Spring Maintenance

[Cambo]

Hi guys, I uncovered the boat this morning and went all through it to get an idea of what needs to be done. I purchased the boat the end of last summer and it is my first keel boat so this will be the first launch for me and I have a couple questions. They may be dumb ones but having only ever sailing dinghy's, there's a lot to learn!

1 - how much bottom paint is required for a 25' boat? Any sanding or prep? Should I be using VC 17 for it? It's a freshwater boat.

2 - there is a slight crack along the top of the keel, I checked the bolts and everything seems secure, I think it's just cosmetic. Should I be filling it with something before painting the bottom?

3 - how do I paint where the cradle pads are? They can be lowered but I'd imagine I would have to brace one side at a time or will it balance on only 3 pads?

4 - a few of the seacocks are gate valves and I would like to replace them with ball valves. Is it sufficient to change just the valve or should I change the through hull fitting too? Can I use regular plumbing ball valves from a hardware store or should they be marine specific? That's all I can think of for now but I'm sure I'll come up with more. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

5 - We intend to change the name of the boat. Currently it is named "I'm Easy" which may send out the wrong impression when my fiancée is sailing solo lol. I've heard of many different ways of removing decals, just wondering what works best on a boat. The boat has been painted at some point so I don't want to remove the top layer of paint along with the decal.

 

[woodster]

Hi guys, I uncovered the boat this morning and went all through it to get an idea of what needs to be done. I purchased the boat the end of last summer and it is my first keel boat so this will be the first launch for me and I have a couple questions. They may be dumb ones but having only ever sailing dinghy's, there's a lot to learn!

1 - how much bottom paint is required for a 25' boat? Any sanding or prep? Should I be using VC 17 for it? It's a freshwater boat.

2 - there is a slight crack along the top of the keel, I checked the bolts and everything seems secure, I think it's just cosmetic. Should I be filling it with something before painting the bottom?

3 - how do I paint where the cradle pads are? They can be lowered but I'd imagine I would have to brace one side at a time or will it balance on only 3 pads?

4 - a few of the seacocks are gate valves and I would like to replace them with ball valves. Is it sufficient to change just the valve or should I change the through hull fitting too? Can I use regular plumbing ball valves from a hardware store or should they be marine specific? That's all I can think of for now but I'm sure I'll come up with more. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

5 - We intend to change the name of the boat. Currently it is named "I'm Easy" which may send out the wrong impression when my fiancée is sailing solo lol. I've heard of many different ways of removing decals, just wondering what works best on a boat. The boat has been painted at some point so I don't want to remove the top layer of paint along with the decal.

just buy a gallon and what you don,t use save for next time...

lower your pads one at a time and block up next to it and paint that spot then move on....

try to save them if you can but if not replace them...

don't use hardware ball valves they are red brass and will not last a more than year ....

not seeing the crack it would be hard to say maybe some one else will tell you

regards

woody

 

[Stu Jackson]

oven cleaner has been reported to remove old boat names. So has automobile compounding paste. Or a heat gun. If a decal, On & Off works, 'cuz I mistakenly got some on mine a few years ago. Nasty stuff, use carefully.

A picture of your thru hulls would be helpful, we simply can't see them from here and have no way of helping you with that one. Woody's right about sourcing the right valves.

 

[DougM]

If you use VC 17 , you really cannot paint over the original bottom paint. It would be best to either stay with whatever is on the boat originally. If VC is your choice, it would be better to strip the bottom, coat with Interprotect 2000' about 4 coats, then apply the VC 17. Definitely not an easy job. One nice thing about the VC is that you can launch 20 minutes after the paint has been applied, so if you are launching from a travel lift, you can paint the pad locations as soon as the boat is in the slings, just before you launch.

As for removing old boat name decals, a hair dryer works well, a heat gun would actually be too hot. Usually you can catch a corner of an individual letter with a fingernail or a plastic scraper, and then slowly peel it off.

 

[Cambo]

Thanks guys!


Going to west marine Saturday with a shopping list! Good to know about the seacocks, I will get the right ones.

I got a hold of the old owner and it is VC17 on the bottom so that is settled.

I will experiment with the decals and see what works.

Now just plumbing issues to deal with, but ill start a new post for that one.

 

[Brian S]

Just remember, if you're on a budget, you can probably find better deals on bottom paint from the interwebs (even including shipping) than the cost of West Marine. WM is certainly convenient if you have one close by, because you walk in and walk out with your loot. I bought my Hydrocoat SR from Hamilton Marine's website this year, they had the lowest price I saw, and I know they are a reputable company to deal with.

As for decals with a heat gun… Well, there are 2 ways to go. One way is to heat the adhesive, and pull the decal off. You'll need to continually re-grip the decal to stay close to the fiberglass surface, otherwise the vinyl will break. The other way is to heat up the vinyl so it pushes off easily with a not-too-sharp metal putty knife. This method is far quicker, but you'll need a fair amount of Goof Off Professional Strength aerosol cleaner to get the adhesive off. Heck, for that matter, you'll still need to clean adhesive if you slowly peel off.

We had 14' of old and scarred up "NSC SUPPORT BOAT" to remove this spring. (7' long on both sides of the boat.) I started peeling, and every time I hit a scar that cut through the vinyl, I'd have to start again. The guys were like, "Hey, forget that, heat it up enough to just push the vinyl off!" You'll learn quickly how much heat is enough, but not too much. And you won't burn the gelcoat, unless you are heavy handed with the heat gun - and you'd probably burn the vinyl before you can scrape it if you heat that much.

 

[Cambo]

Thanks Brian,


That is good advice with searching around online, I buy a lot of stuff that way. The only downfall is that I have to wait to get it and my boat is slated to be one of the first boats in the water so I may just have to bite the bullet at pay top dollar for stuff like bottom paint and through hulls, but all my in water upgrades can be bought online.

I will give the heat gun a try, will just have to find power at the marina or see if my little generator will run it,