Haul out advice

OZ will be on the hard for at least 60 days, maybe longer. Getting some needed work done, refinish the bottom ect.
This will be my first haul out and I want to make sure I do all was is needed before I leave her. I know the obvious such as removing food, any thing of value, closed the seacock, but what else.
Thanks in advance for input
Bert

Try to leave things like the fridge open. Let air under the bedding , open up locker doors, etc. Let closed up spaces breath !

Also rain can be an issue if it can get into the hull with no way to drain out.

Random thoughts

Bilge pump should stay on. Ask whether you need a dehumidifier or dehumidification crystals in your area.

Gone for sixty days you may need to charge the batteries. Usually the yard will be willing to do that for an eight hour period in the middle of the stay.

Marty

We store inside every winter. Battery maintenance is my main concern. I also put plastic bags over the intake and exhaust. Holding tank pump out (if applicable). I'd cover the horizontal external surfaces with plastic if you're sanding or blasting old bottom paint. That paint dust...especially from ablative paint, makes a mess in the gelcoat or wax. Change zincs while it's out. Check cutless bearings. Replace propshaft and rudder packing (if appropriate). Try to park it where there's water and electrical power handy. I had the yard crew block it extra high when I redid the bottom (outside) as it facilitated access and I had planned to pull the shafts to replace cutless bearings.

(Bert-- PMd our prep)

I am hauling next week for a stabilizer service and have hauled many times not always without incident, depending on your vessel make sure you know where the slings should be located.

Also double check with your insurance that your policy will kick in if damages occurs and the yard bawks on paying.

Many times new vessel being shipped have two policies, one for the transit and a second for the crane load / unload.

Also be on board and dont be afraid to stop the lift procedure if you are unsure on how things are proceeding, remember you are the one writing the check.

gwkiwi said:

...

Also be on board and dont be afraid to stop the lift procedure if you are unsure on how things are proceeding, remember you are the one writing the check.

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That's not allowed in the SF Bay Area (riding on a crane-lifted boat). It's apparently OK in China, however.

Chinese style:



SF Bay Area style:

Rent or borrow an RV that you can use as home base , at the marina, IF you are doing the work.

No commute , and living aboard a boat out of the water SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FF said:

living aboard a boat out of the water SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Amen. I've done it, and it really does!

John

>Weather its at the dock or hauled its exactly the same<

Most boat yards get grumpy when dish washing , and shower water gets dumped under the boat.

FF said:

>Weather its at the dock or hauled its exactly the same<

Most boat yards get grumpy when dish washing , and shower water gets dumped under the boat.

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You're making pretty big assumptions about his dish washing and bathing habits.

My own experience with staying on the boat while it is on the hard (three times . . . once in Apalachicola, Florida, once in Masonboro, N.C., and once in Jacksonville, Fl) is that you sleep there and nothing else. You leave early, and arrive late. The boatyard people do not want you on it during the day. So you eat out, and find something constructive to do during the day. It is kind of a last resort, but sometimes is the only solution. I might mention that the dog loved it. She got a really long walk, several times a day.

John

lgbert said:

OZ will be on the hard for at least 60 days, maybe longer. Getting some needed work done, refinish the bottom ect.
This will be my first haul out and I want to make sure I do all was is needed before I leave her. I know the obvious such as removing food, any thing of value, closed the seacock, but what else.
Thanks in advance for input
Bert

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Bert my only caution is regarding project creep. It's kinda like thread creep the only difference is it costs ya money. Have the parameters for the scope of work clearly defined before you haul. Especially on a 60 day haul the good idea fairy has a habit of showing up and starts whispering things along the lines of "as long as you're hauled out anyway why don't you just_______?"

Project creep can get out of hand in a hurry.

Must be a difference in the budget level of the current cruisers in the US. When we were in the US we stayed on the boat on the hard a number of times. Not great but we saved the cost of a hotel. In the Caribbean, we have been in yards with a dozen cruisers on the hard. But then I have never been in a yard which complained about gray water being dumped. Another factor for us is that we do not have water cooled refrigeration. A real problem for sailboaters.

