Boat out of water. Some pix

[benjenbav]

Probably very dull, so no need to read on...

Anyway, after a year of frequent and highly enjoyable use - if not epic voyages - it was time for some routine maintenance.

Last week what could be done in the water was done (engines serviced; batteries replaced) and this week Snow Goose was lifted for re-antifouling, anodes etc plus a few other maintenance tasks.

Nothing major planned but a couple of points to mention:

Don't like the look of these critters:

Much better:

Adjusting studs for the stern gland followers are being replaced!

I am taking part in a trial for Clear Coat - an antifoul treatment which featured in an MBY article a few months back. I think Hugo Andreae mentioned that he is doing the same. Test patch applied. Looks and feels like a lacquer and it's, err, clear. Looking forward to seeing the results:

Overall, looking pretty good, I think - should look even better when polished:

 

[Solitaire]

Looking good. I had clear coat put on my boat. Singularly useless , weeded in less than a week on the lower outboard leg.

 

[Baddox]

Nice boat.

I like photo’s such as these, the practical aspects appeal. The prop’s are looking much better in the latter pic's; do you use anodes or just bond them to the hull anode?

 

[benjenbav]

Looking good. I had clear coat put on my boat. Singularly useless , weeded in less than a week on the lower outboard leg.

Maybe I'll be following your example with copper next year.

 

[benjenbav]

Nice boat.

I like photo’s such as these, the practical aspects appeal. The prop’s are looking much better in the latter pic's; do you use anodes or just bond them to the hull anode?

Thanks. I did think it might be a bit of a dull subject: I mean, everyone has to deal with the same routine issues. But I like seeing pictures of boats, so I thought I would.

No anodes on the shafts. But the anodes seem to be working pretty well. All the underwater metal is untouched by electrolysis. And the boat has been out of the water only for a couple of weeks a year for each of the last five years - apart from 2010 when I had the rudder stocks replaced which took two months or so.

 

[lisilou]

Nice boat Ben. Not dull. I like maintenance pics (helps me to know what you lot are talking about )
L

 

[taz]

Probably very dull, so no need to read on...

Very nice boat, sir.........especially for a lawyer that doesn't practice law

 

[sharpness]

Your boat's looking very nice. To clean your props and shafts was it it case of elbow grease and lots of scrubbing, or did you use a cleaning agent like "brick cleaner" which i hear some people recommend ?

 

[benjenbav]

Your boat's looking very nice. To clean your props and shafts was it it case of elbow grease and lots of scrubbing, or did you use a cleaning agent like "brick cleaner" which i hear some people recommend ?

Thanks. I'm afraid I actually used my chequebook and got Berthon to do it. I think they used a mixture of brick cleaner and elbow grease, though.

 

[Firefly625]

Ben

Thanks for posting, she's looking great and even these mundane pics we all like looking at. I hope you don't mind me saying, but you seem about 4/5 months early for this job.... or are you planning to use all winter?

You know I am a fan of your Aqua Star, but I've gone from just wanting a Corvette as our next boat to one of these aft cockpit AS 33's, I think one would suit us down to the ground,..

 

[TopDonkey]

Thats a nice looking boat, and your just too efficient getting all the work done now !

But doesnt fresh antifouling have to be in the water within a certain amount of time once its applied ? or are you relaunching soon ?

 

[benjenbav]

Ben

Thanks for posting, she's looking great and even these mundane pics we all like looking at. I hope you don't mind me saying, but you seem about 4/5 months early for this job.... or are you planning to use all winter?

You know I am a fan of your Aqua Star, but I've gone from just wanting a Corvette as our next boat to one of these aft cockpit AS 33's, I think one would suit us down to the ground,..

First of all, I keep seeing your boat in Lymington (Berthon) and feel quite remiss that I've never managed to say hello. Do look us up some time. We're on A. Might give you a better idea of what the boat is like. This one not currently for sale I hasten to add.

I do like to use the boat through the winter and plan to do so again this year. So it works pretty well having maintenance dealt with around about now. Actually, I was planning on July but what with one thing and another that turned into August and then we decided we would spend time on the boat during the school holidays.

On the plus side all yards are busy (inevitably) in Feb/March/April, getting boats ready and launched for the summer season. After that it always seems that there's a bit more time to devote to the eccentric punters like me who aren't especially driven by the "season".

