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Back in the Boatyard

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We are back on the hard in Norsand Boatyard.  What, you are probably asking, “why?”  Well, we had a lot of little things we needed to do – each individually would not warrant a haul out, but together they did.

Boatyard Projects on the List

  • Reburnish the Coppercoat (due to our barnacle incident)
  • Fix small gelcoat damage (another boat ran into our starboard bow)
  • Water Tanks: Scrape, clean, and repaint interior 
  • Repair Teak on both Sugar Scoops 
  • Wax the hulls and stern

Haul out

Hauling your home out of its natural environment and onto a trailer is always nerve racking.  However, Kevin and Shayne at Norsand Boatyard are experts and they truly take every precaution to ensure our home is safe. 

Coppercoat

We applied fresh Coppercoat in late December 2023 and had a massive issue 6 weeks later after being in a barnacle infested river.  Coppercoat UK and the local NZ Coppercoat distributor agreed to reburnish the bottom of our boat. This particular task requires us to be out of the water so the boatyard can sand the entire bottom with 320 grit sand paper.  

I will say that we rock!  Why do you ask?  Well, we spent days in the freezing cold water scraping and cleaning our bottom and it looks so much better than other boats with barnacles on their Coppercoat.  I took a photo of a monohull that had similar barnacle problems to us (lower right photo).  As you can see they were not as successful at removing the “feet” of the barnacles (little white spots) as we were.  And another boat with Coppercoat who stayed in the barnacle infested water for over 6 months had a reef with baby eels falling off of it when she hauled out (lower left photo).

Sugar Shack bottom at haul out (top) and another boat after haul out (bottom), both with Coppercoat.  Yep, we did good.  

Coppercoat Repair

Once we were out of the water, we noticed an area that has 4 spots that are down to the barrier coat – that is not good.  So we have to address this issue.

Conor fills the spots with filler and Coppercoat.  It needs a sanding, then it is ready to be burnished with the rest of the bottom.

Burnsing the Coppercoat

Right before we splash, the yard comes back to burnish the Coppercoat with 320 grit sandpaper.  Not sure what I expected, but honestly, I was surprised that the bottom turned back to copper color after the boys (Ian and Shamus) burnished it.  It was soooo smooth.

It even had a shiny penny look when the sun hit it.

Hit by another Boat

Another boat hits us while we were docked at Town Basin Marina.  It was rather an unfortunate occurrence but the damage was minimal.  This other boat was trying to squeeze in front of us and claimed he had bow thrusters.  He had bow thrusters, but they did not work.  The tide was pretty strong and carried his boat side ways causing the stern of his boat, with his dinghy and dinghy outboard to scratch the inside starboard bow.

Aaron from Norsand Boat yard came out to give us an estimate and the other boat owner, begrudgingly paid us the $1500NZ that it cost to repair our boat.

While we were at it we had the boatyard finish a job they forgot to complete last time.  They missed cleaning up the repair around the port cleat (the cleat goes where the 3 holes are) the repair was the cracks around the cleat.

Water Tanks

Our two water tanks hold about 400L of water each and are built into the boat.  When the boat was built, the manufacturer used some sort of weird potable paint that has not held up well.  For several years it has been peeling away and clogging up our filters.  Matt has drained the tanks, scraped the excess paint off, and vacuumed up the mess several times.  But, it was beyond time for us to completely clean out the tanks and repaint them with special non-toxic potable paint.

The white or light specs are actually pieces of chipped paint.  Now don’t completely freak out because we do have several filters for each water tank (which holds 400L).  So the water goes through each filter before coming to the taps.

This is such a huge project that I decided to write a separate blog about it so I can include more of the details (in case any of our other fellow cruisers need to do this too).  See upcoming blog post “Disgusting Water Tank.”

Repairing the Teak on our Sugar Scoops

The teak on both the port and starboard sugar scoops has had a long, challenging life span in direct sun light, constantly covered in salt water and enduring heavy usage.  We try to be diligent with its care but it is completely exposed to salt water, sun and constant use.  We’ve replaced the teak about 8-9 years ago, but it time to do a temporary repair until we can replace them again (it is a long and expensive process so we want to squeeze as much life out of these sugar scoops as we can).

