Is It Necessary to Haul Out Each Year To Let the Boat "Dry Out"

[Kenomac]

I keep hearing people say that they haul their boat out each year for a period of time to allow it to "dry out." Is this necessary with modern fiberglass boats?

Up until this past winter we've always placed the boat on the hard for six months per year, but our reason was that there would be less to worry about and no caretaker needed. This past winter, our boat stayed in the water up stream in "sweet water" more fresh than salt, and so far there's actually been less maintenance to do than when it was on the hard. The boat was winterized due to sub freezing temps.

Any thoughts pros or cons?

[David M]

Modern resins do not absorb water like some of the older resins used to. So if you have a newer fiberglass boat then no, you don't need to haul it out.

Anywhere else on the boat that might be harboring water can be taken care of with a dehumidifier or with small heaters like Golden Rods that keep the relative humidity down.

If you have an older boat with a resin that has absorbed water and is now blistering then you have a greater problem. It takes months to dry that type of resin plus any blisters you have need to be ground out and filled. A boat like this then needs multiple coats of an epoxy sealer like Interlux 2000 or 3000 to create a water barrier coat so this does not happen again.

Hopefully, your boat is the former and not the latter.

https://www.amazon.com/Goldenrod-725.../dp/B00DBTCFGY

[Calif.Ted]

I only haul out to paint for a week every 3 to 5 years and that's typical for our area, seems like you'd only need to dry it if something was damaged and allowed the FG to absorb water.

[Sailmonkey]

Our boat hasn't been out for 2 weeks total in the last 9 years, and I can speculate similar for the prior 6 years.

We have no known obvious problems with the bottom.....there may be small blisters that aren't visible, but the boat is over 40 years old.

[noelex 77]

The risk of osmosis and hydrolysis problems seem less in countries (like much of Europe) that typically pull the boat out of the water for many months.

I don't think you will notice any practical difference leaving the boat in the water full time occasionally, but long term it does seem to make a significant difference.

Oysters are very well built, but are still typically polyester resin with a small layer of Vinylester. I would not be concerned in a boat built from epoxy resin or even perhaps a full Vinylester resin layup, but these are not common.

[Kenomac]

No blisters last year on our 15 year old hull except for a three inch spot on the rudder I took care of. Next season I have plans to put on some new bottom paint and replace the final six through hull fittings. Was going to do it this year, but the haul out timing didn't work out. Spent the savings on some solar panels instead.

I'll end up scraping barnacles off an extra two times this season I'm sure, then probably starting another Coppercoat thread next Spring.

[SVNeko]

The flip side is the boat does not like to be supported by a handful of discrete supports for a long time. It prefers being supported evenly along the entirety of its underwater hull.

[roverhi]

doubt my 48 year old boat has ever been out of the water except for bottom jobs or other short term haulouts. Know it hasn't been out of the water except for one short stint for a paint job other than bottom painting in the 11 years that I've owned it. Only very minor issues with an occasional small blister. Probably better to leave it in the water where it's supported by the medium it's designed for.

[Stakaman]

I put my boat out once a year for 30-40 days to" dry ".
I think maybe there isn't any "need" for this but for me is a way to do a comprehensive and in-depth maintenance of every corner of the boat ..
I hadn't any problems with osmosis all this years (the boat is a 2003 production)and i think that maybe the dry out month helps because I saw familiar boat with mine to have osmosis treatment even they are newer!!
I think there aren't any serious cons except money costs

[Sandero]

Shiva is 32 yrs old and has only been stored on the hard for a handful of seasons. No blisters whatsoever. Obviously some work requires the boat be out of the water...prop, zincs changing thru hulls, installing transducers and of course painting. Some yards won't store on the hard with sticks up... and that's a huge time and money sink. How often you apply bottom paint will depend on the waters where you sail... another large expense. Spend it on frequent divers. Use an inexpensive hard paint and the results are the same of better than lots of coats of paint every year... which only had to be removed in another time consuming and expensive process.

Boats are meant to be supported by water not 8 boat stands... and in water you can work on them more easily and have an extended sailing "season". And there is more damage risk from yard workers...hauling and clocking boats... I know... they busted my speed log transducers... even with explicit drawings/instructions for sling placement. (NB they mostly haul and launch when the owner is not present. wonder why?)

My 2 cents

[Prairie Chicken]

David M's post

Modern resins do not absorb water like some of the older resins used to. So if you have a newer fiberglass boat then no, you don't need to haul it out.

is exactly what we've heard. We always lifted our old boat every year, largely for this reason, & that we felt it was more secure on the hard during our lengthy absences. Our (much newer) Jeanneau sat in the water for 7 years before we purchased her & her bottom was good. I believe David is right.

[chris4911]

No. It is not

[Clivevon]

Yes, it is - or so my surveyor tells me.
I have had reason to give this question much thought - having repaired my 1981 polyester boat for osmosis twice. First job wasnt the best but lasted 12 years before problems became apparent again - this time being much worse and much deeper seated, requiring extensive hull peeling, multiple blasting, multiple HotVaccing to get dry, then extensive hull rebuild using vinylester resins then topped off with epoxy layers. This was 5 years ago.
So I asked my surveyor - now this has been done, can I leave the boat in the water over winter. He said, basically, NO. Epoxy resins are NOT 100% waterproof - he's the surveyor, what do I know - and will absorb water over time. So its a very good idea to haul out to let the boat dry out, otherwise it just keeps soaking it up and soaking it up...
What he said was, if you are using the boat, keep it in the water, If you are not using it, haul it out.
I take it out every winter for at least 3 months, although every now and then I can see I might be tempted to leave it in to allow some winter sailing on those good days we get now and then.
Basically, its your boat, so you choose what makes most sense for you. Having said that, when I bought my boat, she had been in the water for at least 8 straight years in the Mediterranean, and the osmosis problem was pretty bad. The closer you looked, the worse it got. That first repair was covered by the discount I got on the buying price (I was feeling brave at the time), but the later one was not and cost a lot more to get it done thoroughly under surveyor supervision in the UK. Still, hopefully the boat will now see me out.
Hope that helps.

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by Prairie Chicken

David M's post is exactly what we've heard. We always lifted our old boat every year, largely for this reason, & that we felt it was more secure on the hard during our lengthy absences. Our (much newer) Jeanneau sat in the water for 7 years before we purchased her & her bottom was good. I believe David is right.

I saw a fairly recent Jeanneau having an extensive peel and fibreglass replacement not very long ago. Overall, I would say Jeanneau seem to more rarely suffer problems than most brands, but it seems very difficult to predict which boats will be affected.

There have been some decades of boat production where osmosis problems have been particuarly severe, but overall I don't think you can make much distinction between old and new boats. Other than the new boats are newer and therefore have had less time to develop problems.

[GrowleyMonster]

My boat was built in 1976. AFAIK it has never been out of the water longer than it takes to do a proper bottom job or get trucked from the Left Coast to the Gulf Coast. When I bought the boat it hadnt had a haulout at all in over 8 years. In the 5 years I have owned her I have hauled out twice, for just a few days each. No blisters. None. So I guess maybe it just depends, but apparently it is not necessarily necessary. YMMV. Maybe I am just blessed.