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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Boat Yard or Back Yard

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Gene DeMambro
1st Mate

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33 Posts

Initially Posted - 07/12/2005 : 16:31:27

Good Afternoon,

Okay. So the craft is looking wicked pretty in my side driveway (would look even prettier on a mooring, and better still in motion with me at the tiller - but I digress). A tight fit, but it's there. I went to the local boat yard today. $35/foot - lauching, haul out and bottom power wash included. $32/foot if I'm a yacht club member. I was warned, however, that they are considering increasing the rates. But....

It costs nothing to store in my side driveway. And I have no problem paying a few bucks every year to get it in and get it out every year. Slight technical problem getting it in or out - a too long a trailer wouldn't fit on the side street. I'd have to get someone to step the mast and bring it down every year. Doing it myself currently is not an option.

How do you all store your boats in the off-season? Do you power wash the bottoms yourself or contract out?

Gene

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 07/12/2005 : 16:59:18

I've done both and the handsdown winner is boatyard.

For $320.00 per season, the yard where I keep my boat will:

Store my cradle year round
Launch in the Spring
Haulout and powerwash in the fall

Now that I don't trailer anymore, I also don't have:

trailer maintenance
trailer plates/registration/insurance
trailer storage fees

and the need for a gas guzzling, capable tow vehicle and all the ancillary costs associated with it.

Edited by - on

Don B
Captain

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USA
317 Posts

Response Posted - 07/12/2005 : 18:10:14

I keep mine in a wet slip year round (Florida)at $200 per month (tax included). If Hurricane has bulleye on us, they will haul you out (mandatory) for $200 until hurricane passes, or you have to leave the Marina . A couple of months ago I had the boat hauled out, scraped, pressure cleaned and bottom painted (2 coats) for $25 per foot.

Edited by - Don B on 07/12/2005 18:11:40

Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts

Response Posted - 07/13/2005 : 07:28:13

Our winter storage, which includes lift out, pressure wash and drop in plus full access to electric and water (electric is for repair and prep, it can't be used all winter with a dehumidifier) is $2.10 per square foot... LOA X Beam. $420 overall.

Edited by - Champipple on 07/13/2005 07:29:14

Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Response Posted - 07/13/2005 : 13:34:15

While I have never had the option of storing the boat at my house, I certainly wish I could. It would be so much easier to work on my boat during the off season that way.

However, the deal that Don receives sounds pretty good. My winter storage, albeit covered, costs $340.00 from October to May and does not include anything beyond storage space for the boat. No launching, no cleaning, nothing. I wish it did.

Edited by - on

ddlyle
Captain

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302 Posts

Response Posted - 07/13/2005 : 17:49:15

Mine stays in the water all the time. Here in the sunny south I could sail it 12 months.
I don't have a trailer or a truck beefy enough to haul it. (my 15 yr. old nissan pick up wouldn't begin to pull it, but my nissan truck also pays for itself every year I drive it. almost 1/4 million miles). My old pickup DID haul my previous boat, a Capri (catalina) 16'.

I wish I could store my boat in my yard so I could more easily do stuff to it in the winter.
But the marina is only 6 miles away so that ain't bad.

Doing the bottom yourself isn't too bad, if you have the time.
Maybe a friend would let you store the too-long trailer at their house, or behind their business or something like that.

Edited by - on

Gene DeMambro
1st Mate

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33 Posts

Response Posted - 07/14/2005 : 00:35:17

When I was considering boats, I toyed with the idea of trailering it myself. This is part of the reason why I bought a Cat 25 - only an 8 foot beam. I'd have to upgrade by 1994 Dodge Dakota to a bigger truck, and get a trailer. But I've since come of the opinion that I should pay a hauler twice a year to do his thing. I live in the same town as the marina/yacht club and the boat yard, so distance isn't an issue. If he has a large trailer he might not fit. But if he has one that isn't, then no problem.

