How often do I need to take the boat out the water?

[maby]

What kind of boat is it?
How old is it?
How expensive was it?
How old are you?
Do you expect to change it in the foreseeable future?

All important questions when deciding how often to pull it out and how long to keep it out for. Wooden boats don't like to dry out too much - it makes the wood change shape and they tend to leak afterwards. Early plastic boats tended to suffer if they were left in the water all the time - the chemistry of epoxy resins was not so advanced and they could catch the dreaded osmosis. The manufacturers of newer plastic boats claim to have overcome this - but it tended to take ten or twenty years for osmosis to show, so its far too soon to be sure that they really have.

Our early boats were cheap and quite old - we figured that if they were not covered in blisters by the time we bought them, they probably were not going to erupt in the pox even if we did leave them in the water, and they were cheap enough that we were not going to be too heartbroken if they did. Our current boat is new and expensive - but we're getting round to old and decrepit - I'm pretty sure it will outlast me even if I don't take good care of it and I'm not too concerned about how much it is worth when I pop my clogs - it was bought to be sailed and I have no intention of leaving it sitting in the boat yard for several months each year just so that the next owner can get it as a bargain in perfect condition. YMMV.

 

[Stork_III]

That then will be my plan lol

Check your insurance includes 12 months in commission, many only cover Mat to Oct for river mooring.

 

[sailorman]

Has the OP owned a boat before :nonchalance:

 

[maby]

Has the OP owned a boat before :nonchalance:

My guess is no - although he may still be quite an experienced sailor - friends of ours have recently bought their first boat despite having been chartering for many years - they can outsail us easily, but ask some amusing boat care questions - never have had to worry about mundane practical things before.

 

[ChattingLil]

just to add more to the mix - boat can be subject to more damage on the hard than in the water. My A24 would have been fine in the water during the storms last Autumn, but was blown over on the hard sustaining a £2.5k insurance bill...

 

[maby]

just to add more to the mix - boat can be subject to more damage on the hard than in the water. My A24 would have been fine in the water during the storms last Autumn, but was blown over on the hard sustaining a £2.5k insurance bill...

Certainly true - the best place for a boat is in the water! They are expensive little beggars and should be used every week in order to come anywhere near to justify their existence.

 

[Searush]

If it doesn't flood on the way down, why would it flood on the way up as it refloats?

Who says it wouldn't flood as the tide goes down? That's a bit of an assumption. Much depends on the style & design of the boat.

Also have you ever tested the stickiness of estuary mud & sand? I have in a twin keeler & sometimes been surprised how far above the normal waterline the incoming tide reaches before she lifts her keels out of the sludge.

 

[lpdsn]

A big advantage of being in the water throughout the winter is that the boat is much less susceptible to frost damage. The sea water is usually at worst a few degrees above freezing and is better if it is regularly mixed by tidal flows. If you do lift out make sure you drain everything that might be damaged by frost.

Check with your insurance company about whether they'll be happy with you being on a mooring in the winter months - many aren't and insist on a marina or ashore.

Anodes are more of a driver of the timing of the lift out than anti-foul. Leave it a bit longer than you should with the anti-foul and it's a bit more work to clean and prepare for the next coat and your speed and pointing suffers in the meantime. Leave it too long with the anodes and you could have problems with other fittings, such as the prop. If you can safely dry out to check the anodes that's a big bonus.