Need to Haul-Out Without the Out? Just Add Water

After a recent tropical storm paid an ugly visit to our fine bay a few of the anchor out flotilla came to painful rest on rocky rip rap.  

The Calm After the Storm

 Rescued from further embarrassment and fragmentation this sailboat found her way to our docks.  She suffered a broken rudder among many other ills. 

Rudder?  What rudder?

The vessel expended her remaining allotment of seaworthiness to traverse the 50 yards or so to safety.  It was a harrowing but successful journey.  

Where Boat Dollars Go
A real haul out is necessary to fix all of her woes but first the rudder needed desperate attention.  

Water Ballast

The best way to reach what was left of the spade rudder required adding water, lots of it, to the bow.

With her stern uncomfortably high in the water and her bow looking as if it were part of a submarine, some of the damage was exposed. 

A Water Lever 

A creative solution born of immediate necessity 

Put your own photo and Text here
Bottles or Cans
SV HideAway
Sailing Bottle Cooler by MACmedia
Look at another Drink Cooler

How to Lose Your Sole - Compac 23

Of all the projects on the long and growing refit list perhaps the most dreaded is the replacement of the cabin sole.  The other large projects, cabin painting, compounding and waxing the hull, painting the topsides etc. were at least things I’ve either done before or could wrap my remaining brain cells around.   Ripping out a substantial chunk of the cabin was something to put off even with the acknowledgement that the project was not going away. 

My Sole Extraction Project Began with a Brush

I was painting something at the time, and well, you know how that goes.  You just can’t stop or you’ll have to clean things.  It doesn’t take long in the heat that is spring in Florida to dry out an ill placed dollop of paint from a fully loaded brush dropped in response to my sole achieving a bond with one of the smaller digits of my left foot.

If You Can’t Laugh At Yourself You’re Missing The Best Part Of The Show

The fairly outsized piece of sole protruding from one of my smaller toes was removed without remorse by the admiral from the foot hanging over the gunnel that belonged to the shoeless painter and staked out by an insistent sole all the while providing entertainment to the post woman and snickering neighbors whom happened by. 

So my friends go below to find my offering described with talking moving pictures of how to remove your very own sole.

 Part Two- Finding Your Sole should be a real hoot.

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

BCYC Spring Sailing School - Docking

It was the last day of the spring Sailing School.  The final lesson is piloting a glass boat up a narrow channel in gusty winds to an immovable object.  This lesson involves all points of sail while developing your nerves of steel.  What could be more fun?

SMALL BOATS ROCK!! 

Turning Fiberglass into Wood

I like the the blues I said - So do I-she said - make it blue!

Whats wrong with this picture?  For one thing its too sterile, besides being awash in blue, it has no personality .  Since adding real wood was beyond my skill set, risk tolerance and time line I resorted to the cure of most ills; another coat of  paint.  OK, many coats of paint.

MAKING A MESS IS WHAT I DO BEST

 Not just any paint will do the job I had in mind.  It has to be artist's quality professional level to maintain the most basic of sailboat maintenance requirements-  It has to be expensive!

The real reason though is that professional level artist paint has no fillers.  That means you can mix colors accurately.  It's not easy-as any artist will tell you- art is a very painful thing. .

It's easy to attach the trim- just use a paint brush!

I have to do some work on the trim pieces but so far I really like the effect.

SV HIDEAWAY PORT SIDE WOOD FINISH

I used the rough surface to add color and texture to the  FiberWood.  Like most things in this world, it looks better from a distance.  Yes, I see the port has some paint on it- I don't claim to be neat! I can remove the blemishes later. 

SMALL BOATS ROCK!!

 

Custom Wood Photo Cube by MACmedia
Look at other Vacation Photo Cubes at zazzle.com
We've sold several of these as gifts for Mother's Day
Just add your own photos/art- It's easy- I did it!