The idea of storing it the boatyard is intriguing. I like the idea of being able to leave the mast up during the winter. And having the yard do the bottom is a plus. But I also really like the idea of spending a weekend in the spring sprucing the boat stem to stern and getting it ready for the season with a garden hose and an extension cord at my disposal. This is why I'd really like to store in my yard - so I could more easily do stuff to it in the winter (like Dave said).

Another issue is the driveway where it would go is where I usually keep both my cars. The Admiral uses the driveway. If I elect to store the boat in the side driveway for the winter, I'd need to find space for my two cars during the New England winters. That is not insurmountable - the chain link fence that is the back of the driveway can be moved back another ten feet to allow space for one vehicle.

I am new to boat ownership, so bottom care is a new experience as well. Not sure if I am up to it - yet.

I guess the ideal is to have someone haul out, do the mast, do the bottom and truck to my house for the off-season. In the spring, just do the reverse.

Gene

Edited by - on

lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 07/15/2005 : 11:43:19

I have a dry storage space at Folsom Lake. This lets me keep the mast up and the boat fully rigged, I just have to hitch up the truck and launch the boat at the ramp adjacent to the dry storage lot. I am on the waiting list for an in-water slip, but still have 6 or 7 years to wait. Since the marina is not a year-round facility, even the slip renters have to own a trailer for their boats, since all boats have to be hauled out from November through March. The dry storage lot is year round. I occasionally bring the boat home and put it in the back yard when I need to do a major project of some kind. There is no electric power or water in the Folsom Lake dry storage lot, so no way to run power tools or even wash the boat there

Edited by - on

aeckhart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1709 Posts

Response Posted - 07/16/2005 : 09:38:39

Our season is short - June to October, and the yards are always full and expensive. I launch, retrieve, power wash, and store my boat in my own yard. It's much cheaper in the long run, much easier to work on the boat, and I don't have to worry about "yard" schedules other than my own. It's also a lot more work than having a yard launch and retrieve but hey, with the money I've saved over the years, I'll bet I have one of the best equipped C-25s around. I am semi-retired, live in Northern Michigan, and have a big yard only two short miles from the launch site. Time and space available allow me to do it this way.
I also live on a large lake with access to Lake Superior, so I moor in front of my house. This ideal situation, like everything else having to do with sailing, took lots of planning and forethought. Not everyone is as blessed, thus the need for marinas and boat yards.

Al
GALLIVANT #5801

Edited by - on

pjeffarch
Navigator

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USA
135 Posts

Response Posted - 07/17/2005 : 20:31:00

Gene; as you can see, it makes a huge difference on what you do based on where you boat, the season, weather, pricing, availability of your yard/driveway, etc. Here in the midwest, we're in a small lake, not a lot of options for professional storage, less even for marinas, so having it in the driveway where I can work on it (and keep an eye on it) through the winter is the best option.

Edited by - on

Scooter
Navigator

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USA
228 Posts

Response Posted - 07/17/2005 : 23:39:27

We went the trailer route. Either way probably depends on what's available. We went trailer because:

1. Hurricanes. We can haul it when we want and in a hurry. Eastern NC. Cost to haul for every hurricane (or close call) could add up. Didn't want cost to affect decision to haul if one was coming "close".
2. We keep it in until Oct-Nov and splash it in Mar-Apr+/-. We keep it in the back yard and it's nice to have it close for winter projects. If we lived close to a marina/boat yard it might be different. We keep the boat 2 hrs from homebase.
3. We planned for buying a new trailer when we started boat shopping and that opened up the locations of boats we could look at. Not many seemed to have trailers or trailers we wanted to put in salt water.
4. We liked the idea that if we wanted to Sail in Florida or someplace else we could not spend a week getting there down the ICW. We could trailer it there in a day or so.

You can't really go wrong if you do what make sense for YOU like others said above. No right or wrong.

Edited by - on

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.