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On the water Yamaha slip storage tips

Chris Kasz

Jet Boat Addict
Messages
58
Reaction score
17
Points
92
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2018
Boat Model
242X E-Series
Boat Length
24
I am considering on the water seasonal slip storage ($1,000/season) next boating season.
-Launching and retrieving my boat over 10 times this season has gotten very tiring and time consuming.

Was curious what everyones bilge/battery setup is and any other tips you can provide for successful on the water storage.
-I already have a Yamaha mooring cover.
-I may be using the boat only on the weekends and don't want the single battery to go dead when/if the bilge runs.

Thank you in advance.
 
There’s a few posts about this if you look. We added another bilge with an automatic switch. They drilled another hole to drain that pump. I use my stock one on the water—on plane to drain any excess water. Started the season in a wet slip, and ended the season on a floating lift in my slip. Cleaned off the muck mid season, it depends on your body of water whether or not to periodically clean the bottom of the hull. It cost me around $250 to get the extra bilge installed.

Good luck. Thoroughly enjoyed boating this year without the pain of the ramp.
 
You don't list where you are boating...makes a difference on the amount of stuff that will grow on your boat.

I would add another battery for sure, and ensure the bilge is running off the house battery. It will last 2.5-3 weeks running the stock bilge. Also, test your bilge occasionally to be sure it is pumping properly.

I bought an airdock to keep my boat clean - was the only option my marina would allow. I also bought a dock box (handy for just stuffing the cover and polls in when you are ready to depart). Will also store dry tubes and inflators in there during the season.

Also good to check your dock for nails/screws etc, and to spend some extra $ adding your own fixed fenders to keep your boat safe.

2nd bilge....can't hurt!
 
Is power available in your slip? If so, go with an onboard charger to keep your batteries topped up. If not, a second bilge wired direct to your battery is the way to go, and it's an easy DIY project.
 
On board charger is the bomb. I use the NOCO genius
 
You don't list where you are boating...makes a difference on the amount of stuff that will grow on your boat.

I would add another battery for sure, and ensure the bilge is running off the house battery. It will last 2.5-3 weeks running the stock bilge. Also, test your bilge occasionally to be sure it is pumping properly.

I bought an airdock to keep my boat clean - was the only option my marina would allow. I also bought a dock box (handy for just stuffing the cover and polls in when you are ready to depart). Will also store dry tubes and inflators in there during the season.

Also good to check your dock for nails/screws etc, and to spend some extra $ adding your own fixed fenders to keep your boat safe.

2nd bilge....can't hurt!
I will be boating on Lake Wallenpaupack, the docks are not the best and it does get some wake at times. I have been wet slipping the boat most weekends 3 days at a time.

The boat seemed to be pretty clean after 3-4 days in the water.

I haven't seen anyone use a dock box, and the only airdocks I have seen are for jetski usage.
 
Is power available in your slip? If so, go with an onboard charger to keep your batteries topped up. If not, a second bilge wired direct to your battery is the way to go, and it's an easy DIY project.
No power available around the slips, but installing a 2nd battery would be good investment as well.
 
I saw there is no power? Bummer, my first suggestion was going to be for you to buy/rent a lift.
 
You can rig up an inexpensive solar trickle charger to keep your batteries healthy if you want. Probably not necessary if you get out on the boat at least once every couple of weeks but if it will be sitting longer than that it's a good idea. That or keep a jump pack handy. Keeping any boat in the water is a compromise - ease of access is a HUGE upside, making it easy to do things like go out for an hour or two on a weeknight. Also, and this can be big depending on where you normally launch, not having to deal with the ramp headaches is niiiiiice. Accelerated wear/tear is the downside. Crud will grow on the boat, spiders will get into it, you could develop gelcoat blistering, you will certainly have to clean smelly slimy gunk off of the bottom a time or two per season, etc. I've been wet slipping our boat since 2014 and am willing to accept the downside to enjoy the upside! We get way more use out of our boat having it in a slip than we would if it was in storage somewhere or in our garage. I'd rather have a slightly less cosmetically perfect boat that I use a lot than a showroom new looking one that I use half as often.
 
I've been wet slipping my boat since 2014. I found my battery was dying often with the stock bilge turned on. I fixed that by picking up a solar panel and solar charge controller to maintain the battery charge. It's been fine ever since.
 
Add a second battery and a solar charger to it. Here's the setup I had on my 2009...https://jetboaters.net/threads/solar-battery-charger-install-w-pics.3414/
 
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