"DSK" wrote in message
. ..
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?

Never in a proper cradle with the rig relaxed.


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

WHAT!!!

When I slam Overproof into a 20 foot drop off a breaking wave... I assure
you the stress loads exceed that of a lift out on straps and a properly
fitted steel cradle.


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.

Sure.. you can lean the damn thing onto a pair of posts as well... but the
majority of people who undertake annual haulouts have a proper cradle for
their vessel... or have one built.




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.

In the yard it's much more difficult to steal from and far easier to explain
to your insurance company.


... 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?

Friends on vacation, students, family.... it depends... I never have a
problem when asking if anyone would care to babysit a vessel on a mooring,
in a beautiful harbour rent free.



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.

That's just incompetent.... regular maintenance would require it.

CM