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Exhausting weekend

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JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/09/2012 : 06:57:57

My wife and kids went out of town for Easter, so I spent both days working on the boat. I was able to compound, buff, and wax the starbord side of the hull (had previously done the port side), but MAN was that time consuming. All told, it took me somewhere around 20-25 hours to clean up the entire hull. Here's an in-process shot while I was using compound:

You can see that the hull was so badly oxidized that there was NO gloss left. The boat next to mine has some oxidation, but there's still a reflection in his hull. That was not the case with mine when I started.

Here's the finished product:

Being fairly anal, I still see spots that could use more attention, but I'm going to leave them for now.

I also rebedded my mast step, partly in an attempt to install the mast plate from CD. Unfortunately, the holes don't line up, so that was a bit of a waste. I also sanded the ladder and added a coat of Cetol, and put Cetol on the woodwork in the V-berth and the head area (I sanded that last weekend). I put in a Nicoro Day/Night fan in the hatch, inspected the keel lifting hardware (but couldn't replace it due to the height at which the boat is currently sitting), and re-attached the lifelines (including losing and finding the pin on one side). I checked the lights on the mast, too, and those looked good. I also hooked up the battery and made sure all the house lights were working properly (including testing out an LED replacement, that didn't work for some reason), and added some new, battery-operated LED lights throughout the cabin. Finally, I started putting everything away (I had it all opened up to let the boat air out) and cleaning the cabin. Brought home all the PVC from my tarp frame, and a bunch of tools and stuff that I'd left on the boat.

I still need to replace the wire halyards and sheaves, install a mast head crane, and a bunch of other projects, but at this point I think the boat is JUST ABOUT ready for launch. I'm going to call the marina owner and see what he'll charge to swap out the keel cable for me; if he can do it for a reasonable price, I may have him take care of it so I can get the boat moved in the next week or two, then launch!

- Jim
Formerly of 1984 C25 named Dragon Wing

NOTE: In my case, PLEASE don't confuse stars/number of posts with actual knowledge. On any topic.

Edited by - on

pastmember
Master Marine Consultant

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2402 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 07:01:34

I found a mast plate with no holes from Garhauer.com and was able to drill the holes using my step as a jig. I would turn the one you bought into a trivet and get one with no holes.

Edited by - on

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3476 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 07:03:27

Nice work... I'm off this weekend ( off from the girfrnd ) so I need a list like that I can make up while I lay on the fantail and soak up some sun!

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 07:04:06

Thanks Frank. I saw that CD has one that doesn't have any holes, and have reached out to them for their feedback. The plates are almost the same price, and for the money I would really have preferred to have one with holes already in place (saving me time and trouble).

Edited by - on

Joe Diver
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1218 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 11:06:58

Looks really good!

I wish I could get some "on the hard" time with my boat.....

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 11:17:39

Scott, around here, getting the boat out of the water a significant portion of the year is easy, the difficult part is getting warm enough weather to actually work on the boat while it's on the hard. Some days, I REALLY wish I'd heald out longer to find a boat with a trailer. I'd love to be able to store it off-site, then bring it home for a few days of work, then take it back (neigbors probably wouldn't like it sitting at the house for TOO long).

Edited by - on

Chakana
1st Mate

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USA
62 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 13:40:56

Wow you accomplished alot this weekend! You must be exhausted. The hull is beautiful!! Hope your shoulder is holding out (I got rotator cuff tendonitis from it). Anna

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 14:00:36

Thanks Anna. My shoulders and legs are NOT happy with me today! LOL

Edited by - on

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4024 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 14:32:59

Looks great, If the led light has power in the lines , reverse the connections. I hope you used a power buffer. That would kill me by hand. When you put the mast up don't adjust the stays until the boat is in the water. When they are blocked on the hard the hull will be flexed. It will relax when put back into the water.

Edited by - islander on 04/09/2012 14:40:30

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 14:45:57

Scott, thanks, I hadn't thought of the polarity issue. I played with a lot of LED's back in my engineering days, but this time I was envisioning everything working like a typical incandescent. I'll bet you're right.

Thanks also for the tip on the mast. I'm facing a dilema in that I need to be launched at a marina other than where I'll be spending my summer. So, I'll have to see how much dock time I can get at the launch facility - I may be motoring around the bay with the mast lashed (firmly) to the boat if I can't get at least a few hours at one of their docks.

