5 Weeks on the hard aka #yachtfit

[the_alpine]

The latter decades of my life have been characterized by many as adventurous, exuberant and possibly even dream-like. But, like all things that seem too good to be true, life has a way of catching up to you. And so it was that I found myself way out of shape, a bit overweight, and under motivated in the adventure department. It also just so happened that my sailing vessel hadn't been hauled out of the water in 5 years. I enjoy doing the maintenance myself, but scrubbing the bottom monthly while holding my breath had become more and more frustrating - though I suffered on with it chocking it up to "training" for spear fishing.

Reason 1 to get her hauled.

She also seemed a bit sluggish compared to the spry ship I remembered when I first started sailing her. Oh, and her paint job was failing MISERABLY. She was not a pretty thing to look at.

Reason 2 to get her hauled.

Where the F!? is that annoying saltwater leak coming from? Stuffing box? No. Keel? No. Rudder? Strut? No clue....

Reasons 3 4 and 5 to get her hauled.

Haul out day was rather uneventful - a windless motor for 2 hrs through narrow channels. Into the gantry and prepped for the slings of the travel lift she goes. What was that crazy looking warship? Coast guard? Sea shepherd? I think so.




Welp. That's not too bad for a 5 year bottom job, but that strut joint looks pretty *****. And if there's water draining out of it.....

[markpierce]

I haul out annually. Keeps underbody issues to a minimum.

[the_alpine]

Good point Mark. I find it suspicious though that your vessels paint exactly matches that of the travel lift and its hubs!

[the_alpine]

So the paint on my boat looks terrible. No easy way around it - gonna have to sand it all off. Ahhh sanding, I've heard so much about it. This. Is. Going. To. SUCK.

Luckily, the days after hauliut brought some of the coldest temps we've yet seen down here this winter. Highs in the low 50's! Perfect.

I run a few tests to see which grit will remove the most paint, but not be too aggressive, and quickly discover the reason the boat was originally painted. A bit of dock rash it seems. 100 grit is a good balance between removal speed and surface smoothness. Time to commit to the process and get 'r done.


Damn! This boatyard is sitting on a gold mine in the form of the next fitness craze - YACHTFIT! This sanding thing is a legit workout. I'm fairly certain you could sell memberships to young hipsters looking to stay in shape but avoid the gym.


Well look at that. Gray gel coat underneath the old white paint. I kinda like it. The seeds of thought are beginning to grow in reference to what the new color should be...

Get back to work! Lots more sanding to do...

[markpierce]

Originally Posted by the_alpine

Good point Mark. I find it suspicious though that your vessels paint exactly matches that of the travel lift and its hubs!

Great minds think alike.

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by markpierce

Great minds think alike.