Keeping the boat in the water???

[juju151]

Hello guys and gals,

Looks like most everyone has been having some fun...I know that I have been. The boat has been running pretty good and not taking on water since I did the "muffler repair", so all has been good so far.

But I'm wondering about leaving my boat in the water. It's been in the water for almost 2 months. It gets a little water line and some scum growing on the bottom after about a week, but about once every other week I usually go out with my mask and snorkel and wipe down the whole bottom of the boat to get the water line and scum off of it.

Is there any REAL damage that I am doing by leaving the boat in the water like this...or is it Ok, as long as I keep the scum cleaned off the bottom???

I have another question, but I will ask that one in a different thread.

Thanks,

Juju

[Jorski]

Boats are built to float !

[6ballsisall]

It could cause gelcoat blisters. It seems like some boats are affected, some are not with no rhyme or reason either way. If you could take it out for even a day or a hot afternoon every couple weeks you might be better off :twocents:

[Tennesseeski]

I am sure you do, but keep it covered up as the sun and weather will ruin your interior. I am having a custom snap on cover made for mine since it didn't have one. That way anytime I leave it in the water at least the sun/weather damage will be solved. Some people say never leave it in without a lift but that is not an option for me as our lake can drop as much as 30 or more feet in the winter time. When my cover is done and I start to leave it in, I plan on taking it out at least once every two weeks to clean it and look for problems as noted in the other post.

[juju151]

And it's sitting in a covered boat house also. Only the back rear corner on the drivers side gets any sun, but my cover comes down to the waterline to keep the sun from fading it out...so I think I'm alright there. I am going to pull it out in the next week or two so I can look it over and make sure everything is Ok...

The "Boss" has approved a lift purchase for next season, so I know that I'll have one by then, but I just didn't want to find out at the end of this season that I've really messed something up by leaving it in the water so long.

Thanks to all for the replies!!! You guys are great! :headbang:

[AirJunky]

Kept my 94 on the lake for several years now. I replaced the previous owner's snap cover with a Sunbrella cover that goes down over the gunnels for a few reasons..... keeps the bugs out & the snap holes have a tendancy to crack the gelcoat over a few years.

[east tx skier]

As others have mentioned, my two biggest worries if I were you would be blistering (gel coat osmosis) and UV fade. If you're leaving it in full time, I'd still take it out once a month for a good scrubbing and a heavy waxing. A waterline cover might not be a bad idea either.