Boat Care in 40 degrees heat

[Hooligan]

I wonder what anyone is or are not doing with this extreme heat in the Med if you are away from your boat. I asked the people who look after her to switch the aircon on every now and again although have no idea if that makes any difference. I recently had my SeaFire essentially burn out - connections as not ceramic - which didn’t set anything off other than the alarm thank goodness. But it has made me wonder. Incidentally big shout out to SeaFire U.K. who are totally on the ball. Excellent customer service.

 

[Portofino]

Nothing more while away more than any other previous summers .

I close the toilet lids so the waters does not evaporate off .Shut the skylight deck blinds to reduce solar .
But I don’t think these make any material difference Tbh .Its yard was in Rome and hotter than ave summers have been experienced many times before by the builder .Boat spent majority of its life in Naples taxing folks to Capri .

What are you concerned about ?

 

[kashurst]

It will be fine, the only thing to watch are the batteries. If they are recent all will be well. If it's on shore power the bats will be kept ok.
Look on the bright side, there will be no mildew, the bilge will be bone dry, worst case any leather might want some attention in the autumn,

 

[petem]

We put our cockpit cushions in the cabin when not on the boat. Otherwise, it seems to be quite happy with an open cockpit and a custom dashboard cover.

 

[petem]

Actually, one problem we do have is exploding drink cans. A couple have exploded in our cockpit fridge and I've heard of a fellow Fairline owner who had one explode in his saloon forcing him to recarpet it.

 

[julians]

Actually, one problem we do have is exploding drink cans. A couple have exploded in our cockpit fridge and I've heard of a fellow Fairline owner who had one explode in his saloon forcing him to recarpet it.

Yep,drinks cans do explode even when not in direct sunlight. we used to leave them in the fridge, but even after just a couple of weeks at least one would have exploded. we never leave any on board now.

 

[jointventureII]

Been melting in the last few days around Sardinia and just done the run down to Tunisia, which was actually cooler by a few degrees.

I always cover the flybridge instruments to keep the sun off. Even if it's for a brief period eg refueling.

Windscreen cover on, even if black, makes a big difference too.

Wet the deck when it was really cooking last week and you could see it dry out faster than the tidal recession at Mt St Michel on springs

 

[Alicatt]

Been melting in the last few days around Sardinia and just done the run down to Tunisia, which was actually cooler by a few degrees.

I always cover the flybridge instruments to keep the sun off. Even if it's for a brief period eg refueling.

Windscreen cover on, even if black, makes a big difference too.

Wet the deck when it was really cooking last week and you could see it dry out faster than the tidal recession at Mt St Michel on springs

Some black dyes are good reflectors of infra red and heat.
Don't ask me which ones though, it was something that I noticed using IR cameras and thermal imagers.

 

[Hurricane]

It has been hot in Spain but not as hot as Italy and Greece.
But we had some rain on Friday which has taken the mugginess out of the air.
No rain since but overcast.

OP question.
We don't leave the bimini up - in the summer it folds back onto the radar arch and covered with a sausage. Winter months it comes completely off.
That way, the bimini stays in good condition - 15 years old now.
Flybridge console, hatch and seats are covered with a white (home made) PVC covers (same PVC that Princess supply).
Apart from that it is bare gelcoat exposed to the sun which is protected with A Glaze but I am going to try a different ceramic coating for next year
I don't trust anyone to run the aircon whilst we are away and the seacocks are closed anyway.
We also leave the cockpit covers on (again made from that white PVC that Princess supply).
Those cockpit covers last about 5 or 6 years in the sun.
Enclosing the cockpit gives some extra space for the cockpit table and chairs etc.
This year, I also made a white PVC cover for the cockpit table which has been a success - stayed on for the last 6 weeks.
Lots of mooring lines of course.
Shore power connected with the batteries left on charge.
The solar panels will keep the batteries in condition if the shore power goes.
All the DC is switched off.
Some AC circuits left on for the 24/7 internet and security cameras etc
The ships PC is left off but can be remotely activated to check the batteries etc.

