The weather having turned decisively for the better, the crews hired to reassemble the docks bent them back into shape and tugged them back into position. A few boats are already back, and I think I saw a blossom on the apricot tree. It was promptly eaten by a voracious squirrel.
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| Mrs. Alchemy hard at work applying this years bottom paint. Note highly technical custom-fitting prop cover. |
It has been, as was seen in the last post, more or less warm enough to paint, and so paint we have. But other things are required or desired for launch, including the fitting of
Dri-Dek tiles cut to fit (partly, anyway, as I hate waste and don't step everywhere down in the engine bay) between the frames and stringers.
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| Needs more painting down there, evidently. |
All of the necessary hose clamps were tightened today, and I am always impressed that they loosen over the winterr without any more vibration than the wind hitting the boat. Anyway, for a boat with very few below-the-waterline holes, there's still a
lot of hose clamps.
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| Unclean, but not leprous, we will concentrate on paint touch-ups and waterline cleaning during the season. |
The bottom paint left over from last year was sufficient (and well-enough stored) to cover the bottom, so I will try to exchange the gallon of Pettit I picked up for something I planned to buy, like a nice grate for the standpipe. Prior to Saturday's launch, feeble attempts were made to stow all the paint supplies and tools liable to fly about should launch go pear-shaped.
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| Teardrops on my rudder... |
This is one of a pair of through-bolted zincs on the rudder. I'm curious to see how they fare over the season. At about 30 cm. below the waterline, I can inspect them through the season. The place to put zincs is on the hull proper, which involves scary hole-drilling, but really, this is to help out the prop zinc, the only other sacrificial anode in play. Next post will see boat or boats in the water!
7 comments:
We've learned a lesson about thru bolting two opposing teardrop zincs to a rudder r in our case, the lead keel. Those nuts nesting nicely in a cavity are easy enough to install tightly, as the nut tends to bind inside the cavity. But whan trying to loosen the self same nuts after a season or two of saltwater immersion, they are no longer kept from rotating when attempting to turn the bolt from the other side. At the same time, the nuts are bedded below the surface of the zinc, foiling attempts to grab them with a socket wrench. Solution, in future we will mount them with large stainless washers to keep the nut accessible for removal tools
This is primarily a test, Ken/Lynn, to see what happens to a zinc (actually, a pair of "magnesiums") at my dock. I'm installing a galvanic isolator shortly and running a few tests to see if I have any leaks from Alchemy, or other leaks nearby. Our slip is shared with a Mainship 390 drawing 60 amps and with new owners who may not be up to speed with the galvanic corrosion problem. As for the zincs, I put in a couple of washers to keep the nut proud enough of the zinc body to unscrew. Thanks for the warning, though!
Washers under the bolt end will also enable you to grab it with a vice grip when you need to sercice them in the barnacle ridden salt water sea.
Yeah, that's a good tip...we are short of barnacles here. Thanks.
How are you planning to test your galvanic isolator?
I'm going to follow the directions found here: http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/galvanic_isolator
They seem coherent. Any suggestions?
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