There are some jobs on the boat that cannot be done whilst we are in the water. So, sometimes, it is necessary to have the boat lifted out.
Not all marinas have the capacity to haul out boats, especially larger ones. Here at Fox’s Marina, they have two very large hoists and there are boats being lifted in and out every day.
One chilly day at the start of March, it was our turn.
We left our berth and motored around to the hoist and over the top of the slings. Once safely in the bay, the slings are carefully lifted into place. Then, very slowly, the hoist lifts us out of the water. This is always a little nerve wracking, especially as this is our home!
The first job is to clean the bottom. It is a year since Escapade was last out of the water and it is amazing how much growth there is: a fine coating of slime, a scattering of barnacles and even a couple of mussels. Most boats have anti-fouling painted onto their under sides which restricts growth and also makes it easier to clean off. A traditional anti-fouling is a type of paint which has to be re-applied regularly – usually once a year. To try and avoid this annual job, we had Escapade copper coated. This is a much more expensive option, but, hopefully, it will last up to 10 years. It seems to be working well, as most of the growth came off with a pressure washing.
Once Escapade had been pressure washed, she was moved into a cradle in another part of the yard. This was to be our new home for the next week, while we (and Fox’s) carried out some jobs on her.
My task for the week was cleaning the hull.
In order to reach the sides safely, we hired a scaffolding tower and platform. This was far easier than having to climb up and down a ladder.
First, it was a wash and scrub all over. Then a cut and polish. Finally, a wax and buff. A long job, spread out over several days. Luckily, I had a new electric polisher – I get such nice presents!!
I was also fortunate to have a friend help out and advise. Thanks John. Escapade is now shining and new again.
A polisher 😳 whats wrong with a bit of elbow grease 🤣🤣🤣 don’t blame you really, but never look a gift horse in the mouth 🎠, she’s looking good Caron, I guess Martin made the tea and cakes
Xxx
Hi,
I am too old for elbow grease!! She looks almost good as new, so well worth it.
Martin was doing technical stuff….measuring and drilling holes for chainplates for the storm drogue!! Not very exciting pictures, but will put something on the next post.
xxx
Curious. How long is she and how much does she weigh?
Hi,
The hull is 47 feet long, so nearly 15m. Then with the davits/dinghy on the back, nearly 16m. She weighs about 16.5 tonnes (16500kg) depending on how much stuff we have on board!!
xx
Copper coated, Blimey you surely don’t mean sheets of copper nailed on like the olden days. Is it some kind of copper loaded paint, or is it electrostatically applied like powder coating – Just interested. Bet you’re looking forward to the spring. David S
Hi David,
Technical questions…that will be over to Martin then!
It is actually the same principle as nailing sheets to the hull like in the good old days, as weed and crustaceans don’t like copper. But it is a fine copper granula powder mixed into an epoxy resin and applied with a roller. The copper granules are in suspension in the resin, but the finished surface is not electrically conductive as the copper particles don’t actually touch each other. It needs several coats, applied wet on wet and the external temperature is critical to ensure good adhesion. It then needs activating by abrading the surface to reveal the copper. It is quite a time consuming application process to get things right, so can be expensive. But it means that we should be able to clean the hull fairly easily without having to come out of the water and apply traditional anti-foul annually.
It was done a few years ago and there are some pictures of the finished surface on one of the early posts (All work and no play)
Hope you are both well and fingers crossed we can catch up in June time when we are back in the Solent.
Wow! Very impressed with all your hard work. I am glad you got an electric polisher, it would take forever otherwise. Not sure I will be asking for one though!!!! I’ll stick with flowers as a present!
Great to hear what you are up to.!
Take care and keep safe.
Jane x
Hi Jane,
Great to hear from you….I keep up to speed on school through website and Facebook. It is all very different at the moment. I don’t envy you all; so much new learning for all.
The polisher was certainly useful, making things much easier. All our presents tend to be useful things now as we have limited space on board for non essentials. Our treats tend to be food based, especially eating out when allowed.
Take care
Caron x
… same picture everywhere ! –> https://youtu.be/vcm3s3NI8ZM
We are also preparing our Gian for the ARC. See you in Las Palmas. You will start a week earlier for the ARC+. We will arrive in Las Palmas end of October for the ARC.
See YOU !
Wolfgang
Hi,
It is definitely that time of year!! Gian looked very clean after the haul out, with very shiny fittings too.
We are so ready to set off on our travels, but continue to use the time in the marina preparing. We hope that once we leave, we can focus on seeing new places and meeting new people.
We hope to be in Last Palmas mid October, so we will look out for you….
Caron