I started this blog entry with the belief that the information I wanted to share could be contained in one blog entry. As I began writing, I quickly discovered that a quick read would not be of real value to anyone who seriously wanted to take advantage of my knowledge and experience. Therefore, because of the extensive nature of the information, I have decided to make this a multi-part series.
Part 1 Boat Storage
Throughout my career as a master (or ‘captain’ if you will), I have been asked to give advice on what type of boat to buy. And before I go any further, I am focusing on SPV’s (small passenger vessels) for recreational use. Anyone who wishes to have the “what type of “yacht” I should buy, I will still leave that to a face-to-face conversation.
This series’ main purpose is lessening my overall effort, time, and complexity of answering someone’s questions that is not serious; or not in the right state of mind to comprehend anything I say. If after one reads this article and wants to have a more serious conversation, I am always happy to do so.
Let us be frank. There is no right answer to the “what type of boat I should buy.” The recommendations I give do not revolve around a specific type, make, model, or year; but based on the likes or dislikes of key boat attributes and more importantly, considerations. Additionally, my answers are driven by my local environment, coastal Florida.
Before you even start to think about what type of boat you want; or what kind of boat you can afford, the most important consideration in buying your first boat is where are you going to store it!
While this may be an easy answer for some; knowing where your boat is going to sit when you are not using it is by far is the most important consideration in buying a boat. There are many ways one can store a boat. And like all big decisions, there are positives and negatives to every storage solution.
Storing your boat boils down to three main considerations; availability, convenience, and cost. In the simplest terms, boats can be stored on a trailer, on a lift, and on the water. Each choice has its own set of positives and negatives. But those positives and negatives all depend on the boat buyer/owner.
I am starting with the boat trailer storage option. Having a boat that can be stored on a trailer is one of the simplest storage solutions. Some would say the cheapest, but is it? Let us find out.
Trailering a boat requires a vehicle that can tow a trailer (has a hitch) and capable of safely towing the overall weight of the trailer AND the boat AND all your stuff you bring. You must consider a tow vehicle in a boat trailer solution. The type of tow vehicle will allow or limit the type, size, and weight of the boat bought.
For example, most half-ton pickups, which would be a Ford F150, Chevy or Dodge 1500, all with a tow-packages, can easily tow six to eight thousand pounds. And for reference, six thousand pounds is a boat with a maximum length of about twenty-two feet, give or take. And remember, it’s not just about how much weight the vehicle can tow, it’s also how well the vehicle can stop with all that weight behind you. Think of an “a-hole” that pulls out in front of you when you are driving down the road with a boat behind you. Keeping under your tow vehicle’s tow-weight capacity will determine what type of boat you can purchase.
But before a trailer solution can go any further, do you have a vehicle that can tow a boat trailer? What is the maximum tow weight capacity? For some, buying a vehicle (and boat trailer) will also be an added cost to the overall cost of buying a boat. One last consideration: Do you even know how to drive a vehicle with a trailer; and more importantly, back a trailer down a boat ramp?
Here is another question. Where is the boat going to sit when it is not connected to your tow vehicle? In Florida, many live in planned neighborhoods; and with that type of living, those communities have HOA’s (homeowner’s associations) and deed restrictions. Meaning, most HOAs and a lot of deed restricted properties are not going to let you store you boat trailer and boat in your driveway, street, or front yard. If this is the case, you now must consider a different location to store your boat trailer and boat.
Typically, when one is unable to put the boat trailer and boat in the driveway, one must find an offsite storage facility or private lot; and that always comes with a monthly rental fee that you may or may not have considered when looking at those boat-ad listings. And just as with anything else of real value, you get what you pay for. Meaning, you want security, convenience, and storage amenities (think covered storage or automatic security gate), all that adds up in a monthly boat storage payment.
Let us assume one has a tow vehicle, a boat trailer, and a place to store the boat trailer and boat. And for argument’s sake, let us say you found a good deal on a storage location a few miles from your home. You now must become organized, and you must be a planner.
To illustrate this point, let me take you through a typical Saturday “FunDay” out on the water.
You would like to be out on the water by 10 AM. First, you need to pack supplies and provisions (food, drinks, and consumables) for the occasion. Next, do you have everything you need for the boat to operate? Remember, if you parked your boat in a storage facility, how much “stuff” will be left on the boat days or weeks at-a-time and how much are you going to take back with you; either because of value or security concerns; or, it needs to be cleaned or serviced. How you pack, what you take, and what you bring back is a personal judgment; and for some, pack, take and bring may be effortless and for others a monumental task.
