On recent trips I've been appalled to see heavy slime on the hull of Aeolus. She is no racer, but I abhor the thought of extra drag on her efficiency. I looked closer and even saw barnacles on the part of the rudder that the prop wash hits. No Way!
I dove on the prop to scrape off the barnacles on the rudder and a few off the prop as well. Doing this in the Salish Sea means getting into 50 degree water and let me tell you, it's cold! I wear a farmer john wetsuit and a swimmers cap, and that is just enough. I'm too cheap to get a full suit and booties and all that for my occasional dives on the boat. I find the hardest part is the first minute. Once the arms and neck freeze, it's fine!
So it is time to haul out. I have been using West Marine PCA Gold for the past several paintings and have been happy with it. It has been two years since our last haul out and during that time we have done a 900 mile circumnavigation of Vancouver Island and a trip to Princess Louisa. Several thousand miles of water over the hull and it is just now wearing out.
I will also reapply the lanocote I have found effective on the prop. I get a long period of clean prop from lanocote in this way.
I'm also looking forward to hauling out in Port Townsend for the first time. I used to always haul at Jensens in Friday Harbor. A great local shop that I loved supporting, and had advantages. For one, and most importantly, you could work on your own boat!
Port Townsend also allows you to work on your own boat, and for us DIY sailors this is essential. All the yards in Anacortes make you pay them to do your paint or anything, and that is both expensive and absurd. So long as tarps are used there is no reason a professional is any safer for the environment than a DIY. And I know I do a better job as it pained me last time to watch someone else apply my paint.
So hauling will give me an excuse to traverse the eastern Straits again, which is always guaranteed to provide surprises and beauty. I'm not planning to do any major work or surgery, but you never know do you?
2 comments:
Hi,
Just finished reading your entire blog. I found you searching for info on the Gulf 32 and you have the most I found anywhere. Way back you posted that there are several differences between the earlier (1980) and yours. Could you give some details. I am researching to possibly purchase one and want to know if it makes much of a difference.
Thanks,
James
Hi James,
Glad you find this site useful. That is most of the purpose. I'm scratching my head about those differences...I don't recall that there are big differences between the 1980 to 1989 or so. Certainly same hull and rig and stuff. Biggest changes was when they stopped making them and made a few more in the mid 1990's. Like 96. They moved the galley down below and moved the seating up above. I think that is a terrible change myself as you spend way more time hanging around the kitchen and venting fumes than down below. And the motion is calmer closer to the pivot point of the boat down below. Bill Garden knew what he was doing.
Anyway, I don't doubt there are minor changes form year to year, but the rig, hull and layout, I believe are the same.
There are far more important things to inspect on a Gulf, and they don't differ much from other boats. Focus there. Deck, diesel, electronics, rigging, etc.
Good luck and congrats in advance!
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