Conference unifix::sailing

    I'll second all of Alan's comments. In our case, the costs are less
    because we're only moving about 10 miles or so. Our boat is also
    smaller (23' x 7') but I'm not sure how that figures into the costs. 
    
    If you've any inclination to work on the boat then I would recommend
    storing it at home!
    
    By all means, check your zoning. You might also check with your
    neighbors to see if any of them have any problems with your storing the
    boat at home. 
    
    I use Marine Transport in Norwell, 617-878-2207. They provide the
    stands. 
    
    Ed
    

    I tried it once using the same rationale.  Now I keep it in a boat
    yard.  It was going to be more economical and productive at home
    but in reality it got so lonely that I kept putting off a lot of
    things that I intended to get done.  BS'ing  about boats is as much
    fun as sailing and this is much more readily done in a boatyard.
    Also, when you need some extra bodies to shlep a mast around, it's
    usually easy to get volunteers.  When I get sick of the sanding
    dust, I can wander down to the water's edge and see how nice it
    will be a few weeks.  If I get sick of boat work at home, I look
    at my neglected house and yard and see only more work.  There is
    also the side benefit of gratuitous advice some of which occasionally
    turns out to be useful.  Anyway, I subscribe to the theory that the
    less I move a boat, the less likely I am to injure it or myself. 

    
    	RE:.0
    	You must be Psychic! I had been contemplating writing just
    	such a note. I recently ran into a DEC person on the dock
    	at MYC. he has a 32' Islander in beautiful condition..10yrs
    	old..He trucks it home every winter and it shows.
    
    	I am giving the same consideration to my plight (the title
    	of my not was going to be "boatyard or backyard") I'm still
    	in a quandary. I guess my final decision will be based on
    	a combination of 2 factors -  cost vs convenience. When I
    	purchased the boat this year it included a cradle. The bill
    	was part of the paperwork I inherited when I bought it..$550.
    	Do they haul with the cradle or not? What would you estimate
    	a haul of 50 miles for a 27' x 9' to cost. The reason I'm
    	trying to find out is that Parkers Boatyard where the boat
        was stored last year, is in the process of being sold to
    	Marblehead Trading Co. I haven't inquired into their plans
    	for last years customers...besides the cradle resides there.
    
    	.....I have to agree with :.2 that a lot of fun is missed
    	by not being where the action is. BUT tools and power and
    	convenience are more important than BSing when it comes to
    	getting the boat ready for the water in the spring. I'm
    	gonna opt for the Backyard at this writing...whats gonna happen
    	when I start going for that 50'Island Packet?...move to Quincy?
    	
    	...To those Boatyard folks: How many trips do you make to
    	the boatyard in the winter to make sure everything's allright?
    	Looks like that could be a pain..especially if theres  severe
    	storms and lots of snow n' stuff.
    
    	The more I think about it, the more I lean to home.
    
    	Thanks alan for the topic...just what we needed
    
    	Whats your Boats Name? -  Sacre Bleu? 
    
    				___GM___(PAGURUS ~ 200yds off Parkers
    					 Yard - Dk Green Sloop)
    
    
    	

    I have a Cape Dory 22 that I have trucked home for the past four
    years.  The local hauler I use charges $80.00 each way;  this includes
    him helping me step and unstep the mast.  It is about a 25 mile
    trip from the marina to  my house.
    
    His rig allows you to use your cradle if you want.  He chains the 
    cradle to his trailer, backs it down into the water, you drive your
    boat into the cradle, and he uses hydraulics to lift the cradle up to 
    support the boat, and then pulls you out.  Pretty quick and easy.

    Since I added a garage onto my house this summer, I lost my parking
    spot for the boat and will have to go to boatyard storage.  Not
    only will it be twice as much money, but I don't look forward to
    the inconvenience.  I somehow consume vast quantities of water in
    the Spring getting ready.
    	Travis

    
    	RE:.4
    	Travis - Whats the name of your Hauler? Does he want some
    	Business...I may want to talk to him.
    			
    				George

    re: .5  His name is Bob Mansfield and he lives in Bath, Maine. 
    Telephone 207-443-6326.  Havn't spoken to him since the Spring,
    so I don't know his workload, but he always seems busy.  I have
    always had good dealings with him.