It Is What It Is - Com-Pac 23 Refit Update

FORWARD CABIN COMPAC 23

It the beginning of the refit I had a notion to update hull #2 to a more current version of the Com-Pac 23. It should be relatively easy I reasoned since the hull and house of all CP 23s are made from the same mould after all. Perhaps all I need do is cover up the rough parts below with wood and plastic and voila  I'd have a older version of the 23 that at least looks younger.

A Nautical Fountain of Youth

Its not so easy though. The early boats were not designed to have a fine finish. The cabins are, to be kind, rough.  So rough in fact that any attempt to cover the cabin house walls with wood panels require either grinding down the fiberglass errors or shimming out all six ports.  Add in the strange peeling of the  cabin top limits any significant improvements.

Like Her Owners, HideAway is Getting Old

We both look better from distance and we are both of work boat decor.   HideAway at least can be made to look much younger with some paint, fillers and some new parts.  Can't make the same claim for us though.

What's More Important: Yachting or Sailing?

I'll admit the new boats have much nicer looking cabins filled with wood cabinetry and the slide out galley and an actual table stored below.  Though, if you look at it  through black and white eyes much of the cabinetry makes comfortably sleeping in the main cabin near impossible for normal sized Americans.   And this normal sized American is not going to sleep where you go - if you get my sniff.

Add in our concerns of cooking below decks, the utility of coolers and practicallity of  hatch boards as tables, then the newer cabin interior looks great but has some functional issues..Either that or we have just adapted to the work boat decor environment of less is truely less and would be lost within the luxury of the yacht like improvements.  

The Sailing Fun Factor Does Not Change

The cool thing about mass produced fiberglass boats is that they are all essentially the same hull and topsides. That means low numbered hulls will sail with the same vigor as the new.  Albeit not as shiny and yacht like.

So, my friends the HideAway is what it is and we rather like it that way.

.

SMALL BOATS ROCK!!

Your Custom Bottle Cooler
by SailingHideAway

Sv Hideaway Zazzle stores help make slip rent!

Thank You!

Com-Pac 23 Refit Update - Painting Below Decks

Painting Nonskid Sail Boat Deck Areas

In the later part of the last millennium, the HideAway crew armed with the philosophy that a project once done is always done, painted her nonskid deck areas. (Quit laughing, Brightsides is expensive marine grade paint!)  As expensive as it was there were problems concerning my intended purpose:  

Brightsides is Not Made for Nonskid Deck 

SV HideAway Old and New Nonskid Deck

LARGE SHARP Granules 

Not for Boat Decks!

Who would have thought that marine grade nonskid nodules existed?  Perhaps they didn’t at the time.  At least that would make the capt less guilty after he used common garage floor nonskid granules which mixed with the expensive paint had the feel and cutting ability of 40 grit sand paper.   

Over the ensuing decade and a half none of the crew complained, at least to the hard of hearing capt, nor did anyone slip off the boat.  When “paint the nonskid” came up on the refit list so did the request from the crew that some other nonskid material must be found.

Marine Grade Nonskid Nodules Do Exist!

 Marine Grade Dollars 

Research revealed a product that met all the criteria; it was marine grade, expensive and available at the local marine store. If I only had marine grade dollars life would be easy...

Intergrip made by Interlux consists of small spheres not unlike micro balloons used with epoxy.  In both cases you do not want to use them near a fan nor would you want to breathe in any of them.  Intergrip mixes easily with Brightside’s but you have to mix the lumps out and stir occasionally when painting.  The product can be sprinkled on wet paint but I prefer to mix.  

INTERGRIP NODULES ON DECK

I used recycled 6oz yogurt cups to mix 1 part Intergrip to 8 parts paint. After waiting 15 minutes to let the paint cover the nodules as prescribed in the instructions, I found the concoction made just enough for one comfortable painting session.   (This yogurt cup is narrow at the base and wide at the top- the reverse would will set your mind at ease)

I’ve not had the chance to test the result under sail of course but the grip with bare feet or sandals with a bit of the morning dew is encouraging and it does not draw blood when knelt upon. 

