2016 Haul Out - Part 1

--Blogpost written by Bob

We've been living aboard our sailboat for almost a year now and this is our first haul out since moving aboard.  During this year's week-long haul out we are staying in the Hartge Guest House at Hartge Yacht Harbor in Galesville, Maryland.

Hartge Guest House

There just couldn't be a nicer accommodations for liveaboard sailors than
this small cottage within a working boatyard--it is a great place to
stay while your boat is hauled out for bottom painting.

This marina has excellent haul out facilities and a state-of-the-art painting facility
for yachts.  Many cruising sailors stay in this marina during hurricane season.

The Hartge Guest House is a quaint two-bedroom cottage in the midst of a working boatyard.  For decades, it was the marina's office.  There couldn't be nicer accommodations for liveaboard sailors than this small cottage.

The cottage was built in the 1940's as a residence for one of the Hartge family members.  The cottage is surprisingly bright because of the multitude of windows facing in every direction.   The glass in the windows is still original and has optical flaws that cause waviness in otherwise straight lines.  Living here for a week is like going back in time, even though it has modern conveniences like cable TV and WiFi.

Haul Out at Hartge's Yacht Yard

Hartge's Yacht Yard is a different facility than Hartge's Yacht Harbor where the Hartge Guest House is located--they are about a mile apart.  I prefer to use Hartge Yacht Yard for haul out because they have serviced my boat for at least 30 years.  They know my boat almost as well as I do.

Just about clearing the water, the hull is surprisingly clean.

The hull is surprisingly clean except at the waterline.

Even though it barley needed it, the hull is pressure washed.

Moving to a place where the the boat can be placed on jack stands.

The first step is to block the keel.

Once the keel is blocked, jack stands are used all around the boat for support.

Rigging Survey

The standing rigging on s/v Rainy Days is now 33 years old.  The rigging survey done on the first day at Hartge's Yacht Yard found a crack in the trailing edge of our lower starboard spreader.

The crack is on the aft edge of the lower starboard spreader.

This is a close up view.  The crack is circled in red.

Since we have planned a month-long sailing trip after our week-long haul out, we plan to come back after our sailing trip to address the crack in the spreader.  This work can be done while the boat's in the water.  We will be returning to Hartge Yacht Yard on July 18 for this work.

Bottom Painting

Continuing with the same paint we first used last year (since it performed so well) the bottom was painted with Petit Ultima SR-60--it looks almost black when first applied but (supposedly) turns green after being exposed to water.

The bottom paint looks black when applied but
turns green as it is exposed to water.

We used Petit's Barnacle Buster paint on the
propeller and shaft again this year.

Hull Waxing

We had the hull waxed again this year since it made
such a huge difference in appearance last year.

Keel Bolts & Washers

Because the keel bolts have never been touched in 30+ years, I thought is was a good idea to check the condition of the washers and the torque on the keel bolts this haul out.  The original washers were constructed from stainless steel (fortunately) and the keel bolts were snugged up.

Summary

All the projects that were scheduled for the haul out have been completed.  We are returning on July 18 to get the cracks in the spreaders weld repaired.  Watch for Part 2 of this blogpost series in about a month.

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