Trailer or Marina?

[steve s]

I am considering moving up to a Grady 300 Marlin, say 5 years old. My question is whether I should plan to keep it in a marina slip (Charleston, SC) or trailer it and keep it in my back yard. I know if I decide to buy one on a trailer, I will have to get a dually to tow it. That is no big deal. I don’t want to keep it in a dry stack because I like to clean and tinker with my boats frequently.

My question is whether the boat will deteriorate sitting in salt water. I have had two nice boats (22 ft Mako & 25 ft Parker) and kept them in my yard on a trailer. I was able to keep them in excellent condition since they were not in a corrosive environment.

What about a Grady 300 Marlin sitting in saltwater 24 hrs a day 365 days a year? I can see from pictures that the motors can be trimmed up to where only the bottoms of the skegs will be in the water. But what about the rest of the motors, wiring, and the stainless steel trim on the boat? Will these hold up OK? Any input will be appreciated.

 

[The_Chain]

I would say Marina, thats a big boat to be moving back and forth, prob really hard if your alone most of the time. Although I have a 24 it sits in a slip and I like to tinker all the time as well. Most of the tinkering can be done while it sits in the water, its often nicer to be on the water then at home as long as you pack all your tools etc. I think the trailering thing will get old and you will probably get more use out of it if you dont have to mess with the trailering. Its pretty wide beam too, not sure about your state and permits you may wanna think that one through. Also you enless you got alot of scratch your gonna have to buy a bigger truck to pull it. Is it worth it? You could save alot of money by keeping it at a marina, pay to have the hauling done and have alot of extra cash to put towards rigging. Or you could always buy one with a trailer or purchase one after you get it, that way if you wanna take it out on occasion you can. Let some of the other marlin owners chime in,I bet my last dollar there gonna tell you to keep it at the Marina.

 

[SC Adventure 208]

Agree it's a lot to triler but why can't you keep it in the dry stack and have them move it to the water when you want to tinker. Have you figured in hte cost of keeping the bottom clean? I think your hull will be happier out of the water.

 

[family affair]

I don't know if all rack programs are the same, but ours is great. We call ahead 15 minutes before we get there and the boat is in the water. If we want to hang out or stay the night, that is available too with hook-ups for free. We can either work in the water or a outside rack. They supply water, hoses and power.
The only downsides I can think of are:

- diesel soot on the deck.
- limited put in/take out hours.

Since racking we use the boat twice as often as trailering. Money well spent IMO.

 

[devildogdad]

I have a Marlin 300 and would not want to trailer it for sure. I keep mine in an indoor rack storage. anytime during hours you want to work on your boat they put it on a work rack. If you want to do it after hours then they have three work racks not behind a locked gate.

very rare to wait more than 15 minutes for your boat. I do not like the limited hours, but if you want to go out early they will put your boat in last thing, fill it with fuel and put it in a transient dock site

yes, soot from the diesel is a pain.

if you leave in the water you must paint the bottom,clean any barnacles on the skeg and then worry about storms etc.

 

[Legend]

Marina will definitely increase your usage and enjoyment - I would not be concerned with the the wear and tear - the boat is durable and a little wax and fresh water keeps them like new for a long long time

 

[magicalbill]

Agree with all the above comments.
My only change would be to consider the marina in-out services in reverse. Keep the boat wet slipped and have it hauled when it's time for maintenance.
This way, you have very little diesel soot on it due to the infrequency of the haulouts and you don't have to conform to the hours of the yard when you want to take that impromptu evening cruise.
You can have it put on racks in the yard for the times you want to do the things you can't do at the slip, but you have the convienence of it being in the water.

To answer the question about deterioration, I would think every 6 weeks or so have it hauled, scrubbed and touched up. Wax the forward section of the bow below the rubrail since you can't access that area while it's in the slip. Have a full service done on the engines while it's out and on racks in the yard. Clean your trim tabs, areas around the trim cylinders that are submerged, etc. If you have a transducer that is mounted to the hull, keep an eye on that also.

This is personal, but I wax my boat once a month. I see so many that are oxidized due to too much time between wax treatments. Living outdoors 24/7 takes a toll, although Legend is right, take care of it and it'll last a long time.

