by talbot » Tue Aug 21, 2012 12:28 am
I agree about the sturdy mooring. If the boat has a self-bailer, rain is not a problem. My DS II spends six months a year afloat, and I live in Oregon.
Some other concerns:
Sun. I use Armor-all on the topside gel coat to reduce oxidation. Seems to help. Slippery when first applied. Any brightwork will suffer from UV. I put a Sunbrella cover over the varnished thwarts. A full boat cover solves all these problems and also keeps the rain out. The real deal is very expensive--like buying a new sail. But you can improvise with a cheap blue-tarp boom tent over the cockpit.
Algae slime below waterline. I finally went to using Interlux VC-17 antifouling paint. There are now copper-less antifouling paints, which I may try next time (I redo the bottom every two years).
Osmotic blisters. See Greenlake's note about bottom paint. I used an Interlux epoxy racing enamel for my waterline stripe. Bad idea. It was made for trailered boats. Even if you don't paint, I would wax the hull to minimize water getting under the gel coat. I also found that the rudder can blister if left in the water for a long time. Now I store it aboard.
Through-hull fittings that leak. When I first got my current boat, it would not have floated for a whole summer. I had to replace the CB pivot, bailer, and drain. That seemed to fix my leaks.
Despite the hassle, we feel the net effort is less than that required to trailer and rig the boat on every trip. Most damage to my boats has been suffered in trailering, not on the water. We go sailing 3x as often now and have more fun when we do. We pay $500/year for a dock slip, but I gather you can keep the boat at your place for free. So it sounds like a good idea to me.