Spring Preperation

Up here in Massachussetts most of the leaves have already hit the ground, the yacht yards are filling up for winter storage, and the air is getting pretty nippy - which can only lead to one thing: I'm already thinking about next spring.

Next spring my boat will be a young one year old. But with no upkeep during the long winter, I'm wondering what kind of preperation process I will need to take to get that baby shinning like new again. One idea that was recommended to me was a very light wet sanding of 1500 then 2000 grit, followed by a teflon polishing using an electric buffer. Another suggestion was to use 3M's rubbing compound applied with an electric buffer and then the teflon polish.

Which method should I go with or is the boat still new enough that none other than a good washing and polishing is needed?

What kind of electric buffer would be recommended?

Dewalt and Makita make decent polisher/buffers. Sears used to, not sure if they do any more. Expect to pay $150 or more. IMHO, the under $40 ones are useless, you can do a better job by hand.

If the bottom hasn't been touched with sandpaper yet and only needs to be cleaned, I like to go with teflon polish, or aircraft polish. If it's a little dull, 3M's Fneeseit works very well as the step before the polish. Once you sand it, you'll be a slave to keeping it polished if you want to keep it sparkling white.

You might want to look at a Porter-Cable polishers - they make two that would work for your application - 7424 and 7336. Both are used extensively in the automotive market. With the right pad, you should be able to get a mirror-smooth finish on your bottom.

Don't wetsand if your boat is only one year old. Everybody I know says to avoid wetsanding until the boat is about 5 years old, because it removes the factory coating (or something like that...), therefore reducing boat value for resale, and also making it slower. It also becomes a pain to keep clean...

I also know that in the 420 class teflon is illegal, and I've heard it is also illegal on Lasers (not positive). I just repaint mine every year with awlgrip, but it's already 31 years old, so I don't think the value will go down much more.

I'd say your best bet will be to give it a nice wash, and it will be fine (then again, I don't know anything about polishes, so...)

Do you want it to shine or be fast? In the J22 class we would use Starbrite teflon polish on the hull before each regatta. Made the hull shine, repel growth over a weekend and was pretty fast. On the laser I go with a clean hull. I've wet sanded mine once and now only clean it with soap/water and acetone for the hard stuff. I only want to be fast and don't worry about the shine. The teflon can make the bottom slippery and since we do capsize I like being able to hold on to the thing if its upside down. Same for the blades. Wet sanded once, keep clean with soap/water and if I'm not sailing they stay in a padded blade bag on a flat surface to prevent any warping. Having nice, clean, and striaght trailing edges is very important.

The only reason to sand it would be if there is scratches. Otherwise I would just hand polish it. The blades I would consider sanding, they are usually the ones that take a beating. I wouldn't sand it opens a can of worms, I just sanded the bottom of mine, but it's 30 years old and had scratches I was trying to remove. Also I did this with an orbital sander that has a foam pad that is used for boat bottoms. If this process is rushed at all or you're not careful you'll get nasty swirls in the gelcoat, which require removing alot of gelcoat to remove.
Also someone suggested acetone for stain removal, it works great but you need to wax the area that you cleaned because it open the "pores" of the gelcoat and makes it more prone to future stains.
So consider yourself lucky for having a new "low maintance" boat and keep it simple.

Ryan
#13947

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ryan Flack
Nickels Boat Works, Inc.

The sanding I was refering to is gentle wet sanding. NOT using an orbital sander like you would on a 10,000 lb lead mine. The paint, gelcoat and glass on a Laser is very thin compared to your average sail boat. I start with 400 grit and a 12" soft sanding block that will conform to the shape of the hull. Then sanding in lengthwise strokes I work fore and aft. Then I finish off w/600 grit. Any scratches are filled w/matching color gelcoat and sanded. I do not use marine tex because it is a lot more porus than gelcoat and will not sand to as smooth a finish. When I decide to sell the boat, (as I did with my last Laser) I hand buff the bottom w/3M Marine compound and wax w/Starbrite marine wax. This makes the hull look new. I would not want to use an electric buffer bacause then finish is thin and I would be afraid of making "burn marks" with an electric buffer.

rflack said:

The only reason to sand it would be if there is scratches. Otherwise I would just hand polish it. The blades I would consider sanding, they are usually the ones that take a beating. I wouldn't sand it opens a can of worms, I just sanded the bottom of mine, but it's 30 years old and had scratches I was trying to remove. Also I did this with an orbital sander that has a foam pad that is used for boat bottoms. If this process is rushed at all or you're not careful you'll get nasty swirls in the gelcoat, which require removing alot of gelcoat to remove.
Also someone suggested acetone for stain removal, it works great but you need to wax the area that you cleaned because it open the "pores" of the gelcoat and makes it more prone to future stains.
So consider yourself lucky for having a new "low maintance" boat and keep it simple.

Ryan
#13947

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ryan Flack
Nickels Boat Works, Inc.

Click to expand...