Sorry, that doesn't say much about protecting the boat from the sun but thats what I do.
I also try and get the boat washed off once a month but thats mainly bird poo and some sand from any rain.

 

[DAW]

We had very high temperatures in SoF last summer, and this year looks like being the same with 35-37 degrees on some days already, and water temperatures in the region of 30 degrees.

Based on this, I decided to replace all the exterior covers with something lighter in weight and colour than the original versions made by Flexicovers and supplied with the boat. I went with “Stamoid Light“ vinyl in Pearl Grey for the cockpit and sun pad covers and a product called “Soltis Horizon 86“ in black for the mesh screen window covers. This has completely transformed the temperature inside the boat. Even when it is left for days in full sun with +35 degree exterior temperatures, the temperature in the main deck saloon usually stays below 30 degrees, and on the lower deck its around 25-27 degrees. Soltis is a great product and much better than the usual cheap plastic mesh. It cuts out 70% of the light, heat and UV but is still remarkably transparent. You can’t see in, but visibility out is good enough to leave the covers on all the time if you want to. I also have sun covers for the helm and any flat, dark surfaces inside the boat.

Like others, I don’t leave canned drinks in the cockpit fridges. I leave the fridges inside the boat switched on most of the year, but always turn off everything in the cockpit when I leave the boat as they work hard and the compressors can get incredibly hot in the summer and this always makes me nervous.

 

[roa312]

We had very high temperatures in SoF last summer, and this year looks like being the same with 35-37 degrees on some days already, and water temperatures in the region of 30 degrees.

I know that many Sunseeker Predators are constructed with black superstructures and I imagine it must get very hot in those temperatures with full exposure to the sun all day? I presume this shouldn't be an issue at all, otherwise Sunseeker surely wouldn't continue to install it. Based on your avatar it looks like your boat has more of a grey color, but do you know if there has been any issues with any of the various colors fading or worse (maybe on some of the older boats)?

 

[DAW]

I know that many Sunseeker Predators are constructed with black superstructures and I imagine it must get very hot in those temperatures with full exposure to the sun all day? I presume this shouldn't be an issue at all, otherwise Sunseeker surely wouldn't continue to install it. Based on your avatar it looks like your boat has more of a grey color, but do you know if there has been any issues with any of the various colors fading or worse (maybe on some of the older boats)?

My boat is a 2019 Predator 57 MkII. It has a solid GRP sliding roof with three skylights, and the roof and side mouldings are painted in silver Awlgrip. This is how most of the P57s were built and I think it’s the best option for managing heat transmission, etc. in the Med. The roof gets hot, but not excessively so, and only feels slightly warm on the inside surface. The skylights are big enough to provide light when needed, but easy to cover with interior shades/blinds.

You’re right to say that most Predators are now made with a black roof and black superstructure and side coamings. Around 2018 they started to switch from solid GRP to a carbon fibre frame with glass panels for the sliding roof sections on all the Predator models. This was done to reduce weight, increase interior light and improve the feeling of interior space … and also to keep pace with what other builders were doing. At the same time they made the sides of the superstructure black to match the roof and adopted the same design theme on the Sport Yacht models.

The glass panels in the roof are tinted and solar/UV protected, but everyone I know who has one complains about how hot the interior of the boat gets, even with the air-conditioning running. Because of its size, there is no simple way to install blinds or shades on the roof so you’re always fully exposed to the sun. They supply a mesh cover which can be strapped over the top of the roof when the boat is not in use, but it’s not an ideal solution. Where the surface is black gelcoat, black paint or carbon fibre, it can get very hot in the sun. The paint and gelcoat surfaces are prone to cracking in the most exposed areas. It’s easy to fix, but once it starts it tends to come back.

The design looks very cool, and the boats look stunning when new and at boat shows. It probably works well enough in the UK, but it’s not so good for the Med and other hotter climates.