Rain exposure when docked

This feels weird asking since it’s a boat and it’s kinda designed to get wet… but still, how much concern leaving a boat exposed a few rainy days? We have 4 days planned in Canada next week. The forecast looks really soggy with good chance of rain every day. The resort we stay at is boat-in, no opportunity to put the boat on the trailer and cover overnight. I don’t have a mooring cover. I do have a travel cover but it has a small area that leaks and it’s a mess trying to get it on the boat when it’s floating. I am looking forward to the trip, but I have babied my boat and I want it to be nice for a long time. Am I risking my floor getting soft by leaving it exposed to a few days of rain?

The boat is an alumacraft tiller with a wood floor, all surfaces carpeted. Has a working automatic bilge pump so I’m not worried about that aspect.

I wouldn’t worry too much. Sometimes switches will fail. Like you said it supposed to get wet. But things can fail.
Easy Rip!

Rip, maybe one day you’ll find a topic that meets your standards. I believe in ya.

I agree with John.

Main thing is pull anything out that you don’t want wet. Dry compartments are talked about a lot but seldom are. When tying up at night point the bow towards the lake. When you get home remove everything from the boat, open all the compartment doors and run a fan to dry them completely.

Nothing to worry about. Leaving exposed all season would certainly speed up your wear and tear. A few days no problem.

Thanks fellas. I have thick skin and don’t mind being laughed at so no worries. I am not nearly as experienced as most. If I worried about getting laughed it I wouldn’t have asked most the questions I’ve asked, and I would know even less than I do, so it’s all good.

Got to love this forum.

I chuckle at a question. Nothing more.

Dutch gives his biggest fishing boating response of his life.

And a guy gets ripped for giving advice on a new fishing tactic he found on a huge lake on a fishing forum.

All of this in 24 hours.

IDO

I’m just like you dirtywater. Very particular about my boat and like to keep it clean and looking nice. My last boat was a 2017 and new one a 2022 and I always get asked at the landing if they are new. In fact got checked on opener by a co and he asked if my boat was new. We stayed at a cabin and I kept the boat tied to the dock during the day(with lots of bumpers)but loaded every night and re-launched every morning.

If you don’t have an option to keep it dry while on your trip I would do as others said and open all compartments and let it dry out good when you get home. Hope you have a fun trip.

Dutchboy wrote:

Main thing is pull anything out that you don’t want wet. Dry compartments are talked about a lot but seldom are. When tying up at night point the bow towards the lake. When you get home remove everything from the boat, open all the compartment doors and run a fan to dry them completely.

I do this, my boat gets full of rain and snow when I’m camping and nothing I can do to cover it. No problems ever.

With an auto bilge I’d worry about battery drain if turns out to be a wet one and it’s running constantly.

Have had my best big fishing outings when it’s rainy all day!

Hope ya catch some lunkers, don’t worry about the boat until ya get home, things are built for short term abuse. Usually makes a good time for washing away all the spilt beers and drinks leading up to trip

Deuces wrote:

With an auto bilge I’d worry about battery drain if turns out to be a wet one and it’s running constantly.

That’s a good point. Battery is only a year old so got that going for us at least. Fortunately battery drain wouldn’t be a trip killer, have electric and pull on the little 25. And don’t honestly need sonar where we’re fishing. My spots are synced to the Garmin app on my phone and I know the lake really well.

One thing I don’t see mentioned if you want to avoid a big cleanup- don’t park right under a pine tree. Don’t park under trees at all, if you can avoid it. I couldn’t really avoid it last year on my boat-in to Namakan and had to clean tree droppings from all over my boat. I personally don’t mind much, I’ve had dead deer, catfish, etc all in my boat I just put in the elbow grease to clean it. But the tree stuff sucked.

I would absolutely go auto bilge. I’ve been in a heavy enough rain that put water almost all the way up into my rod locker in less than an hour on a 1775 impact. Auto bilge with a float switch won’t drain your battery. If going on a boat-in trip, absolutely get a portable jump starter and keep it nice and dry at camp. I wouldn’t be without one up on a boat-in.

I’m interested in “point the bow towards the lake” when tying up at night. Why/ how? I’d never be able to get mine out if I wasn’t bow-towards shore. or are you saying at a dock? at a dock I could see doing it, but why?

