Trailer sailer antifouling - do you?

[William_H]

Well for what it is worth I have anti fouled my 21ftTS for 37 seasons. I keep it on a swing mooring. Despite being able to rig and un rig the mast in minutes using 2 spin poles for gin pole. It has fractional rig so need to manually keep mast centred as it goes up or down. I live in an area of fierce fouling. I scrub in water weekly after just 6 weeks of back on mooring till, near end of season, much of the a/f paint has gone.
My boat has a vertical lift keel and sits low on a trailer with a lot of rollers. When I get it home for winter I roll the boat back by about 30cms on the trailer this enables me to drop the keel about 40 cms. I jack the trailer up from under the axle by about 10cms to give me more room to slide underneath to access much of the underneath. (with difficulty) The top part of the keel is exposed inside the cabin so can be painted with keel up. So quite a faff. But being done at leisure at home helps.
I would say in UK perhaps try it without a/f. here (32 s) you get about 3 weeks in summer before the gel coat is damaged but I am sure much longer in UK cold waters. Just be aware that once anti fouled you will never get that shiny gel coat on the bottom.
So the whole question to a/f or not is variable depending on availability of launching ramps, how hard it is to put the paint on and your use. ol'will

 

[DownWest]

Bit lucky here, the assorted launch places are free, as is the parking. My little faering takes about 10 mins to rig and launch (stayed gunter) The new bigger mini cruiser is a cat yawl with unstayed masts, so no rigging, just plug in the masts, tho the main is 23ft, so some sort of aid will be needed.
So, no plans to antifoul. Option of a mud berth, but with above experience, probably try without.

 

[Stemar]

I don't even bother to antifoul my boat that lives on a mooring. AF doesn't work on a drying mooring - not sure how well it works on any boat that spends most of its time sitting still.

 

[Kilo]

Bit lucky here, the assorted launch places are free, as is the parking. My little faering takes about 10 mins to rig and launch (stayed gunter) The new bigger mini cruiser is a cat yawl with unstayed masts, so no rigging, just plug in the masts, tho the main is 23ft, so some sort of aid will be needed.
So, no plans to antifoul. Option of a mud berth, but with above experience, probably try without.

That really is lucky, I've come across a fair few free slipways but to have free parking too - incroyable!

 

[William_H]

To Down West
Re fitting the unstayed mast. Presumably the mast drops into a hole in the deck. Requiring you lift the mast up over the hole as well as getting the mast vertical.
Lakesailer (is he still around?)? Advocated a mast raising system which would work here. Requiring 2 poles in your case longer than about 15 feet set into the side deck. Meeting above the hole. They are stayed fore and aft. The apex where these 2 poles meet have a tackle attached which is attached to a point on your mast near the middle but above centre of gravity. Thus you have a crane to lift the mast to vertical and you can carefully lower the mast into it's hole. I opresume it is quite a robust (heavy) mast.
Now you may have succeeded already in fitting the mast by the armstrong method. ie enough hands to lift it vertical then lower in to the hole. If you have not done it yet I would urge you to set up this way to make a safe way to deploy the mast. ol'will

 

[Alfie168]

I'm thinking about a trailer-sailer now, (again) after 18 months keeping a 24fter in one of the Solent's cheaper marinas. I actually believe the marina was fine value - we could be on board within ten minutes of leaving home, on foot. But it was still £5, every day of every week of the year, including about seven cold months when I had no desire to go sailing. I've already saved £900 since selling her.

I can imagine keeping something like a Swift 18 on the trailer at home (when I have a driveway), thereby enjoying taking meticulous care of her; and when the weather is at its best, I'd just accept the cost of a berth over the summer.

I'm not persuaded by regular trailer-sailing, after years launching and landing a big dinghy. But the option to keep a mini-yacht at a safe, convenient all-tide marina for four or five summer months, then hauling out for a free winter at home, is very appealing - more so than keeping her on a cheap drying mooring all year.

The Manta is a pretty little boat. If I get something of a similar size, I'll want a fully-retracting keel, so the underbody is like a dinghy. I would attempt to make either a submersible pontoon that the boat can be floated out of the water upon when not in use, or I would make a heavy tarpaulin 'bag' which the boat could be parked in and either have the seawater pumped out, or a dribble of biocide pumped in.

I would be in favour of antifouling, if it wasn't so much bother and cost, and not invariably effective.

Cripes, hasn't it got late.

That's fine if you are spoilt for choice for moorings, but give up your mooring or marina berth in some places and you will never get another.

 

[DownWest]

That's fine if you are spoilt for choice for moorings, but give up your mooring or marina berth in some places and you will never get another.

In the current pox ridden times, the waiting lists are dissapearing. A local friend was quoted 3 yrs at Minimes, then got a call to say he was in. That was a 21 ft boat. Not the only one either. Another 27ft got into Rochefort at short notice.

 

[Supertramp]

I've a Manta 19 sat on a trailer, hoping to get out on her very soon but not expecting to leave her in the water for more than a month at a time.
I'm expecting to be sailing and mooring off the N. Devon coast and hope to be able to give her a quick hose down when she comes out each time.
Would the inevitable bumps & scrapes when launching & recovering just rub any antifoul off?
Interested to hear what folk here would do, antifoul or not?

I used a trailer sailer kept afloat for 6 months every year on Windermere. Definitely need antifouling to stay afloat for more than a month. I used soft but it was the wrong choice. It worked but any ropes or items touching it went blue. Use a hard antifouling and it will last years if only immersed occasionally.

 

[DownWest]

To Down West
Re fitting the unstayed mast. Presumably the mast drops into a hole in the deck. Requiring you lift the mast up over the hole as well as getting the mast vertical.
Lakesailer (is he still around?)? Advocated a mast raising system which would work here. Requiring 2 poles in your case longer than about 15 feet set into the side deck. Meeting above the hole. They are stayed fore and aft. The apex where these 2 poles meet have a tackle attached which is attached to a point on your mast near the middle but above centre of gravity. Thus you have a crane to lift the mast to vertical and you can carefully lower the mast into it's hole. I opresume it is quite a robust (heavy) mast.
Now you may have succeeded already in fitting the mast by the armstrong method. ie enough hands to lift it vertical then lower in to the hole. If you have not done it yet I would urge you to set up this way to make a safe way to deploy the mast. ol'will

Thanks for the ideas. I have made a couple of A frame lifts for others. This is a bit different, as there is a well in front of the cabin, so the mast can be put into the step while inclined back 35°, so some what easier. A couple of temp tubes along side the mast will creat a slot to keep it upright as it is hauled up to the partners. with the main halyard tied off to a short bowsprit. Might well need help getting it out again . Spar is hollow wood. Not sure of the weight, as not glued up yet or shaped.
Rig is like this:

But my hull is a bit different. Slightly longer and wider with more flair and a pointy bow.
Mizzen sail is laced to the mast, so just plugs in and set. Mizzen is 15ft long.
Bout a month to go. Depending on time in the shed..

 

[Greenheart]

...give up your mooring or marina berth in some places and you will never get another.

Two years ago I would have believed that implicitly, and it may yet be worth considering in popular spots. But having occupied a central-Solent marina berth for a couple of summers, it was conspicuous that there were vacancies, year-round.

And isn't it fair to say that very small boats such as we're discussing here, are easier to find berths for, than larger ones?