Make Your Own Custom Boating Rustic Wood DoorMat by SailingHideAway
View more Rustic wood Door Mats at zazzle.com

Interlux Brightsides One Part Marine Grade Polyurethane 

I’ve used Interlux Brightsides successfully on the initial nonskid project where smoothness was not required and on the dinghy where it was.  Yes, it’s very expensive but it works very well.  After 15 years of hard use our dinghy still looks great. Besides, the existing nonskid paint did not fail-It just wore off in high use areas.

I’m not particularly happy with my color selection but the crew is and that my friends is all that matters.   After taping I started painting with a two inch good quality brush but later switched to foam rollers and a ¾ inch artist bristle brush for details. Rolling is much faster, however two coats were necessary for full coverage.    The nonskid nodules seemed to cover equally well with both, however it is important to stir often and I found that I had to dilute the paint during the painting session.

The Application

TAPING OFF THE NONSKID PRIOR TO PAINTING

Taping is almost as important as the paint because if you make a mistake while taping it likely will last as long as the paint.  Masking tape has some flex to it so it can be tortured into place.  Do not hesitate to add another layer to cover an error.  Its easier and faster than re taping.

FREE-HAND CORNER DETAIL

I taped the straighter lines and experimented with corners and arcs using a razor sharp knife and lots of tape.  Either one seemed to work, but the latter favors steady hands.  

FINISHED NONSKID 

 I found that pouring paint directly on the area less wasteful than using a tray.  Remember though, HideAway is on a sturdy trailer rather than in the wet slip.  {Darn}

Climbing around the rigging and constantly ducking under the mask takes its toll on old knees and backs.  It also causes finger prints and brush marks in unintended places. Another problem a solution caused.  I deep cleaned the nonskid areas but did little on the rest of the real estate with the idea that dirt on might possibly be more forgiving than a clean surface.  

Why Not Wax You Ask?

SV HideAway 

Well, my experience with the compounding, polish and waxing program is that bits of the compounds fly everywhere and some are quite small.  One drop of any of the chemistry I was using, I feared, could contaminate the nonskid surface such that paint may not stick. 

Finished cockpit SV HideAway

Next On The Refit List

We'll tackle deep cleaning of the top deck and repairing gelcoat cracks. What could possibly be more fun?

SMALL BOATS ROCK!

Boca Ciega Yacht Club, Gulfport Fl, 30th Lighted Christmas Boat Parade 2015

As BCYC celebrates 50 years of sailing in Gulfport Florida, it continues the fine southern tradition of the annual Lighted Christmas Boat Parade on December 12, 2015.

We start at the Gulfport Municipal Marina and pass by the BCYC clubhouse on our way out into the bay. Next we head to Gulfport's Williams Pier and the beach, passing by the Gulfport Casino. We make our way through the communities of Town Shores, Pelican Bay, Kipps Colony and the Pasadena Yacht & Country Club, where holiday parties wait for us to pass by. Lastly we visit Isla del Sol, then head back to the BCYC clubhouse for the Post Parade party.

If you're in the Tampa Bay area be sure to stop by.  If you want to participate in the parade please  click here

A Search for Nautical Fleas- Want Some?

A Refit That Continues to Begin - Compounding Oxidation, Polishing,Waxing Yikes Whatta Job!

A Florida Summer Sun Shade

If you live in Florida long enough you begin to realize that summer is not your friend.

              

A recent touch of fall air dropped the temperature below 80 by midnight.  A sure sign summer has turned tail at last.   We are happy to see it go, along with the incessant rain and drowning humidity, not to mention the blast furnace hot air valiantly described as a sea breeze.

A Dirty Green SV HideAway Sleeps on her Trailer in the Drive

A Lovely color- Green, Don't ya think?  