The obvious downside of summer maintenance is that you kick yourself if there is a sustained period of lovely weather which you miss out on.

 

[benjenbav]

Thats a nice looking boat, and your just too efficient getting all the work done now !

But doesnt fresh antifouling have to be in the water within a certain amount of time once its applied ? or are you relaunching soon ?

Relaunching end of this week...I hope. Fingers crossed.

 

[rafiki_]

Looking good.

There is a SnowGoose moored close to Rafiki at Tewkesbury. She is a Broom hull/superstructure, but self built by the owner, I think about 20 yrs ago. If I remember to take my camera this weekend, I'll try and grab a pic if you are interested.

 

[Firefly625]

First of all, I keep seeing your boat in Lymington (Berthon) and feel quite remiss that I've never managed to say hello. Do look us up some time. We're on A. Might give you a better idea of what the boat is like. This one not currently for sale I hasten to add.
..

Indeed we do stay at Berthons whenever we are in Lymington and I too have not wondered up to see if you are there so next time I will make a point!! I would also very much like to have a look over Snow Goose as we are a bit shy on cash for a Hardy 32 I reckon a AQ33 could be the answer and certainly I wouldn't feel I had compromised. In fact the AQ33 has the separate cabin with bunk berths that the Hardy does not have so in many ways would be what we (my daughter) wants...

 

[jfm]

Maybe I'll be following your example with copper next year.

+6 knots - she'll be flying

Thanks for posting - yup we like pictures of boats. Looking very good. I recognise that gravel (£5 per piece, iirc, at least when I was there 1999-2002 ). Is the teak still looking fab after your major sanding a few years ago? Any other winter refits/upgrades/tweaks planned before you sell to Firefly. That would be a great match wouldn't it - you sell snowgoose to FF and get the next size up A'star, a 48 iirc? Natalie would let you off the 8%

 

[mjf]

Looking good. I had clear coat put on my boat. Singularly useless , weeded in less than a week on the lower outboard leg.

Thats interesting as I applied my pot to the cleaned up unpainted trim tabs - after a month there was a bit of silt from the river but its washed off after the run out last w/e. So shiny bright for now.

 

[Firefly625]

+6 knots - she'll be flying

Thanks for posting - yup we like pictures of boats. Looking very good. I recognise that gravel (£5 per piece, iirc, at least when I was there 1999-2002 ). Is the teak still looking fab after your major sanding a few years ago? Any other winter refits/upgrades/tweaks planned before you sell to Firefly. That would be a great match wouldn't it - you sell snowgoose to FF and get the next size up A'star, a 48 iirc? Natalie would let you off the 8%

suits me!!

 

[FalconSteve]

I too have enjoyed looking through your post. I don't find maintenance pics dull either, I am still learning and find these type of posts very informative. Thanks for taking the time to share

 

[benjenbav]

+6 knots - she'll be flying

Thanks for posting - yup we like pictures of boats. Looking very good. I recognise that gravel (£5 per piece, iirc, at least when I was there 1999-2002 ). Is the teak still looking fab after your major sanding a few years ago? Any other winter refits/upgrades/tweaks planned before you sell to Firefly. That would be a great match wouldn't it - you sell snowgoose to FF and get the next size up A'star, a 48 iirc? Natalie would let you off the 8%

My task list is as follows:

Mechanical

1 Engine service, engine/gearbox oil change, consumables etc.

2 Check/overhaul shaft seals and seacocks.

3 Webasto overhaul – Just the very last time I used it, it was smoky on start-up having run perfectly through the winter.

4 Scrub and antifoul and apply test patch of Clearcoat.

5 Renew all anodes.

6 Check batteries and replace as necessary - all domestic and engine-start batteries replaced.

Electronic

Autopilot: adjust or replace.

Cosmetic

Topside and superstructure polish.


Looking at the list it all looks pretty routine stuff.

One thing I keep forgetting to arrange is to have my liferaft serviced. Must get round to it.

I'm still pleased with the teak after sanding off the various treatments which had been tried on it. It looks good, albeit at present, not properly straw-brown. I plan to clean it once the maintenance work has been done.

Would I be interested in a larger AquaStar... Never say never!