And yes, I did have a power buffer. I had to hand-buff the transom, because of all the metal (in hindsight, I should have just taped it, but I didn't think of that) and that alone was a killer. It also doesn't look nearly as good as the rest of the hull, but it will do.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 14:48:07

Wow, you got a lot done! Not surprised you're hurting a bit at all! Nice shine you got going though, it looks great.

I spent a few hours working on SL yesterday as well. Got the engine idling properly with a new inline filter installed, installed the LifeSling on the stern, and the newly cleaned jib & jib bag on the bow. These were the only things that needed doing before going sailing.

But then came the real work, scrubbing the last few months accumulation of dirt & grime from about a third of the boat. We're situated in between two cement plants so grime is an ongoing thing for all of the sailboats at my marina and the dozen or so power boats that aren't in boat houses. I was able to get the starboard side scrubbed down pretty well, as well as that side of the cockpit and about half of the foredeck done and most of the stern (all places easily reached while standing on the dock). The stern isn't as reachable, but I suppose I could have backed it further into the slip, but was too lazy to do so. There were plenty of other places that needed scrubbing without adjusting lines.

This may not sound like much (and certainly not as much as you), but you have to go over each place several times with a brush, scrubby and sponge to get it white again instead of gray. Once I get the whole boat to an acceptable level of cleanliness, I'm going to go over it with the Teflon stuff Randy recommended a while back to hopefully make it easier in the future. Can't remember the name of it.

I only worked at it for about 4-5 hours total, but both my arms are unhappy, particularly my right shoulder (rotator cuff repair), and the recent injury in my back is talking to me today. I think I even got a bit of sunburn on my face. It was the warmest day of 2012 in the Seattle area. Fortunately none of the aches are so bad, and it's an equally nice day if not nicer today at least here 20 miles inland of the boat. I've entertained thoughts of going back down to the boat and actually sailing it today, but I try to "work" regular hours during the week while learning iPhone development and woke up late as it is.

Maybe tomorrow if it stays nice...

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 14:54:52

David,
Sounds like you had a productive day too! If you remember the name of the teflon stuff, please pass it on! Anything that can help keep me from having to spend all those hours polishing and cleaning the boat is a GREAT idea! And I sympathize completely with your work; I still have to do the cockpit and deck, and I'm dreading it. The hull was tough because there was SO MUCH of it. But I fear that the deck will be a pain because of all the angles. Plus, I need to figure out how to get the oxidation off the non-skid, and then protect it, without waxing it. BUT, I hope to do that part once the boat is in the water.

How's the development work coming?

Edited by - on

awetmore
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1144 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 14:58:50

I'm curious to know the name of this teflon stuff when you do figure it out.

I've been ignoring making my boat's fiberglass clean so that I can enjoy sailing it. Next weekend I probably can't get out very far though, so I'll probably do some fiberglass cleaning.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 15:20:47

Jim,
The development is coming along slowly. This is largely all new to me, plus my career has been as a tester, not a developer, so I have no formal training in any of this (well, nothing that's relevant anyway). Some of it I already have a decent handle on, but other stuff not so much. The problem is finding good tutorials that aren't out of date since the technology is moving SO fast. I keep finding cool tutorials, but they're as little as six months out of date and already all the references are wrong, so you spend far more time figuring out how to compensate for the out of date references than you do working on the actual tutorial (admittedly learning things along the way). The book I started off with was written only three years ago, but that's such a long time in the computer world that all of his examples that depended on outside references either don't work, aren't there anymore, or have morphed into something different that it's difficult to get through the last two chapters of the book (where you get to do really cool stuff). He updated his Android version of the exact same book in January, and it's out of date as well, so even just a couple of months can make a difference. Compound that with having to learn a new operating system, a new software development kit, and Apple in general (even the keyboard doesn't work the same) and it's daunting.

I'm still excited about doing it, just sometimes (like when it's a nice sunny day outside), it's tough to keep at it. I try to do an eight hour day M-F like it's a real job, simply because it keeps the rhythm up and I plod along, but since I really have no one to ask questions of (that I know personally), and online forums can be a pain if you have no street cred with them, sometimes it's a tough go.

Probably more than you wanted to know, but thanks for asking.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 15:33:04

Here's the stuff for the hull: [url="http://www.amazon.com/Star-brite-Premium-Marine-Polish/dp/B002E9E1FA/ref=pd_sim_sg_2"]Starbrite Premium with PTFE[/url]

And the stuff for the decks: [url="http://www.amazon.com/Star-brite-Non-Skid-Boat-Cleaner/dp/B000N9Q0PC/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334010488&sr=8-1-fkmr0"]Starbrite deck cleaner with PTFE[/url]

Edited by - on

waterbaby
Navigator

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USA
168 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 17:57:19

Jim the boat looks great! My back knows exactly how your back feels. I put about 6 hours into our deck this weekend and still have quite a ways to go. Still it was satisfying to see it shine up and it felt great to be outside.