For most, packing is done the night before and the morning of. And since the boat storage facility is a few miles away from your home, you need to make sure you allow yourself enough time to arrive, unpack the car, load the boat, hook up the trailer and head to the boat ramp. For most, you are waking up at 6 or 7 AM for a 10 AM outing; assuming the public boat ramp is less than an hour away from where you keep your boat stored.
You arrive at the public boat ramp around 9:30 AM; but, as a new boat owner, you did not realize that every Tom, Dick, and Captain Ron also wanted to be out on the water this morning for “FunDay!” As you make your way to the public boat ramp, you see a long line of vehicles with boat trailers waiting to put in (or take out) their boats in the water.
If you are someone that can manage peer pressure, judgment, verbal ridicule, and have special skills on how to deal with difficult people, then hanging out at the public boat ramp is a place for you! I could write a lengthy article on the “do’s” and “don’t” of public boat ramp life. But I will save that article for a later date.
Remember when I said, “you need to be organized and a planner when you trailer a boat to a boat ramp.” Consider this, what kind of “FunDay” are you going to have when wait an hour in line to get your boat off the trailer and into the water and suddenly realized you forgot your boat keys. Do not laugh! It will happen to you! And let us not forget about the boat drain plug… Another topic for another time.
Despite all the challenges at the boat ramp, let us say your “FunDay” ended up being a great day; they usually are. But now its 4 PM and you’ve been in the hot sun all day. You are tired, your passengers are tired, and Captain Ron cut in front of you at the public boat ramp after waiting for all those other boaters needing to get their boat’s back on their boat trailers.
“Yes,” there is public boat ramp etiquette you must be aware of (yep, another article for another time); and, have patience when others do not follow an understood etiquette. First, you must dock the boat and let someone get off, go get the vehicle and trailer, wait in line to use of the boat ramp, then back the empty boat trailer down the boat ramp and into the water. Once the trailer is in the water, you must get the boat back on the trailer PROPERLY and secure it PROPERLY.
Then, there is all the post-use tasks that should be done if you want to properly take care of your expensive investment e.g., unpacking, washdown, cleaning, draining, flushing the engines, and securing covers. Once that is completed, you still need to take the boat and trailer to your storage facility; and a few more hours before you get back home (usually in the dark). I do not remember reading any of that in the boat sales brochure. Then on your way home, a friend, family, or best bud calls you up and asks if you are doing it all tomorrow! What a pain in the rear!
One last thing to consider. And I would be remised if I did not bring it up. The public boat ramp that you choose may have challenges of their own. You better not leave any valuables in your tow vehicle. Public boat ramps that do not have on-site security are a haven for criminal mischief; just saying. But remember, storing your boat on a boat trailer is the cheapest storage solution; so long as you have a proper tow vehicle and a place to store it.
There are some positives to storing your boat on a boat trailer. You are not limited to the immediate area for boating. You may tow your boat anywhere you like and boat in areas that may not be cost or time effective by other means. Meaning, if you lived in north Florida, but wanted to use your boat in the Florida Keys, it's far easier and cheaper to tow the boat with your vehicle than driving the boat. Another positive; the number of annual maintenance and ad-hoc repair and service facilities at your disposal. You would have the ability to transport your boat to a location that may have cheaper rates and better service because they do not need to make house calls or have a shop on the water.
The next storage solution in relation to cost is a wet slip. A wet slip is a permanent location (a parking spot if you will) that you rent, lease and in rare instances can buy; and unlike a boat trailer, the boat stays in the water all the time. A wet slip requires a marina, a yacht club, or a private residence (residence, planned community, or business) that has water as part of their property and access to where you want to boat. Not to forget a well-constructed and properly maintained dock.
When compared to trailering, most of the logistics of packing and provisioning are the same as trailering a boat; however, once you’ve loaded the boat, the “FunDay” starts. Equally, when the “FunDay” is over, getting home is a lot closer and a lot sooner. In short, a permanent wet slip is the most convenient solution for storing your boat; and most of these storing solutions give access to your boat 24/7, seven days-a-week.
If you you’re like most that do not own or have access to water-front property, you will need to rent a spot at a marina, yacht club and in some cases a private residence. In all cases, this solution requires a monthly wet slip rental fee; however, the yacht club has a few more (and typically pricier) costs but also (depending on the club) a lot of nice amenities; restaurant, convenience store, pool, etc. Some marinas may have similar yacht-club amenities, but most are nothing more than a storage, fueling and marine service facility without the required membership sponsor and associated joining fee of a yacht club. If you happen to rent from private residence, there could be restrictions on use, such as time of day, number of people, parking, and the uncomfortable feeling of accessing someone’s property that you do not have a relationship with.
