Boat Projects on the Hard

Hauling Out at Napa Valley Marina

When it comes to hauling out, finding the right marina can make all the difference. In this video we travel to the Napa Valley Marina, a picturesque destination for completing boat projects on the hard.

Upon reaching the Napa Valley Marina, we were greeted by its serene waters, surrounded by rolling vineyards and lush greenery. The marina offers modern amenities, including dockside facilities, fuel, provisions, and friendly staff.

Pulling the Prop

Once on the hard, our boat was pressure washed by the marina staff. We hadn’t seen the bottom of our boat out of the water since we bought it in 2012. Surprisingly, it wasn’t in bad shape. The boot stripe paint was peeling and the bottom paint was sloughing off, but that’s to be expected. Once we were parked in our space we pulled off the propeller. We rented a prop puller from the marina and it came off pretty easily considering we’d done zero maintenance to the bottom of the boat for a decade. We also started to remove the thru-hulls which we are going to replace.

Pulling the prop shaft

When we installed our new Beta Marine 43 we had to add an extension and a coupling to the prop shaft because the transmission on the Beta was shorter than the Perkins. We wanted to get a new prop shaft without the extension and coupling so we pulled out the shaft to take it to a fabricator.

We also wanted to look at the cutlass bearing, which is a key component found in the propulsion system. Particularly those equipped with inboard engines or stern drives. Its primary function is to support the propeller shaft as it extends through the hull and into the water, allowing for smooth and efficient rotation while minimizing friction and wear.

Visually, a cutlass bearing typically consists of a cylindrical sleeve made of a durable and self-lubricating material such as rubber, bronze, or a composite material. Ours is composite. This sleeve is precision-machined to fit snugly around the propeller shaft. It provides a stable and low-friction interface between the shaft and the surrounding hull structure.

The cutlass bearing is usually housed within a bearing carrier or strut located near the stern of the boat, where it is securely mounted to the hull. This positioning ensures that the propeller shaft remains properly aligned with the engine or transmission, facilitating efficient power transfer and smooth operation of the propulsion system.

Removing the Transducer

The speed and temperature on our old transducer quit working a long time ago. We bought an identical Raymarine replacement to install.

A sailboat transducer is a specialized device used to gather data about the water and its surroundings beneath the vessel. It is a crucial component of the boat’s instrumentation system, providing valuable information such as navigation, depth measurement, speed, and temperature.

Our transducer is mounted on the hull near the keel with a thru-hull for the transducer to protrude into the water. Removing the transducer was quite a chore. We had to make a tool out of all-thread rod and wood blocks to get it out.

Who's Bob Stay?

Years ago when we bought new chainplates we also bought a bronze bobstay fitting. We never installed it because we had to be out of the water to do so. We were able to rescue the bobstay from the ashes of our shed fire, and with a little scrubbing it was as good as new.

When the boat was in the water we could tell the bobstay fitting wasn’t seated against the hull, but it didn’t appear to be leaking into the bilge. Once we pulled the boat out of the water it was clear the bobstay fitting was separating from the hull.

The stainless steel bobstay fitting itself seemed to be in ok shape, but it had a welded joint, was probably made of an inferior grade of stainless steel and through years of use was probably at the end of it’s life. The new bobstay fitting is a lot thicker and it’s cast bronze which is stronger and looks a lot better. We decided it was longer than it needed to be so Rich chopped off the bottom so it will sit against the hull better.

What the heck is a bobstay?

A bobstay fitting is an essential component of our rigging system because we have a bowsprit. Its primary function is to provide structural support and reinforcement to the bowsprit, preventing excessive flexing or movement while under sail.

Visually, a bobstay fitting typically consists of a sturdy metal attachment point located at the bow of the sailboat, where the bowsprit meets the hull. This fitting is securely fastened to the boat’s structure, often through a combination of bolts, screws, or welds, to ensure maximum strength and stability.

So what’s a bowsprit?

A bowsprit is a protruding spar or pole extending from the bow (front) of a sailboat. It serves multiple functions, primarily related to enhancing the vessel’s sailing performance and accommodating additional sails.

In order to remove the bobstay fitting we had to remove the bobstay wire. We used to halyards to support the mast while the wire was off.

The back side of the bobstay fitting is located in our chain locker under the shelf where the chain sits. Which means we had to remove all of the chain before we could access the fitting.

