High & Dry Marina
 

Hey everyone. Does anybody have any experiences with High & Dry marinas? I anticipated docking a new Pantera 24 in the back of the family home on a canal in Long Island and investigated having a boat lift built. It might be more difficult than originally anticipated regarding the boat lift. The canal is pretty narrow and also fairly shallow at low tide. I am now investigating marinas, both in water and high & dry. Obviously the dry aspect is attactive to me, but does moving the boat in and out of the water damage it in any way. Does the fact that the Pantara has a 7'beam in any way make it more susceptable to damage? Are the employees of the marina that are performing these functions trained well enough to be able to perform them well? Is using a standard in water marina, out of the question?
Thanks,
Ken

Ken:

I've had my old boat in a High & Dry for 3 years. It was 23 feet long and I never had a problem. All forklift blades are adjustable. You wouldn't want to have to paint the bottom. Poor resale value and too slow. I have a 28 Pantera and purchased the Air Dock system which is more than 1/2 that of other lift systems and is completely transportable. I believe their website is Airdock.com. Of course, a good employee is one that takes their time. Overall, you can't beat a High & Dry.

FT525

Ken...

sometimes Canals can present problems with depth or lack thereof and can hamper access for other boaters.

With regards to rack storage, Its a nice to be able to call them and tell them your coming down and would like the boat prepped and ready to go.

The forks are adjustable as stated. Just make sure that they are properly protected. I've seen some that have black rubber on them and they leave nice black streaks on your boat if they are not careful when pulling out the forks. others use fire hose, which seems to work the best in protecting your hull from scratches or marks.

If I were you, I would prefer trailering if you have access to a nearby ramp. That way you are not controlled by anyone elses schedules. And you can keep your boat clean and serviced at your leisure, not theirs.

I have also seen marinas put boats back in the rack after being in the water all weekend or longer without cleaning the bottom. Those stains are harder to remove once they've dried. Usually, bottom cleaning is included in a rack storage contract.

Ask other boaters who use a particular marina in your area before you commit to anyone.

good luck

Oh!!! one more thing

PLEASE!!!! dont bottom paint or leave that boat in the water for long periods of time. Youll be spending many saturday mornings powerwashing the bottom growth, while you should be out enjoying your boat. Acid washing is no fun when its hot and humid and your getting it all over your sweating body.

Actually , come to think of it. Its not fun AT ALL.

Leaving a new boat in the water is out of the question. Dry storage is better but expensive. Gas is fifty cents cheaper on the trailer.

Thanks for all the responses. Trailering is out of the question for the time being. I have a Mustang Bullitt GT as a vehicle, which obviously is less than ideal for trailering. I live in Manhattan, have one car and would use the boat on the weekends on Long Island where I grew up as a kid and where the family home on the water is. Seemingly, high & dry is the way to go if I can get to the point where I trust a new Pantera to a marina forklift operator. Yikes!, nothing is easy.
Thanks,
Ken

Hey, I've had mine in a high and dry for 7 years now. I actually bought it through them. They haven't dropped her yet.

I will say that a hook will develop over a long period of time. The transom is not really supported and for lack of a better term, "sags." For me, I have a twin, she has a bit of a center of gravity issue and this actually works for me in rough water.

If you can afford it, high and dry is the way to go if you don't have the storage and truck for towing.

Try Skippy at MRD in the anchorage in babylon for the high and dry.Great people and performance oriented.For the home how about a pair of davits.My 28 pantera with twins lived on them .Just install 2 hooks in the transom and an I in the nose.

Ken...

Where are you looking to do most of your boating ???

Hi, I will boat in the Bay, near Freeport.
Thanks,
Ken