Boat Maintenance

I am restoring old fiberglass sailing club boats (Rhodes 19s) in a confined, heated space in winter, and I need to paint the topsides, decks, and bilges without poisoning the applicator. What do you suggest for a topside finish (white)? A repairable, long-lasting finish will be valued more than a high-gloss finish. Also, what do you suggest for the bottom paint? The boats will be in fresh water all summer; low environmental toxicity is a high priority.

In this article, our semi-annual report on antifouling paints for sailboats, testers rate two sets of paint panels-one that has been in the water 26 months, and the other for 15 months. We also take a peek at our newest panel, which has been in the water for only four months. Testers found a few surprises-especially among eco-friendly bottom paints-and tapped the top antifoulings for specific needs, like the best racing paint and the best aluminum-safe paint.

Sticking to a regular boat bath regimen not only keeps a boat looking good, but it also helps protect it from unnecessary, accelerated wear and tear. Practical Sailor tested a cross-section of 13 products-aerosol sprays, gels, powders, and liquids-advertised as either boat soaps or wash-n-waxes to find out which one was the best grime buster and which one left topside wax intact. The test lineup included products from well-known marine maintenance manufacturers-Star brite, Interlux, Woody Wax, Nautical Ease, 3M, Sudbury, and Marykate-as well as some familiar in the automotive and home cleaning industries-Mothers, Ecover, Eagle One, and K2r.

I recently saw the October 2012 Chandlery review of the Bubi bottle (www.bubibottle.com) and ordered one. Despite problems ordering through Pay Pal (I ultimately went through Amazon.com), I got one of the bottles, and can tell you that it works great. When youre finished using it, you can roll it up and stick it in your pocket. It made a great crew holiday stocking stuffer!

I wanted to send PS an update regarding the Dutchman Boom Brake recall that PS announced in the May 2012 issue. First of all, Dutchman Sail Hardware (www.mvbinfo.com) is standing behind its product 100 percent and going beyond normal warranty.

Our topside-paint test panels have endured three full years of 24/7 exposure to the elements. Testers have regularly scrutinized the paint samples and rated the topside coatings on gloss retention, flow out, scratch resistance, and anti-oxidation ability. In this final round of evaluating, we also compared the panel results with the products real-world performances aboard our test boats over the last three-plus years. Top performers in the Practical Sailor tests included one-part urethane paints from Interlux, Epifanes, and Pettit, which all delivered handling convenience and a surprisingly long-lasting finish. The best two-part hull paints offered the most durability; picks in this group included coatings from Awlgrip, Interlux, and Sherwin-Williams, a good choice for the budget conscious boat owner.

We got a half-taste of your Florida hurricanes here in New Jersey. I had my boat hauled out a few days before super-storm Sandy arrived. The yard blocked her with just four jack stands and a bow jack stand. I asked for four more for the hurricane, and they said no, so I built my own midship stands for $16! I wanted to share the how-to since they worked so well.

My wife and I bought a Vesper Watchmate 850, and after delaying the installation a few months, we finally got it in and powered it up. After it ran fine for several hours, it gave us a Voltage Standing Wave Ratio error. (VSWR is basically an efficiency measurement of the antenna system.) After some troubleshooting, I sent a note to Vesper Marine in New Zealand (www.vespermarine.com). There was a prompt and very thorough reply to all my questions. I had a very informative conversation with Jeff from Vesper, and I tried his troubleshooting suggestions. The problem certainly did appear to be the antenna, but after using another antenna and cable, Jeff said to send him back the unit and they would analyze it to be certain.

Letters to Practical Sailor, November 2012. This month's letters cover subjects such as: Ideal Galley, Spilled Cetol, Power Plug Search, and More!

Practical Sailor is simultaneously field-testing three sets of ablative and hard bottom paints in the high-fouling waters of Sarasota, Fla. One test panel has been in the water 36 months, another for 20, and a batch of new and eco-friendly paints has spent nine months submerged. This article covers the results of all three tests and highlights the best bottom paints in each test field, including Practical Sailors picks for aluminum-friendly paints, water-based paints, eco-friendly paints, racing paints, and budget-priced antifouling paints. The test field included dozens of bottom paints from Blue Water Paints, Interlux, Epaint, Pettit, Sea Hawk, Flexdel, and Boero.