I plan on taking my small (22ft) boat to the Keys on vacation and leaving it in the water for 7 days. It does not have bottom paint. Does anyone know if this is long enough to cause a problem? Or is there a temporary caoting I could put on it? I do not plan on bottom paitning for a one time thing.
Leaving boat in water....
- Thread starter Desperado
- Start date
Walkers Edge
Well-Known Member
I take mine down to the keys twice every year, for 8 days at a time. If your in clean moving water (near the oceanside) you wont have a problem at all. If your deep in a canal on the gulfside you may see a waterline after 3 or 4 days. Easy enough to wipe off at the sandbar or while diving every few days.
Good times down there.
Good times down there.
Walkers Edge
Well-Known Member
Btw, mine is not bottom painted. I do wax it 3-4 times a year though.
Strikezone
GreatGrady Captain
I agree with Walker. On occasion my boat will stay in the water here in Charleston for a week or so at a time during the summer. The water temps will be around 88 degrees and I've never had any growth but I will get a nasty brown stain on the waterline.
Doc Stressor
Well-Known Member
Growth on the bottom is a multi-step process. The first step is the formation of a microbial biofilm. How fast this occurs depends on a number of factors. But you can generally just wipe this soft layer off for up to 2 weeks. After that, the hard stuff starts to glue itself to the bottom.
magicalbill
GreatGrady Captain
These guys are right..
Do as Walker does, finish your drink at the sandbar and dive under with a rag and wipe down the hull..No prob.
Anything longer than a couple weeks, as stated above by Doc., can start to be an issue.
Do as Walker does, finish your drink at the sandbar and dive under with a rag and wipe down the hull..No prob.
Anything longer than a couple weeks, as stated above by Doc., can start to be an issue.
Butcherboy
Well-Known Member
bottom
The more the boat is used the less buildup there is, except perhaps along the waterline edge. I would guess it gets plenty of use during vacation week............Tom
The more the boat is used the less buildup there is, except perhaps along the waterline edge. I would guess it gets plenty of use during vacation week............Tom
I own a place in Marathon and spend several weeks a year down there. The rest of the time, my boat is in a hoist in northern FL. I also leave the boat in the water. Depending on the time of year, slime starts to grow after 4-5 days and harder crusty stuff after maybe 10 days. The slime comes off easily with a wash mit. Good excuse to put on a snorkel. If you leave it in for more than about 10 days w/o cleaning, it's harder to remove and gets progressively worse. If you're only in for 7 days, I seriously doubt anything will attach itself that won't easily be removed by a car wash pressure cleaner. Hope this helps.