Fixing up a boat while in a slip

[juryduty]

Hi folks. I am in the Bay Area and considering buying a smaller (25-28'), older cabin cruiser for Delta and light ocean use. I see a lot of good 60-70s Tollycrafts and Chris Crafts in the 10-20K range that need some cosmetic work as well as probably some power plant maintenance.

Question is, how easy is it to do interior work and above-the-waterline work while the boat is in a slip? Is it realistic to think that things like the carpet, head mechanicals, electrical, etc. can be worked on while the boat is in the water, or does it need to be hauled out for every little thing? I don't have room for a trailer so my boat will be in a covered slip most of the time.

Thanks for any clues!

 

[DianneB]

Re: Fixing up a boat while in a slip

An awful lot of stuff can be done in a slip though it is more awkward.

I only had my second boat at home for one weekend before it was off to the lake and I got the major construction done then (a new wheelhouse roof) and everything else for the summer is being done at the slip.

The biggest pain is hauling things from the truck to the boat and back (about 300 feet each way). My slip doesn't have electric power so I am limited to 300W (from an inverter) but I get by. On the other hand our docks are 8 feet wide and I am at the last slip so I have a nice big work area next to the boat

 

[Bondo]

Re: Fixing up a boat while in a slip

Ayuh,.... As long as the Marina don't care, Go for it...

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Fixing up a boat while in a slip

Good advice so far.

I have my boat in the water, and there is always something I am doing to it. The first question to ask is will the marina and fellow slip holders mind? If your doing interior work, they might not even blink an eye, as all the noise and debris (tools, parts etc...) will be inside the boat. If you have hatches up, and tools on the dock they might have a real issue with it.

It depends on the extent of work you plan to do. At my marina a lot of people are working on boats now and then. My dock neighbor did his carpet, I did a riser this past weekend, a few slips down they were chasing electrical issues, behind me the gentleman just popped a cooling line and will be replacing that, and the list goes on. Our place doesnt frown on this, and usually people will offer advice/help, but some of the nicer more $$ marinas want no work, or very very little done at the slip.

A $15-20K, older 25-28 Chris Craft in my opinion should need very little to no work, especially mechanically speaking. If your paying upwards of $20K for a mid size cruiser and it needs mechanical work, I say shop around some more.