I live near a a lake and can get a slip on a floating dock near my house but do not have the option at that location to dry store the boat or launch. So my options currently are leave it in a slip (mast up, quick drive) or trailer it to the other end of the same lake that is super busy and has no wind or drive 45-60 minutes to launch on a much bigger lake. I like the simplicity of something like a nacra 500 or 570 but it sounds like leaving it in the water for a few months is a no go. The lake is in NW Montana so the season is somewhat short and the water on the cold side so I think the marine growth issue might not be a huge issue? . Sounds like the gelcoat is the worry?

Thoughts?
And thanks

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The lake is in NW Montana so the season is somewhat short and the water on the cold side so I think the marine growth issue might not be a huge issue? . Sounds like the gelcoat is the worry?

Cleaning the hulls every season should probably be ok, muriatic acid works well. The problem to me is what will happen in heavy weather, lake waves may be much worse for a cat than sea waves, especially when on the leeward side of the lake. Yo will need to lock mast rotation, easy to do with a rotator arm, hard to do without one.

willyjay

or trailer it to the other end of the same lake that is super busy and has no wind or drive 45-60 minutes to launch on a much bigger lake.

It sounds like the busy launch plus the low wind section will be worse than the 45-60 min drive. When the approach from the launching point to the area where you want to sail is long and not interesting, it may kill the whole experience, especially if you intend to do multiple laps with different people. Adding a motor for that approach is not something I would like to do either.
If you have to drive some distance and step the mast every time, it's not terrible, as long as you don't intend to go sailing often, like every weekend or multiple days in a row on holidays. If you have to rig a spinnaker it will be worse.
I used to leave the boat mast up on a lake about 2.5 hrs from home, I would go on weekends renting a cabin or sometimes just go for the day. Big part of our time was highly oriented to sailing and that was fine to me but a bit less ideal for the rest of the family. Nice but spending time doing different things would have been appreciated too. Now we got an apartment at the beach, about the same driving time, and leave the boat there but cannot keep it mast up, I store the boat on the trailer and have to drive a few km on the highway to sail. What happened is that now I sail less often but it works well for all, when I sail I get the most out of it and enjoy rigging it as part of the experience, as somebody wisely adviced on this forum. And we enjoy the beach in different ways that we didn't before. I'm also a bit older and can live with less adrenaline (or less frequent). What I want to say is that it is more a matter of expectations than practicality. If you intend to spend a lot of energy and time sailing, probably a monohull might be a better option, there are fun ones that are lighter and much easier to rig. For that alternative, I would advice no to test drive a cat, though, or you will have a tough time deciding afterwards.

If the boat has cored hulls, gel coat can be covered with barrier coat to the water-line. This will prevent water intrusion of any kind, and can be lightweight protection. The main issue with a slip is that it needs to be protected from weather and wave action. Your option of using a floating slip sounds really attractive compared to the alternative. Will you be able to safely and consistently get into the slip without outboard power? What will you use as attachment points for the dock lines?

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Tom
NACRA 5.7 (1984 Sail 181)
Pennsylvania
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I’m confused because at the start of your post you mention storing the boat on a floating dock, but then at the end you talk about the boat being stored in the water and marine growth on the hulls.

If the boat is on a floating dock, then the main issue would be wear on the mast and rigging if the boat rocks back and forth in the waves. That can be reduced by keeping the rig tight and lashing the mast so it doesn’t bang around. You may end up replacing shrouds frequently. Also consider the difficulty in launching and landing from a dock, especially if it’s windy.

If you’re storing the boat floating directly in the water, then damage to the hulls would be the main concern. The gelcoat and fiberglass will gradually absorb water which will cause them to develop blisters and become waterlogged. They can also become stained from continued immersion. You would need to apply a bottom paint to protect the hulls.

sm

Dogboy

I’m confused because at the start of your post you mention storing the boat on a floating dock, but then at the end you talk about the boat being stored in the water and marine growth on the hulls…
sm

I think what he meant was the dock is a floating dock, with the boat tied beside it.

Generally floating docks are used where the water gets deep quickly. In that case, using a Seadoo lift to hold the cat is not an option. Also, as Dog mentioned, launching from a dock can be problematic. I do it,however, I’m in shallow water at the dock. If it’s more than chest deep, it can be very exciting in a good breeze.
The other big issue with storing a BeachCat wet- there are no decent tie points or cleats on them.
I used to spend quite a bit of time in Montana, Flathead lake is the best for Cats.