If you decide on trailering, be advised that you'll have to obtain overwide permits. You mentioned a dually; a single rear wheel model would work; Diesel is a must, I think. I wouldn't want to tow a Marlin any significant distance.
As mentioned above, it'll be a pain to put it in and take it out, especially by yourself. I think you'll talk yourself out of boating if you are faced with having to launch and load it every time.

 

[Fishtales]

Agree as well.
I think it is too large to trailer and while some say they do I would not be interested.
The 10'7" beam would require a special permit in most states albeit you would have to get stopped which would be a low probability occurrence if just trailering from ramp to home and vice versa.
The engine thing is very minor. You can keep after them with a brush or use antifoul pain in that area.
Just use ablative bottom paint and you will be fine in the water.

 

[lgusto]

I keep my boat in the water year round - Maine in the summer and Florida in the winter. I very rarely pull it out on a trailer. Good bottom paint once a year, scrub the unpainted surfaces whenever you can find a warm shallow spot to jump in, and you're good to go.

For me, there's nothing better than wandering down to the boat to tinker or just hang out - on my schedule.

 

[REBThunderroad]

I keep my 2005 Marlin 300 at a dry dock Marina in Tampa. I requested a bottom rack and they let me work on the boat anytime I want. It is awesome! They have security and if I call ahead I can work in the storage barn all night if I want. They also rinse the boat and flush the motors when we are done! Very convenient! There is some deisel residue but not any worse than normal dirt from leaving her out to the elements. I would think the upkeep on keeping her in the water vs. a covered dry rack would not be that much different. You will also be more fuel efficient and faster without bottom paint. The good thing about a Marlin is it can be trailered (albeit a beast). I move boat to Stuart every summer to go to the Bahamas and just pay for a transport company to trailer her, no permit, trailer or duelie - no hassle. The stress of not having to trailer is awesome and worth the cost and or the saving of not maintaining a trailer. I use to trailer my 270 Islander which had a legal beam, however the height was the same and it was a pain to haul around!

 

[g0tagrip]

Here is another option. Does your Marina allow you to install a boat lift? If so, it is good way to get the boat out of the water and not worry about bottom paint, etc. Due to bad weather not allowing us to cross the Big Bend, I had to trailer my Marlin back from Dunedin FL to Panama City last March. I do have a big trailer but I will tell you it was a very difficult haul. Not recommended. I do use the trailer to pull the boat every 200 hours to drop the lower units to change impellers, but that is about it for me and hauling the Marlin. Oh by the way you need at least a 4 wheel F350 (or equivalent) to haul a boat that heavy.

 

[Daman858]

I had the same thoughts and I only have a 20' 208. I keep it dry stacked and when I want to go fool around with it, just call them and they will drop it in the water. That's what we pay for. I don't think you want to struggle with launching a 30'boat all the time. And I have a dually, but it's for my wife's horses.

 

[billyttpd]

If I owned a Marlin ot would sit in the water....I would invest in really good bottom paint. trailerinf a boat like that is a chore...putting it in and pulling it out by yourself?? no way I would want that task.

 

[65aircooled]

Trailering a boat is a pain regardless of size. I have had it with my 226, I may still live it on the trailer (dry storage)where I only have to move it 30 feet to and from the ramp but honestly, I am thinking rack for next season. Call ahead 7 am to 5 PM unlimited in and out (outside rack) for $125 per foot for the season or $150 year round.
As others said, if you come in after 5, dock it for the night, any they'll pull it out the next day. Want to go back out the next day? Just let'em know and they will leave it docked for ya, no busy weekend ramps to deal with
Not cheap but will yield a lot more use IMHO

Besides, a 30' boat is a pain to trailer regardless of the towing vehicle and, there is always the liability.

 

[stray current]

I have a Marlin in a marina,no way I'm towing it anywhere! By next season I should have my Superstorm Sandy damaged house and boat lift in service where it will stay till the next Superstorm.
I had another boat I kept racked in a marina and if I didn't buy the shore house I would have kept it there.They would work rack it for me as time was available (never any problems) and had key cards to get you in and out. A $10 or $20 bill here and there would get me the best postion out in the morning even if I didn't cal and can't recall any diesel soot issues.I know some balk at the $10-$20 thing but nobody buys that kind of boat because he's thrifty and sometimes those are the best spent $$$ at the marina.