As you can see, the black caulking has come up and is completely missing in some places. It is time to repair it all.

I watched several YouTube videos and pulled Matt in to help.  This is turning out to be a much larger job than we anticipated. So, the details of the teak repair will be coming out in an upcoming blog called “Caulking the Sugar Scoops Teak” stay tuned.

Waxing the Boat

Ian, aka “Stretch” comes in to wax our boat and make her as shiny as possible (considering her gelcoat is thin and old).  He always does such a great job.

While we were working on the sugar scoops we had to get on and off the boat with a very tall (15 steps) ladder which was such a pain in the arse!  Luckily it was only for 2 of the 6 weeks we were here.

As you can see we made the most of this haul out in the boat yard.  We were anxious to get back in the water as we prepare to head to a new country, Vanuatu.

Our blog posts run several weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occurred late April 2024. We enjoy some rough housing during the stock car races in Whangarei.

Shattered Moonlight Hatch Frames

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We have lots and lots of windows on Sugar Shack.  Some are called “windows” and some are called “hatches.”  Windows typically do not open whereas a hatch opens.  Moonlight manufactures most of the hatches and many varieties of boats use them including us.

We have two escape hatches on our boat which we could use in the event of an emergency.  There is one on starboard in the master head (bathroom) and one on port in the forward cabin.  They provide excellent ventillation for the boat and are almost always open when we are not underway.  We love them!  

We also have 4 large hatches: (2) for the engine compartments and (2) for the bow lockers. These 6 Moonlight hatch frames come in multiple parts.  The top part of the frame is aluminum and holds the actual frame that opens and closes.  The bottom part of the frame is plastic and it is really just to cover the screws and make everything look pretty.

We have a total of 6 Moonlight hatch frames that are damaged, broken, cracked, and yellowed.  It has bothered Matt and I for years.  But, the replacement plastic frames are flimsy.  We have waited to find a better solution for replacing them and thought we had the perfect plan while we were at Norsand Boat yard.

We had hoped the yard could make a mold and build new ones out of fiberglass.  Unfortunately that did not work out.  It was going to take a really long time and cost close to a $1000NZD for just the two escape hatch frames.  So, we ended up buying all 6 Moonlight plastic frames from AB Marine for $1500USD (including shipping from Germany to NZ).

Moonlight Hatch Frames

The wear and tear on these plastic frames is very common.  We have met several other cruisers who have had similar problems with their frames.  I mean really, they are flimsy plastic and 23 years old after all.   Here is a photo of our old frame and the new frame (prior to cutting out the back).  This is the escape hatch in the master head.

The damage is extensive and none of the frames are salvageable.  Here are the escape hatches (inside).

The two frames on the bow hatches are almost completely gone – you can hardly see the plastic.  In fact on the top photo, Matt put wood in to avoid having the sails torn by the broken plastic and exposed screw heads.  But you can still see bits of the yellow plastic frame between the wood and the metal frame.

The sorry state of our bow peak Moonlight hatch frames.

The sorry state of our bow peak Moonlight hatch frames.

The two engine compartment hatch frames are not any better — either completely missing or shattered.

After posting these photos I realize how appalling their state truly is now!  How did we live with them like this for so long?

New Moonlight Hatch Frames

We ordered 6 Moonlight frames from AB Marine.  They safely packaged our very fragile frames and sent them to NZ for us.  We received them within 9 business days from Germany.  It was a rather large box.

We decided to see if we could strengthen the plastic frames prior to installing them.  Our hope was that we could fiberglass the back edges and insert foam in the empty spaces to create a more stable glueing platform.  However, after we removed the old frames we realized that only the starboard escape hatch has room for fiberglass. The port frame has no room – not even 1mm.  The two bow peaks can be fiberglassed but the two engine compartment hatches don’t have room either.

Top photo shows how tight the space is where the frame has to slip into (between the existing gray fiberglass and the gray metal).  The bottom photo shows the huge gaps that need a foam filler in addition to fiberglass around the frame.

