Axis Wakeboard Boat Forum

Hey everyone. We are looking at doing a boat slip next summer up here in MN on Prior Lake. Currently we tow our boat to the lake that we are going to and then I tuck my baby in at night into our garage where it is fully covered and out of the elements which makes me extremely comfortable. The pain with this is towing it to the lake every time which adds on a good day 45 minutes, on a bad day an hour and 15 minutes. A couple of times at this particular lake it has added two plus hours to our trip which kinda ruins the outing. So this coming year we are looking to rent a slip for the summer and see how we like that. I assume we are going to love it and imagine its the next best thing to living on the water, which we would rather do but don't want to pay the premium of living on the lake.

Anyways, it makes me uneasy to have the boat exposed all summer. The slip is a floating dock system with no option to put a lift in so no way to put a canopy over the boat. So we would have the boat cover on when we aren't there, plus the speaker covers, but that would be it. Any thoughts? Or if other people have done this and it worked out ok? Obviously can't control the weather but we do get the occasional bad storm here with hail.

The other part is I would have to get the boat hull washed at the end of the year since the lake will leave it's mark on the boat and there are zebra mussels in the lake. Any harm here or will the acid wash (I think that's what would be done) make it look like new again after they do that?

Looking for some no BS help here to either confirm my fears of having the boat out all year or someone to calm my fears and tell me its okay. And yes the boat is fully insured, but I'd rather not play that card if I don't have to.

One final tidbit would be that in another 3 years when our warranty is up we'd likely be trading it in for a different Axis, but this thing is my baby and it is our first VDrive (two summers old now).

Much appreciated everyone.

I'll be honest with you, I'd never consider leaving any boat I've ever owned in the water for months at a time, or uncovered, but that's just the way I think.

We are considering leaving our boat down at the lake for the first time next season and my requirements include a slip with a covered lift. I'm worried enough about it just being put away wet after we use it and throw the cover on instead of doing as I usually do after every use and remove anything wet and leave it uncovered in my garage for a few days before putting everything back in to make sure its 100% dry. But I figure there are tons of boats left on a lift year round so it'll be fine.

The longest I've ever left a boat in the water is 10 days when we do a houseboat trip, and I feel like it takes a week to fully dry out after that once we get home and it's in the garage.

If you do as you're planning I would think you should at least pull it out every few weeks to wipe it down really good as well as to just give it a once over that may prevent you from bigger issues if they go unnoticed.

I love the convenience of a slip. However I would never leave a newer boat in the water. I would only do it if I had a lift.

I did keep an old Ski Nautique outside in the water for a summer. That boat took a beating. No matter how well we tied it up it would still take a pounding from rollers. The sun would bake parts of the boat that were exposed. After that summer I would never leave a boat in the water again. It took forever to clean the hull of the boat.

I've never left my boat in the water unless I was camped next to it, and in a few storms, even that made me nervous.

However, my last boat (a cheapo inboard/outboard) I bought 8 years old on a freshwater lake in Virginia. It spent all summer sitting in the water. By the time I got it, it had some of those bubbles in the gelcoat on the bottom. By the time I'd had it a few years, I had 30 holes in the gelcoat. It didn't leak or anything, but it looked terrible.

I think that's your biggest issue. Gelcoat doesn't like sitting in the water. I think if you're going to do that you're supposed to put antifouling paint on it or something. I would not do it with a newish Axis. I mean, you still have to drive to the lake, right? How much longer does it really take towing vs driving without towing? Are there really long launch lines or something?

I've been on Prior a few times and understand the need for a slip to get the most out of our short season. I've never had a slip but if slips are as bad as others say I'd just leave it in on busy times and pull it out during off times of the season and dry it out and take care of it.

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Really appreciate all the feed back. We have decided to pass on the slip this summer. It just makes me super uncomfortable to have the boat in the elements all summer.

I think I am going to see if my buddy will allow for me to put a lift at his house and repay with beer and help around his place. That way it can be covered all summer and frankly someone is there checking up on it after larger storms.

Thanks again for all the insight.

We left our boat in a slip for 3 nights when we stayed at a floating cabin and it was nasty to clean, I would only do a lift

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Good call Walter. The cost does not outweigh the benefit IMO. You would still have to move your gear in and out of the boat every trip which is time. The boat would stay dirty, and unprotected - which is the deal breaker for me.

Not a chance.

Sounds like you have made your decision.
Personally I keep mine on a lift, but have quite a few friends that leave their boats in the water in slips during our summer. I left my prior boat on whips because of water levels.
The convenience of blasting out before work, after work or just on short notice etc etc.
I can't imagine not keeping the boat in or on the water.
You end up using it so much more than if you have to tow and launch each time.
just my two cents - personally I will always have moorage if I have a boat.
can't imagine owning a boat without at this point.

I'm on a waiting list for a slip at my local freshwater lake. I'll have it covered and the marina is in a no wake zone. the only sucky thing is that there is no gas on the lake. I'll have to buy a big can or take gas with me to top off every time or something. But I agree that if my boat is in the water ready to use I'll use it so much more. It's like a 40 minute drive to the water towing the boat. Then load up, launch, park the truck, etc... I'm over it.