Maintenance, Cleaning & Storage
General Items
Rudder
Nauticraft boat owners oftentimes ask what the best way is to store their boat during the off-season as well as suggestions as to how to dock their boat during seasonal months.
The ideal way to store a Nauticraft boat during the off-season (or seasonal) months is on one of our modified Karavan boat trailers (see prior blog posting) and preferably inside a building. If storing the boat inside is not an option, we would highly recommend it be covered with a trailering cover or a tarp while stored outside in order to keep dirt and debris (as well as critters!) from getting inside of it.
If a trailer is not available, Nauticraft boats can be stored sitting on their keels. The Escapade with its single keel, will need to either lean on a wall in order to keep it upright – or sit on a Storage Cradle. Nauticraft manufactures and sells Storage Cradles made specifically for the Escapade that securely hold the boat in an upright position.
A Launching Wheel Set is available for the Encore and can be used while the boat is sitting on its two keels (ideally on a hard surface) as well as launching it (see prior posting). A Styrofoam block may also be placed under the bow of the Encore, thereby giving it additional support.
The Sprite Pedal Boat is a relatively flat-bottomed boat and will easily rest sitting on its keel once the swing up drive units are removed and the rudder is swept up.
Boat lifts can also be used to store a Nauticraft boat when not in use. Bunk risers added to a Personal Watercraft lift (similar to a lift used for a jet ski) will be needed to help with fitting the deep keels on the boats.
For boats maintained in tidal waters, suggestions are “Tideminders”, a Tidewater Boat Lift or a floating dock, which allow for the rise and fall of waters.
For ease of docking a Nauticraft boat, hand holds have been molded in at the stern of the boat as well as a cross hole thru the bow, all of which allow the boat to be tied off.
Another option is to mount a manual or electric davit to a dock to facilitate taking a boat in/out of the water. A jib (or gantry) crane and electric hoist would be needed. An Encore or Sprite can then sit on the dock, while a storage cradle for an Escapade would work best for that particular boat. The below pictures reflect an Encore boat hoisted at the factory and how the hand holds and bow hole are used for this purpose. (Note that the boat should not be stored on the hoist.)
The above are just a few of the ways to store/dock a Nauticraft boat. Nauticraft boat owners have been very creative in what works best for them!
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A common question that we hear from new Nauticraft boat owners is how they are going to get their Pedal (Electric) Boat into the water. And once it’s in the water, how to best store/dock it (to be discussed in a later blog posting).
Keep in mind that our boats are somewhat large and heavy. The 4-person Encore Pedal Boat weighs 375# without any accessories. Add the electrical components to it as well as a battery, and the weight increases to almost 500#. With a length of 14’2”, this is a sizeable pedal boat.
Our 3-person Escapade Pedal Boat weighs 325# without accessories. This boat is two feet shorter in length than the Encore, but still a sizeable boat.
We would highly recommend that a boat owner purchase one of our boat trailers for use in launching their Nauticraft boat. We start with a Karavan personal watercraft trailer and then modify it to fit the deep keels on the boats. With a draft of just under two feet for each of the Encore and Escapade boats this modification is needed to allow the boats to sit comfortably on the trailer. (Note that we would suggest purchasing the trailer at the same time as the boat, as shipping a trailer at a later time is very expensive.)
In lieu of a boat trailer, an Encore boat owner might consider using our Launching Wheel set to launch their boat in/out of the water. Note that a hard surface is needed to more readily maneuver the boat; as well as a boat ramp without a significant degree of tilt. A bar will also be needed to place thru the cross hole in the bow to better allow two persons to lift and move the boat. (Note that if the boat is shipped, this bar will be included as part of the packaging.) Please refer to the maintenance videos on our website for additional information on the launching wheel set: https://www.nauticraft.com/boats/encore/encore-videos/
A Nauticraft boat owner may rather prefer to use their own personal watercraft trailer in which case bunk risers will be needed. These can be purchased at a local major trailer/marine dealer or on-line. Note that the trailer will sit higher, and as such it will be necessary to back it further into the water to safely launch the boat.
