|
Looking for some ideas here before I dive into buying a bunch of different products and screw something up. I was just given a 1970's era 14' Anchor Sailboat Pintail by a friend who had it moldering on his property for years. It was in pretty rough shape, covered in lichen and crap, but since there is no exposed wood anywhere I can see, I figured that it would be a relatively low-risk project. Ha ha. I know that these older fiberglass hulls cannot be left in the water for any significant length of time without osmotic blistering. Without getting into a lot of specifics, I will have to keep the boat in the water all summer; pulling it out between uses is impractical. I will also be gone for weeks at a time between uses. My plan is to coat the hull with a barrier coat to prevent blistering. What should I use for a bottom paint? The freshwater lake has no real fouling issues outside of a thin algae buildup which I don't care about. Should I just leave the barrier coat bare, or should I put something like an Intralux VC Performance Epoxy on top of the barrier coat? This boat has a centerboard. The centerboard trunk is about 1" wide - do I need to try and get in there with the barrier coat as well, or just leave it alone? I have strong doubts on my ability to prep it properly. Is there any benefit from a maintenance standpoint to painting over old gelcoat in terms of keeping the boat looking decent ? Or should I just buff it and throw some wax on above the waterline? I'm basically trying to make sure that this thing doesn't slowly sink or degrade (significantly, further) by being left in the lake for months, while giving the kids a chance to learn how to sail. Any advice is welcome.
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2023 21:30
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 20:06 |
|
|
Probably if you wax the bottom you'll be fine from any kind of osmotic problems. Osmotic issues are typically from boats which have been in the water for years if not decades. You also have the keel pulling the boat deeper into the water and thus much higher water pressure on the hull. A 14' dinghy empty with no passengers is barely heavy enough to break surface tension. Osmotic blisters are kind of a thing of the past. The vinlyester resin that historically has these issues is no longer used, if you had a bad batch the problem would have presented itself in the 1990s and either resolved by a previous owner, or thrown away by now I would just wax the bottom, and if (big if) you get blisters just power sand the bottom, add epoxy filler, fair and then recoat with two part exterior epoxy paint at that point. Doing a bunch of preventative work seems excessive unless you've got obvious problems already
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2023 22:16
|
|
|
Ambassadorofsodomy posted:How do I reliably get rid of water spots on my windshield? Fresh water. Not mad, but this got missed. Just wondering if anyone has recs. Also, is there any sort of rain x like product that can be used to help reduce water spotting? Or help the water sheet off the glass?
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2023 22:30
|
|
|
Hadlock posted:Osmotic blisters are kind of a thing of the past. The vinlyester resin that historically has these issues is no longer used, if you had a bad batch the problem would have presented itself in the 1990s and either resolved by a previous owner, or thrown away by now Neglected to mention that the friend had it stored upside down on the edge of his lake and the rear decking was in wet mud quite a bit. There are osmotic blisters all over that section of decking. So unless they used different resin for the decking vs. the hull there is a pretty big chance that this hull has those bad vinlyester resins. The two sections (hull and upper decking) are different colors...
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2023 22:43
|
|
|
There might have been some kind of failure of the deck finish or "paint". I remain unconvinced it's actually osmotic failure of the resin itself, but it's possible I suppose
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2023 23:15
|
|
|
Ambassadorofsodomy posted:Not mad, but this got missed. Just wondering if anyone has recs. Various automotive products like Rain-X can work, but there may be more substantial marine duty products in the same vein.
|
|
#
?
Sep 15, 2023 23:31
|
|
|
Probably wouldn't hurt to get rid of as many water spots as you can before they dry. If you don't regularly travel with a beach towel, something like an Absorber should fit in a glovebox or similar. Just don't throw the tube away, it's more of a sponge than a towel and will break if it fully dries out. Or you could just do what I do and leave it until it looks so terrible you have to go get a bottle of Windex as you put the boat away for the day. For what it's worth, I feel like Windex does a better job at cleaning and Invisible Glass is better at not streaking. I reserve Invisible Glass for interior glass and final wipe down of stainless steel appliances.
|
|
#
?