Rob,
The orbital sander is a small 5" one, and yes it is also for small boats and is quite effective. The larger hand buffers are usefull in larger applications and you do need to pay attention, however burning the gelcoat is unlikely. There are so many different approaches to this Mac needs to find the one that he's most comfortable with considering he knows the condition of his boat as well as his abilities.

http://www.laserinternational.org/rules/bylaw1.htm

8. HULL COATINGS
The use of slowly soluble applications which might alter the boundary layer characteristics of the hull are prohibited
11. HULL FINISH
(a) Waxing, polishing and fine wet and dry sanding of the hull is permitted, provided the intention and effect is to polish the hull only. Polishing/sanding shall not be used to remove mould imperfections.
(b) Sanding and refinishing of the hull with the intention or effect to lighten the hull or improve the performance, finish, materials or shape beyond the original is not permitted.
26. REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE
(a) Repairs and preventative maintenance to the sail, hull, deck, centreboard, rudder, mast, boom or any fittings and fixings may be carried out without violation of these Rules provided such repairs are made in such a way that the essential shape, characteristics or function of the original are not affected.
(b) In the event of the failure of any fittings, or the replacement of fittings as authorised by these Rules, the fitting or the replacement shall be the same type as the original and shall be placed in a position conforming to the Measurement Diagrams.
(c) Preventative maintenance shall include the replacement of fastenings with alternatives and the reversing of spars provided that the fittings are replaced in accordance with the Measurement Diagrams (tolerances shall not be used to alter the position of fittings) and that any holes in the top section of the mast are permanently sealed with a rivet or similar to maintain the buoyancy of the mast.
(d) Sail panels and luff sleeves shall not be replaced.
(e) Except as required to facilitate a major hull repair, the foam floatation blocks shall not be removed or replaced. When required to be removed to facilitate a major hull repair, the replacement floatation equipment shall have an equal volume to that removed, and shall be of a size that it cannot pass through a square hole of 220 mm sides. Foam blocks shall not be replaced with air filled cubicontainer bottles.

First, a question, when painting with Awlgrip, what type do you use? I found several types, (bottom paint, top paint, with catalyst, without catalyst,...). Sorry for being such a novice but I just want to have to do it one time.
Ralph

Second, a little advice that I read. 1 hour of sailing is worth 365x more to you in performance gain than an hour of hull sanding. See this presentation by Mark Spicknall in 2001, http://www.lansingsailing.org/Education/ArticlesPresentations/WinningOnLakes.pdf

thanks,
Ralph

Hi, aft discussion a lot to the hull, I think also the other parts need some attention:
Are there scratches on/in the foils; does the sail (battenpockets and their rubber-band, are all seams ok, top-belt ok, etc), need to see the sailmaker for some maintenance (now, it is the best time for it on the northern hemisphere of our globe), are the sailbattens ok; all ropes should be checked and be cleared up, whats with the blocks - are all sheaves ok; do some lubricant to the ballbearings if needed; whats with your sailing cloth (the drysuit/wetsuit needs some care). The dolly and the trailer should become their maintenance. Are the covers clean and not dammaged?
Care for the Spars and look to its fittings.
Is all dry to be stored correct? Yes? Ok, start to make your list for Santa Claus. For that he remember your wishes, when he visits the big winter-boat-exhibitions, where he can save some money, because he does his orders there direct...
Ciao
LooserLu

I've used Awlgrip top paint w/out catalyst with a very fine brush on my hull and it leaves a nice finish. Light wetsanding will remove any imperfections left by the brush.

Do not use the bottom paint. It's an antifoul paint that is thick, heavy, and will make your boat slow.

ralfeez said:

First, a question, when painting with Awlgrip, what type do you use? I found several types, (bottom paint, top paint, with catalyst, without catalyst,...). Sorry for being such a novice but I just want to have to do it one time.
Ralph

Click to expand...

I have some brand-new blades that have a couple of imperfections on them-paint blobs from the factory and the like. What grade sandpaper do y'all recommend for a first-time sanding?

Hello Michelle,
If they were my blades... and you have a couple of paint imperfections. Just wet sand them down with 400 grit until smooth and maybe give the entire blade a finishing coat with 600-1000 grit to get them baby bottom smooth. I wouldn't polish the blades because what Rob B. said in a earlier post it can be a bear to get a grip on them if your hands are wet/cold or with gloves on. But regards to the hull, I used an electric buffer (Makita 10") with a terry cloth polishing pad and little to no pressure just enough to control the buffer. I got my buffer from home depot for about 50-60 dollars I think and it leaves a beautiful finish when used with Starbrite's teflon polish.
Last but not least make sure you don't get any foreign materials i.e. sand,dirt or any thing that is gritty on the pad prior to using it on your hull cause it will leave scratch marks in your "bottom's" finish.
Bestest regards,
Fishingmickey
150087/181157

I agree with Fishingmickey's 400 to start for sanding the blades. I would also recommend using a block with a flat surface to sand against the blades. If you just hold the paper in your hand or palm, it will ride over the high spots instead of sanding them down.

Finish up your sanding with strokes from leading edge to trailing edge, angled down slightly (You're trying to match the sanding strokes with the approx angle that the blades are going thru the water when sailing)

Thanks for the tips, guys!

ralfeez said:

Second, a little advice that I read. 1 hour of sailing is worth 365x more to you in performance gain than an hour of hull sanding. See this presentation by Mark Spicknall in 2001, http://www.lansingsailing.org/Education/ArticlesPresentations/WinningOnLakes.pdf

thanks,
Ralph

Click to expand...

It all depends. My boat had, I dunno, housepaint or library paste or something nasty that the previous owner had put on the bottom and it was coming off in leprous patches, so sanding was clearly worth it for me last year.

This year, I've noticed, partway through the winter, that some distrubing softness has developed in the midsection....

.... which I'll need to spend hours and hours fixing ...

... at the gym.