Importance of covered slip?

[Eddieclemons]

In choosing a home slip for a Older Hatteras sportfish would a covered slip be important to you? Cover would provide some protection from rain and elements.

 

[bigbill]

if you can find one and afford it the covered slip is great. the only 2 problems i had with a covered slip is birds nesting on the beams for the roof, and you wont find any water leaks that the boat may have until you go boating in the rain

 

[Freeebird]

What Billy said. Birds and spiders are horrible in covered slips, but they definitely provide protection from the sun and rain. that being said, I bet it's never been under a covered slip.

If you plan to go the new paint route, I would go with an open slip until such time you have it repainted. That will give you some extra money to put towards the paint, then you can put it under cover.

 

[Pascal]

If you spend a lot of time on board, do you want to be in a dark hangar? I wouldn’t.

 

[oscarvan]

My boat was covered for the 20 years PO had it, and I have it under cover now. The marina has gone to great lengths to screen the places birds can nest and nuclear warfare has kept the spiders at bay.

Keeping the UV off is unarguably a great help. My paint is original, and although it has patina, the overall appearance is one of graceful aging. Keeping water out of the numerous crevices these older boats have is also quite valuable. You don't park a 42 year old unrestored but great looking car out in the weather. Why one of these classics? Especially when it's in the shape mine is in.

 

[Eddieclemons]

Hatt would go outside where the Hinkley is sitting or in the hole two slips down. She has never been inside and it ain't going to hurt the paint.

 

[oscarvan]

Oh, I forgot... the shade in summer makes keeping it cool a LOT easier.

 

[jim rosenthal]

I've had my boat in both covered and open slips, and the covered ones have been far better- much cooler in the summer, for one thing, and just generally the boat ages much more slowly.

There have been winter incidents up here where roofs collapsed and took boats down with them, but I don't think in your area that's as likely.

There are far fewer covered slips available, now, as some marinas have not maintained the roofs and when they aged, they just removed them. I would love to find a covered slip for my boat, but I don't think it's going to happen.

 

[oscarvan]

There are far fewer covered slips available, now, as some marinas have not maintained the roofs and when they aged, they just removed them. I would love to find a covered slip for my boat, but I don't think it's going to happen.

It is very hard if not impossible to get permits to build them. You don't want to come to my side of the bridge? There's room on my dock.

 

[Freeebird]

Hatt would go outside where the Hinkley is sitting or in the hole two slips down. She has never been inside and it ain't going to hurt the paint.

If the covered slip in the photo is the one you're considering, don't waste your money.

 

[Westfield 11]

If you spend any time onboard in the slip, your satellite TV will not be able to receive under the roof. You may also lower the ability of your Over The Air antenna to pickup broadcast TV.

 

[Freeebird]

There have been winter incidents up here where roofs collapsed and took boats down with them, but I don't think in your area that's as likely.

No likely, but I've seen it first hand. A boat I previously owned was damaged, and others were destroyed. This after the covered slips had survived the blizzard of '93. My guess is, that weakened them, and the next heavy snow did them in.

The bigger threat in this area is that of tornadoes. They wreak havoc on covered slips. Not saying you won't get wind damage in the open, but I would rather take my chances with that vs tons of steel crashing down on my boat.

 

[oscarvan]

Fortunately the roof over my head is steel, steel framing and seriously over engineered. It'll be the last thing to go down on the island.

 

[SEVEN]

We were in three different boats all under cover for 40 years. Once we moved into Hatteras and moved outside my wife decided we will never go under cover again. A number of things you don’t need,u lights on during the day. It makes you feel like you’re outside. You get the breeze, And to me the boat stays cleaner because of the wind and the lack of spiders and birds. Although The maintenance is a little bit more regarding wax isinglass windows etc. it is still much more inviting to be outside as far as I’m concerned.

 

[SeaEric]

My 1966 Hatteras 41 TC has been under cover on the Upper Chesapeake her entire life. The current paint job is around 30 years old. I own my covered shed slip and wouldn't have it any other way. This location is for storage only. When we come aboard to use the boat, we leave and go somewhere. I can count on my 2 hands the number of nights that I have spent aboard in the covered slip. Last Summer (2020) for the first time, I kept the boat outside at a resort style marina for about 3 months. The wear and tear on the cosmetics from the elements was quite evident.