Sep 16, 2023 01:02
|
|
|
DJ Commie posted:Various automotive products like Rain-X can work, but there may be more substantial marine duty products in the same vein. Yeah, I was thinking of just using rain x but I thought someone might recommend something thats better for marine applications. Particularly since I put the cover on my boat after I use it every time, maybe the cover would rub off the Rain x or something. Its getting to the end of boating season here and I'm just wondering what I should be looking for in terms of winterizing the engine. A local place offers the following winterization service for outboards: quote:Outboard Engine Winterization: So, thats fine for making sure I don't have lovely fuel come spring, and the engine doesn't start dry and so on I guess. What else should I be doing? I'm not sure of my specific engine model but its a Mercury 115hp of 2022 MY vintage and not the Pro Xs4 or whatever the gently caress. Seems like changing the engine oil/filter and lower unit oil would be a good idea. And someone here mentioned to either inspect or change the impeller while the poo poo is apart since (I think) they said I need to take it apart to do (X) anyway, might as well put a new one in there for cheap insurance. I think it was, you need to have it apart to inspect the impeller and they're cheap enough you might as well just put a new one in anyway. I asked the dealer where I bought it if there was an hour meter on the engine somewhere, he said no but the engine computer stores the hours and it can be read with a scan tool or some poo poo. I have no idea how many hours are on the boat, but probably less than 100. Or at least less than 100 on the engine. Since we're on the subject of the engine, yesterday I took it out and stopped at the fuel dock before I went out in to the lake. They filled it up and when I started the engine, I heard some knocking. I haven't heard rod knock very often (or recently for that matter) but it *sounded to me like what rod knock sounds like*. It increased and decreased with engine speed. On the way to the fuel dock I didn't hear it, nor have I any other time. I shut the engine off, started it up and same thing, increasing and decreasing with engine speed. Don't recall exactly, but I may have started the engine and it did it again (3rd time) once more, or maybe I didn't. Anyway, after shutting off and starting the engine for a 3rd or possibly 4th time, the engine didn't do it, and I went out to the lake was driving for a while, shut it down, drifted, drove for a while, shut down etc..... a few times and didn't hear it again. If that was actually rod knock, then I am well aware that its bad poo poo and should be looked at asap, but is it possible that it could be anything else? I don't really know that much about boats and if boating and outboard motors generally involves a whole bunch of "whats that noise? Oh it stopped? ok, no big deal then", then I guess I shouldn't worry too much. I've never heard it before and didn't hear it after that. I'm just worried that its bad news. I'll mention it to the dealer when I bring it in for service, but I know if the problem can't be duplicated, then it will be hard for them to diagnose unless this is a common problem. Tl;DR What the poo poo was that engine noise and what should I do to winterize my engine?
|
|
#
?
Sep 17, 2023 22:20
|
|
|
Fuel stabilizer is good. Some engines need marine/RV antifreeze poured into the cooling water jackets because all the water won't drain out, but the shop will know to do that if necessary on your engine. Check your owners manual for the raw water impeller service interval. People on the Internet will recommend everything from "every year" to "when your boat overheats". I do mine about every 2 to 3 years. If the manual says to inspect it, just replace it. They're usually $30 to $50 for parts and the inspection is all the labor of replacing one, but putting it back together with the old parts. For maintenance intervals, use the years requirement. You aren't going to go over on engine hours unless you're using your boat commercially. Oils tend to be changed every year and I like to do mine right before winter so it's in optimal shape for sitting for months. If a shop is doing your winterization, it's often convenient to have them do everything at once too. Your noise could be something else in the drivetrain too. There's no clutch like in a car so the driveshaft is always spinning. The actual shifting happens in the bullet shaped part just in front of the propeller and it basically just rams the spinning gears together. Can't think of any good things that would be making that noise though. Hopefully a sticker got stuck in the accessory belt (outboards have those, right?)
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2023 01:02
|
|
|
Cat Hatter posted:Fuel stabilizer is good. Some engines need marine/RV antifreeze poured into the cooling water jackets because all the water won't drain out, but the shop will know to do that if necessary on your engine. Thanks, I'm looking around at places right now as the time is coming up soon and I'd bet they will be busy for a while once people start taking them out of the water. Most seem to have some kind of winterization package of varying levels. Some are just antifreeze in the engine and fog engine, fuel stabilizers, others include engine oil/filter and gear oil change plus some sort of "inspection". The noise didn't have anything to do with engaging the prop as I revved it up (gently) in "throttle only" mode. Hopefully like you said, its just something got caught somewhere, except that would mean something is loose under the cover. I guess thats better than a knocking rod.