Preparations

First the removal process begins.  Of course it is a messy job as the plastic crumbles easily.

Once the plastic is all removed we have to start taking off the 5200 super glue (or as Matt calls it the Devil’s glue) and the sealant.  It is a slow process…

Hatch surrounds are cleaned up.  Left photos with glue and right photos clean (hopefully you can tell without my description).

The (4) larger hatches are more difficult because we have to pick out the old plastic and old adhesive between the metal frame and the fiberglass.  We use picks, pudy knives, and exacto knives to get it all out.  

Fiberglassing the Frames

It is time to fiberglass (or glass as it is known in the industry) the 3 frames that have room to glass.  We bring 1 escape hatch frame and 2 bow peak frames into Norsand so Peter Palmer can glass them for us.  He is so sweet and did this over the holidays so we did not have to wait the 2 weeks for the yard to reopen after the Christmas holidays.  We only glassed the backside as we did not want it to show on the front side.

While Peter was glassing the three pieces, Matt filled in the starboard escape hatch frame so that it would provide better support.  The port escape hatch had already been filled in but the starboard one had huge gaps which left the frame unsupported.

Before we install, Matt had to cut the plastic frames to fit each area.  He started with the starboard engine hatch.  He measured, taped the frame, measured again, and then measured a third time just to be sure.  Then with an exacto knife he slowly cut the plastic frames.

The frames that have fiberglass had to be cut using an angle grinder at Norsand.  Once the fiberglass was done it made it nearly impossible to cut so we borrowed a protected room at the Norsand Boatyard and used an angle grinder to cut through the fiberglass.  It made a bit of a mess, but we got it done.

Ready to Install

Now that the frames and the surrounds are ready, we can start the install.  Here are a few photos of the larger hatches after the glue was removed and before the frames go in.  You can see the nasty screws that stick out.  It makes it really easy to hurt your head or shoulder and it opens it up for the possibility of damaging our sails and other items stored in these comparments.

Matt decided he did not want to use 5200 (the Devil’s glue) for the adhesion.  We spoke to several people at Norsand and decided to use Dow Dowsil 795 Structural Glazing Sealant with a few spots of 5200 to adhere the frames to the surrounds.  This will make it substantially easier to remove them in the future.  He loads the frames and surrounds with glue and then we carefully raise the frames into place before taping and locking them in.

We leave large clamps and tape on for 24 hours.  Then we remove the clamps and leave the tape on for another 48 hours.  Just to ensure it has plenty of time to dry and set.

The finished and installed frame looking gorgeous!

Now, just 5 more to go….

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This particular blog post occured over the 2023-2024 holiday break.  In our last blog we update a few more canvas pieces including new window covers and sun shades.

Varnish, Varnish, Varnish

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Varnish is a very repetitive process and it requires a LOT of patience which I have very little of.  These projects try my very last bit of sanity, but I got it all done over several weeks.  Over the years, we have put oil and stain on our exterior teak wood.  We have teak on our 2 cockpit hatches, 6 steps on the sugar scoops, hand rails along the cabin top, rails on all 4 sides of the bimini, 2 princess seats, and 8 pieces in the cockpit.  Lots of teak.   If you are a cruiser, you will notice I did not mention the teak toe rail as there is no way in he!! I will touch those.

Matt has wanted to varnish the wood for a long time and every time I go to stain or oil any of the teak he complains.  So, I finally agree to try my hand at varnishing.

Varnish / Awl Wood

We have talked about varnishing some of our teak pieces for years.  But varnishing is time consuming and takes a lot of patience (which I don’t have).  Now that we are in the yard and we removed the bimini hand rail and the cabin top hand rails we’ve decided it was time to give it a whirl.

Project 1 of 3 Varnishing  Projects are the (2) hand rails that run along our cabin top (about 12′ or 3.5m), (2) aft bimini rails and a flag pole.

Sanding, Sanding, and More Sanding

The first step is sanding several times with 80 grit then sanding several more times until all of the old stain and groves are gone.  Then you follow it up with more sanding using 120 grit sand paper which smoothes the surface further.   

