Leaving Boat Unattended

[Tom1340]

Does anybody out there own an ocean cruising boat as a second home, while their main home is hundreds or a thousand miles from the ocean? If so, how do you care for the boat while you are inland?

I would like to have a 37 ft sailboat in Florida, but I will be using it only three or four months each year, for the first two years. If I am going to be away from the boat for more than 2 months at a time, then putting the boat on hard may be a good idea. But what about those times when I'm away for only a month or two? Leaving the boat under the watchful eye of a marina operator or depending on the kindness of strangers to spot problems seems awful risky. The insurance companies may not go for this either. If anybody has any experience with this, I'd sure like to hear how you managed.
Thanks,
Tom

[captainKJ]

If you are looking for south florida the dockage will be very high,,, you might want to look at freeport bahamas or other island as I have found them to be cheaper,,,
the marina will not look after your boat very well,,, they do not care and do not want the responsibility,,
i live in fort lauderdale and have heard lots of horror stories about people leaving there boats at the marina,,, look at all the damage during the hurricanes from boat owners who were not there,,, if the marina moves your boat or reties the line they are then responsible fro what happens to the boat,,,,putting on the hard is ok but if it is hurricane season the marina might not let you leave the boat that way without other insurance,

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Tom1340

Does anybody out there own an ocean cruising boat as a second home, while their main home is hundreds or a thousand miles from the ocean? If so, how do you care for the boat while you are inland?

I would like to have a 37 ft sailboat in Florida, but I will be using it only three or four months each year, for the first two years. If I am going to be away from the boat for more than 2 months at a time, then putting the boat on hard may be a good idea. But what about those times when I'm away for only a month or two? Leaving the boat under the watchful eye of a marina operator or depending on the kindness of strangers to spot problems seems awful risky. The insurance companies may not go for this either. If anybody has any experience with this, I'd sure like to hear how you managed.
Thanks,
Tom

Dunno if you have a similar set-up over there but many folks (Cruisers) have started doing 'Guardiange' in Marina's all round the Med... many are using the earnings to stay put as they're happy there... basiclly you pay$50/month or whatever and they hose down your boat weekly, check lines, moorings and genarally keep an eye out... usually they live in the same marina which is handy if there's bad weather... if nothing else they can alert the marina staff...

[captainKJ]

One other thing,,, you might find a dock behind someone home that is for rent,,, they might take better care of it then a marina,,,, try craiglist.org
the-triton.com
dockwalk.com

[teejayevans]

You could hire a "captain" to check on the boat on a regular schedule.
I've always depended on the marina owner, the key is to find a small family own marina.
Or look for a liveaboard in the marina, but try to find one that has a nice boat.
Tom

[captainKJ]

Hiring a captain is only good if the guy lives in the marina,,, otherwise you never know if he shows up,,,, chances are he will just take you money and do nothing,,,,

[teejayevans]

Originally Posted by captainKJ

Hiring a captain is only good if the guy lives in the marina,,, otherwise you never know if he shows up,,,, chances are he will just take you money and do nothing,,,,

agreed it's problematic, you could request he send a cell phone pix of the boat everytime he checks on it, forcing the issue.
Tom

[gettinthere]

your boat will get pretty dirty just sitting there. You should get it cleaned regularly.

Hire a reputable boat cleaning service, reputable being key, and have them clean weekly. A good boat cleaner will also take a look around below if you ask them.

Again, the key is finding an honest reputable operation.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Tom1340

Does anybody out there own an ocean cruising boat as a second home, while their main home is hundreds or a thousand miles from the ocean? If so, how do you care for the boat while you are inland?

I would like to have a 37 ft sailboat in Florida, but I will be using it only three or four months each year, for the first two years. If I am going to be away from the boat for more than 2 months at a time, then putting the boat on hard may be a good idea. But what about those times when I'm away for only a month or two? Leaving the boat under the watchful eye of a marina operator or depending on the kindness of strangers to spot problems seems awful risky. The insurance companies may not go for this either. If anybody has any experience with this, I'd sure like to hear how you managed.
Thanks,
Tom

My boat lives in another country, 3 time zones, and about 3000 miles away from my main residence.

I rely on the marina. I have only once left her for more than a month at a time. She seems to do fine like that. The insurance company doesn't have a problem.

I do prepare her pretty thoroughly when I leave her. Sea cocks closed, refrigeration shut down, batteries isolated, beds stripped, hatches locked, etc., etc., etc.

[GordMay]

Dockage:

➥ Docks Slips For Sale and Rent - Dock for Sale in Florida FL, GA, SC, NC and Dockominiums!

➥ Waterfront Times e-Edition

[Juniper]

My baby is living about 800 miles away this winter in the water, hope and pray and see the end of dockheads post and make friends with the live aboards.

[captainKJ]

as you are 800 miles away can you send me your BABY'S phone number,,,, I would like to make friends with her

[wolfenzee]

Most marinas take fairly good care of boats, checking lines and such. I have seen services that keep a very close eye on your boat, charge the batteries, pump the bilge, run the engine occasionally and every yard I have ever been in and/or worked in had people that would do your teak etc for you.

[Wand]

Originally Posted by Tom1340

Does anybody out there own an ocean cruising boat as a second home, while their main home is hundreds or a thousand miles from the ocean? If so, how do you care for the boat while you are inland?

I'd suggest joining a club; you'll make aquaintances and build friendships that will give you confidence that your boat is being looked after while you're elsewhere. In our club, we all keep an eye on other members' boats, especially when we know someone is away for some time. We also have members who live nearby but come visit their boat so rarely we wonder why they bother. But we keep an eye on those too because it's in everyone's interests that no boat breaks her moorings or starts taking on too much water or whatever, so we all pitch in and take action and alert the owner when things go wrong. Closer friends can be asked to run the engine and do a regular check below decks. I guess you have to pay membership so it's not an entirely free service but the fees of not-for-profit clubs like ours are generally very low.

[Vasco]

Tom1340,

Your best bet is putting the boat on the hard. Depending on where you want the boat you might be able to work a deal with a boatyard/marina for frequent hauling and splashing. Leaving a boat in the water unattended is very risky. If you want to do this I would recommend a spot in someone's backyard in Palm Coast. The good thing here is that the water is fairly shallow so you will not sink, just sit on the bottom. The downside is that it's not a spot for sailing, takes a day to get to the ocean. I have left my boat there but now I leave it on the hard in the summer.