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2023 01:20
|
|
|
I'd honestly wait until it's time to winterize the boat for the engine and lower unit lube. And the replaces the water pump every hundred hours person was me, but thats the shop I work at's deal. To do a proper mercury 100 hour service, you have to inspect the impeller. To inspect the impeller you have to drop the lower and take off the housing. Which is 90% of replacing the water pump/impeller anyways. And in my area, the housing is usually showing scoring necessitating replacement anyways, so we just made it standard to swap it all anyways. vOv
|
|
#
?
Sep 18, 2023 19:18
|
|
|
Got my winterization booked including changing the impeller. Since this thing has been sitting in the water all season, whats a good way of getting rid of Algae thats grown on the hull? Should I just take a pressure washer and scrub brush to it? What do I do for next season to keep that poo poo off? I've heard of anti-fouling sprays, or waxes or coatings or something like that. Is that the sort of thing I should use or is there something else?
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2023 11:53
|
|
|
Hull cleaner with an acid warning on it*. Just brush it on (wear a respirator if you're going to ignore the warnings and spray it on), wait a few minutes, rinse it off. If something doesn't come off, reapply and rub it a bit with a sponge. If you need to really scrub, use different cleaner. MaryKate (probably no affiliation with the Olsen twin) has worked the best for me, Bass Pro Shop store brand worked pretty well and was noticable cheaper, and Starbrite gel let me down a bit. Probably give it a quick once over with the pressure washer first just to knock the easy stuff off but don't bother being thorough. I haven't been able to put my boat in since I waxed it due to the stupid road construction in front of my house (  ) so I can't tell you how well it holds up.*Fight Club lied to you (possibly intentionally given who says it and why) about how to deal with chemical burns. Just put a ton of water on it as soon as you can. Use more water than you think you need.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2023 13:14
|
|
|
Autumn boating 
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2023 20:52
|
|
|
Have the pressure washer ready when it comes out of the water. Once that stuff dries it.... I don't know how to describe it. Dried algae takes forever to get off even after you rehydrate it. It comes right off with a pressure washer when wet though
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2023 21:05
|
|
|
Hadlock posted:Have the pressure washer ready when it comes out of the water. Once that stuff dries it.... I don't know how to describe it. Dried algae takes forever to get off even after you rehydrate it. It comes right off with a pressure washer when wet though I'll do my best, but I have to drive it to work first. It's not far but maybe too far.
|
|
#
?
Sep 22, 2023 23:41
|
|
|
I would plan on scrubbing it down at the ramp then
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2023 00:07
|
|
|
If you want to scrub down at the ramp, those cordless "pressure washers" that can pull water from a bucket (or lake) are pretty handy. They're barely more pressure than a garden hose, but they're super portable for when you don't have a hose. On the subject, I keep one of those squirt guns that are basically a huge syringe in the ski locker, but I'm not sure I'd try to use it on the whole scum line. What kind of "algae" do you have? If its the thick green stuff, yeah, get as much off as you can before it dries. If its the yellow/brown scummier kind like on this old af picture of my old boat, you're kinda screwed until you break out the hull cleaner (I'm assuming from the wet driveway that this was right after I'd cleaned it traditionally):  This isn't the best picture but  .  You can at least see that the line was basically up to the side graphics on the first picture and its clean in the second. Didn't scrub it at all. Just put on some MaryKate On & Off Hull Cleaner and it hosed right off (seriously, get an acid gas respirator if you are a lazy rear end in a top hat like me and screw a Windex spray nozzle onto the hull cleaner bottle). Newer (to me) boat:  Not as extreme, but a decent before/after. Used Bass Pro store brand and had to rub the line a bit with a sponge in a couple spots but the rest of the yellow rinsed right off. At least the fumes weren't as bad. If you end up using hull cleaner, try to clean from the bottom to the top and do a whole vertical slice before moving left/right so you get dripped on less. Its weird if you're used to washing basically anything else.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2023 01:26