She knows it’s not proper for a lady of her upbringing to spend her days fending off water from the sky instead of from below and she is upset about it.  Sure her masters have done their best to keep her clean and dry, but they’re are slowly losing the battle of the green.  Thus the first task will be a deep cleaning topsides down of the gel coat.

Boat Soap Exists to Sell More Boat Soap

It doesn’t clean well, and you get to use it often for barely satisfactory results at least in green conditions- Such a deal!  After a few rounds of cleaning with official boat soap, the capt was ready for a different solution      There are, of course, all sorts of dual purpose commercial hull cleaners that serve to clean your hull and your wallet with one smallish bottle of secret sauce.

Bleach and Dawn Liquid Detergent

SV HideAway Hull Cleaning

The almighty Internet seems to prefer a combination of about one cup of bleach to a gallon of water with a heavy squirt of liquid dish detergent. It to effectively removes real dirt, green things and wax. Not that HideAway suffers much from wax build  up.  She’s a sailboat, not a wax boat, according to the capt.. 

The theory is the bleach nails the green/black stuff while the dish detergent removes waxy stuff and an arm-powering a good stiff cleaning brush handles the rest.  When used vigorously the process builds strong muscles.  Think of it as conditioning for the main event.

The Main Event: The buffer and the buff

The next phase involves a power buffer equipped with an expensive buff that uses equally impressive chemistry.  The wizards of the net agree marine grade products are necessary for compounding, polishing and waxing gel coat but are less clear about the power buffer.  My buffer budget, however, is.   

Nearly all of the buffer info on line seems to be written by pros touting pro grade equipment.  The industry standards are, in no recognizable order, the Milwaukee #5540, the Makita #9227C, and the Dewalt #DW849.

The question is whether a big bucks pro grade buffer is really necessary for what will likely be a one time effort.   (The HideAway is not expected to let the capt slide into oxidation after sparkling in the sun)

And now a word picture from our sponsor 

Custom Sailing iPhone 6 Wallet Case by SailingHideAway        Add your own photo and text 

Find more Best iphone Wallet Cases at Zazzle

The Most Desirable Traits of the Pro Buffers

This is tough, demanding work that makes a strong buffer mandatory for even the casual week end buffer. Many rotary buffers feature variable speed no load motors with thumb control speed settings.  I first thought thumb control ridiculous.  After a few minutes of use I would not be without it. The “no load” motor means the motor won’t slow down under the hard work of the job even if you do.  Ounces count.  Don't buy a heavy buffer
  

Low end speed recommendations seem to agree at 600rpm and the high at 3k.  The pro models have “soft start” mechanisms so you don’t start up splattering compound over the known universe or burn a hole in your boat.  The lower end models do not.  

Drill Master 7" Variable speed 10 amp Beast

However, if you start at the low speed and roll it up with your thumb you create a poor man’s soft start, as it were.   If your buffer has a trigger lock; NEVER use it.  If fhe buffer grabs an errant line or electrical cord at speed, and that is likely, it could break your bones and do other things you’ll regret.  
The less expensive models should come with ear protection.  Either class requires safety glasses. 

The reversible “D” handle on some of the rotary buffers is a good idea given the contortions necessary to compound a sailboat hull.  I cannot imagine using a standard T handle found on some models.  10 amp motors are the rage with good reason.  

My Drillmaster costs around $40.00 vs up to $300+ for the pro version. The question becomes; Will it last the job? (I'll leave you to ponder why a rotary buffer is named after a drill)

 My orbital buffer used for the car and truck has .50 amp motor; thus is best used to remove wax haze.  No way can it help compound.

Corded Drill and Auto Buffer

 My 3/8” corded electric drill sporting a buffing pad is no better for large areas, but may play a role, with special attachments, on smaller areas of the deck.  Don’t waste your battery powered drill on any part of this job.

Like it or not; the rotary buffer or the beast as it is known in these parts, is the tool of choice for compounding.