    	Travis

    I have had my boat at home every winter for the last 7 years.  When
    I bought the boat it came with a tandem axle trailer, which makes
    it easier and cheaper than a hydraulic trailer.  I need to hire
    a trucker to haul the boat and trailer home due to the wieght (Boat
    and trailer weigh 5.5 tons), but even then the cost is about 50%
    of winter storage at my Yacht Club (@8.50/ft).
    
    The only problem I find with this arrangement is that I plan projects
    that are beyond the time available.  This year I didn't launch because
    the Spring was so lousy I couldn't finish the projects I had started
    in the Fall.
    
    I you are not handy and just want it home to reduce travel, then
    perhaps its a benefit.  If your planning major work, keep it at
    the yard.  It will keep the scale of the project to a reasonable
    size.
    
    

re .7:

>>> If you're planning major work, keep it at the yard. It will keep 
    the scale of the project to a reasonable size.
    
Ah, but there are projects that one would either like to do or must do
that are too time consuming or difficult to do at a boatyard but can be
done quite easily at home. An example is our chain locker. I must have
climbed into the boat a hundred times during design and building to make
sure the locker would fit. (It is bolted into the boat to allow removal 
of the water tanks. It is also a major part of the framework holding the 
water tanks firmly in place. This would not have been a feasible project 
if the boat had been in a remote boatyard.)

Each year I plan one or two major projects that I really want to
complete and several smaller ones that I won't be terribly disappointed
if I don't complete. I have always gotten the major project(s) done but
never all the smaller ones. 

    Getting ready to have my boat hauled home yet again, I thought I'd add
    a couple words of wisdom from what I have learned in the past year.
    
    1. Schedule early. I had to go with my 2nd date instead of my first
       date because I waited too long. Also look at when they will be
       bringing your boat home. Figure an hour to pull it and set it on a
       trailer. Then figure where they are leaving from and where they are
       going. I saw some poor bastard's monohull going up Rt128 at rush
       hour last week. It was at the end of a 6 mile backup because of an
       accident. At $40 an hour, that can get expensive. Also try and get
       a morning slot if you have a long haul. That way it is still light
       out and the rigger can work more quickly in setting the stands.
    
    2. Buy half a dozen 2-3 foot long heavy duty bungie cords. they make 
       wrapping all the stays a piece of cake, and no sticky crap left on
       the wires. More likely you will check the rigging during the winter
       knowing you can wrap them right back up.
    
    3. After they take your windvane off, secure it in your car. Mine was
       perfect till the ride home pulverized it on a shelf. Ifn fact pull
       everything you can out of the boat. Nothing is going to piss you off
       more than raising the mainsail next season to see a big green stain
       where the head deoderant spill onto it on the ride home and dried.
    
    4. If you have an outboard, pull it. At 55mph, those bumps in the road
       can really jolt the boat. I saw my boat pop the outboard into the 
       up position and then cause all kinds of stresses on the transom 
       gelcoat with each successive bounce because of the leverage.
    
    5. Pull the gas tanks. I had one tip over and slowly drip out the 
       scupper onto my windshield. It also removed some bottom paint. 
    
    6. Get most the crude off your bottom before you have it hauled. You
       are paying by the hour for this, so keep it short. You esspecailly 
       should pay attention to just in front and just behind a fin keel,
       as this is where the slings are going to be, so the presure washer
       is not going to get in there very well. You may also wish to carry
       some old heavy cardboard to wedge between the slings and your hull
       in the summertime in case the boat before you had wet paint. And
       wash the topsides the day before. Why wash all that salt onto your
       grass that is only now starting to see a bit of attention from you
        ;>) .
    
    7. At home, make sure you have cut 1x1' plywood platforms for each
       stand leg out of 3/4" or thicker plywood. You don't want that puppy
       moving. Also, you should put half a sheet of 3/4" plywood under
       the timbers holding up your keel. And don't forget to check the
       stands after a couple days to see if any have gotten loose.
    
    8. Tie your halyards off to the mast ahead of time, and cut the rigging
       tape off the turnbuckles. Time is money . You may want to note where
       the threads are for each to make putting it all together again that
       much easier.
    
    9. Get yourself 2-3 sawhorses to put the mast on. That way it is at
       ground level where you can work on it at home, yet not lying in the
       snow.
     
    10. keep a notebook of things you find as you strip the boat. That will
       make the winter projects a snap (well not counting paying for it all).