Advice for first summer moorage

[hschumac]

Hi all, planning on leaving my in the water for the first time over the summer in Puget Sound (salt water). Previously I've only done day and long weekend trips, fresh and salt water. Will definitely get more use (e.g. weeknights) this way. The two specific things that I'm doing in advance is putting in a bilge pump (already have a batter charger which I'll connect to the marina power) and freshening up the bottom paint, some of which has worn off from PO's paint job.

Two questions:
- One thing that I've puzzled over is my motor (Tohatsu M50D 2 stroke). I have been religious about flushing it after each salt water trip. Last year somehow (even with flushing) the cooling system clogged and all that came out of the pee hole was steam. The mechanic had to hook up an air hose to the water pickup to blast out the chunks, and it has been fine since. But leaving it moored, what do you do about flushing? When you tie up after the trip do you tilt the motor up just enough to put muffs with a hose on to flush it? Or is it not a problem to just leave it? Suggestions and lessons learned?
- Seacocks. I have the two water-line level through-hulls for the galley and head sinks. I am a bit paranoid and thought maybe I should drill those out and replace them with true through-hulls and seacocks so when I'm not on the boat I can close them. Thoughts? The picture at the end of this (long) post increased my paranoia: http://www.sailfeed.com/2014/01/the-lon ... ith-blood/

And any other suggestions for "marine life" welcome.

[Seapup]

Hi all, planning on leaving my in the water for the first time over the summer in Puget Sound (salt water). Previously I've only done day and long weekend trips, fresh and salt water. Will definitely get more use (e.g. weeknights) this way.

Money well spent if you like using the boat regularly If its a local marina with sailing right outside its a great way to enjoy an hour or two on the way home from work.

) freshening up the bottom paint, some of which has worn off from PO's paint job.

A must, pretty easy though. Even with good paint I like to hit the bottom with a brush every few weeks in the summer. I was in Bellingham Wa recently and surprised at the growth on the boats even in the cool water out your way.

When you tie up after the trip do you tilt the motor up just enough to put muffs with a hose on to flush it? Or is it not a problem to just leave it?

Yup. If you back in it its easy to throw the muffs on for a few minutes while you lock the boat up and put the sail cover back on. I am religious about it in the summer, but our water is off at the docks for a few months in the winter. Makes me cringe a bit everytime I come in Figure if I use it almost everyday no need to flush, its like being on a continual cruise Have to pick your battles with the salt, only so much you can do.

- Seacocks. I have the two water-line level through-hulls for the galley and head sinks. I am a bit paranoid and thought maybe I should drill those out and replace them with true through-hulls and seacocks so when I'm not on the boat I can close them.

If I remember right even on a heavy X the stock ones are above the waterline when docked, I will take a look at mine tomorrow.

[yukonbob]

Bottom growth…even though the growth up here is next to nothing compared to even Washington, even a light fuzz on the bottom will slow the boat down tremendously. One thing that is nice in AK in the summer is the abundance of fresh water in the ocean, one night in the right anchorage can all but clean the bottom
Tilt up or down is cause for an argument among people…

Tilt up: to get it out of the water to stop rusting and growth inside and out.

Tilt down: to reduce the salts from crystallizing, and potentially damaging impeller/block ect ect. Another argument for down is tilting up can cause problems in some engines with oil leaking out of an into the engine.

Either way its up to you. I tilt up and only flush the engine at the end of the year with the odd hose off but no flushing. Replaced the impeller last year and it looked new enough to keep as the spare. No signs of corrosion. I make sure my zincs are scrubbed clean and always in good shape.

[Cedarsailor]

Well, I'm north of you in the Gulf Islands and we leave our X in the water 7-8 months/year. Our marina does not have a water supply so the engine (also a Tohatsu) is only flushed in the fall when we haul out. We have also had a plugged "pee" hole. I carry a length of fine telephone wire so I can dislodge any obstructions. A couple of times I've also removed the cowling and the drain hose and physically blown it out.