Edited by Edchris177 on Dec 31, 2021 - 10:15 AM.

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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If you are thinking of leaving the boat in the water, the issue you will run into is after a while, the boat will absorb water in the fiberglass. If you are at a point of considering leaving the boat in the water, you'll never notice the difference. But, it may be an issue when you go to sell when it is disclosed the boat sat in the water. This is an issue we have with bigger boats in the water. They have antifouling paint, but if you do not use the correct barrier coat, the hull will absorb water.

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Scott

Prindle Fleet 2
TCDYC

Prindle 18-2 Mod "FrankenKitty"
Tornado Classic "Fast Furniture"
Prindle 19 "Mr. Wiggly"
Nacra 5.8 "De ja vu"
Nacra 5.0
Nacra 5.8
Tornadoes (Reg White)
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Like others have already pointed out, a good barrier coat will keep the water absorption to a minimum. Gelcoat is porous and is not good by itself left in the "wild". Also, the rigging will need to be kept super tight to not allow any movement of the rig with boat wakes, waves, etc. Beachcats are simply not made for this environment. Maybe the trip to the bigger lake is worth it!

Good luck!


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Master UniRig Sailor
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I've had some experience with this and generally it's not a good idea. If you decide to do it anyway, pull it out every few days so it can dry out for a few days and you can wipe the hulls off. But that kind of defeats your purpose, right? So, if water absorption is not an issue with you, be willing to get down in that cold water at regular intervals with a semi abrasive pad and wipe those hulls clean.

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Bill Townsend
G-Cat 5.0
Sarasota
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Any proven research made in the field of water absorption for GRP in salt free water? I´d really like to see some figures of water absorption per square inch.



Edited by revintage on Jan 03, 2022 - 02:35 PM.

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Brgds
Lars

Frankentri 5.8/5.5/Inter20
Aerow trimaran foiler

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1192604934176635
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Most small cats and dinghies aren't built to live in the water. What I've seen to work well is to tie a floating dock to your main (floating) dock. There's lego-like modular systems, as well as inflatable ones – from super expensive to cheapo-from-alibaba-good-luck-with-quality.

It all falls apart if there's significant storm / high wind activity. Can you tie the trapeze lines to the main floating dock?

revintage

Any proven research made in the field of water absorption for GRP in salt free water? I´d really like to see some figures of water absorption per square inch.Edited by revintage on Jan 03, 2022 - 02:35 PM.

no actual data but i have seen several cats that were stored on the ground and this created bubbles in the gelcoat from the moisture wicking (or osmosis)

also condensation will build up inside the hulls and if you have a foam core boat it will degrade the foam core



Edited by MN3 on Jan 07, 2022 - 11:10 AM.

Yeah I imagine there's different gelcoats for boats designed to live permanently in the water (ie: keelboats) and small cats and dinghies which are on a trailer or dolly. It's well known that if you leave a laser dinghy on the water for more than a couple days, its ruined.

For those of you old enough to remember, gelcoat blistering was a big deal with larger sailboats that lived permanently in the water. There was a lot of speculation about the cause, but it all came down to the gelcoat application and the problem seems to be corrected. Like I said before, I've kept my catamaran in the water for as long as a week but always followed with several weeks out of the water with no problems. Letting the boat sit around for long periods of time with water in the hulls and no ventilation is very bad, there's no gelcoat on the inside. Every used boat I've looked at with soft decks and even a couple with blisters had one thing in common: They've been sitting around for years with water in the hulls and no ventilation. If you have access ports, it's much better to leave them off even though you may get some rainwater in there. And periodically tilt the bows way up and mop out any water with a small towel that doesn't completely drain.

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Bill Townsend
G-Cat 5.0
Sarasota
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Talking with my fiberglass pro, the big difference of water absorption is if the hull is vinylester or not. You can dig and search for the details, but the vinylester hulls are pretty good of being absorbent-resistant. My powerboat has a vinylester hull and did not require a barrier coat.

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Scott

Prindle Fleet 2
TCDYC

Prindle 18-2 Mod "FrankenKitty"
Tornado Classic "Fast Furniture"
Prindle 19 "Mr. Wiggly"
Nacra 5.8 "De ja vu"
Nacra 5.0
Nacra 5.8
Tornadoes (Reg White)
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i am not a epoxy expert but i know that mono's that live in the water haver MUCH thicker "skins" and typically have a thick layer of anti-fouling paint on them that all help to resist osmosis and condensation - and have a bilge and pump to deal with accumulated water