Dry Sailing vs Not Dry Sailing

nroose · #1 (**permalink**) 12-23-2002

Please enter comments on the cost, performance, and convenience of dry sailing a boat vs keeping it in a slip.

Thanks,

Nick

kimberlite · #2 (**permalink**) 12-23-2002

HOW BIG IS YOUR BOAT?
ERIC

Jeff_H · #3 (**permalink**) 12-23-2002

Well dry sailing tends to be cheaper since you don''t need to redo bottom paint and often the dry storage spots are less expensive than a slip (depending on the size of the boat and the marina set up). Dry sailed boats stay lighter and can have a smoother bottom so they are faster to race. On the other hand dry sailing is harder on the boat and it takes a lot longer to get a drysailed boat under way so you lose a lot of sailing time and perhaps sailing days.

Jeff

nroose · #4 (**permalink**) 12-23-2002

Well, I don''t actually have a boat yet, but I am looking at a 24 footer and a 27 footer.

nroose · #5 (**permalink**) 12-23-2002

Jeff_H says:

"Dry sailed boats stay lighter and can have a smoother bottom so they are faster to race."

How much faster? Can a boat that stays in a slip be comptetitive with a dry sailed boat?

Sailormon6 · #6 (**permalink**) 12-28-2002

In local club racing, a boat that is kept in a slip can be fairly competitive with a drysailed boat, but it takes a lot of work to keep the bottom clean. To some extent, it depends on how dirty the water is. In top-level racing, drysailing is strongly preferable. In the days of 12 meter America''s Cup racing, the boats were lifted out of the water and their bottoms were cleaned and sanded each day they raced.

JeffC_ · #7 (**permalink**) 01-02-2003

I''ve done both with a 22'' trailerable. Here is a summary of my experience:
a) the first summer I kept the boat in an RV storage yard and trailered it to the marina (approx. ten miles, one way). I found this to be extremely diffficult. The hassle of going to the yard, hitching up the boat, hauling it to the ramp, stepping the mast & securing the rigging, launching, and securing the trailer cut into time I could have used to sail. And of course, you must repeat the process, in reverse order, when it''s time to haul out. It also requires at least one other strong individual. Each sail became a "big deal." As a result, I only took the boat out twice that first summer.
b) the second summer, I rented a slip for three months (June/July/August). This was great: only had to launch/retrieve the boat one time, and I could run down to the slip and be on my way within an hour of getting the urge. I had a great time that summer. Yeah, I had to do a bit more maintenance, but even scrubbing the bottom is better than continually stepping/unstepping the mast, so I smiled during each dive. I was also sailing ALL THE TIME.
c) at the end of the second summer, I decided not to take the boat out of the slip, figuring I''d use it enough to justify it sitting there. I was wrong. The boat sat, and I rarely sailed it. In my case, it didn''t justify the added expense (and I was still paying the RV yard to hold the trailer).

In my situation, with my budget, with a trailerable and with my access to the water, putting the boat in for the summer and sailing the snot out of it while the sun was shinning brought me the greatest satisfaction.

I hope this is helpful to you…

Jeff