Now I Have Taken the Plunge (Marina)

[rangerdog]

My wife was positively estatic about putting the boat in a marina. In fact she seems almost more excited than me! Me? I always have trepidation when doing something I have never done before; especially leaving my boat away from me. Feels just like when my son left for college and then left for the Army. And of course I have questions for the Astute Classic Parker Assemblage. :wink:

I was able to get a slip at Breezy Point Marina. Great access to the middle grounds and a great deal to boot. Tomorrow I am going to pick between one of three slips.

What do I need to know about keeping a wet slip? I have bottom paint but it needs touched up in a few places.

Do you keep your rods/reels on board?

Do you keep your batteries on or off?

Do you put an extra lock on the door?

Do you ever crash on-board in order to get a 0-dark-thirty start?

Any thing else to know that I might not have thought of?

How do you know how much tide to allocate for when setting your lines? Is there a secret to this? I can't seem to find much info available. I'll see if my Chapman's has anything when I get home.

What kind of stuff do you wash her down with that is eco-friendly?

Thanks in advance for the help!

John

 

[dcunniff]

Everybody is different about what they do on a slip (or mooring).

I leave fish gear onboard. Some people lose them and I've seen people leave them outside their boat too amazingly.

I leave one battery on. Front bilge doesn't run without it on my boat.

Bottom paint is needed. Doesn't have to be perfect. Very few are. Best is to have two coats at waterline.

I have the original lock. I've not seen others add more.

I have a 2530 and so at times I stay over, otherwise I drive 45 minutes to get to slip.

Use a boat soap that doesn't strip wax, most do not. Also, figure out if you are going to supply a hose or use a neighbors.

Line to tie up to dock with depends on whether you are on a finger or between posts. Fingers go up and down with the tide. I'm not on posts, but you have to leave the full maximum tide swing, some extra to keep it off the posts and for wave action as a minimum.

Some other brief things to look out for. Protect the boat from however your slip is laid out. Figure out minimum depth spots so you maneuver OK around other boats. Figure out wind and current so you don't do bumper boats with others or the dock. Practice entering and exiting early in season, how you'll tie up, and whether you will go in forward or back. Stay away from other wide boats if you can to get more space beside you. Figure out if you are allowed a dock box. There is a lot more. Best is to talk to others at this dock.

Dana

 

[rangerdog]

Wow thanks Dana. That's a lot of info already!

John

 

[Megabyte]

I was able to get a slip at Breezy Point Marina.

Congratulations! Breezy is a great place to run out of, but talk to other slip-holders and learn the finer points of tide, currents, and other anomolies of the inlet. If I remember correctly, there is a rock jetty there that you want to study well in good weather. It might be obscured when you come home in bad weather.

Do you keep your rods/reels on board?

I keep my 2 LTJ rods and my tackle on board, but my expen$ive trolling rigs go home with me.

Do you keep your batteries on or off?

I keep mine off. I do not need shore power (I have AGM batteries) and my forward bilge pump was rewired hot (like the rear pumps) this past winter.

Do you put an extra lock on the door?

Lock?

Do you ever crash on-board in order to get a 0-dark-thirty start?

Nope. I only live 2 miles from the boat.

How do you know how much tide to allocate for when setting your lines? Is there a secret to this?

Take a look at the pilings at the slips when you're down there. You should be able to easilly tell by the barnicle growth what the tide range is. You can then accomodate for it accordingly.

If you look at my photo above, you will see that I tie up with 6 lines.
2 bow lines
2 spring lines
and 2 stern lines.

I had originally crossed my stern lines, but didn't like the way the lines rode over the foot of the outboard, rubbing the heck out of the paint.
I changed that to a set of lines with stainless snaps that clip to my stern anchor points. It works for me because those lines do little more than limit the travel of the boat forward. Travel rearward is checked by the spring lines, and side-to-side movement is checked by the bow lines.

It's a learning process...

What kind of stuff do you wash her down with that is eco-friendly?

I use a combination of Orpine boat soap from my local boating supply store, and Zep orange citrus cleaner that I get by the gallon at Home Depot. Very eco-friendly.
For tough stains, toss in a quart of cheap bleach. Scrub... let sit until it almost drys... then rinse it off.
Not so eco-friendly, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. :roll:

Good luck!

 

[rangerdog]

Thanks, Kevin. A few questions and observations, if you don't mind.

I see you do not have any bumpers. I assume if properly moored bumpers are not required.

The stern carabiners seem to be a good solution to crossed lines. 8)

The foreward pump is already hotwired.

Thanks again,

John

 

[Megabyte]

I see you do not have any bumpers. I assume if properly moored bumpers are not required.

That has been my experience so far!

 

[stonebuster]

Rangerdog,
If you have a "finger" or wooden dock instead of strictly pilings, the fenders will help protect your boat while docking and some protective padding of some kind on the wood will save you some scratches on your hull.

 

[96TL]

I think you’ll enjoy marina life. It’s great having the boat ready for you at anytime of day. I worry about my boat sometimes, but my marina has a decent crowd right now. No harm done yet. I added rubber moldings all around my slip and dock wheels on each corner. The wheels help tremendously if you mess up and hit a corner. Definitely get a dock box because you’ll want someplace for storage. You tend to leave more stuff on the boat when you’re in a slip. Some marinas only allow fiberglass dock boxes, which are pretty expensive ($300-$500). If it doesn’t have to be glass, Rubbermaid makes some decent outdoor deck boxes you can use. Also, make sure the cleats are sturdy. My slip came with rings that were all rusted and corroded. I tossed them and added 10” heavy duty cleats instead. Much better. Good luck. Dom

 

[Porkchunker]

I don't want to be the proverbial "turd in the punchbowl" but BPM has had a rash of break-ins and vandalism over the last two years. A number of folks on TidalFish.com are a bit upset over it.

If I were you, I'd keep anything of value off the boat. I'd also keep anything that teenagers might find interesting locked up. Last week when I went to my boat at the Solomons Naval Rec Center (yes...full time armed military guard) some little $hits got under the cover and stole all my flares and light sticks. They took two of the 12 ga pistols and about a dozen of the fare cartridges. I'm sure they ran around that night shooting at each other enjoying a yuk yuk or two. Thankfully, they didn't discharge any in the boat under the cover, otherwise I'd have had a pile of melted boat to come back to.

So...even in the best of places, theft and vandalism can be a problem.

I've got two locks on the cabin door, so they didn't get into there. I normally keep life preservers, a couple of LTJing rods, a couple of bottom rods, and a bit of tackle on board...not much else. I take my electronics with me everytime I cover and leave the boat.

Just my $0.02

 

[rangerdog]

Yeah I have been wondering about taking the electronics with me.