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 21:55:58

David, I'm considering learning to program for Android, just as a hobby, so I can appreciate the problems you're facing. I did a lot of work in QuickBasic (believe it or not) and Visual Basic, learned C and Pascal, but never learned C++. So the idea of transitioning to development for a mobile operating system is exciting but a little intimidating. We'll see if I get the nerve. Good luck!

Thanks also for the links to the cleaning products. I think I'm going to use the same stuff I used on the hull to shine up the deck this time, then use something like that for maintenance purposes. But I have 3-5 years of previous owner neglect to undo before I can get to that stage.

Waterbaby, what did you use when working on your deck?

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 04/09/2012 : 22:58:27

Jim,
Sent you an email about writing Android apps.

Edited by - on

waterbaby
Navigator

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USA
168 Posts

Response Posted - 04/10/2012 : 18:57:29

Jim, I started with bleach. Then used some pink boat soap I bought at west marine, then went over everything smooth with this wax

I used this wax on the hull also. It was pretty easy on the hull, I think holding a buffer out and over your head for a long time is much more tiring than just buffing by hand. It was a bit harder on the deck though and I didn't cover the tread areas.

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/11/2012 : 06:33:10

Karen,
I used Fleetwax on the hull, too. Did the bleach take off the oxidation on your deck? That's my biggest problem right now - cleaning up all that oxidation before I wax over everything.

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 04/11/2012 : 10:04:06

This thread sets the bar for hull cleaning, polishing and waxing:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/52772-tips-compound-polish-wax.html

With a few excpetions, I followed the above to the letter and achieved this (and you can definitely tell the difference between the 1st and 2nd coat of Fleetwax:)

Edited by - OJ on 04/11/2012 10:10:08

Sam001
Vice Commodore

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USA
441 Posts

Response Posted - 04/11/2012 : 10:25:06

I did the rebed the mast step and added the plate from CD. Two holes matched up so I just set the step on top of the plate as a jig and drilled the two holes to line them up.

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

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USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/11/2012 : 11:21:14

OJ, that's basically the process I followed, too. Though I only used 1 coat of wax (so far).

Sam, that's what I'm going to have to do, too. I spoke with CD yesterday, and was a little annoyed by their tech person. He acted as though I should be thankful that they made a plate where even one set of the holes lined up. The comment was something like "you've got a 24 year old boat - you're lucky we even have something that still works with that boat". I've heard many positive things about their customer support - so far, I'm not all that impressed. I THOUGHT I was paying extra for something so I wouldn't HAVE to modify it. If I knew I'd need to modify it, I would have brought large diameter drill bits with me.

Edited by - JimGo on 04/11/2012 11:25:13

WindyLegacy
Deckhand

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USA
23 Posts

Response Posted - 04/11/2012 : 17:16:38

I'm following the sailnet post on hull refinishing as well. My whole boat looks a bit beaten by the sun.

Your results look very nice! Did you do the deck as well? I'm probably going to use Starbrite to clean off the deck and then do the compounding, buffing and polishing/waxing (per the sailnet post) on the other than non-skid portions.

Edited by - on

waterbaby
Navigator

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USA
168 Posts

Response Posted - 04/11/2012 : 18:50:28

Jim, No the oxidation is still a problem for me especially on the awlgrip areas. I just waxed over the flat sections of the deck anyway with the idea that maybe I would at least stop it from getting worse. I'm still looking for a solution to the awlgrip areas though. Any ideas?

Edited by - on

OJ
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4382 Posts

Response Posted - 04/11/2012 : 18:58:00

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by WindyLegacy
 . . . Did you do the deck as well . . . ?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">Not yet, I was pretty beat by the time I finished the hull.

I did not achieve the above on the first attempt. After using just the rubbing compound on one side - I could see that I wasn't going to achieve the desired results. I went to an autobody supply store and bought several dozen sheets of wetsand sandpaper, 12000-1500 grit range. Then started over again with the rubbing compound.

I wouldn't necessarily let the age of your boat discourage you. Below is a 1979 model. The hull is exposed to the outdoors 12 months a year.

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/image/104485509

Edited by - OJ on 04/11/2012 19:11:12

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