A time comes when the old lady needs a new dress. Pulling and blocking the boat for a bottom job is something all boat lovers face every few years. Look closely at the bow just above the water line and see a little patch of tannin staining called a mustache. Does it look like she’s smiling?
Well ,we block the old gal up and get to work. you can see my crème puff Ford “ Exploder” on the left
I found very few barnacles on the hull itself . You can see where the paint has sloughed off below the water line. I use bottom paint that is referred to as ablative. The word is from the Latin meaning remove or cut off. The paint contains copper and this keeps the critters from living on the hull. It’s like DEET for a boat. The paint slowly comes off over time and keeps the hull smooth and efficient. Using this type of paint as opposed to non ablative is that ablative doesn’t build up and need heavy stripping and sanding after a few coats over the years. Also it is best for boats that travel as opposed to sit at the dock.
The first thing I did was wax the sides if the hull with a high speed buffer.
Looking where the ladder is you can see the area behind it shined.
Below is all the stuff needed to make the mess on the bottom. Paint thinner, paint, brushes and so on.
The piece below is called the skeg and is used to protect the rudder and propeller. This one is fiberglass covered white oak. I used some fiberglass to fix a few cracks I found and one can see the fiberglass cloth mess I made.
The worst part of the bottom was the running gear .This means the propeller, rudder and shaft. Any paint on these will be blown off by the force of the prop wash. See the anode in the center. There are anodes made of zinc on the rudder and shaft to prevent electrolysis of the bronze. The current generated by the ground wires on the boat dissolves the anodes and not the good stuff.
Don’t cover the anode with paint. It won’t work. Masking tape is god’s gift. The rudder has been wire brushed and sanded
The propeller looked like hell.
Looking to the left of the prop there is a flange bolted to the hull. I should have resealed this while the boat was out. Five days later I would be pulling the boat to fix a leak at that flange. Expensive memory problem. That’s all I saying about that !
Blood sweat and tears brought me to the end. Two coats of paint – about two gallons – of blue ablative and spraying the running gear with zinc paint I was good to go. The zinc paint is an experiment. Boaters have noted that barnacles don’t grow on zinc. So even though it will come off or be sacrificed at some point I decided to see how long it lasts. When the diver checks it out later this summer we will know. Notice on the bow the mustache is gone.
Tired and needing a drink
Back in the drink and I had a drink.
ain’t she a beauty…….
Some of the pictures I used are from my iPhone. I don’t like the quality and had trouble finding some good pictures to use. I think I just didn’t push or slide or talk or something to make them better.
I am still an unclaimed treasure in Mobile Alabama.
Dr Brad standing by on 16
Black Dog Sailor 