Boat Maintenance

Shiny and Ready For The Water

This photo was taken during the first lift-out we did in 2009.  We like to check the anodes annually but the hull doesn’t always need anti-fouling.  In 2009 we rollered on 2 layers of 2 season paint and put an extra layer along the waterline and leading edges.  She still seems quite clean in January 2010 and we are hoping not to have to do further anti-fouling until next year.  We also polish her to keep her nice and shiny and clean the propeller too.

She was only out of the water a week last year and the same this year as she stands higher on the ground than our last boat and is quicker and less back-breaking to paint.  Its good fun, dressed in the plastic blue overalls with goggles and a hat.  We also camp out on the boat, so that is fun too.  This year she is having holes put through the hull for our new generator and having the steering checked. 

Other maintenance includes cleaning the teak, all the stainless steel, servicing the engine, checking the navigation lights by climbing the mast, cleaning out the bilges and cupboards and generally keeping the boat clean and well checked.  Living on her means we can see things and put them right straight away.   People have remarked that she looks a few years younger than she is and this really comes down to looking after her.  We sold our last boat for what we paid for her just because of the condition.

In 2011 we were booked to do the ARC so we had a few more tasks to do and as it is cheaper to have the boat ashore we decided to keep her out for a couple of months. The March, April and May posts describe the details of what we did but the main focus was safety. We replaced all the standing rigging, added a 3rd reef to the main, had new jackstays, anodes, halyards, propellor and pushpit rail. The photo below shows her in May 2011.

She was polished and anti-fouled as usual but with longer lasting paint. We also treated the teak rubbing strakes which are easier to reach ashore. The final item for the freezer was the plate on the hull and hopefully that will save us some power. The bowthruster anodes were also checked and the chamber well anti-fouled. Should be in much warmer weather when we next haul her out!