Leaving aluminum boat in slip all season harm it?

Does anyone know if leaving a boat in the water all season harm an aluminum boat? I have kicked around the idea of renting a seasonal covered slip and just leaving it in the water, but I don't know what if any damage that might potentially cause.

Does anyone have any experience doing this, any problems or suggestions?

Thanks

I'll take a stab at this but trust me, I have no real world knowledge.

It's a boat. It's supposed to be in the water.

One of the minor problems might be a build up "scum" around and under the waterline.

Caution of any stray electrical current at the dock might cause electrolysis of the metal. ???


:confused:

Just scum on the bottom unless we experience a big freeze on the lake you have it on. Then the freezing thawing expansion thing can cause some issues but that would be very rare. Cover it well though as critters play havoc with boats in the winter.

I agree with both posts. My dad kept his aluminum boat in the water year round down on Watts Bar Lake. He would take it out early spring and power wash the scum off the bottom. If you dont, you will lose speed and gas mileage. Watts Bar never froze so he never had the extreme temp changes. On Ky lake you would, unless you are in Tennessee.
Bassky

Thyme an mark are right on. It wont do anything but cause a little waterline scum mark on the hull, you can pull the boat out and take it to the car wash and spray the scum line off fairly easy , but be careful and dont blast the decals and stripes off.
Also you will need to make sure your automatic bilge pump is in perfect condition. And check it periodically.
More attention needs to be given to the water intake ports on the motor, keep these completely clear of algae build up, the little bits of debris will be sucked up into the water pump impeller when you first start the boat and idle, it wont hurt anything immediately but will take its toll when the motor is shut off and the debris dries out over time, then a month later the water pump isnt pumping water. This isnt an absolute thing but be mindful of it amd watch the water pump stream each time you start the motor to see that its working.
And like mark said....dont leave anything a coon thinks would be a good snack...this includes crackers, powerbait anything, and they need boat keys for some reason too?
Otjerwise you shouldnt have any problems leaving your boat through the spring summer and fall, I would dry store my boat in the coldest winter months though to avoid busted lower units et etc, but thats just me

Thanks, I appreciate everyone's advise, it helps give me information as I consider it.

[QUOTE=stripernut1;537985]Thyme an mark are right on. It wont do anything but cause a little waterline scum mark on the hull, you can pull the boat out and take it to the car wash and spray the scum line off fairly easy , but be careful and dont blast the decals and stripes off.
Also you will need to make sure your automatic bilge pump is in perfect condition. And check it periodically.
More attention needs to be given to the water intake ports on the motor, keep these completely clear of algae build up, the little bits of debris will be sucked up into the water pump impeller when you first start the boat and idle, it wont hurt anything immediately but will take its toll when the motor is shut off and the debris dries out over time, then a month later the water pump isnt pumping water. This isnt an absolute thing but be mindful of it amd watch the water pump stream each time you start the motor to see that its working.
And like mark said....dont leave anything a coon thinks would be a good snack...this includes crackers, powerbait anything, and they need boat keys for some reason too?
Otjerwise you shouldnt have any problems leaving your boat through the spring summer and fall, I would dry store my boat in the coldest winter months though to avoid busted lower units et etc, but thats just me[/QUOTE]

If you raised the motor out of the water while not in use could you maybe put a piece of tape over the water intakes to better protect it? Ever hear of anyone doing something like that?

I'll have to look in my owners manual about whether my bilge pump is auto or not. I know it has a switch I use to turn it on and activate the pump when needed.

Thanks for all the advise, it is very helpful.

[QUOTE=SLP;537991]If you raised the motor out of the water while not in use could you maybe put a piece of tape over the water intakes to better protect it? Ever hear of anyone doing something like that?

I'll have to look in my owners manual about whether my bilge pump is auto or not. I know it has a switch I use to turn it on and activate the pump when needed.

Thanks for all the advise, it is very helpful.[/QUOTE]
im sure you could do something like that, maybe stick a pc of tape on the key switch to remind you or something of that nature. Its not a big deal if you just remember to always look at your water pump stream everytime you start the motor, if its not pumping at a good strong flow just change the water pump, I change mine every year in april anyway.

Google - stray current aluminum boat. Lots of folks keep their aluminum boats in the water in marinas and have no problem. I would not. If you do I would recommend researching how to protect it from stray current coming from somebody else's boat, bait light, improper wiring in the marina or other.

I have a good friend that keeps his fiberglass crown line at Grider Hill on lake Cumberland. A couple years ago stay current in the marina ate up his metal below water line through hull fitting and his boat sank. He had to get a new motor for ten grand.

If you do protect it with the proper anodes and make sure they are installed properly.

Lots of people do it. I'm a little paranoid. I have had stray current demolish my boat on the trailer in my garage. Obviously that current was coming from my own boat and the hull had water in it all that winter. I forgot it got rained on and didn't pull the plug when I put it up for the winter.

Water and electricity equals holes in aluminum. As a side note, aluminum, copper and water creates electricity and equals holes in aluminum. Any salt in the equation makes it a lot worse.

I looked at fiberglass boats the last time I bought a boat so I wouldn't have to worry about it but couldn't make the switch. I'm just an aluminum boat junkie I guess.

Peter,

Thanks so much for that information I wasn't even aware of that issue. That certainly gives me some concern and I'll have to really think hard when weighing the benefits versus that risk. I would sure hate to have my boat ruined, I guess I will have to try and educate myself on the issue before making any decisions. Nothing is ever easy is it?