Yes, bottom paint is essential unless you frequently get in the water with a brush and clean off the growth - especially in August! To prepare the hull every spring, like next month, I pressure wash below the w/l, scrub the hull with a 3M coarse pad, rinse it again and let dry. I then apply one coat of Micron CSC. I use a wet coating gauge from Interlux.It will generally last the season. If the weather is nice, i.e. warm and not raining, I can generally do this over a weekend.

[hschumac]

I then apply one coat of Micron CSC. I use a wet coating gauge from Interlux.It will generally last the season. If the weather is nice, i.e. warm and not raining, I can generally do this over a weekend.

Cedarsailor, what is a wet coating gauge?

[jbgibbs99]

My 26X (also MD50) spends 7 months of the year on a swinging mooring in the salty water of Scotland with no access to fresh water.

It's been like that for 4 years now and only gets flushed when I haul it out for the winter.

So far no problems. When I first got it the thermostat was all salted up and I suspect the PO didn't flush at all as I now check this once a year but no salt build up at all.

I tilt the motor up and put the support bar down to stop it bouncing around.

I put a coat of Cruiser Uno antifouling on each spring to keep the barnacles off (http://www.yachtpaint.com/gbr/diy/produ ... r-uno.aspx) - nice and easy as it just needs a power wash then apply a single coat. This must hurt my speed but that doesn't concern me much.

The boat is dry and I personlly I see no need to worry about the through-hulls.

[yukonbob]

I guess I should also mention I do all my own annual maintenance, and part of that is spraying down the entire outboard inside (under the cowling) and out with wd40 then buffing it like a wax to get an even film over everything. A little grease and motor oil always end up getting into the mix as well form the oil change and grease points. I think this really helps with corrosion while in the water and over the winter on the trailer.

[metronome]

I have kept my on a mooring for 3+ months during the summer going on 11 years now. I redo my bottom paint every 4 years and touch up as needed each season, no problems with growth except for light slim at the waterline. I keep my tohatsu tldi tilted up and don't flush with fresh water until I take it out. I haven't had any problems with my motor, pee hole sometimes needs to be cleared once or twice a summer, also replace impeller every 3 years. I haven't had any issues with water in the boat except a small amount of rainwater if my chainplates are leaking. I keep my ballast tank full while moored and I tie off my boom to keep it from swinging when the south wind brings in 4 foot rollers. I have a solar charger to keep the batteries topped off.
I need to scrape the mussels and barnacles that grow on the buoy and chain 2 to 3 times a year, they can really build up and weigh the buoy down. I replace my carrying chain every 3 years due to link wear caused by the tides and sand.

I really like having Metronome out on the water all summer, love the weekday afternoon sails when the north wind is blowing and the sunset cruises anytime the spirit moves. It is nice to head out to the San Juan Islands for a week or more without using the roads.

PaulT.

[Cedarsailor]

I then apply one coat of Micron CSC. I use a wet coating gauge from Interlux.It will generally last the season. If the weather is nice, i.e. warm and not raining, I can generally do this over a weekend.

Cedarsailor, what is a wet coating gauge?

Mine is a credit card size piece of aluminum with notches of various depths around the perimeter. You press it into the wet paint and read the paint depth according to the notch. It came with my anti-corrosive coatings when I redid my steel hull years ago. The sales rep (International Paint) recommended using it also for AF coatings to ensure an even coverage. I did use it for a few years then slid back to eyeballing it as I knew how many litres it would take to do each half of the hull. I used it the first time I did the X.

[sailor stan]

I spent years flushing the salt out of the head of my 25HP evinrude. Like one othe poster said just tilt her up far enough to put the muffs on and let her run while your locking up. But then I started leaving my sails on with covers and I found that I as waiting for the motor to clear. So I stopped flushing as I did before. I would go 6 months before she started blowing steam. Then it was a matter of 15 minutes popping the head off and flushing it out and replacing the gasket. After that, It was a no brainer 15 minutes every 6 months or the seemingly endless time to flush every day. Now....Mind you, did not rely on this motor for anything other than gettin me into and out of the marina. We would only sail when thee was wind to sail with.

[NiceAft]

This has nothing to do with the mechanical parts of the boat, but rather the mechanics of mooring the boat. If you do not already have one of these, get one. It will make mooring much, much, easier.

Ray