The two most common challenges to acquiring a wet slip at a marina and yacht-club is availability and cost. With private residences, the list of challenges does not end there. Most marinas and yacht clubs have wait lists. Meaning; there are others looking to store their boats and the next available wet slip is offered to the next person on the list. And with some smaller marinas, slips do not come up very often. On average, it could take 4 months to 2 years to have a wet slip become available. Cost for the wet slip is typically calculated by the overall length of the boat (linear feet), measured as LOA (length over all). Some boat’s length ends at the transom (back wall of the boat); however, some boats have engines or swim platforms that extend beyond the transom. This extra length is included in the boat’s LOA.
Saltwater is a harsh environment for many reasons. Extra care and attention will be required when you decide to keep your boat full-time in saltwater, e.g., a wet slip. When a boat sits in the water, especially in warmer weather, it’s only a matter of time, a short time, that barnacles will start to grow on the hull. The rule-of-thumb about barnacle growth is to never allow it to get out of control.
Barnacles are a marine organism, having an exoskeleton that attaches themselves to a hard surface and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters like a canal, shoreline, or marina. Barnacle growth will start anywhere from 4-6 days, and less than 2 days when the water temperature is over 80 degrees; that is March/April to October/November in all parts of Florida. When barnacle growth starts to occur, this will start to increase surface drag and decrease the overall hydrodynamic shape of the boat’s hull. When the surface-drag increases, a boat’s performance in speed, maneuverability and fuel efficiency is heavily impacted. In addition to the negative performance, barnacles have very sharp edges and can easily scratch, or worse, severely cut the skin and could lead to infection.
There are deterrents to delay and impede barnacle growth. The most popular option is the use of anti-fouling paint on the hull. However, anti-fouling paint is not a silver-bullet solution. Even with anti-fouling paint, barnacle growth will occur, albeit at a much slower rate. Additionally, there is the perceived rule of thumb to never bottom paint your boat. Once your boat is bottom painted, you can never go back; in addition, some believe it will affect the boat’s overall resale value. Most buyers who have a storage solution that does not require the boat to be in the water all the time will not want to buy a boat that has been painted with anti-fouling paint. That's important when it's time to sell your boat.
In combination with anti-fouling paint, hull maintenance must occur. This maintenance is typically provided by a diving professional on a frequent basis that will use various techniques to remove the growth. When hull maintenance is kept up, the process is much easier, takes less time, cost less, and the process to remove the barnacles, completed correctly, will prolong the anti-fouling paint. With most hull-cleaning services as a value-add, once the maintenance has been performed, more information such as the condition of the hull and other parts of the boat underwater are inspected, and the results of that inspection are provided in status report. For those that are comfortable and have the necessary SCUBA equipment, boat owners can perform the maintenance and hull inspection themselves. Like wet slips, hull cleaners typically charge per linear foot.
Have you ever heard of the saying “you can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your neighbors?” This saying applies to storing your boat in canals, marinas and yacht clubs where other boats are moored. The challenges one can face with other boats is the care others take with their boats. Boats can leak fluids, electrical current, and in the worse cases, some boats can catch fire and some boat owners have difficulty parking and navigating, e.g., your boat may be susceptible to a bump or ding. Fluids such as oil residue from a leak can adhere or wear down your hull’s finish, electrical current can eat away your anode(s) at a very accelerated rate; and when your neighbor has trouble handling their boat, distracted, or under the influence, damage could occur. While these concerns do exist, more so in marinas and yacht clubs, it is simply part of boat ownership and what boat insurance is for. You do have a resolution path when something like this occurs; however, a resolution obtained from renting from a marina or yacht club tends to be much quicker than dealing with a neighbor on a canal.
Weather is another consideration when you store your boat in a wet slip. Extra care must be observed when bad weather is expected and occurs. While there is the obvious hurricane event, sudden and unexpected thunder and windstorms happen. Extra care and vigilance must be observed. Depending on your boat, you may be required to use additional securing and protection methods or seek a different location (either by trailer or by water) until the weather event passes. Equally as important as weather, boats require a fair amount of attention and maintenance. Afterall, they do sit in water and boats are not guaranteed to float.
One last consideration to having a wet slip at a marina or yacht club is boat security. Having a boat at a marina or yacht club, often (but not always), has round-the-clock security. It is the adage; you get what you pay for.
