Boat Maintenance

In July 2006, Practical Sailor testers began a long-term bottom paint comparison between Interlux Micron Optima and Sea Hawk Monterey, two semi-hard ablative paints that are self-polishing, meaning that water movement during normal sailing cleans growth that may be trying to gain a foothold on the hull. The test platform is a Norfolk, Va.-based Union 36, a full keel, heavy displacement sailboat whose cruising area is primarily the Chesapeake Bay and Intracoastal Waterway in Virginia and North Carolina. The boats hull, below the waterline, was divided into four equal sections, giving both bottom paints equal exposure: Sea Hawk was applied to the starboard bow and port aft section, while Micron Optima was applied to the port bow and starboard aft sections. Each section received three coats of its respective bottom paint, plus an additional coat at the waterline. Since its launch in July 2006, the test boat has seen normal use, ranging from monthly weekend and day trips to several weeklong cruises.

Testing of hard and soft bottom paint in a Florida saltwater canal and a boatyard dock in Long Island Sound show that nearly all existing antifouling paints provide exceptional protection against hard growth for one season. The devil is in the detail of how well the paints hold up against the build-up of soft marine organisms, and for how long they will ward off barnacles. Although almost all of the paints Practical Sailor tested rated fair or good after 6 months, only one paint was rated excellent: Ablative/copolymer Micron 66 from Interlux. Although no paints garnered an excellent rating at18-months, Practical Sailor found several paints that continued to perform fairly well. Manufacturers try to provide protection against hard and soft growth while balancing environmental impact, regulatory concerns and rising prices in raw materials. Practical Sailor also rated the test paints by category: not only hard and soft paints, but also eco-friendly and water-based paints and looked at the performance of paints within each category.Products tested include: Micron 66, Copper Shield, EP 2000, Epaint, Epoxycop, Fiberglass Bottomkote, Ultra-Coat, Super KL, VC Offshore, Regatta Baltoplate Racing, Interlux Ultra, VC 17m Extra, Pettit Unepoxy Plus, Super Premium, Vivid, Trinidad, SR-21, Seahawk Tropikote, Tropikote Biocode Plus, Sharkskin, Bluewater Kolor, Epaint Zo, Flexdel Aquaguard Bottom Paint, Aquaguard Alumi-Koat, Super Ship Bottom, Epoxycop Ablative, Micron CSC, Trilux, Phasecoat, Hydrocoat, Horizons, Alumacoat, Ultima SR, Monterey, Mission Bay CSF, AF 33, Biocop, Cukote, Interlux, Pettit, Blue Water MarPro, Seahawk, and West Marine.

Chances are good that anyone who owns or has worked on a vessel equipped with an iron keel has at one point or another come across products that, "turn rust back into sound metal," or make other similar and often impossible-sounding claims. The question is: Do they work, and is this the best approach for an iron keel? Make no mistake about it, iron is cheap, and thats the primary reason for its use where keels and centerboards are concerned. Lead is nearly always preferred, at least for ballast keels, because its denser and weighs more for a given volume than iron, and it doesn't corrode. Some vessels use bronze as a centerboard material, and while its not as dense as iron, all sailors know it does not corrode. Irons use as a ballast keel or centerboard material comes at a price, a price that is paid over the life of the vessel by its owner or owners. If the iron is not properly isolated from the water in which the vessel floats, it rusts prodigiously. Some studies have shown that an inch of iron will create 16 inches of shale rust. The insidious nature of the way in which iron rusts is often its, or the vessel owners, undoing. Unlike steel, which tends to slough off as it rusts, iron often retains its shape, rusting from the inside out. Thus, it may look sound, however, a sharp blow from a hammer may release huge chunks of material. This type of decay is referred to as graphitization because graphite residue is all that remains.

