Boating

[CZ93X62]

Keeping your boat docked/slipped at the marina IN FRESH WATER is fairly uncomplicated, other than algae growth over time. Storing in saltwater environments EATS boats, motors, and everything else carried on the boat. Those zinc sacrifial anodes that last 2-3 years on your hull and motor in fresh water? Make that 4-6 months in the Briny Blue, if slipped at Mission Bay. That is after 5-6 years on a waiting list that is run by the same kinds of folks that run tag draws for elk and bighorns in CA--let's just say that it is a BIG help to own or manage an outdoors sports store. Then there are barnacles that attach themselves as time goes on, and not a long time. That beautiful gel-coat finish you paid 400-1000 dollars ro have re-done every 3 years in fresh water is PAST TRNSE in about 6 months if berthed in the salt.

My boat has had 40-50 dunkings into the salt from its trailer over its 11+ years of life, and gets a freshwater washdown and engine flush within hours of each salt exposure. No rust ro speak of, so far.

 

[Rally]

Ben,
He's just washing the undercarriage of his truck. Must live where they use a bunch of salt on the roads in the winter time. Obvious he doesn't have much experience with the process though, because it is going to take awhile to get the interior of that truck dry!

 

[Rick]

Al, Winelover keeps his boat out of the water at the marina. Pulls into his dock & opens an air valve and the whole boat lifts up out of the water. Being a pontoon boat with aluminum pontoons there is no gel coat. Your right about the salt though. Back in the early 80's I had a 26 foot fly bridge that was kept in the water at Mandalay Bay in Oxnard, what a PITA not to mention full time job trying to keep the hull clean. Much truth to the old saying the two happiest days of my life were the day I got the boat and the day I sold it.

 

[Glaciers]

Ran a Halibut charter out of Valdez in Prince William Sound until 2012. On weekend days if we had a cancellation or did not have a booking, we'd take a six pack and walk down to K dock and watch the folks from up north launching boats. Some days could be very entertaining. Tide swings were 9' to 10' from high to low on the average, with some minus tides thrown in you could see tide as extreme as 18' 19'. The concrete ramps are a little green with slime, kinda slick. You also add to that that the weekend Captain after driving 300 miles was going in the water for his weekend of fun, no matter what. This quite often provided great entertainment for us sitting on the bull rail of the dock, sipping a beverage. Entertainment ranged from people having trouble controlling the rigs on the slippery conditions, forgetting to untying the boat from the trailer, which resulted in a trailer and boat floating, on the end of the ball hitch. Lots of unintentional creative ways to launch a boat. Or pull a vessel for that matter.
The most creative launch was one fellow untied and totally unhooked is boat up on the flats before backing down the ramp. fortunately most vessels are hauled on the trailer with the drive up, which proved fortunate for this fellow. Tide was out, maybe a 9' tide, and everything was starting well as he crested the ramp and started down. As the truck followed down the ramp he applied the breaks to controller the decent down to the water which was about 150' at that point. When he tapped the breaks the boat slid off the trailer and slid down the ramp into the water. Lot of grinding and panic at the launch for a while. Lots of scurrying and yelling going on. Fortunately the vessel was not damaged to bad.

 

[Glaciers]

Forgot to mention, that Ben's post is a first for me, I've never seen a boater that confused or maybe lost that wasn't out on the water.

 

[CZ93X62]

Oh, too right. Weekends are fun when the yellowtail are running. Dana Landing can provide abundant entertainment.

I stick to weekdays since retirement, as faras fishing goes. Same story for most hunting, also. I leave the launch strap just a mite loose and leave the safety chain in place until the hull floats up. Lower the power, start the power, check that it's "peeing", and only then release the chain and strap. Rear compression straps get removed just before starting down-ramp. Hull drains get a tightness check when those straps come off.

Our tide swing in San Diego seldom exceeds 8 feet, once in a great while a "King Tide" comes in and the total gets to 10-11 feet. New moon tides are best for pelagics IME, full moon tides are almost as good. Anytime bait-sized squid are present--get onto the water.

The Evil Daughters arrived in good order about 6 AM today. The entire city of Orlando along with much of FL's freeway and turnpike system is currently under construction, so rush hour was an unalloyed delight. Hoping for a good lobster dinner tonight.

 

[Winelover]

Monday-Friday........................likewise.

 

[Pistolero]

Not even going to try for Rodman reservoir?