How often to lift out (in the Med)?

[cmedsailor]

The boat is in the Med. How often do I need to lift it out of the water? I do use it throughout the year (even 2-3 times during each winter month) so the hull doesn’t get very dirty. But besides dirt I am not sure how often it needs to get dry. I always used to lift it once a year for 1-2 months but it’s really costly and thinking of doing it every two years. What do you think?
Thanks

 

[Norman_E]

I am now on a 12 months in water contract, but will have to lift out every second year just to change anodes, even if the ultrasonic antifouling works perfectly, though I do expect to apply a coat of antifouling every second year.

 

[cmedsailor]

Ah, just to add, changing anodes is quite easy and I could do this in the water just before summer (it will be necessary by then and sea will get warmer!).
For antifouling, I have used a hard one (nautix A4) and during the summer I scrapped it a few times. Its condition was quite good.
My biggest concern is whether a GRP hull MUST get dry once a year.

 

[r_h]

I've been afloat for four years without hauling out. The antifouling's no longer very effective, but a 12in wide scraper (with the corners rounded) gets most of the growth off the bottom (30ft LOA) in a couple of hours, which I then follow with a scrub with a giant brillo pad type thing from 3M. As well as saving money, I reckon I spend less time than I would hauling out and antifouling etc.

The water temperature in the Med (at least in the northern Aegean) means spending that amount of time in the water needs a drysuit in early season, and a wetsuit in all but the summer months.

 

[vyv_cox]

Lifting annually to dry the hull seems to be a northern Europe obsession. Many Mediterranean sailors I speak to keep their boats afloat full time, only lifting when it is essential to do so and even then for the shortest possible time. Marinas in the western Med rarely have sufficient space to accommodate storage ashore for more than a few days.

 

[PuffTheMagicDragon]

FWIW. Both my boats are GRP. The Centaur has been in the water for three and a half years. The Centurion has been for at least eight years that I know of and will only be lifted out early next year because I need to change the stern gland hose. Bottoms are occasionally scrubbed when the water is warmer, usually when anchored for a swim.

I used to lift the Centaur out every year more as a habit than because it was necessary. 'Drying out' is a myth that dates back to when hulls were wooden. IMHO it is totally unnecessary with GRP. Since the boatyard has been privatised the charges have rocketed; I can put that money to better use!

 

[cmedsailor]

EXCELLENT ANSWERS!!!!
Lifting out and antifouling (no labour costs for antifouling since I do this myself) costs me more than 1000 euros every year. Thanks for the saving.

 

[BrianH]

The boat is in the Med. How often do I need to lift it out of the water? I do use it throughout the year (even 2-3 times during each winter month) so the hull doesn’t get very dirty. But besides dirt I am not sure how often it needs to get dry. I always used to lift it once a year for 1-2 months but it’s really costly and thinking of doing it every two years. What do you think?
Thanks

The "Med." is a big place and for fouling, depending on location, 'your mileage may vary'. I have kept a boat in the northern Adriatic now for 30 years and I have watched the environmental influences change radically there. What was once a three year interval for anti-fouling, through a gradual increase in the marine fauna and flora growth forcing a re-application every two years, to the present essential annual requirement.

This year I had to immerse myself in the dubious water of the Italian marina four times to clear the propeller of shell-fish before I could get any thrust out of my berth. Apart for the ubiquitous conical limpet (Patella vulgata) we have vast colonies of tube worm, the calciferous shells of which get everywhere, even in the shaft bearings.

An accumulation of factors may be responsible.
1. The previously polluted lagoon waters of northern Italy are now rigorously monitored to control pollution so the water itself is less toxic.
2. Anti-fouling paint for leisure boats, since the tin proscription, is less and less toxic to marine growth.
3. Climate change has resulted in sea temperatures increasing and conducive to the growth of animal or plant-fouling species.

 

[windpipe]

Boat owners always seem to forget the need to dry a boat out and although in the short term i guess it doesn't show any benefits but years down the line it will certainly help against water seeping into the glass fibres. I would certainly encourage a lift of the boat at least every 18 months and to be left out the water for as long as possibly to allow the underside to dry. i have heard people talking about an epoxy undercoat but have no experience with it.