Haul Out!
Sunpiper came out of the water and had lots of work got done on her hull. Sunpiper’s manicure started with a power wash, and a total clean out of the inside. Each of her 14 thru hulls and valves, that allow salt water to come in and out of the boat, were removed. A strict minimum of valves got reinstalled with brand new valves. The rest of the holes were patched over with fiberglass and resin.
In the engine compartment, the shaft was removed, as well as the hydraulic transmission. The flywheel of the engine came off as well and was brought to a mechanist, who straightened and squared all parts. The transmission showed too much wear and tear and we decided to find a refurbished unit to replace it with.
In the bow of the boat the chain locker took shape. This included fibre glassing the bottom, reinforcing the sides, and making it waterproof. This upgrade will allow for the chain to drain directly outside of the vessel and for the bow to have a sealed bulkhead from the rest of the boat.
During all of this the hull was fully sanded to remove any organic matter, and re-power-washed. A protective coat of paint was laid on the fresh fibreglass followed by 4 coats of anti-fouling abrasive paint. The first of these coats was black, and the following three were blue. Some fresh zincs were placed on the skeg, the strut and on the shaft, to keep away unwanted corrosion.
Many friends came out to give a helping hand on the job. Daniela, Samantha, and Julian helped out with cleaning and the fabrication of backing plates. These plates were used to add thickness to the inside of the hull where thru hull were reinstalled. Together we also glued the thru hulls in the forward head.
The lovely Kate was in the yard every day! She worked on countless tasks grinding the hull around the old thru hulls, in order to create a tapper for the new fiberglass to be laid in. She undertook the endless task of sanding the hull and managed to do it all in one day!
In the shipyard I received wonderful tips and guidance from Murray, who is always ready to lend a hand. Jay helped out with the dismantling of the engine, and Russell made fibreglass work a breeze!
When time was running out Sylvain and Katie came to my rescue. The three of us installed the remaining thru hulls as well as a new Depth, Speed and Temperature Sensor (DST 800).
The rush of undertaking all of these jobs in only 7 days was not a simple task. Thanks to all who came out the coats of paint made Sunpiper's sleek figure shine out before going back to sea!
