Boats that sat on hard

[MJH]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

I am going to see a boat Saturday with crazy low hours on a Yanmar (2009 with 125 hours). Talking with broker it came out the boat was not launched at all last summer. So, it’s been at least 1 year out of the water.

Is this concerning? How long is a long time to be on the hard?

If the boat has been professionally hauled and blocked, no problem. When I bought my bought it had been on the hard four years. Some concern should be given to the diesel in the tank if it has not been serviced...a good idea would be to have the fuel cleaned.

Good Luck.

[SuW]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

Those hours are extremely suspect...

Not really. We have a 1976 boat we bought in 2009. It had been repowered with a 1992 engine and had about 250 hours on the engine hour meter when we bought it.The previous owner left it at the dock and partied.

No issues. 15 years later the boat now has about 850 hours.

It's sailboat. We don't party so much, I guess.

[OS2Dude]

If it is a fiberglass boat, it should not be an issue given the cavets as others have stated. If it is a wooden boat, you may have a time until it swells again. My brother had a wooden boat on the hard for a couple of years while going through a divorce. When it was splashed, they had to hold it in the slings for several hours to let it absorb water, then he spent the night on it to manually bail when the bilge pumps were overwhelmed. It eventually swelled back up and became tight again, but it took a while.

[sailingharry]

In general, the fact that it hasn't been used is a good thing. But, if it sits on the hard, it probably isn't being attended to. The chain plates can start to leak (or continue leaking), leading to deck rot. My last boat had been on the hard 4 years, water came down the mast and filled the bilge to the point that the cabin sole (and everything under it) was completely rotted. Batteries are likely toast. Any canvas not stored can be mildewed, sun rotted, etc. (and canvas stored can be mouse eaten). Electronics can be severely outdated. But it wasn't hitting docks, stressing rigging, flogging sails, running engine out of oil, etc.

[marcjsmith]

My boat was on the hard for 8 years when I purchased. Low engine hours even accounting for the 8 year slumber. But the hour meter was showing about 75 hours per year for 24 years, about 1800 hours. Once the engine was fired up. Found out the analog hour meter no longer worked.

Boat needed a crap load of work. But sweat equity is free and the boat had good bones worth saving…

[lifeofreilly57]

If the hull isn't oil canning and there's no water inside it should be OK. Maybe a bit musty, but otherwise OK.
Of course it depends on where the boat was stored, if it's in a northern state you need to make sure it was properly pickled before storage. Freeze damage can be expensive.
One auction boat I bought had been on the hard for 6 years, a deep cleaning and detailing brought it back to it's original luster, the diesel started on the third kick, with the old fuel. I did change out the fuel though prior to launching.
It all depends on how it was prepped for storage.

[zachduckworth]

This is all very interesting information as I am debating a bunch of ides for a post-retirement cruising lifestyle.

I was considering cruising seasonally in the Sea of Cortez. It is very cheap to put a boat on the hard there. saw some people online say thatwhen on the hard the high temps and dryness can be damaging to things like rubber and plastic components and exterior teak (not so much concerned about exterior teak..). Is there any truth to that?

[Fortytwo]

Originally Posted by Thomas1985

I am going to see a boat Saturday with crazy low hours on a Yanmar (2009 with 125 hours). Talking with broker it came out the boat was not launched at all last summer. So, it’s been at least 1 year out of the water.

Is this concerning? How long is a long time to be on the hard?

2009~2010 (not sure, previous owner) Yanmar 40hp. 148 hours. Been on the hard since 2010. I discovered in 2023 seawater left in the heat exchanger corroded through in to a cylinder and bricked the motor.

Run the motor with fresh water.