Hull Maintenance

The WEASEL out of the water at the Granville Island Boatyard for her prop-shaft replacement. This was a perfect opportunity to do some work on the hull.

When the prop shaft was broken on the boat and we had to haul it out to repair it there was no way I could in good conscience put the boat back in the water with out taking care of the hull. The paint job that was intended to last one year was on its second and the boat had slowed right down.

The plan was to have the boat hauled out so Stem to Stern could do the replacement on the prop shaft and over the weekend I would attack the hull. We wanted to paint it, put new zincs on it and polish the hull above the water line. Basically I had two days to do the work that would have taken me a week; so I put out a call for help. I got a overwhelming response from friends and family. Some contributed money, others time, and some both. With all this help and a short time line I had to be prepared.

I knew the first step was to minimize running to the store and make sure I had everything I needed. I put together a pretty thorough list of equipment. From past experience I remember getting utterly filthy so this time I spent some extra money and got gear to keep us clean. This would make the process less painful over all. Here is my equipment list with few omissions:

EQUIPMENT:

The Random Orbital Sander. This device is really effective at taking the paint off. Make sure to have a lot of discs. We also employed two other palm-sanders which worked but were not as effective. This Black and Decker model did break at the very end of the sanding. It may be repairable or you may want to think about buying a better product.


I switched from Interlux's ACT to Micron CSC because of its better quality. In the end with my discount a West Marine I could afford to go with this paint. It is a ablative like ACT but has more even wearing and is good for at least two years.


Rags. I used 5 bags of rags!



Orbital sanding discs. I used 40, 60, 80 grit discs for the really ugly work. The key I found with these is to change them often. I used about 18 on the hull.


Good quality 3M 80 grit wet-dry sand paper for the palm sanders.


Paint scrapers. This model is not very good. I bought two additional ones from West Marine with Carbide blades that were the bees knees. Normally if it is a one man job you only need one but with 6 volunteers I got multiple.


A simple razor scraper is good if you have any dried on anti-fouling above the water line.

Solvent for cleaning anything with paint on it is essential.

FSR - Fibre-glass Stain Remover uses a mild acid to leach stains out of fibre glass. It is a good product. Interlux also has a product with a good reputation but this was more easily accessible. It is really useful for getting off the yellowing around the water-line. I bought three tubs.

The Magic Eraser was all Mike's idea. I was impressed. This is a mild abrasive but did wonders on all the scuff marks on the hull. See the photos for results.


Goggles are essential for the sanding phase. They are not terribly useful to see through as they fog up right away and quickly are covered with anti-fouling sludge.

Pacific Yachting reported they got their best polish results with basic West Marine Polish; so I tried there new version of cleaner wax. I bought two containers but one was sufficient. It worked well. I will let you know how it stands up over time.

The random orbital polisher is a must have for waxing the hull. This one however died and I was forced to purchase a new one. I am not going to keep any power tools in the dock box anymore.

Plastic Drop clothes work for catching paint chips on the ground and tenting off the boat. I used a t total of 6.

These things not only make you look cool but limit the amount of your face that get covered in anti-fouling dust. I also found they helped with the seal on the dust masks.

Polishing clothes for the polisher.

Paint roler tray.

Cheap wooden brushes for cutting in. Anti-fouling paint is pretty gross so I treated these as disposable.

I bought two chemically resistant paint rollers. The second one did start to fall apart by the end of the last coat so another brand may be worth a try.

I purchased 3 rolls of masking tape but found I used less than one. This stuff is designed not to leave residue behind so make sure you buy the right colour.

Zincs for the cutlass and prop-shaft. Make sure you have the right Allan keys on hand to mount them.

The right mask makes all the difference in the world. The N95 is the mask they use at the CDC when treating TB patients and when I used it I got none of the anti-fouling dust in my lungs. Well worth it.

Other tools employed, were numerous extension cords, screw drivers, and ladders.

THE REPORT

PHASE ONE: Getting there

The first task was to get the boat over to the boat yard. The insurance company was not cool with me sailing it over there or having a buddy tow me anywhere so I hired C-Tow. I showed up at the boat with Dave on a rainy work day. They were 20 minutes late. We pushed the WEASEL out into the fairway and I stayed on board and fended off while Dave held the bow. When in position they tossed me a tow line which I tied off on the bow cleat.

Soon we were motoring off at 10 knots with me steering the boat trying to keep it centred behind the tow boat. I didn't want the tow line coming forward and putting any undo pressure on the pulpit. I did feel the tow was a bit on the fast side.

The view from the cockpit as C-Tow tows me.

Going under the Granville Street Bridge.

When we got to Granville Island Boat Yard it was a tricky thing to get into the slip area in front of the travel lift. I had them run me in and let go of me so that I could coast/scull in. This was a little dramatic as the tow boat almost hit a parked Hunter with the owners watching but the guy at the helm of the tow boat was skilled. I sculled my way in and Jason, of SHAWPAW fame, helped tie me off. We had made it.