Removal of All Dust Particles 

Then I wipe everything down with MEK (some heavy duty nasty stuff to remove the dust particles).

Primer

Next step I apply Awl Grip / Awl Wood Primer.  The yard informed me that I should be using a new bucket and brush for each step and each coat, so I did (seems wasteful). 

The primer goes on smoothly and turns the wood a rich, beautiful color.  This is a clear primer so we were surprised at how dark it made the wood.  Can you see the long cabin hand rails hanging from the metal boat support?

Applying Awlwood Gloss

Once the primer was dry (24hrs) I applied the first coat of Awlwood gloss.  You can either apply one coat each 24hrs and then sand down, apply MEK, then apply 2nd coat or you can try multi coating in a single day.  Guess which one I tried — multi-coating (lack of patience, remember).  I was only able to apply 2 coats in the first day.  So, the next day I had to hand sand each piece with 320 grit paper before starting the next 3 coats.

Once these dry for 24 hours I sanded them all again with 600 grit paper and put on the final 6th coat.

Project 2: More Varnishing

I also varnished the (2) cockpit handholds, two teak hatch frames, and the teak on both helm seats.  There were years of layers of stain on these pieces of wood.  I would do a light sanding before staining, but they had not been taken down to the raw wood in ages.

And now they are beautiful and shiny.  For some reason the wood looks more red than it is in realy life.  The wood color is more like the lower left photo.

You’ve Got to Be Kidding?

One day after Matt installed our beautiful new varnished hand rails along the cabin top, I stop to take a photo and notice something horrible!  The teak around the sides and front of the bimini are simply awful looking with old stain.  And on top of that the small teak rail along the cabin top (just below it) looked crappy too.  And since I had the varnish out again, we decided to do the two princess seats and the teak backing to our wench handle holders.  Great, varnish project #3!  Keep in mind it started out with one piece and now has blossomed into 18 pieces!

The teak rail along the bimini top can’t be removed (unlike the aft portion of the rail) so it makes it very difficult to sand.  Most of it has to be done by hand.  This is the same case for the rail along the cabin top.  This project has truly destroyed my hands, nails, and back!  I am upside down a lot trying to get the pieces that are seen from the cockpit.  

I was so irritated that I started sanding without taking any before photos, but trust me the wood needed either stain or varnish.

Sanding

Man oh man this was difficult to sand these pieces.  Most of the trim was near our non-skid (which really hurts the hands when you hit it), gelcoat which scratches easily from the sand paper, a metal rail (painful on the hands) and or screws, bolts, knobs.  You can see from the top photo that the bimini rail and the small rail below it had to be varnished to match the beautiful hand rails along the cabin top.

The two princess seats really need new teak but it is not in the cards yet.  Maybe when we get to Indonesia.  So, we sand down the old stain and do our best to make these seats look better.  Here is the raw wood.

Back to the Process

A good swipe of MEK is applied to remove all dust particles and anything that might muck up the varnish.  Primer is applied and then 24hrs later the varnish process begins.  Awlgrip’s product Awlwood allows you to either multi-coat or apply one coat every 24hrs with a sanding in between coats.  I couldn’t possibly sand 6 more times. So I decided to try multi-coating again which only requires 2 more sanding sessions.

The end product came out nice, not my favorite and certainly not my best work, but it will do for now.  I am not a varnish person. I don’t like doing it and I am not a fan of the end result.  But Matt likes it so there is that.  Just not sure who will redo all of this in 5 years when it starts to look ratty???

The front section that is flat was fairly easy to do despite the non-skid and gel coat issues.  But the insde was tricky with the rails, the ledges, the uneven surfaces.  You see this from the inside of the cockpit (bottom right photo).  This kept getting loads of bubbles which required more sanding.  Truly a beastly job.

After what seemed like months of sanding and varnishing (it reality it was weeks), everything has been varnished (except the toe rails).  

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog occured in early December while we were on the hard in Norsand Boatyard.  Don’t miss out on some of the beastly projects we got completed in the yard in our last blog post.