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Old 08-15-2017, 08:04 AM   #13
TDunn
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City: Maine Coast
Vessel Name: Tortuga
Vessel Model: Nunes Brothers Raised Deck Cruiser
Join Date: Feb 2015
Posts: 889
I find that it takes a bit more work than my fiberglass boat. Here in Maine we haul out for the Winter so there is abundant time to do needed work. I figure that I spend about 200 hours each spring getting the boat ready for the season. My normal procedure is to sound the entire hull to identify any planks that need attention. I then replace any suspect wood. Once the wood work is completed the real work starts. Every Spring I sand down the entire boat and apply new coatings (bottom paint, varnish on exposed wood - see avatar, and paint on all other surfaces). When that is done I do the Spring service on the engine and simultaneously begin swelling the hull for launch (pouring water into the bilge, tenting the hull below the waterline and pouring 10-20 gallons of water a day under the boat to raise the humidity there, etc.). Finally I make sure the bilge pumps are working and replace any that are sketchy. Once the boat is launched all I have to do is realign the engine after about two weeks and I am good to go for the season.
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