jamie N
Well-known member
After having her out for nearly 2 years, I put the boat back in the water in June. I'd tried the soaking the insides method of getting her to swell a bit for a while before she launched, and convinced myself that because nothing significantly had changed in the time on a trailer, she'd leak, but would take up OK. Why wouldn't she, nothing had changed.
In the slings, she leaked like a sieve, both pumps flat out, before calming down a bit, and getting to a steady and regular pump activation, which was similar to how it was when I'd taken her out in 2019.
Since then, and apart from a traumatic pump failure, the pumps now no longer activate more than twice/thrice a week, and spit out a pint or two a time, which is as good as it gets for me, except that I'm greedy and now want her to be totally dry which is a case of hunting down these dribbles, and trying to caulk or seal from the inside, before (finally) finishing it off, and painting it with red lead paint. I know it'll be garage floor paint, but bear with me!
There's not a point for this thread, except that after 2 years out, 16 weeks has seen the final bit of the take up, which wasn't linear but a logarithmic decline up to an unachievable finish of a totally sealed hull. I've no intention of EVER taking her out of the water again, as I should be able to antifoul and change the prop anode on a tide 'up against the wall', so hope that the fear of relaunching a wooden boat is in the past for me.
I look forward to sailing her, and seeing how the natural motion of the boat then will affect this, and sweat the joints once more.
In the slings, she leaked like a sieve, both pumps flat out, before calming down a bit, and getting to a steady and regular pump activation, which was similar to how it was when I'd taken her out in 2019.
Since then, and apart from a traumatic pump failure, the pumps now no longer activate more than twice/thrice a week, and spit out a pint or two a time, which is as good as it gets for me, except that I'm greedy and now want her to be totally dry which is a case of hunting down these dribbles, and trying to caulk or seal from the inside, before (finally) finishing it off, and painting it with red lead paint. I know it'll be garage floor paint, but bear with me!
There's not a point for this thread, except that after 2 years out, 16 weeks has seen the final bit of the take up, which wasn't linear but a logarithmic decline up to an unachievable finish of a totally sealed hull. I've no intention of EVER taking her out of the water again, as I should be able to antifoul and change the prop anode on a tide 'up against the wall', so hope that the fear of relaunching a wooden boat is in the past for me.
I look forward to sailing her, and seeing how the natural motion of the boat then will affect this, and sweat the joints once more.