Best Time for Repairs

[Spazz]

This is first year my wife and i have owned our own sail boat and our hunter 30 cherubini is our "starter" boat.

Just did winter haul out and now need to patch up some bottom paint, wax the hull, and do minor jel coat repair. I also want to refinish the teak as the varnish is starting to peel away.

Are these tasks best performed in the spring or in the fall. Want to ensure that time is maximized,but to also be smart about what we do and when.

The boat is currently on the hard for the season.

Any insight unto what tasks should be done and when. Any other tasks or jobs that should be done while out of the water. My wife and i love to cruise and when the boat is in the water want to sail more and fix/repair less.

 

[Tally Ho]

For me, it depends on the weather, now and in the spring.

I am typically last out, first in at our marina (South end of Lake Michigan). Usually we are getting pretty nasty weather by the end of October when our Marina closes. April weather can be pretty fickle (when the Marina opens). I have put my winter cover on in a snow storm in November and had to run a heater in the cabin in April.

This winter, our Marina is going to be overhauling all of the docks, and I don't expect the Marina to be reopened until late May :-(.

So I have a few "on the hard" projects lined up for this layover, but I am going to do mine in the spring, since I have an extended layup and the weather should be warming up in May.

Greg

 

[Dalliance]

Spazz -

It depends on the weather. I tend to stretch our short sailing season as late as possible. After haul out and winterizing, there is usually not much time before it's too cold to do any of the projects you listed. For me, most of those would be spring projects. If you have some decent weather this fall, I would do the gel coat repairs first, but only after my winterizing check list is complete.

As for other - fall or spring - projects to do while on the hard, here are a couple I did the first year I owned my '82 H30:
Check and service all the through-hulls - if you can't close any of the seacocks or of they are the old original gate valve type that Hunter used back then, replace them with new bronze or Marylon ball type with a lever handle. Also look at the through-hull backing plates - hunter used plywood which you may find has decayed - if so, fiberglass backing plates are the best replacement.
Check all below water-line hoses -- head pump out, galley & lav sinks, cockpit scuppers, exhaust, head & engine water intakes - replace them if they are damaged, leaking, or cracked. Replace any damaged or corroded hose clamps. Any hose connection below waterline should be double clamped.
Check the prop shaft anode - if it's missing or seriously eroded, put on a new one. Zinc in salt water, magnesium in fresh water.

 

[ggrizzard]

You boat is over 30 years old. Don't worry about cosmetic issues now. As Dalliance said, Check all through hull valves There may be 6 or 7 of them. Check all the hoses, they are probably original or poor quality replacements. This especially includes the shaft log/stuffing box hose in the engine bay. If any need replacing you're in the right place, as it's harder/impossible when in the water.
Check the rudder stuffing box. It's very hard to remove the rudder in the water if it need repacking. Remove the bulkhead in the quarter berth to get to it and the steering quadrant. Check that too for broken wires and corrosion. While you're in there, also check the binnacle backing plate under the cockpit deck for rust.

I know, none of that is fun or sexy... Just ultimately necessary. You can pay it now or pay big later.

Send me a PM for more or to answer your questions. I've owned mine since new!

 

[Dalliance]

Ditto what ggrizzard said about log hoses at the shaft and rudder stuffing boxes. Both unfortunately are a big job to get to, which is why they are often neglected.

Another thing to look at is your fuel hoses; fuel fill, vent, supply and return. You don't have to be on the hard to do that job, but it is good insurance to do it before there's a problem. You don't ever want a bilge full of diesel. None of mine were leaking, but I noticed cracks on the outside of the bends in the fuel fill hose, a sure sign of aging rubber, and when I pulled it out, I discovered that it was stamped 1981. A year older than the boat!

We've probably just put more on your "to do" list than you expected. That happens with boats.

 

[shemandr]

Bottom paint is usually done right before launch. Waxing in the spring and maybe again in the fall for the more fastidious owners. Gel coat repair could be done now if the surface of the boat isn't too cool. There isn't a good time to varnish. It's not supposed to get too cold for the whole drying time. In the spring there is a green rain of pollen. In the fall, leaves. I would probably do the teak in the fall if the weather is nice. You're not missing those beautiful sailing days since it's already out of the water.
I used to do the engine oil change, filters in the fall. And I would try to put the boat away clean. It wasn't always easy because access to water tends to go away as fall borders with winter. I also would take much of the gear off the boat for the winter. Every spring we could evaluate what goes back. Kinda like a diet plan for the boat.

 

[Roland5048]

Spazz, I have had my '77 Cherubini 30 for almost twenty years now. Check all thru hulls. They were originally gate valves. Replace with ball valves. Check the I-beam under the compression post, (these are notorious for rusting out), and check the deck where the mast is stepped. If depressed, compression post and raised part of deck under the mast may need to be replaced or repaired. Good time to do that is while you are on the hard. Engine mounts most likely need to be replaced. These also came equipped with house type breakers or fuses. Upgrade all electrical components to ABYS standards. Heed what other posters have written. You might find that you want to keep this boat for quite awhile. She's a really good, fun boat to sail. Enjoy!

 

[SailormanDan]

"Weather dependent" refers to epoxy, gel coat, & caulks, etc. Read the labels for working temps & humidity ranges. I don't have a heated workshop, so my projects fall into stuff I can do in the house over the winter while it's cold like sewing projects, and stuff that has to wait for warmer, drier weather when I can set up saw horses in the back. That cramps my time to fix-up & sail, although I can get out sailing over the winter on rare days, so I can't complain.
You might search for winter & spring maintenance lists, it took me a while to plan time for basic yearly maintenance along with dealing with stuff that broke and stuff I wanted to repair/upgrade.
Good luck & have fun with it!