Bottoms Up!

[Jeremyvmd]

There are ablatives that work for trailers and those that don't. Most of them these days are fine, but not all. I used water based stuff last time, and that's what my marina uses as well. If you find one you like just call the company and as if it's ok to be out of the water for long periods...it will def wear away faster if you trailer it

[WillieC]

That ablative is ok certainly has been our experience. Sure it comes off if you get too aggressive when cleaning in the driveway, but I think that is what "ablative" means. Thanks for weighing in.

[DesertAlbin736]

About those concrete blocks: As some of the earlier pics show there are 3 blocks with jack stands and 2 blocks with 12 ton bottle jacks under the keel. But there is also a 14K lb capacity tow strap at the bow attached to a chain hoist on "Elmer" the gantry which is kept under tension. Much of the weight is supported by 6 heavy duty stands situated at the chines, that is 3 on each side which have 14 x 14 pads & 1" diameter screw jack shafts. That's 12 points of support, which if weight was distributed evenly, which of course it isn't exactly, that's less than 500 lbs at any one point.

Anyway, I just got done applying the 3rd coat of paint today which completes the painting portion of the project. Tomorrow I put new carpeting on the trailer bunks & will be ready to put the boat back on the trailer. In order to do that we lower the bunks on the trailer, which are adjustable, and use the chain hoist on the bow strap and a forklift at the stern as well as the hull stands and two bottle jacks under the keel to raise the boat an inch or two higher off the ground and slide the trailer under the boat while removing the stands as we go, then jack the bunks up and tighten the adjusting bolts.



Speaking of the trailer, I just got some bad news about it today. The pair of new tires on the front axle that I installed two years ago and have about 9,000 miles on them already have the inside half of the tread worn down to the wear bars. Seems the spindles on the front 5,200 lb capacity torsion bar axle are cambered about 3/8" out of plumb, causing the abnormal wear. The choice is either spend large sums on a new axle, or replace a pair of tires every 9,000 to 10,000 miles. We expect to trailer around 3,500 miles this year alone. I've had more trouble with this damn trailer between cracked cross member welds, dragging brakes, and now this!

Here's what the finished paint job looks like now:

Picture0414161745_1.jpg

Here's what the specs say about Pettit Hydrocoat ECO (emphasis added on the part about not losing effectiveness out the water):

Features:
Water based, copper free, self polishing ablative antifouling paint.
Dual-biocides provide outstanding multi-season protection in all conditions.
Uses the power of organic Econea for better protection and a greener earth.
Co-polymer ablative technology eliminates sanding and paint build up.
Easy application and cleanup with soap & water.
Will not lose effectiveness when removed from the water.
Use water to thin if necessary.
Specifications
Vehicle Type: Water-Based Emulsion
Finish: Flat
Components: 1
Curing Mechanism: Solvent Release
Solids By Weight: 73° +/- 2° (theoretical)
Solids By Volume: 40° +/- 2° (theoretical)
Coverage: 430 sq. ft/gal
VOC: 150g/l max. (1.25 lbs/gal)
Active Ingredients: 6% Econea (Tralopyril); 4.8% Zinc Pyrithione
Flash Point: None
Application Method: Brush, roller airless or conventional spray.
Number of Coats: 2 minimum with additional coat at waterline recommended.
Dry Film Thickness Per Coat: 1.4 mils (4.0 mils per wet coat)
Application Temperature: 50°F minimum temp. & 90° maximum temp.
Thinner: Water

It did go on easy with a 3/16" roller and I got 3 coats out of one gallon, just barely. But watch out, this paint is very irritating to exposed skin. I suited up with disposable painter's coveralls and used rubber gloves, safety glasses and face shield. But the little bit of paint (fumes?) that got on my forearms between the gloves and the coverall sleeve cuffs caused the skin on my forearms to break out in an itchy read rash, to which I treated with cortisone anti-itch ointment after washing thoroughly.

Compared to this it's a big improvement.

DSCN3614 (1280x960).jpg

[DesertAlbin736]

WilleC asks 'Though, from reading your posts, you aren't much out of the water unless you're going 90 down the freeway to your next adventure'.

Actually our boat does spend most of the time out of the water. Locally it's only in the water a couple days at a time max and is otherwise dry stored on the trailer between outings. Would be nice to have it in a marina slip full time, but besides the expense of over $300 a month for a lake that's 2 miles wide x 4 miles long, Lake Pleasant is infested with Quagga mussels , so the less time the boat is in the water the better. But when we do long out of state cruises like our plan for this summer it can be in the water for up to 2 months at a time. So most of the time heavy fouling isn't a problem, but we do need to have some sort of trailerable bottom paint.

With our previous 1989 Catalina sailboat we had it in a marina slip in San Diego for four months at a time on two occasions, once in 2008 and again in 2012. In that case we had the bottom painted with West Marine copper ablative and dove to gently wipe the bottom down with a car wash mitt every two or three weeks to knock off the slime. After that this is what the bottom looked like when we sold the boat in 2013. And I might add we sold that boat in 3 weeks and got $10K. Oh, and that painted trailer? I had sandblasted every square inch of that trailer down to bare metal myself & primed & repainted with Rustoleum. The chore of raising and taking down that mast is why we now own an Albin 25.

