thank you!

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 21:27:32 -0400, "Mark_S"
wrote:

I am new to boating and am looking at cuddy cabins by Stingray in the 20
to
24 foot range. All of my boating will be done in the Chesapeake Bay.

I would like to keep the boat in a boatel, but a slip near the Baltimore
harbor is much closer to where I live. How much extra maintenance would
be
required if the boat was kept in the water?

Any help is appreciated!

Boats are a pain in the....well, maintenance is difficult on any boat
in particular if you want to keep it looking showroom. :)

I have my Contender hauled out at mid-summer to have the bottom
powerwashed and the dirt line cleaned but that's because I'm picky
about how the boat looks - you pay that much for what is essentially a
big toy, you want to keep as much value in the boat as you can. In
particular in this used boat market. I keep the top sides washed and
the motors are out of the water when it's not being used - it actually
looks like a boat with 100 hours on it rather than the 800 or so it
actually has.

With a boat in the size you are looking at, you could certainly
purchase a trailer and do that type of maintenance yourself.

You could have the bottom barrier coated and painted, but if that's
not something you want to do for whatever reason, there are slip
devices that lift the boat out of the water - marinas around here
allow the use of these lifts - I don't know about the Baltimore area.
I do know that in smaller boats, having the bottom painted is not a
good thing - in particular if you want to trade or sell the boat. At
least around here that seems to be true. You want to keep your market
as broad as possible with a used boat when you decide to move up.

Covers are a good idea if you keep them tight - helps keep the birdie
doo, dust, dirt, etc off the boat.

Winter storage will require shrink wrapping, etc. This is where a
trailer can also be a good thing.

Hope this helps.

Later,

Tom
S. Woodstock, CT
-----------
"Angling may be said to be so
like the mathematics that it
can never be fully learnt..."

Izaak Walton "The Compleat Angler", 1653