Wet Slip verses Towing? Please Respond !!

[jeffnick]

I guess y'all don't have any dry-stacks nearby. I totally trailer, but a buddy keeps his 29' in the Dry-Stack. He gives them 1/2 hr notice and when he gets to the boat it's in the slip all plugged in. When he's done they pull the boat, flush the motor and put it inside the heated building...no botom paint, no winterizing, no sun damage and no worries about bad weather. It costs about the same as a wet slip and he has all the amenities of the marina...not to mention they'll fuel her and pump her out on request.

 

[B-Faithful]

Boats I have seen dry stacked get dirtier than any other method of storage. A friend of mine had their bayliner stacked here and the boat was always extemely dirty when he would use it despite washing it good before them racking the boat. I dont know why. It was an outside rack with a roof over it. The downsides he experienced is that if you get home from work at 5 in the summer, eat dinner and want to go out on the boat after wards as a last minute decision (most of us around here live minutes from our boats) he couldnt as the staff would leave right at 5pm. For fishing he either had to call the day before to have the boat splashed before the staff left or he had to wait until the fork lift operator got in in the morning and then he would miss the first light bite. I also know that due to some people not arriving at a marina when they said they would and not having tons of dock space that some dry stack places wont launch the boat unless you are present. You could call in advance but they will not splash you boat until you get there on the weekends when they are busiest. Going down for maintenance is hassle too as they have to un rack the boat and get you on a stand. Sometimes they will only give you limited time to do this or even charge extra for this service. He didnt use the boat as much as I use mine but he said that the fork lift operator tips added up too as he had them lift the boat, flush the motor while on the forklift before racking the boat again. He had and i/o power so he thought the dry rack was the best option for him but he noted that it was a hassle. He sold the boat as he used the boat very little the last year before he sold it.

 

[2320 pilothouse]

ive done both, love the slip--but i cant clean it lcompletely in the slip

dave

 

[Megabyte]

A friend of mine had their bayliner stacked here and the boat was always extemely dirty when he would use it despite washing it good before them racking the boat. I dont know why. It was an outside rack with a roof over it.

Couple of reasons...
#1. bird cr@p
#2. diesel smoke and particulates from the forklift exhaust
#3. 'drippage' from the boat(s) above you. That could be fuel, oil, fish blood, or whatever. :shock:

Diesel smoke and particulates on your boat are even worse in a fully enclosed rack storage facility, but even the open rack buildings suffer from this fate.
Another item not mentioned is/are hull damage and scrapes from the forklift. It all depends on how careful the operator is, but accidents do happen.

 

[Hugs Tug]

Wet slip is the way to go. The boat will be used more than trailered or racked for all the reasons listed above.
If I had to trailer or rack, I probably would not even own a boat. Sure the slip is additional money but so was the purchase price of the boat. The boat was purchased to use and the slip makes it that much easier.
Granted I have a roller trailer that I can use to pull the boat and travel to other destinations which is good thing. No worrys about hauling and launching fees in the spring and fall either.
Just my $0.02 worth.
Tom

 

[rangerdog]

I have done both and actually like the slip but I always agonize over the boat being away from me. I am an hour's drive from the marina so its not so easy to secure for a storm, etc. This year I trailer.

 

[Floatsum]

Guess I'm an oddball.
I feel I use my boats more when trailered.
As mentioned, marinas are expensive here in R.I. Security is lacking, held hostage to high gas prices and sometimes it's not even available at some. Nimrods bang into your boat, step across it, and I'm always making multiple trips to the truck to fetch things. Just can't carry everything in one or two trips. Slime on the hull, bird droppings, storms, shellfish droppings from gulls,, all take the shine off wet slips to me.
Even so, for a 20 footer and over I'd still mostly wetslip.
Under 20 foot(ish) I'd trailer.
Living a mile from a decent launch is nice. having plenty of state run (free) launches within 15 mile on either side of me is a added plus too.
Tomorrow I'll be picking up a 1801 and it'll live on the trailer. I'll gladly drive to the ramp of the day. Once it's loaded for fishing, it'll stay ready. Trailer and truck willbe joined pretty much for the season. (Nice having a 3rd vehicle) Because a trip to the Cape / Race / Narr. Bay / Watch Hill / Block is easilly drive near to, I suspect it'll be used much more than if I "slipped" in just one spot.
All these free ramps see heavy use most days, and the lines can be long. However, for folks like me that want to be striper fishing before sunrise generally have the ramps to themselves. For hauling out there is generally a window between 1:00 and 3:00 that is quiet.
Evenings are the same. After 7:00pm they are again empty. I can be in / out in 10 minutes. Less time than it takes to carry stuff to the boat at the marina and square away.
Plus I can "tinker" with the boat at my leisure in the yard close to water, elect, tools, and beers. Don't worry about things walking off on their own, people beating the tar out of it with their boating expertise at docking, etc.
The money saved makes for some nice road trips to the Cape (etc.) with lodging if desired.
Love the smaller boats for these reasons. Like bigger boats. But for me, 16-20 foot is just fine.

 

[Mike2043]

This is very interesting. It looks like both sides have there benefits. A lot depends on size and location. Cost is sure another factor. I talked one guy on another site I think he was from MA and they get like 3500.00 for a slip for a 19 footer. No way I would pay that amount. Location factor depends on ramps. Where I am I know of one free ramp for the Hudson river and I have no idea where I would have to go to get on LI sound. The gas factor is another thing. I gave this a lot of thought. Where I am going to be on the Hudson I am lucky NJ is right across the river and gas is a lot cheaper there no NY Taxes.

 

[MaxOut]

I hated having to buy gas on the water waiting in line to fill up and pay more for it. If I needed to fish the following day guess what? I had to fuel the boat the night before because the fuel docks did not open until 9:00 AM. Wet slipping has its advantages but it’s not for me and my style. I have many ramp options and spent less money on my trailer than two years slip fees. I have the freedom to launch near the fish bite and do not have to worry about my boat at the marina for all the reasons listed. Also I am not sure about your marina but I had to supply my own bubbler around the boat if left in during the winter months to keep the ice from destroying the boat. You may want to price one if applicable because I needed two at $450.00 each. Not to mention paying for the electricity to run them 24-7.

Something else to think about-
I have never seen a boat sink on a trailer but have seen many submerged while tied at the pier. See insurance statistics on Boat US web site.

Here's a tip you may want to check your insurance as a boat wet slipped is subject to higher fees. Something like 80% of the boats that sink are tied to the pier. That’s why when you get an insurance quote the first question usually is where are you going to keep it?

 

[goinsfishin]

Wet Slip is the most convenient. Turn key and go.
Two boats previous I was only able to trailer and didn't use the boat nearly as much as i have the last six years because of the hassle of loading and unloading.
When I moved to the Deale area and got an 1801 I kept it at our community boat pier and found I used it almost daily......only hauled out for mid-season maintenance (oil and gear lube change), I average about 250 engine hours/year.
A few years ago moved up to a 2520 and due to increased draft and shallow water at the community pier had to get a slip at a local marina. Loved it!
Met some good people, kept an eye on each others boats, and was a great way to get out of the house....even to just go ponder and fiddle.
I can't imagine I'd even use the boat a quarter of what I do if I had to load/unload every trip. What a hassle.
I like to get home on a nice day, throw on some shorts, grab the dog and go !!!!