Mailport: June 2015

0

Bottom Paint

MacIntosh 47

I just read your latest review on bottom paints (see PS, April 2015 online). It was a real head-scratcher to us. We just put a new coat of Interlux Ultra on the bottom of our Macintosh 47-the same paint as we had before. That bottom job had lasted 43 months! And the prior bottom job with Ultra had also lasted over three years.

Our boat is in South Texas; we are in the water 365 days of the year, and our growing season is about nine months. Barnacles are dime-sized in three weeks, nickel-sized in a month or so. Oysters grow in our intakes and on the very bottoms of our keels, growing to market size in a season. In other words, keeping our bottoms clean is challenging. We clean the prop and waterline every two or three weeks when the water is warm enough, and the whole bottom every month or so.

But surprisingly, our paint didnt even show up on your test; it crapped out at 12 months, as I recall. So, Im wondering: Why does Interlux Ultra and Petit Trinidad SR last several years in the real world? And, why would we possibly consider changing to one of the paints that allegedly did better in your study?

Bill and Jan Streep
Merlin, Macintosh 47
Port Aransas, TX

Interlux Ultra is a hard paint loaded with copper and is a good choice for high-fouling areas like the one that you describe. We have been testing it for many years, and it has done well in previous tests. However, in one of our most recent tests it did not live up to expectations. We encourage readers to supplement our test results with local knowledge, as there are many local environmental variables that can impact antifouling performance. Because our test panels are static, most boat owners can expect better protection in the real world, especially from a hard paint.

Brighter is Better

In regard to theFebruaryandMarch 2015article on foul-weather gear: Why don’t foulie makers have a bright-yellow model in their fashions? In his excellent and exciting book, A Storm Too Soon, Michael J. Tougias quotes Nevada in the Jayhawk helicopter observing the life raft: …there are three people. Two are wearing yellow gear, but one is in dark red … Thats why we couldnt see him.

Also, I only see small, sparse reflectors on the ones you tested. My jacket, from West Marine, bought several years ago, is bright yellow and has large reflectors all over it (similar to the distribution on your cover model).

Henry (Sandy) Mulcahy
Gimli, Herman Cape Cod Cat Boat
Bass River, S. Yarmouth, MA

Dark-colored foul-weather gear with little reflectivity is one of our pet peeves. While fluorescent orange-red or yellow-red were once highly touted for rescue equipment, recent visibility studies show fluorescent green is more visible, especially in low light.

Needle Size

Your October 2014 article, Stitching Instead of Splicing, is a good article, one to which I keep referring. But what size needles did you use for different threads?

James Smith
via email

We try to match needle size to the twine, but generally a No. 15 sailmakers needle works for up to No. 4 twine, a No. 16 needle for No. 8 twine, and a No. 17 needle for No. 10 twine and up. It also depends on the weight of the material being sewn; if you really have to push on the needle with a sailors palm, go up one needle size to reduce the number of bent needles. In our tests, webbing was all stitched with No. 16 needles, but with rope, we generally went up one size.

Anchor Test

Having read theFebruary 2015 articleon anchor testing, it seems to me that the correct answer to which anchor to put on the bow is the same as the novice trying to tie a knot. If youre not sure, try a lot.

Harry Grossman
Serenity, Sabre 38
via email

Gelcoat Maintenance

In response to your Feb. 25, 2015 Waypoints about removing stains from gelcoat: When all else fails, including Y-10, try real lemon juice loaded into in a spray bottle. Spray on, wipe off. The next time, you will try it first.

Joe Tierney
Annapolis, MD

Lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar, salt, and margarine were just some of the kitchen-cabinet cleaners featured in the February 2008 article entitled Home Brews. The story ran as a sidebar to a report on eco-friendly products,Can Your Boat Make You Green?

DIY Bird Repellents

In response to your March 23, 2015 blog onbird deterrents: A big eyeball (like the Bird-X Terror Eyes and Bird Barrier Scare Eye thatPStested in theApril 2010 issue) or pair of eyeball-like pictures is reported to do the job. Last year, I stumbled onto a 2-foot by 3-foot picture of the face of the Geico lizard, which I glued onto thin plywood and sandwiched with some clear plastic sheeting; I used West System epoxy to waterproof it. When moored, I lash each corner to the deck or toerail. Seems to work in keeping birds away.

Ed White
Caliente, Cal 35

Corrections

In the May 2015 article Hidden Cause of Rig Failure, we gave incorrect credit information for photos numbered 7 to 11 on pages 24 and 25. Those photos were supplied by John Koon, a highly regarded, certified marine surveyor, based in Honolulu, Hawaii. Koon also supplied much of the background information for that article.

Where Credit Is Due
Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Supported entirely by subscribers, Practical Sailor accepts no advertising. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him by email at practicalsailor@belvoir.com.