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MAXUM · 04-21-2012, 02:16 PM

My .02 cents for what it's worth

Nothing wrong with mooring your boat for the season, the more protected the spot the better it is for your sanity more so than anything else. If a storm comes up you don't want to be loosing sleep over if the boat is OK or not. Be sure if you are going to moor it to figure out the best way to attach the boat to the mooring. Ideally I'd want two connections to the mooring ball in the event one fails for whatever reason.

Anytime you leave something outside it's going to be weathered. Just the way it is. I would not put any bottom paint on your boat, if you were in salt water don't think you'd have a choice - for fresh water I don't think it's necessary. I would also say that I think it not only detracts esthetically but decreases the value of the boat to some degree. That said, build up of crap on the bottom is surely going to happen. If it were me considering this, I'd take the approach of pulling it out on a somewhat regular basis and scrub the buildup of the bottom. There is an acid wash you can get that does a really good job. Over time you may end up with a slight bit of permanent staining though. You want to make sure you have a good set of covers for the boat that drain water efficiently. You'll also want to make sure you have an automatic bilge pump because no cover is going to be 100% at keeping water out. You'll also want to keep an eye on your cathodic protection zinks on the stern drive or outboard motor. Those over time will deteriorate as they sacrifice themselves to avoid corrosion of your lower unit. I do think no matter what you do expect your covers and the boat gel coat to fade and take a bit of a beating being in the sun all day, the reflection of the water doesn't help. One thing that is worth mentioning is blistering of the hull. A big problem in the past, for boats that sit in the water over long periods of time, blisters in the gel coat form. I think that modern day materials and building techniques are such that this problem is greatly reduced but it still could happen. In the end it really comes down to how anal you are with your boat.

04-21-2012, 02:16 PM	#3
MAXUM Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Kuna ID Posts: 2,755 Thanks: 246 Thanked 1,942 Times in 802 Posts	My .02 cents for what it's worth Nothing wrong with mooring your boat for the season, the more protected the spot the better it is for your sanity more so than anything else. If a storm comes up you don't want to be loosing sleep over if the boat is OK or not. Be sure if you are going to moor it to figure out the best way to attach the boat to the mooring. Ideally I'd want two connections to the mooring ball in the event one fails for whatever reason. Anytime you leave something outside it's going to be weathered. Just the way it is. I would not put any bottom paint on your boat, if you were in salt water don't think you'd have a choice - for fresh water I don't think it's necessary. I would also say that I think it not only detracts esthetically but decreases the value of the boat to some degree. That said, build up of crap on the bottom is surely going to happen. If it were me considering this, I'd take the approach of pulling it out on a somewhat regular basis and scrub the buildup of the bottom. There is an acid wash you can get that does a really good job. Over time you may end up with a slight bit of permanent staining though. You want to make sure you have a good set of covers for the boat that drain water efficiently. You'll also want to make sure you have an automatic bilge pump because no cover is going to be 100% at keeping water out. You'll also want to keep an eye on your cathodic protection zinks on the stern drive or outboard motor. Those over time will deteriorate as they sacrifice themselves to avoid corrosion of your lower unit. I do think no matter what you do expect your covers and the boat gel coat to fade and take a bit of a beating being in the sun all day, the reflection of the water doesn't help. One thing that is worth mentioning is blistering of the hull. A big problem in the past, for boats that sit in the water over long periods of time, blisters in the gel coat form. I think that modern day materials and building techniques are such that this problem is greatly reduced but it still could happen. In the end it really comes down to how anal you are with your boat.