Boat Maintenance

Letters to Practical Sailor, December 2011. This month's letters cover subjects such as: ScanMarine, Midland Management, and more!

Letters to Practical Sailor, November 2011. This month's letters cover subjects such as: Eastport Pram Fan, Coppercoat, Lightning strikes and More!

Canada Metal Pacific (CMP) of Vancouver has acquired New Zealand-based Rocna Anchors, a company embroiled in a controversy over anchor quality after production had shifted from New Zealand to China. According to CMP, Rocna anchors will continue to be produced in China, but at a different plant in Ningbao, China—one that is wholly owned by Canada Metals Pacific. Rocna anchors made in Shanghai were recently the subject of a “specification notice” issued by marine retailer West Marine, which was reported on in the September 2011 Practical Sailor. The notice informed Rocna anchor owners that some Shanghai-made Rocnas did not meet the company’s original advertised specifications.

Letters to Practical Sailor, November 2011. This month's letters cover subjects such as: Standard Horizon, Defender Industries and Weems & Plath

Improperly mounted stanchion and pulpit bases are a major cause of gelcoat cracks in the deck radiating from the attached hardware. The cracks are usually the result of unequally stressed mounting fastenings or inadequate underdeck distribution of hardware loads. Frequently, a boat is received from the builder with local cracks already developed. Once the deck gets dirty enough, these minute cracks start to show up as tiny spider webs slightly darker than the surrounding deck gelcoat While repairing these cracks is a fairly difficult cosmetic fix, the underlying problem - poor mounting - is fairly easy to correct in most cases.

In July 2009, 61 samples of antifouling paints, including several new formulas, went into the water in Sarasota, Fla., for testing. This report and the tables above offer a 24-month update on our findings on the top paints in that field, which we last reported on in April of 2011. For sailors who value longevity over all other factors, that article, along with this report on paints that rated a Fair or better after 24 months, will serve as your best guide to choosing a long-lasting bottom paint.

Practical Sailor continues its search for the best antifouling as we test a large field of bottom paints, including products from Pettit, Blue Water, Epaint, Interlux, and Sea Hawk. In this report, we rate the paints' eight-month and two-year performances. Some budget-friendly and eco-firnedly paints were still doing quite well after a season in the drink. When we last checked in on bottom paints in the March 2011 report, the ban on copper in antifouling paints was on the docket in Washington state and California. As the movement to ban copper moves eastward, the bottom paint industry is in flux, with manufacturers reducing the amount of copper in bottom paint and trying new copper-free paints. Bottom paint will probably not decrease in price, or increase in effectiveness, in the next few years.

The paint samples were applied to 6-foot-by-2-foot fiberglass panels for testing. Testers follow the makers’ instructions for preparation and application. There were 11 samples per test panel. All but four samples had two coats of paint.

Last November, we began field trials of Mussel Buster, a baked-on powder coating that relies on its slick, hard coating to prevent barnacles from adhering. After six months, the prop was surprisingly clean. A few small barnacles had appeared, but they wiped away easily with the sweep of a hand.

When deciding on a process for clearing antifouling paint and coatings off the bottom of your boat, first define your goals and try to be as minimally invasive as possible. If your boat bottom needs more than a scrubbing but less than a full peel, sodablasting is a technique that will strip bottom paint but leave gelcoat intact. The unique softness of the calcium carbonate powder in sodablasting is effective, and the tented setup keeps the old coating contained. This report outlines the sodablasting process, calculates the cost in time and money, and compares its performance and cost-effectiveness to other bottom-stripping techniques we've tested.