Leave AI in the water/boat slip?

How long could you keep an AI in the water before it starts to cause damage? Would love to tie up in the boat slip for awhile.

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SailHo Kentucky

It won't be long before the damage starts. Hobies don't like being tied up. They'll lash out at anything they can reach, docks, other boats, even an ungrateful owner.

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DougDNer

Not sure, but I'll find out next summer. I plan to keep my TI in a slip much of the time. I figure that since I can't paint the bottom with anti-fouling paint, I'll have to haul it out of the water every week or two to dry the bottom in the sun and possibly scrub it off. If I had a big enough floating dock, I would pull it out of the water every time, but that's not an option right now.

The warranty is voided by leaving the boat in the water full time.

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2011 Golden Papaya TI with a 250 square foot spinnaker!
also a more manageable 100 square foot spinny...
&
the TI3 rear ama mod

One of the guys in sarasota kept his ai in the water most of the summer at his dock. Didn't seem to hurt it.
We keep our TI docked in the water when we are camping sometimes up to a week at blue water key RV resort in key west (http://www.bluewaterkey.net).
I'm not sure I would do that on the bay front lots, but the docks on the canal are pretty safe from weather. It's a really nice place.
Bob

The only mention I see in the warranty language regarding leaving a boat in the water is coverage for gel coat blistering. Is there something more specific somewhere that I am not looking?

In sheltered locations, being in the water should be less stressful to the hull than being on a trailer. We are on a lagoon not subject to wave action from the bay, which explains why we had no dock damage from Sandy. We always haul kayaks out of the water prior to significant storms, but they often sit in the water for days at a time.

Well that wont be a problem with the Hobie as it is not a gel coat boat. I had this happen on my Silverton cruise and most glass boats get this eventually, cost a bit to repair but best to do it before it gets out of hand as I have seen some cruisers that look like swiss cheese.

"Damage caused by mooring or storing boat in water."
Also
"Weather related damage, such as freezing, prolonged sun exposure, or high winds."
And
"Normal wear and discoloration."

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2011 Golden Papaya TI with a 250 square foot spinnaker!
also a more manageable 100 square foot spinny...
&
the TI3 rear ama mod

(High winds-- hilarious!)

Hokey, is this Salt water? If so, not long at all. My first boat was left this way and it was not a pretty sight.

In general, the culprit is UV sun damage. While the boat is in or near the water, the UV effects will be amplified. But it can happen to any kayak left exposed, even on land. In sunny Kailua, I see it all the time.

No matter where you live, the process starts immediately. The longer the plastic is exposed, the more it will fade, dry and become brittle. On the red hulls, you'll see it faster.

Over here, in about a week, the plastic and paint will oxidize, the metals will begin to rust. Your mileage may vary. Environmental pollutants and temperature changes accelerate the damage.

So I probably expect that a week is a reasonable limit and I would most likely keep it moored rather than rubbing against a dock all that time.

No salt water here. .The AI would be stored in its own covered slip, on KY Lake, toward the back of the cove (very little wake from boats or lake). Mast/sail removed and placed in PVC-tube mast carrier one of the forum members made for transporting his AI so sail will be protected too. I had it in the slip last Sept for a couple of weeks with no noticeable issues. Tied the dock lines to the fore and aft braces but not sure that's the best answer. Better tie-off strategy? Also would the boat take on water thru the hull if it sat there for a month?

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SailHo Kentucky

Shouldn't take on water from floating, unless it has a leak. If it rains you may have more of a chance of water leaking in from above, but shouldn't be enough to worry about. Constant movement, even gentle, will wear more than sitting on dry land.

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

I can see excluding damage caused by mooring, but that is probably true for just about any boat moored at a dock. Fortunately, our location is not exposed to extreme conditions. A Sunfish moored in one of our slips rode out Sandy without damage (No, the Sunfish is not ours. The slip is rented out). The folks next door had two boats in the water that survived the storm in much better shape than their house. Fortunately, their pilings were tall enough that their docks didn't float up over the tops as many others did. This experience is in stark contrast with the more exposed locations just across the street on the next lagoon. Most of those docks were completely destroyed in the storm.

Our other paddling kayaks sit out in the sun all summer. Yes, they are faded, but still perfectly functional. Unlike the Islands, though, they have no metal parts. The metal parts are going to suffer to some extent when exposed to salt water even if the boat is pulled out after every sail. Unfortunately, there is just no way to easily haul our TI out of the water. If it hadn't been for Sandy, a longer floating dock might have been a possibility, but house repairs are a higher priority this year.