Why would someone laugh at this question?

The rain and water isn’t the biggest problem, it’s making sure you get it dry afterwards and not to store it wet. Pull the drain plug and jack up the bow so all the water drains from the bilge, open all the hatches and let it sit in the sun for a while and or use fans. Manually try to wipe out any tray areas or places that don’t get any air circulation.

So if the wind comes up at night the waves won’t swamp the boat with water coming over the back end. Also less force of water pushing the boat around and banging it into the dock or even other boats. Yes, thats only for tying up over-night.

I think its a great question , mold after getting wet ? Lots of good solutions to getting it dried out after you get home . Good luck fishing .

KPE wrote:

One thing I don’t see mentioned if you want to avoid a big cleanup- don’t park right under a pine tree. Don’t park under trees at all, if you can avoid it. I couldn’t really avoid it last year on my boat-in to Namakan and had to clean tree droppings from all over my boat. I personally don’t mind much, I’ve had dead deer, catfish, etc all in my boat I just put in the elbow grease to clean it. But the tree stuff sucked.

I would absolutely go auto bilge. I’ve been in a heavy enough rain that put water almost all the way up into my rod locker in less than an hour on a 1775 impact. Auto bilge with a float switch won’t drain your battery. If going on a boat-in trip, absolutely get a portable jump starter and keep it nice and dry at camp. I wouldn’t be without one up on a boat-in.

I’m interested in “point the bow towards the lake” when tying up at night. Why/ how? I’d never be able to get mine out if I wasn’t bow-towards shore. or are you saying at a dock? at a dock I could see doing it, but why?

I did t tie up back wards one night on vermillion and I woke up to a windy morning and the waves were crashing over the back of the boat and flooding it out. Not all situations let you tie up backwards but when you can I would definitely recommend.
And to the op, don’t worry about guys laughing at you, I thought it was a legit question. And if we don’t ask them then we will never find out. Not all of us are just superior and know everything. We have to ask to figure things out.

Dutchboy wrote:

So if the wind comes up at night the waves won’t swamp the boat with water coming over the back end. Also less force of water pushing the boat around and banging it into the dock or even other boats. Yes, thats only for tying up over-night.

This makes sense, especially with transoms that drop significantly in the middle. Thanks

For the OP, what year is your Alumacraft? I wanted a trophy 1775 back in 2018 but went with Lund Impact because Alumacraft saleman told me there’s not one piece of wood on this boat, and the first thing I noticed up under that dash was a bunch of plywood… They’re still nice boats but Lund had a better warranty on decks, etc

Ya boats are made to get wet but I also try to keep mine as dry as I can. Especially since its a lund that will probably need a transom at some point. I have a snap on travel cover and have been known to cover the boat when I know theres a big storm coming while docked at the resort we go to. Helps keep water out of my compartments and out of my tackle bag.

I was in a similar position one month after buying a brand new boat. I brought waders and that made it easier to get the travel cover on in the water. Could you put something (bucket) under the place where it leaks?

Its absolutely a funny question! BECAUSE we have all been there with our new boats! All you have to worry about is getting the water out so it doesn’t sink and taking out gear you don’t want wet. Bailing out a modern boat while in the water is just about impossible so on the off chance your bilge fails its possible to clear out the bulk of the water by planeing your boat with the plug removed. Just be really careful with that option.

I work on boats everyday. No….. Not a silly question. and NO Boats are not designed to get wet. Just the hull is designed to get wet.
They are made of wood. Wood rots. Go on Craigslist and Marketplace and look at 15-20yr old boats. Most, if not all will need floors, transoms and especially carpet replaced sooner than later. Moisture is not your friend.

Most newer composite glass boats are a different story. But I still cringe seeing that or any boat sitting in the rain without a cover on it. Covers are cheap. Protect your investment. You will be happy in the long run.

Bill Mundt wrote:

Most newer composite glass boats are a different story.

My Ranger has zero wood built into it. Its a 2015 aluminum version. That’s actually part of the reason I bought it.

As to why any boat maker would still be using wood is baffling to me with the availability of superior, lighter, and longer lasting materials out there.

I fish in the rain a lot as well and went with the composite/vinyl flooring instead of carpet exactly for this reason. Carpet is so 2010.

