Summer Storage

[Adc1986]

Who leaves there boats in the water all summer? I have a pontoon and have no worries but this is my first year with a boat and a dock slip. Fresh water lake uncovered dock and I am only around on the week ends.

 

[Golfman25]

Many do. Most have painted bottoms. If you visit often, make sure the pumps work, and the batteries are charged/plugged in, you should have no problems.

 

[b_arrington]

Yep. Salt water. Slip. Uncovered. Weekend use. No problem.

 

[spikedaddy99]

Most on here over 30 feet. Many of them are in the water year-round too. Can you keep batteries charged? If it rains, bilge pumps need to be in good shape unless you have a really good cover that repels water.

 

[atrick]

You really don't have to paint boat bottoms in fresh water, mines in from May first to middle of Oct. you get a little algea build up, doesn't slow you down that much. End of season 4 oz oxalic acid to 1 qt water, spray on with spray bottle then hit with pressure washer no scrubbing.

 

[BillK2632]

I am on a freshwater lake, like mentioned, most larger boats that stay in the water are bottom painted. Smaller, day boats are generally on lifts in the marinas or at private docks or in dry storage. I keep my boat at a marina dry storage. Leaving an unpainted boat in freshwater won't hurt it, but you will get growth and staining on the hull. You will want to scrub the bottom every couple of weeks while it is in the water and at the end of the season do an acid clean like On Off or Slimy Grimy. Also make sure the outdrive anodes are the right type and monitor them - galvanic corrosion can be just as bad and sometimes worse in freshwater. The first summer I had my boat, it stayed in the water at our then lake house - it was pretty dirty by the end of the summer, but cleaned up ok. That winter I installed a lift - it was well worth the $$.