Wee Beastie removal and other boatyard jobs

The boatyard is an interesting place, so many different people with different plans for their boats. This was our second time in the yard. In preparation for our upcoming trip we had the boat lifted out to do a few final jobs. These include fitting a solar arch, sanding and antifouling the hull, and propeller, to remove any wee beasties (They significantly slow the boat down and increase fuel consumption.), replacing all anodes and finally polishing the white get coat. The boat had black Trilux 33 antifouling when we first bought it which did us good for over 2 years in Pwllheli. So we decided to use the same but in red to hopefully keep the orcas away when we cross Biscay.

Day 1 cleaning and sanding the hull – 2 people 6 hours.

Day 2 Painting the hull – 2 coats, 2 people 6 hours.

Day 3 Polishing the hull – 2 people 8 hours.

Then there is the propeller. There is nothing more attractive to the wee beasties than a shiney bronze propeller. I reckon we used an extra £100 of diesel when our propeller was covered in barnacles. So last year we put some propeller antifouling paint on. See below, 1 year in the waters of North Wales without any protection and 1 year with Seajet Pellerclean.

And after jet washing it looked nearly as good as new. Just a few spots need touching up.

Final job is fitting our new solar arch by Mike & Laurie of 316 Marine Fabrication. It’s well solid.

Before putting the boat back in the water we needed to paint the spots where the supports were with the boat hanging from the crane in 40 knots of wind and rain. We both got lots of antifoul on us.

Anyway, we are now back in the water with the cleanest bottom in the marina and a lovely red strip. The boatyard is already a distant memory. 18 days before we leave.