The last conventional solution for storing your boat is a boat lift or high-and-dry marina. This storage solution allows the storage of your boat out of the water. A boat lift or high-and-dry storage solution is by far the most convenient and least amount of maintenance headaches of all the boat storage solutions. Boat lifts are typically found at marinas and private residences that are on the water. What sets a high and dry solution apart is the boat is often stored inside a large warehouse.
If you are one of many people that have property on the water, such as a canal, a boat lift may already exist at your location. If you do not have a boat lift, there are companies that can install one for you. However, the cost of installing a boat lift (which must be permitted with the city or county) can be costly and may require some time before the contractor can start work. Typically, contractors have wait lists for worked to be performed. Therefore, overall cost and wait time for an installed lift should be considered before you buy a boat. Boat lifts can run 15K to 100K or more; something to consider for sure.
Boat lifts, once installed, require minimal maintenance. The biggest challenges with a boat lift already installed are the overall weight capacities and widths. Weight and width of the existing boat lift will determine the boat you purchase. Like high-end expensive coolers, boat lifts are never big enough for the price.
An important consideration of buying a boat lift (besides the obvious cost to install); all the end-of-boating tasks needed (for a properly maintained boat) is expected to be completed by the boat owner.
On the other hand, boats stored at a high and dry facility come with many no-hassle benefits. Short of having your boat in your backyard on a boat lift, a high and dry facility is the most convenient and secure method to store your boat. In addition, with a high and dry storage solution, you are not limited (too much) with the size of the boat. Most high and dry facilities can accommodate up to 36 feet; and in certain situations, 50+ feet. And with most boat services, the storage cost is dependent on the LOA (charged by linear foot) and in certain situations the height of the boat.
However,
The high and dry storage solution is the costliest of all boat storage options. Additionally, it is extremely rare that you will find a facility that has an immediate available space. On average, it could take 8 months to 3 years for a location to become available. Moreover, there is a different kind of organization and planning required that comes with a storing a boat in a high and dry facility.
With a high and dry facility, there are services that can come with this solution. Typically, you simply call the marina and request your boat be placed in the water on a certain day and a certain time. Upon your arrival, the boat will be sitting in the water, uncovered (if your boat has covers) gassed up (fuel is an extra cost), MSD emptied (marine sanitation device; a toilet), ice in the cooler, and engine running. The only thing you need to do is load your guests and your stuff and take off.
Upon return, you need only to dock and secure your boat, unload, and head home. The high and dry will forklift your boat out of the water, put on a rack, rinse the salt-water off, flush your engines (outboard/stern drive configurations) put covers back on and securely put it back in its storage location. Plus, you may get all the amenities of a working marina. There are less expensive high and dry facilities or high and dry alternatives; these type of high and dries only have outside storage.
It is because of the full service that high and dry facilities are in such demand. No worries about trailering, long lines at the public boat ramp, security, added maintenance because the boat sits in the water 24/7, fueling, rinsing off and flushing the engines. But as I said, you pay for what you get; and you get a lot…But you pay a lot!
One of the few negatives of using a high and dry is the marina's hours of operation. Most high and dry facilities are open 7 days a week 365 days a year. But nearly all close by 6 PM. If you come in from boating after 6, you are one your own to dock and tie up your boat. Additionally, if your a last minute planner and decide you want to take your boat out for a sunset cruise, I hope you remembered to call the marina to have your boat dropped. And forget it if you need access to your boat (because you left something on it). If you don't remember to take everything off before it gets put back up, you could be waiting until the following day to have the retrieve your boat so you can access it. And if you like to fish in the wee hours of the morning, you need to remember to have your boat dropped the afternoon before. That way at 6 AM you boat will be available. Otherwise, you will need to wait till a little after 8 AM before they get you boat in the water.
As I mentioned in the beginning, there are positives and negatives to every boat storage solution. Which is why my recommendation is always the same. If you do not live on the water and you can find it and afford it, without hesitation a high and dry solution is the way to go.
Interesting Note: If you are in the market AND have not bought a boat AND the monthly reoccurring cost of a high and dry is something you can afford. You might be better served by finding a boat for sale that is already stored in a high and dry facility. Often, when the sale of a boat that is stored in a high and dry occurs, the high and dry storage is made available to the new boat owner (with that monthly fee) as part of the sale of the boat.
In closing, before you get emotionally attached to buying that boat, have you figured out where you are going to store it?
Comments