New to the slip thing

[IdahoSnake]

So this is the first year that I have had the boat in a slip and love and hate it. Love the fact that all I do it jump in the boat and take off. Hate the way my boat is getting trashed with no way to clean it?

Wondering what the fellow slip guys and gals are doing to keep the boat clean? Dust buster, go to the shallows and clean the hull??

[moosehead]

Utility and enjoyment > clean up hassle.

Best advice is to cover nightly, run her on the water and keep cleaning supplies and long-handled brush aboard/in dockbox, and only pull her out once every 2-4 weeks for a hull washdown. We use the cheapest generic liquid toilet bowl cleaner and pull her into a self wash auto car wash for quick brush down and spray off. Easy peasy.

Our water in the PNW is nothing compared to warmer regions for hull stain or growth, you are good to go.

[ThomasAlive]

Any possibility of getting a lift?

[LDA6339]

Ours is on a lift and gets a full cleaning on said lift. We use a brush thats on a 6foot pole so we can reach everything. No need to pull it out to wax but maybe twice a year. Definitely want it covered whenever you aren't using it. When you do clean it like this however make sure the soaps you are using are safe to go into your lake.


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[Gavin]

I'd pull it to clean at least once a month and then buy a lift when I got tired of doing that. You'll need an acidic cleaner like starbrite hull cleaner or toilet bowl cleaner or CLR.

[IdahoSnake]

Any possibility of getting a lift?

Lift is not an option.

[LDA6339]

Without a lift you will obviously have to pull it out more. How much exactly I have no idea.

[russlars]

Fortunately our water is pretty clean, but what I do is jump in the lake with a life jacket and give it a good scrub down of everything below water level with a microfiber cloth every 2-3 weeks. After getting all of the areas I can reach, I put on a dive mask and scrub the bottom also which is just the center 12-18". Just make sure that you don't every pull it out of the lake without having done this and let the scum dry on the bottom of the boat. That makes it very difficult to remove, especially when it is sitting on the trailer.

[MasterCraft Ranger]

After being a trailer boat guy for 25 years, I had the chance to keep my boat in a slip this summer. Lots of upside - nothing like hopping and heading out but the flip side is not only the cleaning issues already discussed but being in the water 24/7 has a way of exasperating any water leak issues you might have. Not a big deal when you're pulling it out each night. Big deal when it's sitting for days.


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[LDA6339]

We would not slip if it wasn't possible to lift it for the reasons this thread is highlighting.


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[TN Skier]

No Lift = No Slip...Without a lift take it out at least every other day to wash it...you'll need to unless you want it stained. Do that for about 4 weeks and you will have a new lift approved and ordered in NO TIME!

[sdfoiler]

We've had our boat in a slip for YEARS now with no option for a lift. Unlike most on this list, my boat is a vehicle used to tow my fat butt around a lake just like my car gets me back and forth to work. Yes, I do take care of it, but it's much more important for me to have fun family/friends time than to worry about a tiny scratch somewhere. (2013 Xstar)

I pull it about 3 times a year and use toilet bowl cleaner/hydrogen peroxide to clean it up. Rewax. Drop it back in.

I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. We just hit 100 hours this season, and wouldn't have 1/4 of that if I had to trailer it each time out. So well worth it for me.

I would say GO FOR THE SLIP and don't worry about the little things.

[gt23]

We've had our boat in a slip for YEARS now with no option for a lift. Unlike most on this list, my boat is a vehicle used to tow my fat butt around a lake just like my car gets me back and forth to work. Yes, I do take care of it, but it's much more important for me to have fun family/friends time than to worry about a tiny scratch somewhere. (2013 Xstar)

I pull it about 3 times a year and use toilet bowl cleaner/hydrogen peroxide to clean it up. Rewax. Drop it back in.

I honestly wouldn't have it any other way. We just hit 100 hours this season, and wouldn't have 1/4 of that if I had to trailer it each time out. So well worth it for me.

I would say GO FOR THE SLIP and don't worry about the little things.

Me exactly.


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[CottagerGreg]

Fortunately our water is pretty clean, but what I do is jump in the lake with a life jacket and give it a good scrub down of everything below water level with a microfiber cloth every 2-3 weeks. After getting all of the areas I can reach, I put on a dive mask and scrub the bottom also which is just the center 12-18". Just make sure that you don't every pull it out of the lake without having done this and let the scum dry on the bottom of the boat. That makes it very difficult to remove, especially when it is sitting on the trailer.

Did this for 8 years.. finally got a lift.. nothing wrong with some elbow grease. Kept it clean

[slalomjunkie]

Hull staining will be the least of your problems. Algae is what you’re going to battle.

Years ago we had a runabout boat in a slip and no lift. A year later the boat would only run 29 mph… Once the bottom gets algae, it not only affects the performance of the boat both from a handling, hole shot and top end perspective but also DAMN NEAR IMPOSSIBLE to remove. I had NO INTENTION is cleaning 18 ft of hull with acid that was eating concrete as it dripped off. I ended up having to have it professionally cleaned and never stored a boat on the water since.

If I have my boat in the water for 4-5 hours now, I see dirt and staining starting. I would agree with the no lift no slip opinion, unless it was just for the day.