|
|
|
Honestly I have no idea. The green kind that grows on the hill when it sits in the (fresh) water since may and spends at least part of the day in direct sunlight kind of algae.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2023 01:31
|
|
|
Ambassadorofsodomy posted:Honestly I have no idea. The green kind that grows on the hill when it sits in the (fresh) water since may and spends at least part of the day in direct sunlight kind of algae. Oh, I wasn't looking for a specific species. The green poo poo tends to be thicker and benefits from hosing off before it dries. Don't feel left out though, there'll probably be some of the yellow/brown crud underneath. In my experience, the yellow/brown doesn't give a poo poo about water and the best you'll do is get some little stringy seaweed bits off before it dries. You can probably get some off if you go nuts with a pressure washer, but you risk damaging the hull that way.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2023 01:40
|
|
|
Just picked up some bass pro shop brand hull cleaner and a scrub brush. NgL a battery powered pressure washer at the launch probably won't happen but I'm probably going to scrub as much poo poo off the hull as I can at the dock before I even take it to the launch. Won't get everything but hopefully it'll help. After that I'll take it to work, scrub the poo poo out of it and pressure wash it. I'll save the hull wax or whatever the gently caress for next year.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2023 22:32
|
|
|
Scrub brush should work well enough while it's still in the water. The toughest part to clean is often the waterline itself, which is at least the easiest to reach leaning over the side.
|
|
#
?
Sep 23, 2023 23:01
|
|
|
Man I think I have at least 3000 more hours left on my diesel, but, am I crazy? Our boat has a 3cyl diesel water cooled 18hp diesel. To replace this, last time I checked, would be like $8000+, probably more with inflation. Not that I want to replace it What is this thing? 20hp diesel twin cylinder, AIR COOLED, full pressure oiling system with oil pressure sensor/alarm etc etc $2500 https://www.northerntool.com/produc...bar-description  A new mixing elbow for my engine, needs replacement every 200 hours or so, is about $400 installed. Air cooled seems like a huge win, less parts/maintenance, no extra hole in the bottom, etc direct upgrade. Probably needs better engine compartment ventilation though
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2023 05:31
|
|
|
For one, thats a gas motor, so it will want to turn a constant 3600 rpm. I also want to try a lawnmower engine in a boat, but would do it on a free boat I think. All the youtubes of people with lawnmower boats sound exactly like as expected - a lawnmower in a boat.
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2023 22:48
|
|
|
200 hours on the stock mixing elbow seems a little too frequent, but sometimes the stock cast iron ones really suck. What engine do you have? A custom stainless elbow (National Marine Exhaust will make whatever you want, or there might be an off-the-shelf option, here's one for Yanmar) shouldn't be that much more, and should last 10+ years. There's a bunch of reasons to not replace a diesel inboard with a gas lawnmower engine; ventilation, rpm, torque at said speed, reliability under load, power/alternator takeoff. etc. I'd convert to electric before going with that option.
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2023 23:07
|
|
|
An air cooled gas engine is not going to like long duration running in a closed compartment at 100% throttle either.
|
|
#
?
Sep 25, 2023 23:23
|
|
|
I must have linked to the wrong one Kohler makes a range of air cooled diesels in the 20hp range I would never own an inboard gasoline engine, particularly one that shares space with the living area
|
|
#
?
Sep 26, 2023 02:12
|
|
|
Huh, interesting. The torque curve for the KD477 and the 3MY20 are pretty similar. A quick search found that Deutz made some air cooled marine diesels in that HP range in the 80s. Looks like the main thing was just making sure there's lots of cooling airflow with an external blower. Powering both an alternator for the house loads and the prop shaft might take some work, but it does seem plausible to swap out a small water cooled for an air cooled. The other big issue would be retrofitting a dry exhaust in a boat originally not made for it. Here's a page of a retrofit (albeit for a larger engine) https://www.sbmar.com/articles/marine-dry-exhaust-designs-and-ideas/. In a sailboat you'd have to be careful to avoid the exhaust going too close to the water; when I've installed heaters in sailboats I usually exhaust out the transom to avoid the waterline.
|
|
#
?
