In water all year round

[peteandthira]

Learned Panel

It occurred to me whilst wandering these forums that many owners lift out their boats for the winter.

Since I plan to live on ours all the time, is there any real problem caused by an AWB being in the water all year? Of course she will come out once a year for antifouling and cleaning - but is there anything we need to do to prevent serious flaws developing later? The hull has a five year warranty and is just at the end of her first year.

Best wishes

Pops

 

[tcm]

ah the annual iny/outty discussion. On the one hand you must take it out cos altho it won't dissolve of course haha it's nevertheles a Good Thing to take themn out as it seems nicer cos i mean who wouldn't want to be out of the cold water especially machinery, hm? But on the other hand, it's a boat so if yiou take it out to dry out then it'll be wet the moment it's back in and lots of other plastic things like swimming pol steps seem fine don't they?

So, it'll be fine either way but whichever you decide is probably best.

 

[Sans Bateau]

We intend to leave our boat in for, well, there are no plans to lift her out. But she was given two coats of epoxy last winter. However our previous boat also stayed in, only coming out for one winter in the five years we owned her, she surveyed all OK when she was sold last Dec.

 

[graham]

As the boat is fairly new and you intend keeping it afloat 12 months in ,now would be a good time to apply a protective epoxy coat to the bottom.
A lot of work and extra expense but could save you heaps in the long term.

 

[oldgit]

Most of the older boats that are still around (like mine)do not get lifted out to spend the winter ashore and certainly most of them never had to suffer a second coat of expensive something or other to stop osmosis.Do any working craft or lifeboats lie ashore for months .Yet to hear of anything sinking cos it did not spend half its life on a piece concrete during the winter.
Surely if you want to dry the hull out it should be ashore in the summer........err perhaps not.

 

[SQUIRRELS]

Dry in the summer! After last weeks rain and gales in Scotland!!

 

[alanhanson]

it may be worth checking the waranty conditions, as i am sure some hull warranties have a clause about time on land. i may be wrong though.

 

[jimbouy]

Mine will stay in the water... it is after all a boat.

Will it make any difference to the life of the boat and the amount of looking after she needs... may be.

Reminds me of the Printer engineer who told me my dye sub printer would need less looking after if I produced fewer prints!!!


Jim

 

[Lakesailor]

So a manufacturer is willing to sell you an expensive boat, but limits the amount of time you are able to make use of it?
Are you sure about that?
Surely that would mean the item was not fit for it's intended purpose.

 

[ytd]

no boats are lifted out here (in Aust) for the winter and warranties don't require it. There are lots of nice sailing days during winter. Probably does lead to more maintenance but that's cheaper than renting hardstand. Don't know if this results in more osmosis. My first glass boat (mfg 1977) never got it but a later one (mfg 1983) did.

 

[alanhanson]

no i am not sure , i may be mistaken,
but i can remember a thread about this subject and i checked my warrantybecause of the thread
and I Think someone stated they had such a clause.

 

[Marsupial]

To haul or not to haul,

Well after many years of hauling I now dont, this was prompted by having to live on the boat monday to friday 52 weeks a year - its a long boring story as to why but it taught me this.

Boats are warmer when they are in the water in winter, water is always (well usually) above freezing the air is not - so engines dont freeze.

Boats seem to stay cleaner (topsides) when afloat and are much easier to clean.

Weed falls off in the winter and the hull is easy to clean with a long handled stiff broom.

IF you feel the need to haul out and "dry off" the hull then the best time for this is late April and May ask an osmosis surveyor how much drying takes place in the middle of winter (very litte if any) - so why have the boat out through November to May and vulnerable to frost?

MOST IMPORTANT: There are some really good sailing days to be had in the winter (while the sun is up!)

Cheers


David

 

[PaulJ]

Another advantage to leaving it in the water all year round is that you can choose when you want to take it out for scrubbing and antifouling.
In the height of the summer when everybody is out sailing, the yards are almost idle and their travelhoists are hardly used so many yards do a "special summer deal" for liftout,scrub off, store for up to a week and put back in. I needed to "adjust" the waterline on Damarri /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif and took her out over the bank holiday weekend. The whole exercise cost just over £200 which I thought was pretty good......

 

[Sans Bateau]

Boats are made to float. Not stand on concrete yards held up by sticks, or at best in a cradle, fully exposed to the the full force of a winter storm. Ashore there is no natural give as the wind blasts against the topsides and rigging, at least in the water the boat can move and heel gently.

 

[peteandthira]

Thank you for all your tips chaps. Might investigate an epoxy coat next time out.

Pops