Dry stack storage - hull damage?

[Bcsd]

Taking delivery on a 25sc in a few weeks and am considering dry storage. Should I be concerned about any damage to the hull from slinging and storing her stacked for extended periods of time?
Thanks.
Brian

 

[Levitation]

Quick answer is to not worry... There is an R25 at Ft. Myers beach that is dry racked whenever they go traveling... No problems the owner is aware of when I asked him...
The longer answer is it depends on the marina, on the rack design, and on the fork truck operator... Nothing is foolproof because idiots are so ingenious...
Others may have other opinions but I would dry rack if I needed to...

 

[commander bill]

I have LENABELL in drystorage in Applachacola. I had taken her out of the Tennessee River at the end of the last 3 seasons and left her on the trailer on my farm in North Alabama after a 2 week trip down to Florida. I had retired last year and decided to leave her in Florida for the cool season and just go down for a week each month. From what I can see dry storage is an excellent option. Scipio Marina has an excellent drystorage building and will put your boat in the water with short notice 7 days/week. They do not have slings but do have a very large fork lift which routinely handles 36 foot sport fishing boats larger that a R25. They also have handled a R29 here at same marina. Watching them lift the boat I would guess it is less risk than trailer hauling. The storage racks provide excellent support which is better than provided by trailer.

I am now looking at trailering her down here each October and returning back to Tennessee River each April. I will not even have to winterize her because the dry storage building provides very good protection.

 

[bbrh842]

My R-25 has been stored at indoor marina since 2007. No problems except be aware the bottom paint, if you have it, will get rubbed off where the hull contacts the rack. If you intend to go cruising for an extented period of time, after keeping the boat at indoor marina, you might want to touch up the bottom paint.

 

[SlackwaterJack]

I imagine that the boat would be be subjected to considerably more risk if it was at a slip exposed to the wind, weather and direct sun than in a rack. I would also think that there would be a greater amount of security for the stuff on board and of course the zincs would last a lot longer. As far as the forklift dropping or damaging the boat goes...make sure you check the insurance coverage of the yard, and also check with your own ins. carrier to see if your policy would be less.

 

[Bcsd]

Thanks for all the replies. Very helpful. We're going to go that route and will post later on with the results. Hopefully see some of you on the water.

Brian

 

[commander bill]

I have the soft abative bottom paint and the fork lift does cause some wear of the paint but it appears less than what i experience loading and unloading my boat onto the trailer. Also the drystorage people will place the boat directly onto the trailer much easier than if I try to launch at a ramp.

 

[JerryE]

I have "hard" paint and have suffered no damage from rack storage. The fork life is more versatile than a traditional sling lift. They put the tips of the forklift under the stern, life 6" and slip slings under and the boat. Since I don't have "cutouts" in my bunkers, I'd have had to use jacks to life the boat up otherwise. The slings, fore and aft, then attach to the fork lift prongs which picks up the boat and deposits it in the water. The process is reversed to put the boat on the trailer, takes 15 minutes. Very cool and easier than with a boat lift system. I'll try to post a movie later on, here.

One thing to watch! Kids forgot to screw in the keel plug which is removed for drainage each time the boat is racked. Had both bilge pumps going until the fork life returned. Boy were they embarrassed as that's a cardinal sin! Duh!

 

[commander bill]

These fork lifts are usually very large with hugh lifting capacity beyond a R25 anyhow. They also have adjustable forks which can be positioned from the lift controls. Important considerations are to mention to operator that you have an actual keel. Also it is important to not position the lift arms under the seawater suctions as lifting at those points can stress the hull. I mentioned to the lift operator that the 3 intake points were almost exactly inline with the vertical S/S rails instaled with the aft seat/cooler. Also the trim tabs need to be fully raised.

It is very hard to place a Ranger directly onto a trailer with slings but the forklift can easily do it. My drystorage/marina provides unlimited lifting and movement (into water or trailer) to their customers. Their monthly price also includes wet slips w/full services while boat is in water.