There’s no shortage of teak cleaning products on the market, but what works? Practical Sailor put nine stand-alone teak cleaning products to work on the decks of a weathered test boat. Cleaning duo products that clean and brighten were separated out for a future test. All products we tested cleaned quite well, so we looked beyond performance to eco-friendliness, harshness, ease of use, and price. We recommend the top eco-friendly ones, best priced, and the easiest to use. Products tested include Captain John’s Boat Brite, Dalys Seafin teak cleaner, Interlux Premium, Iosso teak Cleaner, Star Brite Teak Cleaner and West Marine One-Step Teak Cleaner.

In the November 2007 issue, we reviewed a big batch of waterline stain removers/hull cleaners. Spray Nines gel got the nod over the 21 other products, but there were a number of Excellent results-and thats because these acid-based cleaners don't mess around. One of the most aggressive cleaners out there is the MaryKate On&Off, which received an Excellent rating and was a Recommended product. Made by CRC Industries, it is a caustic stew of acids, mostly hydrochloric (20 to 25 percent by weight) and phosphoric (5 to 10 percent), with a bit of oxalic (1 to 5 percent). Weve used it often, with good results, but it only would be considered pleasant if youre nostalgic for World War I trench warfare. Even outside in a breeze, it stings the eyes, nose, and breathing passages. If you work without a respirator-not recommended, but sometimes done-you need to hold your breath when in range of the fumes, and take new breaths upwind. (Its best to wear a respirator, rubber gloves, and eye protection.)

I have a 1980 Albin Cumulous with an iron keel. The keel has recently been cleaned, primed, and painted, and is holding up well. However, the seam between the keel and the keel stub is opening up. The keel bolts are not leaking. The last time this seam opened, I squeezed in some 3M 101 polysulfide sealant and that seemed to work. Is there a better sealant that I should be using?

We recently installed an aluminum fuel tank on our 1984 Endeavour 40. During installation, we took several steps to avoid galvanic corrosion, including fixing gaskets at contact points, providing airspace around the tank, and connecting it to the boats grounding system. We considered connecting one of those "zinc fish" to the grounding system, hung over the side at the dock. Could I fasten a small zinc to the tanks grounding tab? Or attach zincs to each tank and through-hull?

The two-part varnish test launch is the third installment of an ongoing report on our marine exterior wood coatings test, which began with an introduction to one-part varnishes (August 2007), followed by our synthetics and wood stains review (October 2007). The two-part teak coatings being tested are the Bristol Finish Traditional Amber, Smith & Co.s Five-Year Clear, HMG Paints Acrythane XSC, Interluxs Perfection, and Bonstones Nautiking NautiThane.

In May of this year, we reported on a product called Barnacle Buster from Trac Ecological. Although the products principal purpose is to combat marine growth and mineral deposits in cooling systems, it is also billed as an eco-friendly hull cleaner that will safely remove barnacles. At that time, we tested only its ability to remove hull barnacles. It was not as potent as other products weve tried, but effective and more pleasant to work with. Recently, we tested a companion product from Trac Ecological, the Port-O-Flush Junior. This portable flushing kit features a 120-volt impellor-type pump mounted at the bottom of a 5-gallon bucket that is fitted with both inlet and outlet valves. The pump draws approximately 1 amp and has a maximum flow rate of 5 gallons per minute. It comes with two 10-foot-long, 5/8-inch nylon-reinforced hoses with fittings and two pairs NPT nylon male adapters (-inch and -inch thread).

Testers evaluated 25 different flashlights. Among these were products from Inova, Underwater Kinetics, Tektite, Sea Fit, Streamlight, Garrity, Pelican, Dr. LED, and IQ Lights. The goal of this test was to find a flashlight that was compact, light, and provided superior spotlight and wide angle illumination for objects in close range. Unfortunately, no light we tested answered all of these requirements. The winners proved to be units that excelled at one. We also discovered that size still matters, and more batteries means more power, more light, and more life. The best marine flashlight is one that suits your needs. A well-equipped sailor needs a few different flashlights to cover all the bases: one thats a dedicated spotlight, one that lights up the lockers, one that serves the needs of bright, wide angle floodlight, and lastly a tiny pocket light used for in-the-cockpit chart reading or other instances when you need a quick light but want to preserve your night vision.