NE Winter Storage - In Water Vs. Land

[mlong9876]

This topic came up in a Block Island thread so I am starting a new one here posting my experience.

Pros and Cons of both-

Land:

Less thought and aggravation "Set it and forget it"
Never heard of a boat sinking on land

More expensive (in theory...see below)
At the mercy of the yard regarding placement and when they'll take you out and put you in, unless you've established a good rapport.


In Water:

A little less expensive - not always (some marinas charge for winter electric - current insurance policy might need to be changed - have to pay a la carte for a short haul for bottom, etc.)
Additional Equipment - bubbler or similar
Requires much more thought and time - I must have cursed myself at least 10 times over the winter asking, "what was I thinking? "...

A place to go in the winter
Depending on the level of winterization, sometimes able to go out on a warm winter day and refill the engine antifreeze upon return.

MOST IMPORTANTLY - Sailing much later into the fall and much earlier in the spring. I sailed at least 10 more times than I would have in the fall and 20 more times this spring. There are fewer weddings, Christenings, Bar-Bat-Any Mitzvahs, birthday parties, bbqs and general "warm weather" obligations that invariably eat up the summer.

When you add in all the above things that take away from sailing, in-water storage truly is like getting an additional season of sailing, maybe more.

[WanderingStar]

I've wintered in water for years. I like it for all of those reasons. This year winter storms were frequent and severe. My boat and several others were damaged. But I'll still be in next winter. By the way, I don't use a bubbler. Even when the harbor freezes, the boat just rises and fall with the ice.

[BarryL]

Hello,

I have always had my boats hauled for the winter. Except for the winter of 2007. That's when I was a two boat owner - I was trying to sell a Newport 28, and I had bought my O'day 35 in December 07. I paid for the Newport to be hauled, but left the O'day in the water.

I hated having the boat in water! Every time a storm blew through I was worried sick. I thought I would go sailing a few times, but the boat was in a slip and it was such a hassle to get in / out of the slip that I only went out once. Then, to top it off, I moved from a slip to the side of a dock, and a dock line broke in a storm and the stern got damaged.

Wet storage was 2/3 the cost of dry storage, but I won't do it again. Instead, I'll sail on WanderingStar when John wants to go out!

Barry