In preparation for the many repair tasks that need to be performed on my Pearson 28-1 I have been spending my boat-work time cleaning the boat.
My primary cleanup tasks focused on washing out the entire interior of the boat so that it will be easier to keep the bilge clean when I do my keel stub repairs. After hundreds of gallons of water, lots of scrubbing and plenty of degreaser the bilge on my boat no longer harbors the layers of oily, dirty residue that it once had.
My next cleanup task was to get the bottom paint off of the hull and get her ground down to solid gelcoat or glass as needed. I got a bit distracted from bottom paint removal and have cleaned from the hull deck joint down to the waterline while letting my shoulders recover from bottom scraping. Fortunately most of the stains have come out of the gelcoat. The real trick to getting the gelcoat clean was using “sno-bol” toilet cleaner as recommended by some of my yard neighbors. Sno-Bol worked amazingly well at removing the ugly stains from the hull. Getting the layers of bottom paint off is much more of a chore and my shoulders are sure to be stronger after it is all done.
Here are some photos of the current state of my hull cleaning with some pre-cleaning references.
wow, nice job on the cleaning!
Yes, very nice work Jonathan, and lot of courage to do this in spite of the big crack in the hull. Hope that you will be able to repair it without risking to impair the security of the boat when you will sail in a gail.
One day, I will tell you a story of a sailboat with a crack in the hull who sunk in the Gulf Stream. The Coast Gard rescued the crew after a week of drifting in a dinghy….
Take care
PS: I’m heading to Melaque next week
Hey Jean,
Yes, a bit of courage for taking on such a large project. Getting the bottom paint off has to happen before I can start the hull/keel-stub repairs so I am moving steadily towards those repairs. I’ve talked to a lot of folks about the repairs and have had an expert inspect the boat inside and out and the consensus is that I can fix the boat so that it is safe again so I think the bravery is on account of the work ahead as much as anything.
Have a great trip down the country and a great winter in Melaque.. If you feel like coming down the east coast stop by for a visit. Also, if you would like to blog about your trip I have a new westy travel blog up that you are welcome to use, just let me know and I’ll set you up. http://westfaliatravels.com
Take Care,
The fact that it is fixable is good news. Please post repair details if possible.
I intend to post details of the full restoration as it proceeds. I work on the boat daily but it is going slowly so posts will also be slow. I hope to get into substantial hull/keel-stub repairs this winter or early in the spring. Before then I’ll finish the hull cleanup then I intend to rebed deck hardware so that she stays nice and dry while I work in the bilge, then I get to do the hull/keel stub repairs. Fortunately I haven’t found any additional cracks or damage of note as I have removed bottom paint.
Thanks for following along,