I let more time go before this haul out than any other I can recall. It had been three full years since I last hauled. In that time we did a big summer trip up to Desolation Sound and countless shorter trips around the San Juan and Gulf Islands. I fully expected to find a prop well covered in barnacles and a missing anode, with maybe even hard growth somewhere on the hull.
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| This was the condition after 3 years |
But what to my wondering eyes should appear out of the murky depths but a perfectly clean prop! Let me say that again, after THREE YEARS a PERFECTLY CLEAN PROP.
No words can convey my delight at having found a prop treatment that does this. For the entire time I've had Aeolus I've tried various things, usually Lanocote and found problems with hard growth and algae growth before a year had passed. I would have to snorkel down on the boat to scrape off barnacles and mussels on the prop to not ruin the performance of the little beastie.
So this is what I want to announce to all my sailor friends out there, I tried something new and it worked a dream. After cleaning the prop, I sprayed two coats of Petit Zince Prop Coat. Many people stop there, but it says right on the can that for longer protection apply Hydrocoat bottom paint. Hydrocoat is a non-metallic ablative bottom paint that I use in black. This combination kept my prop absolutely clear of any growth, despite being pretty well worn away after three years and a lot of use. Astonishing.
I also found that the aluminum prop anode lasted those three years, and was still intact and about 30% present. Never get that from a zinc anode, and I haven't had any change in the performance of the corrosion protection visible on the prop.
This haul out was initially going to include the PSS Shaft Seal, as they recommend replacement every 6 years and it has been about 10 on mine. But I inspected it closely and the darn thing looks pristine, like brand new. Absolutely zero sign of any rubber aging or flaking or fatigue. So I put the replacement off for another haul out in the future.
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| Same treatment and ready to go for a few more years! |
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| She's not too clean or made up pretty, but boy she's a beauty |
So this one was just bottom paint, prop treatment and a few odds and ends. Was only out Friday to Monday morning.
One thing I always do at haul out is put lanolin on the balls of the ball valve. I keep a tub of lanolin on the boat that will last me my lifetime, I think, and it comes in handy. By putting lanolin on the valves, it keeps growth from happening on them and keeps them easy to exercise. I routinely exercise all the ball valves on Aeolus as a regular thing to do, but when I treated them this time, I could see with a headlamp that they still had lanolin visible on them and no growth.
A word on bottom paint. I've been using West Marine PCA Gold for many, many years. This will be my last time. The can I bought was nowhere near the product it used to be. It was so thin and light compared to the copper content the prior versions had, and they no longer use Igoral or whatever it was because it's been banned as nasty stuff. I'll do some research and use a different product next time.
My time at Jensens is always easy and delightful. Being on the island is always so fulfilling. The weather cooperated and I had an awesome few days with a friend and even Amy came up for the weekend.
Aeolus is good to go for our big 2026 trip to Desolation Sound environs. Can't wait!
P.S. I had two different guys walk up to me and offer to buy Aeolus while she was hauled out. She was flattered. Another person left a note on her asking if I would sell her. Sorry folks, she's mine for a good while longer. I tell people that if I won the lottery and had millions more, I'd keep her and just fix her up some more. There's not a boat in the marina that would do better what we do with her.
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| Gratuitous Cattle Point shot looking toward Olympics. One of my deep home places. |