Video of the SEA WEASEL being towed.

PHASE TWO: The assessment

The WEASEL was setup in a nice corner of the yard close to the electric outlets. Getting the hoses over there took some doing but was not bad.

The port side profile.

Pressure washing had taken off a fair bit of paint. Notice the sling protected some of the hull from the washing; pretty grimy.

By the time I got there the prop was removed.

Gudgeon and pintal mounts exposed.

This needs some work.

Exhaust staining makes me want to cry. The boat looks filthy.

The keel needs some love. There was also a old ding in the trailing edge of the keel.

Note the chip in the keel, the stains and scuffs above the water line. Ugly.

PHASE THREE: Scrapping and Sanding

First thing first; prepare the boat and ourselves. I had 6 volunteers so we all suited up in disposable jump suits, gloves, spray socks, masks, and goggles. We then tarped off the boat and set down dop sheets on the ground.

The WEASEL shrowded in plastic.

Now the fun began. We attacked the hull with the scrappers first. We got off anything loose. This is where the good quality scrappers showed their worth over the cheap yellow handled ones. With three people at it we made short work. Another three began following up with Plam and orbital sanders. Again the better quality orbital sander could do way more damage than the palm sanders.

I wish I could say that I discovered the "trick" to taking off old bottom paint but I didn't. It was back breaking work and the only solution was sweat and tears.

Curtis goes back in for some more sanding.

D-Hog; looking like a homeless man.

My Dad, oddly clean...

Tom hard at it with the sander.

My dad, cleaning off the cutlass.

Having more than one sander and lots of volunteers to spell people off and help with reloading sand paper made it less of a chore.

They look like coal miners.

The keel sanded down.

At this stage the boat looks even worse than before.

It is hard to see and looks like nothing is there but the ding in the trailing edge of the keel has been filled with epoxy puddy and sanded down.

The rudder is almost bare.

Okay maybe I am being weird but this feels dirty.

Another shot of the keel.

PHASE FOUR: Painting

After we gave up on sanding we removed all of the plastic sheeting and hosed down the whole hull of the boat. At this stage we applied the FSR to the hull above the water line. We let it sit for about 15 minutes and washed it away. It makes a big difference and we went around again and applied it to some of the more stained areas. Then it was time to hose it off for the last time. we gave it some time to dry. It was raining so we slung some tarps over the topsides to keep the rain off the hull as much as possible.

We then began to mix the paint by hand which is a pain in the butt. I would recommend going to a paint shop and having someone mix it up for you. I was not sure how much paint we would use so I had bought about 5 litres and hoped to be able to return the 1 litre tin if I didn't use it.

Painting was pretty easy. We had two people brushing and one roller going. My dad is a great painter and he opted to cut in at the waterline without masking it off. He didn't go over the line once. The other guys with the brushes concentrated on the thru-hulls, and little areas I could not reach with the roller. By the end the boat was starting to look better. We headed back to my place for drinks and dinner which Cheryl had been preparing.

The bottom paint applied and the stains removed.

The FSR really took up the yellow staining near the waterline.

The first coat done. Day one complete!

PHASE FIVE: Final coat and waxing

The next morning it was just Mike and I down at the boat. We immediatly set to putting the second coat on since it was barely raining. This went smoothly but I did have to open up the second tin of paint. I also made sure to leave enough extra paint to do the area covered by the pads just before the boat is put back in the water. The anti-fouling was looking good now. I went back and mounted the cutlass zinc and the job was done.

Looking good. Notice that the trailing edge of the keel is all fixed up.

A close up of my repair work.

SEA WEASEL gets a new zinc.

A side profile. I will have to get under the pads when the boat is lifted.

Mike and I then prepared to wax the hull above the waterline. Mike got a bright idea and suggested we go buy some "magic erasers" to try and get the numerous scuffs up. I was skeptical but went along with it. It was amazing. They are a mild abrasive and with a little bit of elbo grease they lifted up all of the scuffs and black marks off the hull. Good idea Mike!

Next we tag teamed waxing the hull. I applied the wax and Mike followed me with the polisher. I then went back and attacked it with a buffing cloth until he was done and changed the pads on the polisher and went at it. The results were amazing. The WEASEL has never looked so good.

It is hard to believe this is the exhaust hole!

The hull free of scuffs and looking good.

Again the hull looks amazing.

Shiny!

Add a prop shaft and she is ready to go!

CONCLUSION

This is my the third bottom job I have done in my life and by far the easiest. Having lots of help was key as was being prepared and having the right equipment. While there is still the matter of having the mechanical systems put back together I think that the boat will be back in action and better than ever.

The final inspection.

ACKNOWLEDMENTS

I would like to sincerely thank the following people for sacraficing there time to help me fix up the WEASEL; without your help it would not have been possible. I feel truely lucky to have friends like you.

• Mike
• Curtis
• Darryl
• Tom
• Johnny
• David
• Cheryl

Also to those that donated money to the cause I would like to thank you for your genorisity you know who you are.