Do you think it's *good* for it to remove the hull from the even support
of the water, and put it on jackstands or a cradle?


Capt. Mooron wrote:
What harm would it do to a proper vessel?

Ever heard of sagging or hogging?

... The boat flexes more in a seaway
than in the cradle.

WHAT!!!

If your vessel "flexes in a seaway" then it's either large cargo ship
bridging two big ocean swells, or else it' sadly underbuilt.

... A proper cradle with sufficent support in no way harms a
vessel... to say otherwise is nonsense.


If by "a proper cradle" you mean a custom job with fitted bunks, then
I'd tentatively agree. But most cradles with 4 adjustable pads, or a set
of jackstands, put a great deal of stress on a hull & deck... usually
don't support the boat well enough nor keep it in close enough
alignment, and the result is slow structural degredation.


Why? Are you afraid that it might sink because of incompetent maintenance?


Maybe..... it doesn't take much to sink a vessel.

Nope, just a small leak over a long time... or a big one over a short time.

... A bad mooring that has
been rented, another vessel breaking loose and impacting your boat, storms,
vandals.

???
Sounds like you're boating in the Wild West or some gawd-forsaken
wilderness... oh wait, I forgot, you *are* boating in some gawd-forsaken
wilderness...

... Anyone who leaves their boat unattended for extended durations is
tempting Mr. Murphy.

Agreed, but that's true when it's hauled out as well.

... I always have someone living aboard my vessel when it's
at the mooring and I find myself out of town working.


That sounds like a good arrangement... your brother?


If you do live on your boat and are not underway for extended periods or
enroute.... it most definitely pays to haul your boat on a regular
basis!

Why?


For Gawd's sake... maintainence!! If you neglect your hull... the effects
will soon become cumalitive.

Neglect is stupid & destructive whether the boat is ahsore or afloat...
worse ashore IMHO... especially if it fills with rainwater...


How can you say "it pays" when it's actually rather expensive?


Since when is $75...expensive? A travel lift takes minutes to haul a
vessel. It's cheap!

Well, there you go. Around here (which is one of the least expesnive
places on the East Coast) you can't get a Travel-Lift to turn the key
for less than $200... usually they hit you up for that plus a per-foot
charge...



Why?


Well Doug.... nothing grows a garden like a boat that spends the majority
of it's time to a mooring.

Is that my fault? You can either take the thing out for a spin
occasionally, or hire a local diver to give it a scrub once in a while
(which isn't very expensive, considering the cost of annual haul-out).



Really Doug... I know you know better than this and are no doubt looking for
a refreshing debate with you playing Devil's Advocate.


No, just offering some common sense to offset your assumption that
everybody has their boat moored in some uncivilzed hinterland.

My original statement is completely true: Unless forced to do so by
weather, the need for underwater repairs or to renew anti-fouling, you
shouldn't haul your boat out of the water at all.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King