New Owner of Old Boat Needs Help

[Frank Olson]

I just bought a 1977 Hunter 30. I want to fix it up and keep it for a while. I've sailed many times before, but have forgotten most of it and know very little about boat maintenance. I hope you can help me.(1) On the deck (where people can step, but not all over) appears to be a darker-colored (grayish) paint with a rough surface - perhaps sand in the paint. It is no longer even, there are patches where I guess it's rubbed off. What is this, and how can I get more to make it look even again?(2) The 8hp Yanmar motor is unusually loud for such a small motor, and shakes the boat at low RPM. Is it always like this, or should I get a professional to look at it?(3) We have a wasp infestation problem. Are there any products that are especially helpful in getting rid of them? (Orkin wants $150 to spray it, but if a $5 fogger will do it, I'd go with the fogger).(4) The main sheet and jib halyard are darkened by age and grime. They are natural fiber ropes, I believe. Will soaking them in bleach overnight destroy them or just make them whiter again? I don't want to buy new ropes if I don't have to (esp. the jib halyard which would be costly to run a new one through the mast). (PS - "main sheet" is attached to the boom and the sliding rail on the deck in the cockpit, but the "jib halyard" is the rope inside the mast that pulls the jib up, right? I'm trying to get my terminology straight).Hoping you can help,Frank OlsonAtlanta, GAfrank_olson@hotmail.com

 

[Rich]

Rehab Time

Frank, Sounds like you need to do a little re-hab work. Here's a few suggestions.The gray area is the non-skid. To replace it properly one process is as follows:Clean it completely, use acetone. Mask around it to protect surrounding gel coat. Put one coat of appropriately colored epoxy based paint. Do this one section at a time so that you can add the non-skid material while it's wet. While the paint is wet liberally spread non-skid material into the wet paint. This is a sand-like substance available at most marine supply stores. Let the paint cure about 48 hours and then put another coat over the top of the non-skid material to seal it. A couple of tips...remove the masking while the paint is still wet and as you do each section so it doesn't get bonded to the boat. You'll have to re-mask for the finish coat and again do one section at a time. Be patient and plan plenty of time to do the job. Use a good shop vac to get all of the lose material off of the surrounding gel coat to avoid scratches in the surface. This should give you a good as new non-skid surface.I wouldn't use bleach on the running rigging it will break down the fibers. I've used laundry detergent in the past which should work fine. Just be sure you rinse the lines until you're sure all of the detergent is out.You need to get a good mechanic to check the shaft alignment and motor mounts on your Yanmar. It sounds like you could have a problem with either or both. This is just normal maintanence. You should have the packing on the shaft replaced while you're at it. It's a small expense to prevent bigger problems down the road.Hope this helps. Congratulations on your new boat. Enjoy!