Sep 26, 2023 05:35
|
|
|
Hadlock posted:Man I think I have at least 3000 more hours left on my diesel, but, am I crazy? Our boat has a 3cyl diesel water cooled 18hp diesel. To replace this, last time I checked, would be like $8000+, probably more with inflation. Not that I want to replace it That is a bigger motor then what's in my car.
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2023 21:12
|
|
|
I mean, the 3 cyl yanmar in my boat is 850cc  I've seen 12 hp diesels in larger boats but for a light displacement offshore boat the extra ~8hp is nice to push you into the swell when things start getting dicey
|
|
#
?
Sep 27, 2023 21:35
|
|
|
200 hr exhaust elbow replacements, wtf, it should be more like 2000  I would not be at all surprised if my cast iron one is over 20 years old. Are you sure you know where all your anodes are? TheFluff fucked around with this message at 08:19 on Sep 28, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2023 08:15
|
|
|
Yanmar maintenance schedule is less than 5 years typically. Varies by engine and salinity 200 hours is 2 years for us
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2023 09:15
|
|
|
ok but where does it attach to the toilet?
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2023 11:59
|
|
|
Hadlock posted:Yanmar maintenance schedule is less than 5 years typically. Varies by engine and salinity That's nuts. The exhaust elbow isn't even a maintenance item on any marine diesel I've ever checked the manual for, as in I've never even seen an item for inspecting it, let alone replace it. I actually had to check a few manuals to make sure I wasn't crazy but nope - checked Volvo, Beta, Solé and Lombardini and none of them have it as a scheduled maintenance thing. Sure they corrode and have to be replaced eventually but I don't think 15-20 years between replacements is at all uncommon even for cast iron ones. Are you replacing on schedule or do yours actually start leaking after only two years?
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2023 12:17
|
|
|
The goon is in salt water iirc. So that could be why
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2023 13:13
|
|
|
Ambassadorofsodomy posted:The goon is in salt water iirc. So that could be why So am I. Well, brackish, but I haven't heard anything different from the other side of the country where they have actual salt water.
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2023 14:21
|
|
|
Yeah we got the boat with 500 hours on the engine and a new mixing elbow. In 2022 with ~800 hours it was replaced as it was sweating through the metal (pinholes) under use SF Bay is technically brackish I guess? Ocean is about 35 PSU and the part of the Bay from the bridge to Oakland is ~25 Edit looks like the Internet is split between "every 4 years" and "mine is the original unit from 20 years ago" I recall my dad telling the story of ours failing going back to the marina one day and it was a huge mess. I'm inclined to replace the $200 part with the oil filter and belts as a regular wear item, particularly if it's weeping Hadlock fucked around with this message at 15:14 on Sep 28, 2023 |
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2023 15:03
|
|
|
If it fails, it's a huge mess. But they are a few hundred to replace, at minimum, and at least in my boat it's a gigantic ballache to get to it (1999 Bavaria 34 AC).
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2023 16:21
|
|
|
The cast iron ones supposedly start sending warning signals well before they fail (smoke, soot, small leaks etc) but it's probably pretty unpredictable...
|
|
#
?
Sep 28, 2023 17:40
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 27, 2024 20:06 |
|
|
I have a rope question and this seems like the right place to ask. I am working on a furniture project and I want parts of the structure to be braced with criss-crossed lines under tension. I've done this successfully so far with 1/16" steel aircraft cable and turnbuckles. I'm curious, though, if I can replace the steel cable with some sort of synthetic fiber so that I can loop it around tighter areas and also fasten it with knots instead of spliced loops and crimps. Strength is somewhat important here, but the cable I've been using is only rated to 95 pounds and it's fine. More important is that the stuff does not stretch or creep over time, so that the structure can stay under tension. I've tried it with nylon parachute cord and it stretches too much. I've looked around and it looks like the best options are UHMWPE (Dyneema, Spectra) or aramid (Kevlar) cords. I've never used any of those three. Does anyone have experience with these? Which one is the least stretchy and most suitable for my purpose? Are there other factors to consider?
|
|
#
?
Oct 8, 2023 03:00
|
|
