BOATYard vs B.O.A.T.Yard

If anything's gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there!

-- Cap'n Ron

BOATYard vs B.O.A.T.Yard

Bring On Another Thousand. I hear it all the time. This is after the initial purchase, mind you. "Boating is like standing in the shower, burning thousand dollar bills."

Expensive systems break down, requiring expensive repair or replacement. Expensive finishes (including bottom paint) need seasonal attention. Structural entropy requires expensive materials and know-how.

Haul-out and yard costs alone can break a budget. Even a successful, quick turn-around can easily rack up a grand ($1K). How many boats of your acquaintance haul out for some small project, only to be found months or years later, still on the hard. Nearly afloat on a rising tide of fees and bills and unforeseen expenses.

A short list of B.O.A.T.Yard expenses: RT haul-out and sling-fees; wash-down fee; storage fee; transport/block/unblock fees; commuting and housing costs (sometimes can't stay aboard on the hard); shelter construction/demolition/disposal; electricity, water and garbage; taxes. When these costs are 'included' in some other fee, it doesn't make them disappear. Then there's materials, gear, professional help and so on. And the expensive little treats you 'run out for' to keep yourself going (coffee, pizza, etc.). And the social costs of being in a yard... time lost to garrulous neighbors and passers-by with the meter ticking.

Worse yet, where's the yard when you really need one? If you need one when they're unavailable at any price, it could cost you the boat. Or your life. Even if a tow were available, they too cost a heap, and still require a floating hull on your part.

An alternative is something I think of as the BOATYard; the sum of the resources we carry aboard, supplemented by materials foraged in the field.

A lot of the sailing we do is remote. Should need arise -- as it does -- we have to draw on our onboard resources.

We carry a full array of hand tools necessary to build the boat from scratch. Timber tools to leverage our options with materials gleaned from beach and woods. An array of fasteners, wire, line, rod, plywood, 1x and 2x stock, aluminum plate and  flat-bar... enough to fix or fudge most anything. Goops, glues, paints and puckies. Enough sailcloth for a whole new suit. Heavy movers to lift, shift and haul the boat. Tarps to work under. Everything necessary for stop-gap measures or measured, permanent repair.

Our copper plate bottom was an expensive, initial investment. But it's paid for itself in bottom painting costs, alone. Currently, it's illegal (not to mention immoral) to scrape and paint with toxic anti-fouling anywhere in tidelands or drainages to them. If you care about your environment, that's not just greedy bureaucracy; it's good sense. But it means haul-out and paint in expensive, shoreside catchment systems. B.O.A.T.Yards.

Elemental copper sheathing (very low-toxicity... generates an electrical field to which growth is averse) may be brushed down anywhere (all it ever needs), and probably will last our lifetimes. No seasonal haulouts required. I conservatively figure it will have paid for itself in dollars alone within five years.

Boats which can take the ground have a big BOATYard advantage when bottom work is necessary.

Twin-keelers are great, as they have their own, built-on grid system, allowing easy access to their underbodies with no extra arrangements. Flattish bottomed boats are no huge deal to elevate, as you can see from the photo above. Deep keel boats are trickier, but with sheer legs, they do fine.

NOTE: It surprises me how few are used in this country. In England, France and elsewhere, they are widely employed... not at all exotic. Might consider bronze shoes on whatever keel you have, whether single, twin or triple, to take a rough bottom and reduce the need for access to them.

So when we ease up to some beautiful, protected beach, we right at home. Our pace is unhurried. Relaxed. Plenty of time to give each matter thought before action. All that is done is well done. May even have a few bears wander by to offer a helping paw.

And once we're ready for anything, anywhere... why go back? Why haul out at all? Ever?

LUNA's BOATYard... Foredeck and tabernacle rebuild.

PS. As usual, I'm hamming this up for effect. There are many boatyards, run by wonderful folks, who provide great service at extremely reasonable rates. If you're lucky enough to have one in your vicinity, they are a valuable resource.