# Planning boat yard time for DIY haul-out



## Leander (Jan 16, 2010)

Hello all,

I'll bet there are many posts on this subject in the archives, but I just couln't figure out the search words to find them.

I need to take my 1972, 35', Ericson 35-2 out of the water in San Diego very soon, within the next 4 weeks, to complete work that insurance co requires to renew policy.

I'm new to boat, poorly maintained over many years, I have to assume the worst about everything.

I would like to try to do everything myself, have enthusiasm, "Good Old Boat", tools, but no experience. Am taking a week off work.

1. Anyone have a link to a "As long as you're putting your boat in the yard for work, be sure to consider doing this". list?

2. "Before you take your boat out, be sure to do these preparations." list?

3. "These jobs will take you this much time" list?

4. "You'd be crazy to try this yourself" list?

To give you an idea of my list already:

1. Make a plumbing diagram of all existing through-hulls.
2. Decide where new through hulls needed, what to plug up.
3. Get a working depth gauge sender.
4. Learn condition of every through hull from both sides. Make all through hulls safe, and of excellent quality to last for many years. Expect possibility I may need to remove, recondition, and replace every through hull.

5. Fix what are probably significant defects in hull. (Have no leaks, however)
6. paint bottom
7. Paint sides.
8. Fix a rudder very loose in its rudder housing-may need packing, bearings, don't know.
9. Re-align shaft.
10. Check shaft packing gland, cutless bearing.
11. Replace propeller.

Thanks to one and all for any ideas! 
I blog on EY.o Welcome Page.

Leander


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## johnnyquest37 (Feb 16, 2012)

In seven days, you can probably do all you need to get back in the water, assuming you have no major issues. for #2, do you need new thru hull locations? #4 - would check out your thru hulls and postion soft wood bungs for each of them if the thru hull fails. Otherwise, I'd not replace them unless they are failing. #5 - if there are no leaks, you probaly have no significant defects in the hull. You'll want to check for blisters. #8 - you might need help with the rudder, and it might be loose steering cables. #9 - realigning the shaft probably won't be neccessary, either. Not a job I'd do myself if you do have to do it. #11. if you do have to replace the propeller, you might want help. Special tools required.

You will also want to put prop zinc(s) in place and consider waxing (vice painting) the hull above the waterline.


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## klubko (Feb 21, 2007)

We bought very neglected 30' boat, stripped her more or less completely down and put everything back in two weeks. We had a very detailed list of what needs to be done, sometimes even with notes on how to do it. We started with the idea that yard will do something for us as we were completely new to this, but after seeing the quotation for their work we were very glad we did it ourselves. There is hardly anything you couldn't do yourself.
Think twice before you modify the boat. The previous owner might have made customizations that seem strange, but there might be a very good reason behind them. But I guess you had the boat for a while, so you know what you want. (After all we sealed 7 out of 10 secocks )
And it might be a good idea to rebed the seacocks, if that hasn't been done for few years.
If your boat does not have a cored hull, consider mounting your depth sounder inside the boat. One hole less, easy cleaning/replacing. 
Good luck!


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

1-3 can be done before the boat gets pulled. 
4-6, 8, 9, 10, 11 all sort of go together, and with no delays due to lost or out of stock parts, expecting that you WILL need to lift the boat and/or dig a hole to R&R the rudder, can be accomplished in a very long dawn to dusk week if working alone.
Item 7... in a week, even with a weekend on each end, with the rest of the work, fuhgeddaboudit. Not gonna happen, unless you have a crew of 3 or 4 motivated hard working people to help.


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## Leander (Jan 16, 2010)

response to johnnyquest37:

Thanks very much for helping me.

I have to go check and photograph each of the existing thru-hulls. Most of them look pretty solid and well done, although engine raw water valve is unsupported and makes me nervous. At least some of the valves are high quality ball valves, My idea was not so much to replace them as re-seat those that seem like they need it, and remove the valve, clean it up, and re-seat it wthout letting a lot of seawater in. (Is there a safe way to do this with boat in water? I have this vivid image of trying to remove a valve from a thru-hull where neither has been touched for 20 years, watching everything break off at once including an 8" hunk of hull, watching boat sink in 5 min.) 

On the rudder, I have tiller steering and no cables. Yard owner has suggested I have simply a metal rudderstock, a fiberglass tube, and over the years the rudder has worn the fiberglass tube. Ericson Owners site mentions bearings, packing, zerk fittings, etc, so I have to check it out.

Leander


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## Leander (Jan 16, 2010)

Response to Klubko:

Thanks very much for the encouragement and your personal success story.

I have owned the boat for about 10 months, but still feel like I'm at the "first date" stage. Lot of basics I still don't know or haven't recorded carefully enough. I need to make some modification to the thru-hulls, because right now I don't think there is either a raw water intake or discharge for the head. My theory is that prior owners used boat as a floating condo, rarely, decided maintenance of head wasn't worth it with marina head 50 yards away, so glassed over intake and discharge. From the inside, this 40 year old boat seems to have as many glassed over openings as current functional openings.

I'm not sure what I've got with the depth sounder. When the boat was hauled out for the survey there appeared to be a thick flat glass area surrounded by peeling fiberglass cloth that I took to be an external sender. I want to either remove that completely and seal the hull there, or make it into something external that I have more confidence in.