A boat marina is another suggestion. Most (larger) boat marinas have the means to launch a boat and retrieve it out of the water. Having a new boat delivered to a boat marina is an ideal way to get the boat into the water and may even cost less for shipping purposes. (Note that boats shipped from Nauticraft are packaged on a skid and in a large cardboard box.)
Sietech Dollies are another option – more so for an Escapade Pedal Boat. With its large tires, the Sietech Dolly helps with maneuvering a boat thru the sand. Note, though, that pulling a boat out of the water onto a launching ramp requires a very strong person. Also, the Sietech Dolly doesn’t travel very well across hard surfaces.
Bottom line – if the boat is being launched just 1x/season, most likely 3-4 able-bodied persons can lift the boat in/out of the water. If the boat is to be launched more frequently, though, we suggest using one of our modified boat trailers or one of the other options as described above.
Nauticraft Pedal boats have undergone various modifications over the years and as such, when boat owners contact Nauticraft for replacement parts, it is important that we know which generation boat they own so that the correct parts are sent to them.
One way in which boat owners can tell the generation of their boat is based upon the drive shaft &/or the end piece on the propeller. We thought the following would help with that determination:
Encore
– 1st Generation (boats molded prior to 2010 – approx.)
Drive shaft = fiberglass – round on the outside & hexagonal shaped on the inside; large bolt in middle of end piece
– 2nd Generation (boats molded in 2010 (approx.) thru mid-2015)
Drive shaft = aluminum tube (crimped on both ends); no bolt in middle of end piece
– 3rd Generation (boats molded mid-year 2015 thru mid-2019)
Drive shaft = aluminum rod
– 4th Generation (boats molded mid-2019 thru current)
Drive shaft = aluminum tube (somewhat similar to 2nd generation, but no crimp on front of tube)
Escapade
– 1st generation (boats molded prior to 2008 – approx.)
Hex-shaped rod (inside & out) & white fiberglass; screw in middle of end piece
– 2nd generation (boats molded in 2008 (approx.) thru current)
Round plastic rod (3/4” diameter); no screw in middle of end piece
Note that changes to the drive shafts were needed mainly
due to our suppliers. Either the parts were no longer available,
or those suppliers were not providing us with parts up to Nauticraft’s standards.
Come check out our Escapade Pedal boat at the 7th annual Earth Fair Expo. This event is taking place on Saturday, April 27th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Muskegon Farmer’s Market, 242 W. Western Ave., Muskegon, MI 49440. It’s sure to be a great time! These pictures are from the Earth Fair Expo we attended previously with the Escapade Pedal boat.
NOTE: We regret to say that we will no longer be at the Tampa Boat show. We will certainly keep you notified of future shows where we will be in attendance. We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you! The boat shows in Florida are starting to ramp up! Check out one of our 4-person Encore Pedal/Electric boats at the Tampa Boat Show, taking place in less than two weeks. Details are as follows:
September 7–9, 2018
Tampa Convention Center Friday 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
333 S. Franklin St. Saturday 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Tampa FL 33602 Sunday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Nauticraft is looking forward to hearing how well our Escapade Pedal boat and its owner perform at the upcoming Seventy48 race. Yep – a 70 mile race with a time frame of 48 hours. Did we mention that it is a race of Human Power Only – i.e. pedal, paddle, row?! It is taking place starting June 11, 2018 and starts in Tacoma, Washington and ends up in Port Townsend, Washington. Check out the below video and see “The AquaVan” in action!! (Note that Nauticraft does not condone the use of our boats in rough waterways or extreme conditions. It is solely the boat owner’s choice as to how/when they use our boats.)
NOTE: Were sorry to say that we will no longer be at this boat show. We will, though, be at the upcoming Big Boys Toy Show coming up in Florida. More details to follow!! We’re starting off the 2018 New Year with yet another boat show! Come check out the Encore Pedal/Electric boat at the Charlotte County Boat Show in Florida. Specifics are as follows:
17th Charlotte County Boat Show
Date: January 11-14, 2018
Venue: Charlotte County Fairgrounds
Admission: Free admission to the public and $5 parking.
Address: 2333 El Jobean Road, Port Charlotte, FL, 33948
Hope to see you there!!