boat care?

[smigs]

I have just retired and am moving to mallorca. My wife will be teaching and I am hoping for a part time job in the yacht care (cleaning and small jobs etc) Do any of you have any advice on boat care,cleaning or any recommendations books, magazines etc that may be of help? Also who to approach in the first instance? Many Thanks. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[johnalison]

There are certainly books which cover the subject but I'm afraid I don't know the titles. Most of us proceed by trial & error and picking up tips on the way. There a few no-nos which really matter, like never pressure-wash a teak deck, and never put a silicon polish on the hull, but the main thing is to know when hi-tech tools & materials help and when you will need elbow-grease. I wish you luck as it sounds like hard work.

 

[pvb]

[ QUOTE ]
.....never put a silicon polish on the hull....

[/ QUOTE ]Why not?

 

[andrewbodenham]

I don't want to put a damper on your plans but have you really thought about this? From your post it seems that you have little or no experience in boat maintenance. Do you hope to work on a self-employed basis? Boats are expensive, personal things, so I can't imagine many owners entrusting work to somebody without a good track record or experience on their own boat. If you want to gain experience then you'll need to get into a boatyard, where you will be at the bottom of the food chain - paid a pittance for doing all the grotty jobs that junior staff have to do. In the job market you'll be in competition with all the other locals / gap year students / etc. many of whom will be more experienced than yourself. Finally, many boat owners prefer to do their own maintenance, as a glance through this forum will show.
Pessimist? Probably. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
What does anybody else think?

 

[ShipsWoofy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
.....never put a silicon polish on the hull....

[/ QUOTE ]Why not?

[/ QUOTE ]

I was about to ask that too

 

[smigs]

Yes, I have thought about this and I dont intend to do maintenance, just general cleaning, deck mopping! etc before the owners return for their holidays. I have been down to the ports on many occasions and seen people doing this type of work and do it on a part time basis as and when required. Thanks for your views anyway.

 

[ShipsWoofy]

I would be prepared to pay a man to scrape off and prepare my hull for antifouling.

I don't know how fit you are, but by hand it is a long messy and quite horrible job that we all have to organise each year. I think you may do better specialising in that way than general cleaning.

In a mad way, I like cleaning my own boat, it is a time you can do a check on condition of stuff and spot any problems that might be appearing. It is also, well, a nice job, you feel good after doing it, proud of the shine etc.

Just some thoughts...

 

[rwoofer]

Silicon is a big no-no if you ever want to do fibreglass work. Apparently it can be really difficult to get all traces of it removed..which is what you need to do for good adhesion.

Interestingly I've never heard the same said about Teflon.