Leander


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## Leander (Jan 16, 2010)

Response to bljones:

Thanks very much for your help and opinions.

I wasn't sure what you meant about "Item 7". In my original post, item 7 is painting the sides. I am surprised to hear you think that will take a long time. The sides look pretty good now, are white, and I was thinking more like one day to do these, either staying white or changing to dark green. I may be missing a basic concept, or communicating poorly. Thanks very much for sharing your experience with a new guy.

Leander


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

to paint the topsides you have to sand the topsides, and as small as your boat may feel in the water, she gets really damn big when you have to sand her down. Then once the boat is sanded you have to paint and you'll likely need multiple coats, and that means multiple days.


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

To add to what bljones posted:

If the gelcoat is in reasonable condition it is best to keep it and spruce it up - once you paint you will forever paint and nothing is as durable as gelcoat. 

A one part paint like Brightside is good for 4 - 5 years. A 2 part paint like Perfection or Awlgrip is good for about 10 years or so. The 2 part paints are very sensitive to application.


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## Barquito (Dec 5, 2007)

If it was me, that project list would take... I don't know, but a lot longer than a week. Do as much as possible b/f the boat is lifted. The process of figuring out how to do a project, and ordering parts will start to bring up problems that you can solve b/f you are paying for yard time. Make a priority list: Stuff that might impact safety (keep the boat from sinking), stuff that is required by insurance, then if you have time, stuff that will make the boat look pretty.


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## Leander (Jan 16, 2010)

3/22/12

Well, I'm learning a lot from everyone here.

I realize there has been a miscommunication here between me and some responding members, namely bljones, mitiempo, and maybe Barquito.

When I was talking about painting the "sides", it looks like this word means deck and cabin to many, and I didn't realize that may be how the word is commonly used. I was referring to the topsides, the freeboard between top of bootstripe and the deck gunwale.

The reason I have this divided out in my mind is that I'm figuring that working on vertical sides and bottom has to be done in the yard so I don't contaminate the water at the marina, whereas I think I could do the deck and cabin at the marina if I stay clean, have dust vacuums and good plastic sheeting, etc. , only do a little at a time, and stay considerate to neighbors and dockmaster.

On a completely separate note, I walked through the yard today. See my blog at EY.o Information Exchange - Recent Blogs Posts - Blogs. There are 6 completely burned out boats from a major fire we had Mon night 3/22.

There is also a guy completely restoring a Ranger 33. Looks great with new LP paint on freeboard.

Also learned from the Ericson owners that I will have to drop the rudder.

If all this gets to be too much, I'll just do the mechanical stuff and do painting another time. Really love all your comments. Feel like I'm getting educated a mile a minute.

Thanks, 
Leander


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Leander said:


> 3/22/12
> 
> I was referring to the topsides, the freeboard between top of bootstripe and the deck gunwale.


I understand that- based on my own experience, it is going to be a job too big to accomplish in one week on the hard, along with all of the other work on your list.


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

Leander said:


> 3/22/12 I was referring to the topsides, the freeboard between top of bootstripe and the deck gunwale.


I understood you to mean the hull above the waterline as well. Way too much for one week with the other jobs.


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## Leander (Jan 16, 2010)

Ok you guys, it's definitely sinking in and getting through now. I think I'm going to go back over the insurance letter and just do the things they require-mainly flimsy raw water intake thru-hull, leaky depth finder sender opening, rudder. I also definitely need to end up with a working prop. I'll get all that done and see if there is any time left. The bottom paint can probably go for another 6-8 months, and the sides are strictly cosmetic.

I have definitely learned that a good general rule is that helpers here almost always have sound advice, and I have sepaartely learned that every boat job I plan is going to take five times longer than I expected, with at least three major errors!

Leander


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## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

While I would skip painting the topsides, I would certainly bottom paint if hauled for a week. It can be the last job and doesn't take that long - a day at most including prep if the bottom is in reasonable shape.


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## steveg353 (Jun 17, 2008)

I hope that while you have it out you can budget time and money for a bottom job.
I did not notice if you mentioned whether or not you had it hauled out for survey.
If maintenance has been poor as you stated, there is no telling what you will find below the waterline.
You will need to decide what kind of bottom paint you will want.
It will depend on what type of paint is on there now as to how it will need to be prepped for new paint. 
If the bottom is real bad, you may want to let the yard grind the old bottom off for you and DIY the new barrier and bottom paint. Hopefully there will be no blistering. If there is some, it can be taken care of the beginning of the week and painted towards the end of the week.

I must say, I did all the type of projects you are talking about doing but I lived on my boat for a month in the yard. It is truly amazing how large a 34'er looks when you are underneath it with a sander!


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## Leander (Jan 16, 2010)

Thanks, SteveG,

I did have it pulled for the survey, and I know nothing disastrous is going on.

Unfortunately, I will have to pay both the daily fee at my regular marina, plus the daily fee for the yard, approx $80-105. I get the feeling from some of the posts that the economic facts in San Diego might be different than other places, for example colder areas where all boats are out all winter.

Leander


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## steveg353 (Jun 17, 2008)

That's good...maybe it just needs a good sanding and a couple coats of bottom paint. The only disaster will be when they tell you how much bottom paint costs...lol
Non of this will matter when you are plowing across the bay with a smile from ear to ear.
Enjoy!


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