Once the chain was out it was just a couple of bolts and some wood blocking we had to remove. We added some fiberlass and expoxy to the inside and outside of the hull where the fitting would attach.

More or Less Thru-Hulls

We had eleven thru-hulls in our boat and most of them we couldn’t close without some serious torque. We decided to abandon two thru-hulls we didn’t want (under the head sink and an old transducer) and added a new thru-hull for the watermaker and one for a manual holding tank pumpout. We also replaced all of them with bronze Groco thru-hulls. We also replaced the wood backing plates with Groco fiber composite backing plates that are a lot stronger.

So what’s a thru-hull?

A boat thru-hull fitting is a connection point between the interior and exterior of the hull. Typically made of durable materials such as bronze, stainless steel, or composite plastics, thru-hulls are designed to withstand the harsh marine environment and provide reliable performance.

All of our thru-hulls feature a valve or seacock mechanism that can be closed when the boat is not in use or when maintenance is required. This valve allows the us to control the flow of water through the fitting and provides an additional layer of protection against leaks or flooding. The seacocks should be exercised regularly to ensure they don’t become corroded or encrusted with marine growth.

Topsides, Boot Stripe and Bottom Paint

Topsides

Our boat was built in 1977 and the topsides gelcoat is old and chalky. The word topsides sounds like it means the top or deck of the boat, but it actually refers to the vertical portion of the hull that lies above the waterline. This area encompasses the exterior sides of the vessel from the waterline up to the deck edge or gunwale. Visually, the topsides are the visible exterior surface of the boat’s hull when it is afloat.

Jeni spent hours and hours using a cutting compound on the topsides gelcoat to remove the chalkiness. Surprisingly, the gelcoat still had some shine to it. We also found some repairs to the gelcoat that we hadn’t seen before. The repairs weren’t done well and were easy to spot once they were buffed out.

There was also a lot of stains on the gelcoat, mostly from the brown river water we’ve been in for a decade. Jeni used a Total Boat stain remover and it worked great. Unfortunately, we ran out of time and good weather to properly buff and add some protective polish to the topsides.

Boot Stripe

Because our topsides has grooves molded into it, the boot stripe is defined by one of the molded grooves. We wanted to raise our boot stripe, but we were running out of time to get the bottom painted so we just painted over the old boot stripe for now. We can always raise it later if we need to.

We used a primer and Interlux Brightside on the boot stripe. We wanted to use Interlux Perfection Plus which is a two-part paint and is more durable, but chandlery didn’t have it in stock and it also takes longer to apply. For now the one-part paint will have to do.

Bottom Paint

Sailboat bottom paint is a specialized coating applied to the hull below the waterline to protect it from fouling and deterioration caused by marine growth, such as barnacles, algae, and slime. This paint plays a crucial role in maintaining the boat’s performance, fuel efficiency, and overall seaworthiness by reducing drag and preventing the accumulation of organisms that can decrease speed and increase fuel consumption.

Bottom paint is available in two main types: ablative and hard.

Ablative Bottom Paint: Ablative bottom paint is formulated with a self-polishing mechanism that gradually wears away over time, releasing biocides and other active ingredients to deter marine growth. As the boat moves through the water, the outer layer of the paint wears off, exposing fresh paint underneath. This continuous shedding action helps to prevent the buildup of fouling organisms and maintains the effectiveness of the paint throughout the boating season.

Our boat had ablative paint. We scrubbed the bottom occasionally and it would leave a big red cloud in the water around the boat. One advantage of ablative bottom paint is its ability to provide consistent antifouling protection over an extended period without the need for frequent recoating.

Hard Bottom Paint: Hard bottom paint, also known as traditional or modified epoxy paint, forms a hard, durable coating on the hull surface that remains intact over time. Unlike ablative paints, hard paints do not wear away gradually but instead rely on the leaching of biocides and other active ingredients from the paint matrix to deter marine growth.

Hard bottom paints are typically more suitable for boats that spend extended periods of time in the water or for vessels that are hauled out and stored out of the water during the offseason. They provide long-lasting protection against fouling and are often preferred for boats with higher speeds or for racing applications where maximum performance is desired.

We opted to apply a hard bottom paint since we anticipate being in the water for an extended period and will be able to scrub the bottom while on anchor.