First Bottom Job

[OS2Dude]

Next summer I hope to give our 1985 Catalina 30 mk I a bottom job. We have never done one before on this boat. (Previously had a trailerable boat with outboard.)

I know we have blisters from the short haul for the Survey. This is also from the survey:

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SHAFT BEARING (CUTTLESS BEARING): Cuttless bearing showed some signs of sloppiness or end play.

STRUTS: Strut is loose. Repair and tighten strut at next haul out.

RUDDER(S) MATERIAL: FRP. Appears serviceable.

RUDDER(S) MOUNTING: Rudder bearings have some play of slop. Inspect and repair at next haul out.
===

I have seen videos of people replacing the bearing without removing the shaft. Is this advisable? What would you recommend for addressing these issues? What kind of cost would you guess I should budget for? (Including parts and material.) Is any of this something I should/should not be able to do myself? What tools would you suggest I need?

Thanks

 

[Roland5048]

One more piece if information might help. Are you planning on doing the bottom job yourself or having the yard do it?

 

[OS2Dude]

I'm not sure. It would be cheaper to do the work ourselves, but neither I nor my wife have any experience at this sort of thing. That is why I asked in my original post if this type of work is something I could do myself or not.

Does painting require an air gun, or do you roll/brush it on? How noxious is it? How dangerous is it to sand the bottom yourself if you do not have a protective suit or air filter mask? I understand the blisters can contain caustic material, is that something I'd need a suit for or just some heavy gloves?

 

[Roland5048]

I'm not so sure about the cheaper part. Especially after you buy all your materials and pay the yard for a haulout and splash AND daily yard fees. The yard I use charges $40 per foot for a bottom job using the paint of your choice. That price includes the haulout, splash, five days in the yard, pressure wash, two coats of paint and three at the waterline, primer and paint on the running gear and any other minor work on the hull that might need to be done. For me, it's a no-brainer. As far as the other work to be done, that can be handled by the yard while the bottom is being done. They might charge out the wazoo for hourly fees but, it will be done and a lot quicker than you can muddle through it yourself. You can watch, and I recommend that you do, and gain some knowledge as to what is entailed in this. To me, $$ well spent. Go talk to a couple of yards and get a quote. Good luck.
One last thing. How big and how many blisters? May not be anything to get too worried about at this time.

 

[s/v Sweet Laraine]

I've use VC17 for several years and it goes on quickly with a roller. I do use a respirator because of the fumes.
Larry

 

[Gunni]

You are a long way from bottom paint. Get the boat out of the water now, open up the blisters and let the boat dry out. Do this in a location where the blister repair can be done. Might as well have the hull blasted, or sanded now so you can determine the scope of work. In the spring, if the laminate is good and dry you will be epoxy priming the hull to spec, then fairing the blister pocs with thickened epoxy, sanding, sanding sanding...more epoxy primer followed by a hot coat bottom paint. There will plenty of time to get that shaft strut and cutlass bearing squared away. Don't even think of doing this labor intensive job unless you do it right...or you will be having it done again before your boat kitty can recover. Make sure your bilge is dry and your thru-hulls are good.

 

[OS2Dude]

We are near Atlanta, GA and winter is good sailing time here. Summer gets too hot and most people have their work done then.

 

[Joe]

Honestly, you need to haul out and inspect the bottom before you make any decision on the extent of repair and service needed. With the boat out of the water, you can get a realistic estimate should you choose not to DIY. Getting an estimate before the boat comes out is pure speculation if you anticipate blister repairs..... Do not be afraid to tackle some or all of this yourself. There are plenty of tutorials on the subject.

 

[Gunni]

If the hull has been neglected with wet laminate and blisters it is not uncommon for the boat to have to dry for most of a year before it can be repaired. Just saying.

 

[Tally Ho]

You can replace the cutlass bearing without pulling out the shaft, which in my opinion creates more potential problems. Lots of videos on the tools it takes and techniques to do it.

The bottom paint, like VC-17 is not hard to apply, but it sounds like you have issues to address before you get to this stage.

Greg

 

[njlarry]

The only thing on your list that concerns me is the lose strut. Get that fixed before it gives out and takes the boat with it. The blisters and the cutless bearing play have been there for a while and you should be able to defer for a season or two while you figure out your options. Yards don't charge much for replacing cutless bearings but bottom work can get expensive. Get some opinions on how bad the blisters really are. What did the surveyor say? Most would condemn the boat if that bad.