Winter Layup is more fun than I thought

Turtlesboat

Turtlesboat

Minister of Media
TECHNICAL Contributor
Feb 4, 2007
7,251
New York City
Boat Info
1996 450DA, TNT, Caribe dink w/15hp OB.
Engines
3126 427HP TD transmissions
This is the 3rd weekend of layup and it's a blast. we've spent all three weekends at the boat. I found a DIY yard and it has about 300 boats in it. This weekend there were about 100 people working and hanging out on their boats. I helped an owner pump 75 gallons of pink into his water system (BIG BIG boat), I used 7 gallons hahaha.

I'm on day 3 of waxing and buffing the boat. My arms are about to fall off. 1 day in the cockpit, 1 day the portside, today the other. I have to say, mine is the shiniest boat in the yard.
 
The winter will go by fast. The layup in the Northeast is unfortunate, but it gives us time to tear down the boat and make it like new every year. I think that makes us more passionate about boating. There is an analogy. Do you know that there are more motorcyclists per capita in NH than any other state? This where the riding season is shorter than most other states. The riders in NH are very passionate. They also spend the winter preping their rides for next season.
 
JuliaValentine said:
The winter will go by fast. The layup in the Northeast is unfortunate, but it gives us time to tear down the boat and make it like new every year. I think that makes us more passionate about boating. There is an analogy. Do you know that there are more motorcyclists per capita in NH than any other state? This where the riding season is shorter than most other states. The riders in NH are very passionate. They also spend the winter preping their rides for next season.
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:smt038 I feel better now! :smt038
 
I guess that's why my boat and my bikes are always dirty. Maybe I should consider moving north so I can get them clean.....I will get back to you on that later, I have to go boating:grin:.
 
We summer in TN to rejuvenate the boat in fresh water and covered slips, but......

we're back in FL now and headed out. :thumbsup:
 
Ok. . .I am going to ask a DUMB question: If you are covering your boat, why do you wax it in the fall BEFORE layup? Are you saying that you DON'T wax it in the spring? Are you saying that it isn't a bit dirty after the winter?

I don't shrink wrap. I tarp. They get tarped dirty. My boats accumalate additional minor dirt over the winter. . .and I spend time in the Spring to wax/clean. This year, the SeaRay was pulled mid-season for a mechanical repair, and I waxed the entire hull at that time as well.
 
Comsnark- If you tarp your boat dirty, then the tarp rubs and chafes that dirt into the gel coat all winter long. It makes sense to put the boat away clean, buffed, and waxed. In the spring it should need a light washing and then a light wax to make it perfect.
 
Although. . thinking about it. .. by the time I hauled my boat, it was actually a bit too cold to buff and wax (below 40F). . . .
 
Do you put your clothes away dirty and then wash them just before you wear them too?

She's being shrink wrapped down to the water line. I'm expecting minimal dirt when I climb in, in the spring. Just like my underwear in my underwear drawer.
 
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ah, another great topic that could be debated forever. i wash the boat, getting rid of all surface dirt and salt, then throw on the fisher cover. makes NO sense to me whatsoever to kill myself waxing it before and after the winter. the cover protects the gelcoat from UV rays, which is what really kills the finish. save your energy for april, when hope springs eternal! :thumbsup:


1_WinterCoverCompressed.jpg
 
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Cleaning, washing and waxing is so much fun, I do it for layup, and then again as part of Spring commissioning.
 
TurtleTone said:
Do you put your clothes away dirty and then wash them just before you wear them too?
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I WOULD IF I COULD!!

Nothing ticks me off more than when we wash all the towels and sheets in October. . .put them away. . and wash them AGAIN in the May. And don't you like freshly washed clothes?

Kind of like taking a shower before doing a 100mile bike ride. What on EARTH is the point in doing that?
 
I wax/polish in the fall and spring because the recommended frequency is twice a year and around here the off season is six months of the year.........

On a serious note, the weather in the fall is usually a little better than in the spring. Spring commissioning seems to go a little bit faster where the cleaning and waxing requirements are based on oxidation that happen during storage than having last season's baked on crud.

Henry

PS - Mike on Julia Valentine, was that picture taken in Russo's showroom in Medford?
 
I've always waxed twice a year but we have trailered so there's never really a lay up for us. We don't have the snow and extreme cold many have. Yes it snows here maybe once or twice a year and we'll have a few cold snaps, but for the most part winter in the Seattle area is lows in the high 30's and high in the upper 40's. I always wax before the first trip out and before labor day....then after October our trips out will stop because I winterize. When spring comes that pre-Labor Day wax has still held up and the Spring refresher is quick and painless. I'm with Mike put her away clean and shiny, but I'll admit it's not at the same time as the "lay-up" day.
It does sound fun to be in a storage facilty where everyone does it there.
 
I'm thinking that I may change my layup and launch times when I retire in two years. Our boating could begin on the last week of March but this is usually a time when the weather is not good for washing and waxing, but is good for boating. Late September by contrast is almost alway perfect for doing that kind of work. Putting the boat away on a warm sunny day after a full detailing would make the spring launch a piece of cake, and free time up for top down touring in northern Michigan. There are lots of places we never visit by boat south of our port because they are too busy. An early start would make it easy to get into them.
 
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