Auckland has about a third of the country's 200,000 trailer power boats. Photo / Supplied
Auckland has about a third of the country's 200,000 trailer power boats. Photo / Supplied
Auckland Council has marine and road hazard risks on its hands if newly-liberated boaties can't hose down their engines and trailers because of new water restrictions.
The council has a potential perfect storm ahead this weekend as thousands of boaties hit the water after weeks of lockdown - just asan outside hose ban comes into force on Saturday in response to an historic drought.
For trailer power boats, hosing down the outboard motor and trailer wheels to wash away salt is a health and safety requirement, said Marine Industry Association executive director Peter Busfield.
If freshwater hosing isn't done on an engine and its cooling system, salt deposits build up and the boat can break down at sea, creating a safety hazard, he said. Warranties can also be voided.
Trailer hubs and brakes and bearings will also salt up and pose a risk on the road.
Auckland is estimated to have about a third of the country's 200,000 trailer power boats, Busfield said.
When the Herald approached Watercare with the looming conundrum, the council's water management arm said there were no exemptions for boaties to deal with this problem.
But in a statement later, Watercare said it was "investigating the possibility of providing non-potable water at marinas". Watercare is the council's water management arm.
Mayor Phil Goff's office echoed the statement after being approached by the Herald.
The first stage of restrictions bans the use of outdoor hoses and water blasters.
Washing down engines and trailer wheels normally involves three to four minutes of direct hosing with fresh water, Busfield said.
The hosing ban will also come as a blow to boat owners who wanted to freshen up their Covid-neglected pride and joy with an overall wash.
Busfield said good citizen boat owners should comply with the water restrictions when it comes to cleaning the whole boat.
Auckland boaties now free to hit water but what about that hosing ban? Photo / Will Trafford
He said Watercare had not approached the association over the water use ban, nor had his organisation spoken to Watercare.
Marina Operators Association chairman Chris Galbraith also thinks it's reasonable that an overall post-lockdown clean is off the agenda given the severity of the water shortage situation.
"It's a consistent response to drought. Everyone has to endure it," he said.
The typical boat tied up at Auckland's marinas won't face the no-hosing problem.
Most have in-board engines which have their own wash systems and many bigger boats have desalination systems which remove the salt from water.
Westhaven Marina manager Karenza Harris said the marina had put signs up on-site and advised on its website that no hoses could be used or water blasting done.
But she agreed many people had not put the two situations - the release from lockdown and the water use ban -together yet.
Westhaven is the biggest yacht marina in the Southern Hemisphere, with close to 2000 berths and swing moorings. It currently hosts 500 yachts, launches and catamarans.
The average size of the boats it hosted was 14m and most would have full water tanks on board, Harris believed. Many had desalination systems.
Harris did not expect demand from customers for the marina to buy in tanks of water for washing boats.
She expected the weekend to be "crazy" with the new boating freedom and had advised the Auckland yachting fraternity to remember the water restrictions being imposed on Saturday.