Nikon 2012 351R.jpg

Here we were sailing past the San Diego Maritime Museum and the Star Of India tall ship in downtown San Diego

[Jeremyvmd]

I think you will be happy with the hydrocoat. We got two years on a trailer and one in a slip out of ours...great stuff. As for the bunks, once you get them recovered I would spray them with a bunk lube. I use marykate liquid rollers...it really makes a huge difference both in the ease of launch and recovery and in the wear and tear on the bottom paint.

[sail149]

Some sketchy blocking up!
My dad had one of these in UK.
It looks like a disaster waiting to happen.

[DesertAlbin736]

sail149,

It was a very temporary setup with six sturdy steel supporting stands, three on each side, at the turn of the bilge. And those pairs were chained together to hold them in place. In any case, our boat is back on the trailer as of last week. I just yesterday finished up with trailer maintenance, replacing carpeting on the bunk boards, repacking the hubs and installing new disk brake rotors and calipers on the rear axle, which I had removed last year after they had packed it in on our East coast trip. So now our boat is back in it's usual storage space and ready to head back to Washington State in June for our San Juans/Gulf Islands/Desolation Sound cruise.

So where in Eastern PA? My ancestral roots date back to the Allentown area in Carbon County. Still have a couple of cousins living there. We had a great time on the Chesapeake last year, although we cut it short & only stayed on the water two weeks due to the muggy heat. Ran into more rain and T storms on the Chesapeake than any of the other places we've cruised, including the Pacific Northwest.

In Spring Cove Marina in Back Creek at Solomons

0624150936 (2).jpg

[DesertAlbin736]

Willie C

Steve, have you decided where you will dump in this summer on your way north? At the risk of being overwhelmed with all your improvements, it is always good to see another 25 fitted out. We are on Hood Canal, Puget Sound.

Last time in the Gulf Islands we were surprised about the scarcity of pumpout stations. After leaving the San Juans we'll work our way up through the Gulf Islands to Nanaimo. There are pumpouts in Ladysmith and Ganges as well as Nanaimo. I suppose we could dump overboard while crossing the Strait of Georgia on the way to Secret Cove. Having increased our holding tank capacity from 9 gallons to 20 gallons should help.

We'll have a little 2 boat flotilla going with our friends in their O'Day 25. You're what, a 2 day run by boat from the San Juans? You should come along up to Desolation.

Now all I need is a warehouse with a gantry crane, chainfall, a forklift, boat stands, a compressor, hoses and pneumatic sander and I'm good to go!

It helps to have friends in low places. I'm so indebted to our friend Bruce for letting us use his facilities. He's such a great guy. He saved us the literally thousands of dollars in labor it would have cost if we'd had to have this work done at a yard.

[WillieC]

Steve, thanks for the great pics (always) and your detailed info on this latest project of yours.
What I meant was, where do you plan on trailering La Dolce Vita to and dumping it into the water on your way to Desolation Sound? But your answer was informative nonetheless. Our summer is shaping up to be plenty busy in the South Sound, if I can ever get my shaft issues resolved. (Waiting on new motor mounts right now.)

I am glad you have friends in low places too. Restores a bit of my faith having recently been offered $20 by a machine shop to just go away with my puny little problem. One of our BCAlbineer friends wondered if he'd give us all $20 to go away. (In his defense, he did give good advice over the phone. I let him keep his money.)

[DesertAlbin736]

Willie C

Our rough sail plan is to trailer to Bellingham (free truck/trailer parking for up to 60 days in the overflow lot next to Redden's), launch in Squalicum Harbor on or around June 22nd. Spend the first 5 days to a week in San Juans, then stops at Poet's Cove & Telegraph Harbour in the Gulf Islands on the way to Nanaimo (running Dodd Narrows at slack ) , then cross the strait at the first favorable weather window over to Secret Cove, then on up to Lund with stop in between somewhere near Hardy Island, then on up to Desolation. Open ended from there, but at least a week or two in Desolation before working our way back & more stops in the Gulf Islands. Expect to be on the water though at least all of July.

[kerrye]

Looking forward to the trip report and pictures of that.

[sail149]

DesertAlbin736
Hi I'm near Harleysville not far from the Lansdale exit of the north Ext of tpk.
Allentown is not far. C,peak bay is my closest decent water but your right you have got to pick your moments with the ugly heat and T storms. Eastern shore can be lovely if you avoid the gelly fish! Ugh!
I still sail/race locally on a lake...hence why I dot work on my boat enough.
Looks like you travel arround quite a bit. The 27 is just too big.
Warren

[sail149]

Oh I was not suggesting you blocking was sketchy, the blocking of a 37' in the photo was scary to me.....
W

[DesertAlbin736]

Here she is with fresh Pettit Hydrocoat ECO bottom paint. This closes out my entries on "Bottoms Up" topic. Yeah, I know, there were few little bleed throughs on the masking tape. Oh well. Labor & use of facilities was free.

PS, I finally solved the problem of centering the boat on the trailer when hauling out. Was over at West Marine the other day & saw these guide post kits that can bolt on to I beam trailer frames. Installed the pair on trailer just forward of the wheels at the widest point of the hull. Had the boat out on the lake on Monday & it worked like a champ. Now I don't have to stand on the dock with a dock line in one had and a boat hook in the other trying to steady & center the stern while my wife drives the truck as the boat comes out of the water. Best $127 spent so far.

[kerrye]

What's the wooden thing bolted to the I-beam?