clean your boat often anyway when it sits on the trailer. My slip has fresh water hose which helps alot. I've been in a slip for nine seasons now in harsh Western LI Sound waters. My Dauntless 16 still looks great, but I do pull it in about 3 or 4 times thru out the season for a look over. BW boats are tough and hold up well in the environment. I haven't had any problems with marine growth. I bottom paint every other season with Micron Extra.

posted 05-05-2010 10:25 PM ET (US)            

BUT, bought a condo and it came with covered slip and lift. This has presented a BIG, BIG PLUS of being able to tinker, clean, polish and wax while boat and I are in the shade of our covered slip. Mucho more comfortable than post cruise clean-up and road prep in 90+ degree F asphalt parking lot.

posted 05-06-2010 10:49 AM ET (US)            

I have a Dauntless 160 ... and while it's a VERY trailerable boat, I simply wouldn't use it as much.

It's 3 miles from my work to my slip. After work during boating season - if it's sunny at 4:00 PM when work is done, I'm on the water by 4:30.

If I had to go home after work, hook up the trailer, go to the ramp, ready the boat, launch, etal...and then do it all again in reverse everytime I wanted to just go and enjoy an hour or two on the water - I'd sell the Whaler. ;-)

posted 05-06-2010 02:16 PM ET (US)         

I was wrong about the cost, it's got a 20' minimum plus the town gets $150 more (even though the slip is town owned!). So the total is $1850.

If I don't take it I go to the bottom of the list and most likely would need to get a mooring then wait for a slip to open up if I get a bigger boat.

By the way the slip is on the Pocasset River in Buzzards Bay, MA.

I now have 24 hours to decide.

posted 05-07-2010 08:34 AM ET (US)            

As for me, there are many times I'd love to slip my 17' Outraqe but for some reason, I'm just too cheap! Its nice to have the boat at your disposal and the option that, on any given whim, hit any fishing venue within an hours drive without much planning.

posted 05-07-2010 04:10 PM ET (US)         

So very soon I'll take the winter cover off, take care of a few issues that inevitably crop up every year, and trailer down to the local ramp. Perhaps this year I'll even include a road trip or two to explore new areas.

Thanks for all the excellent comments from the Continuous Wave community. Looking forward to another inexpensive year of boating...Regards...Bob M.