The Quest for The State of Shine
Make no mistake, you’ll want the best quality toos,  compound, polish and wax you can afford to make this task less of something to be endured.   The considerable cost and risk demand it.  Besides, it is foolish to use lessor quality materials unless you’re really into a more pain and suffering than the average small boat trailer-sailor. 

The beginning of the finish

Some pros demand that you stay away from products containing silicone or essential oils on the basis that both create a faux finish that won’t last.   Others assert marine carnauba wax will make you shine while others believe you’re dull to use it. 

 One proclaims the process is not to gain a mirror finish but a finish that protects the gel coat from UV rays, Green Stuff and Spilt Stuff. 

 Several sources denounced the all in one products, while others advocated a “why buff it twice?” philosophy.

You’ll read a lot about 3M Rubbing Compound, Finesse it II and marine wax vs the Collinite Fleet Wax 885 and others including Starbrite and Meguiar’s marine products.  I’ve always been partial to 3M, but the others are well known brands with good reputations. 

The Reality

I messed about in West Marine a good long while but could not find the 3M rubbing compound then settled for 3MMarine Restorer and Wax, a good product, though not ideally suited for my needs.  I read a review extolling the virtues of Collinite Fleet wax 885 but picked up a bottle of Collinite 925 wax by mistake.
 

I returned the Collinite wax because of separation anxity issues. The wax had separated in the bottle forming a hard disc at the top of the bottle that never mixed well creating a spotty finish when used. It had the consistency water.  The Collinite 925 has rave reviews and I am sure it is a quality product within the limitations of chemical separation issues.  

 I picked up some 3M Finesse it II that successfully removed the restorer wax and allows a consistant shiny finish.  I should have found a source for the straight rubbing compound and saved myself time, expense and over the counter pain medications.

Water, Wax and Micro Fibers 

For a Shining Good Time

 Warnings abound concerning burning the gel coat with the heat generated by the buffer and the compound, not to mention the real risk of gouging the gel coat to the glass if the buffer jumps or wobbles as it is wont to do. 

One sage compared rubbing compound to coarse liquid sand paper.  A spray bottle of water helps lubricate and extend the buffing opportunity while keeping heat under control.  

Think of polishing compounds as fine finish sand paper and the wax as the final protection.  I kept the hull wet with a water spray bottle with both the compounding and polish stages.  I polished with 3M Finesse it II with good results then followed up with several layers of a marine grade carnauba wax.  

The wax was hand applied then buffed with a small car buffer using the water to “spit shine” then  micro fiber rags to get the final gloss. Micro Fiber cloths are perfect for perfecting the shine.  They are easy to use, cheap and do a better job than terry cloth for fine finishing.

Work in small areas no bigger than 2 foot square.  It is much easier to work in small areas than large.  Use as little of the compound/wax as you dare.  Remember it is easier to add more product than to remove the excess.  

How Long The Shine

Shine Duration is a slippery deck in that the shortest failure time for the more debated products is about three months while the very best finishes may last only nine.   Not encouraging news for the average sailor.  Based on the time and effort expended to finish one quarter of the hull I suspect the process has a lot in common with washing a giraffe’s neck.   My hope is that the wax will keep green stuff in check or at least make the boat easier to keep clean.                                                                                                              

A little rain does not stop the project

At This Point: A Quarter of Half Finished

 If your hair, or whats left of it, is gray, and like the HideAway, your pocket yacht now seems several football fields LOD, perhaps it may be time to hire out the initial compounding, polish and wax to someone who has the tools, knowledge and skills to do a professional job.  Then a few months later you can do the relatively easy stuff – Refinish and wax.

As With All Projects on the HideAway

 I do not claim to be an expert at any of them. I’m just an average sailor trying to handle various projects without injuring the boat, myself or the sailing kitty.   You are just as likely to learn the wrong way to handle any given project as you are to find the best way.  Be thou warned!  And for your sake don’t make the same mistakes I sometimes  achieve!  

Video to follow