In Noank we even ran our washing machine although we had the water dumped into a dock cart and wheeled it 50 feet to the ocean.

Admittedly there are projects which are too large (read too much of the boat uninhabitable) to stay on the hard in which case we try and find an apartment. Did this when we added stabilizers and when we replaced the fuel tanks.

Marty

markpierce said:

That's not allowed in the SF Bay Area (riding on a crane-lifted boat). It's apparently OK in China, however.

Chinese style:

SF Bay Area style:

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Rmemeber: See the guy in the transom door, hanging on for dear life

CPseudonym said:

Bert my only caution is regarding project creep. It's kinda like thread creep the only difference is it costs ya money. Have the parameters for the scope of work clearly defined before you haul. Especially on a 60 day haul the good idea fairy has a habit of showing up and starts whispering things along the lines of "as long as you're hauled out anyway why don't you just_______?"

Project creep can get out of hand in a hurry.

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I can vouch for that.

Remember that the better the projects take off the more likely you will add to the list.

My haul-out was a little different this year and will be from now on and it will not at the marina. I picked up a lowboy trailer and with a little welding to make it fit a cradle, I then pulled it up at the house.

Nice job Elwin

A trailer is definitely in my boats future too.

A lot more boats are going on the hard during the off season in Puget Sound this year. Not only way cheaper than moorage, but probably better for boat maintenance. For snowbird tenants less to worry about while they're gone for the winter. Some are encapsulated in plastic. They also just built a dry moorage facility very close to our marina.
Cap Santa Marina is offering all permanent tenants a moorage rate reduction if you will sign a one year contract with them (This is in addition to the normal tenant contract.) In another month, the marina will be half empty. I think they are hurting big time. They kept raising the rents until they were on par with Seattle moorage rates and they don't see a problem with that??

You should have some minimal 110V power on board. Most of the shipyards down here have full 30 and 50 amp service during haul and block, but some only have 15 amp (household) sockets. That's enough to keep the battery charger running, which would be my first concern.

Drainage off the boat of any rain water should be considered. Some boats will fill parts of themselves you don't want filled if you don't ensure the boat sits so water drains off.

Same for exhaust systems as the boat is lifted. Bow should be high so any water in the exhaust will drain out, not into the engine.

A couple of points that have not been mentioned. If you boat is such that rain water can collect o the deck if the boat is not level, then before you haul take a level reading of your swim platform, or some other place on the boat that will be accessible as you haul out. That way when the boat is set on blocks you can make sure that the boat is level or tilted so that the water will drain out.

Also close the thru-hulls (except for the bilge pumps) and plug up the exhaust outlets to prevent rodents and insects from getting into the boat.

If you have exterior teak you may want to invest in canvas to reduce the sun's effect. This would depend on what you intend to do in the future.

Marty

I don't know your boat but you should be aware of where the straps are placed.

Try to place them at or near a bulkhead to prevent to much flex on the hull as the weight is applied to those straps. I have seen damage caused by the straps applying to much pressure to things like rails and the deck hinge.

The same when you block the boat. Do you want it bow up level or bow down.

Is it going on a cradle or are you using stands?

IF using stands I like to use 4 per side.
With 4 you can remove and replace them one at a time to do the bottom paint.

If you can find out the proper place to place the straps on haul out I suggest you put stickers on both sides of the boat indicating where to put the straps. Saves arguments and wins lawsuits if anything goes wrong..

Marty

Ocean Breeze NL said:

My haul-out was a little different this year and will be from now on and it will not at the marina. I picked up a lowboy trailer and with a little welding to make it fit a cradle, I then pulled it up at the house.

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What size is your pick-up to haul that trailer?

I used a John Deer 544 Loader and it took all that was in it to pull my boat up the incline. Could have used a bigger one.

Elwin

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