The compartments also have a rubber seal around them to help mitigate water getting in them, but I still open all of them to air out after fishing in the rain.

Bill Mundt wrote:

I work on boats everyday. No….. Not a silly question. and NO Boats are not designed to get wet. Just the hull is designed to get wet.
They are made of wood. Wood rots. Go on Craigslist and Marketplace and look at 15-20yr old boats. Most, if not all will need floors, transoms and especially carpet replaced sooner than later. Moisture is not your friend.

Most newer composite glass boats are a different story. But I still cringe seeing that or any boat sitting in the rain without a cover on it. Covers are cheap. Protect your investment. You will be happy in the long run.

Huh? A boat’s interior is not designed to get wet? Then why is virtually everything electrical in the boat IP rated? Why was Marine grade plywood developed? Why is the carpet made of moisture resistance materials? Why are floors made using vinyl. Why are connections watertight fittings? Why are there air vents on storage compartments.

Where do you work on boats?

Although, now that you mention it. I had my boat out in a snow storm this spring and that ice did melt, and the boat has never been the same. I guess I should have had a cover on it while fishing.

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Vinly floors are fairly new aren’t they? I see them as bittersweet, yeah the marine grade Ply won’t get as wet, but when it does where does the moisture go? Wont breathe like carpet and help dry out whats underneath. Seems like a wash for longevity, time will tell?

Some guys it’s a funny question, tbh I chuckled when I read it. But tbh i may have posed such a question years ago as well. Certain folks just see them as tools, tools get dirty, chipped, banged and scratched but they serve a purpose, and that purpose is to facilitate our fishing needs. Lots of stuff to worry about and the pristine condition of our tools isn’t one of them. I get it, long term care, taking pride, blah blah some, just go fish. To each their own, and makes for a good conversation.

Deuces wrote:

Vinly floors are fairly new aren’t they? I see them as bittersweet, yeah the marine grade Ply won’t get as wet, but when it does where does the moisture go? Wont breathe like carpet and help dry out whats underneath. Seems like a wash for longevity, time will tell?

Some guys it’s a funny question, tbh I chuckled when I read it. But tbh i may have posed such a question years ago as well. Certain folks just see them as tools, tools get dirty, chipped, banged and scratched but they serve a purpose, and that purpose is to facilitate our fishing needs. Lots of stuff to worry about and the pristine condition of our tools isn’t one of them. I get it, long term care, taking pride, blah blah some, just go fish. To each their own, and makes for a good conversation.

I’m not saying a boat’s interior is not impervious to water issues. Water will defeat virtually everything over time, including earth. But to say a boat is not intended to get wet is mind boggling.

Deuces wrote:

Vinly floors are fairly new aren’t they? I see them as bittersweet, yeah the marine grade Ply won’t get as wet, but when it does where does the moisture go? Wont breathe like carpet and help dry out whats underneath.

Polymer/vinyl/composite flooring has been around for at least 15 years. Most boat makers charge extra if you want it though, and the standard is still marine carpet. The reason? Its costs less. They save money if they put cheap marine carpet in there instead.

Wood rots. That’s why you see people replacing transoms. Aluminum and composite does not. Water flows over the top of composite flooring right to the drain. Carpet soaks it up.

I used to be a carpet guy until someone talked me into composite flooring. Its completely maintenance free. No stains, no rips, no tears, no replacing. I’m never going back to carpet in a boat again.

I have diamond plate flooring in my boat. It’s light, zero problems with rot and moisture, and easy to clean after a messy day of fishing.

gimruis wrote:

I used to be a carpet guy until someone talked me into composite flooring. Its completely maintenance free. No stains, no rips, no tears, no replacing. I’m never going back to carpet in a boat again.

I’ll clarify my point. Once water gets UNDER the floor, vinyl or carpet, sits in the cracks, crevices, dips, and hull corners where the foam is sprayed into, that vinyl will not allow that water to escape out the plywood. In theory its going to act as a vapor barrier, so how much harder is the hull/plywood able to dry out than w carpet? Does that affect longevity? I’m not sure.

Deuces wrote:

Some guys it’s a funny question, tbh I chuckled when I read it.

That was it nothing more nothing less.