Out She Comes

Well tomorrow is the day that Naughty-Cal is pulled out of the water. I have taken another Friday off work to watch the lift out. It is always a nervous moment as the boat creeps up the slipway and you can survey the bottom for the first time in twelve months.

This year we don’t intend to do as much work as last year but it will still take a couple of good weekend’s hard graft to finish all of the jobs we want to do. First up will be changing the oil in the stern drive. This should be a relatively simple and quick job assuming that there is no water contamination in the oil. If no contamination is present we will do a quick anode and oil change. If the water is contaminated then we will have to wait until the marina staff can change the shaft seals which could scupper our plans for an Easter cruise. The underwater gear will also benefit from a good scrub down to remove the growth that is starting to appear. Next year when the drive has a full service the drive will be repainted in the original paint finish to smarten it up a little bit.

Another dirty job will be changing the hydraulic fluid in the drive trim ram. Last year we suffered a leak from this ram which not only spewed out hydraulic fluid but also sucked water in leaving the remaining fluid looking like milkshake. Since the leak has been fixed and the fluid replaced it has started to look milky again, most probably due to water remaining in the system. Another fluid change now and then one later in the year should see the system flushed through and the fluid should then, with a bit of luck, stay clean and uncontaminated.

Dirty jobs done it is time for a hull and superstructure polish. Whilst doing this we will repair any minor bumps and scrapes and the holes left behind by fitting the new transom gate. The polishing is made simpler by using a machine polisher and also by using good quality polishes that are easy to apply and polish off. The hull and superstructure will then be treated to a couple of good coats of a good quality carnauba wax to help keep her shiny during the year. The wax coat also helps to repel dirt most noticeably around the waterline which can be prone to becoming scummy. With the aid of the wax the scum line rinses off easily with fresh water.

After the polishing it is time to apply the antifoul paint. This is the paint used on the bottom of cruisers to help keep the amount of marine growth clinging to the hull at bay. Hopefully the existing antifoul will have eroded to leave a nice smooth finish ready to be repainted with the fresh stuff. If not we will have to sand it down and start again from scratch, not a job we are looking forward too as it is messy and just generally not nice. With a fresh polish and a fresh coat of antifoul paint Naughty-Cal should be looking like a shiny new pin.

All that will be left to do now is fit the new mooring ropes and the freshly cleaned fenders with their new fender ropes and fit the newly refurbished propellers and Naughty-Cal will be ready to be relaunched and face a new and exciting season ahead. Hopefully all will go to plan and she will be relaunched in a couple of week’s time leaving a couple of week’s shakedown time before our Easter break.