Question:
Anyone keep their bass boat in a slip? Just wondering if you do if you
use a regular mooring cover or did you order a special "snap" cover to
keep out the elements. Also, I would appreciate any advice on what is
the absolute best way to insure that the bilge pump will work in my
absence, while boat is in the slip. I know accidents may happen.
Thanks very much. This is the best basswebsite I have found.
Answer:
-I'd keep a very snug cover on if you're gonna moore it for an extended
period. Moisture in the air is a boat's worst enemy.
As for the bilge pump, while there's no way to guarantee it will work, there
are a few steps you can take to up the odds. Keep your bilge area free of
debris such as leaves, trach & (in my case) used soft-plastics. Charge your
batteries immediatewly after each trip. And test the bilge pump frequently.
You couldn't pay me to keep my boat outside, but I realize some are forced
to.
Donb't forget to take steps to keep feathered friends from landing on your
cover too...
-What I run on my boat anyways. Installed a 2000
gph pump as a backup to the 1500 gpm pump. That way if one fails I have
pump until dead battery.
-I don't keep my boat in a slip, but I'll give you my thoughts on the matter.
Boat covers come in three types, elastic edged, snaps and straps.
Elastic edged is going to be the easiest to put on and take off. BUT,
unless you're in a covered slip, rainwater is going to pool on the cover,
eventually soak through and the boat is going to be a damp, mildewed mess.
Strapped covers are awesome. You can put the cover on the boat, snug up the
straps and make the cover as tight as a drum skin. This way the rain will
just run off, keeping the inside of the boat far dryer than the elastic type
of covers. The big problem I seen here is how are you going to get the
straps around the boat?
Snapped covers are somewhat of a pain in the butt. You have to have holes
drilled in the boat to install the male half of the snap. The snap half in
the cover has a tendency to tear through and if the boat sits for a long
time, I've seen the snaps rust together. But, this is the only alternative
that I see as being reasonable for your application. You'll be able to put
the cover on the boat and secure it while it's in the water. It will also
be tight enough that most of the rain will run off.
