Tag Archives: norsand boatyard

Hauling out at Norsand Boatyard

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A return to New Zealand means a return to the boatyard.  We have a lot of upgrades, repairs, and general maintenance to do at Norsand Boatyard.

The slipway team with Kevin and Shane handle our haul out with expertise and professionalism!

We arrived in NZ with an exceptionally clean bottom (hull) when we arrived 18 days ago.  However, we spent those 18 days up river tied to a dock with warm, stagnant water.  These conditions are perfect for growing barnacles on our nice clean boat.

The good news: the yard pressure washed the boat immediately after haul out.  Matt and I (mostly Matt) spent days scraping the barnacle feet off the hulls so we could see where we needed to touch up the Coppercoat.   We do plan to burnish the bottom before we splash.

We have so many projects to accomplish in a short amount of time.  We have had to hire several different contractors in addition to the experts at Norsand.

Contractor Projects

  • Repair: Port fresh water tank needs to be repainted
  • Repair: Bottom of hull needs to be repaired due to reef scratches
  • Repair: Port rudder arm attachment needs to be replaced
  • Repair Canvas: Genoa bolt rope, aft shade, dinghy chaps, helm seat, 2-window shades, 3-back rests
  • Maintenance: Saildrives need to be serviced, gear oil changed, seals near props changed
  • Maintenance: Props need to be services, cleaned, and slightly adjusted
  • Maintenance: Paint crossbeam and martingale
  • Maintenance: Re-varnish (2) princess seats, (2) handrails, (4) swim steps
  • Maintenance: Burnish bottom of the boat
  • Maintenance: Paint saildrives and props with Prop Speed
  • Maintenance: Apply vinyl to rudder entry 
  • Upgrade: New window covers
  • Upgrade: New Solar Arch
  • Upgrade: New Solar Panels
  • Upgrade: New (2) Air Conditioning units
  • Upgrade: New Helm station extensions to fit new chart plotters
  • Upgrade: New Raymarine Mounts to fit gauge on helm
  • Upgrade: New rain flashing for the 4 large windows

Matt and Christine’s Projects

  • Paint (2) bow peak lockers (scrape, sand, clean, paint)
  • Clean stainless chain and re-mark 10m sections
  • Replace large zincs
  • Add freon to refrigerator and defrost freezer
  • Deep clean oven and stove
  • Paint security camera and cockpit clutch
  • Replace stickers on daggerboards
  • Sew: New helm covers, rail protectors, princess seat covers, cover for backrest
  • Polish all exterior and interior stainless
  • Clean and oil all exterior (hatch covers, sugar scoops) and interior (floors, walls, cabinets, tables) teak
  • Deep clean or re-organize entire boat
  • Prepare for insurance survey

The Plan

Our goal is to be out of the yard in 45 days but more likely it will be 90 days.  However, Norsand will close the yard for nearly 3 weeks during our haul out. 

Matt and I will focus on the contractor work for the first 5 weeks. We will work on our smaller projects in between our project management and overseeing of projects.

When Norsand closes we will focus on our larger projects.

We worked in the Norsand boatyard from 10 November 2025 – 12 January 2026.

Find Norsand Boatyard on No Foreign Land.

Check out the quirky things to do in Whangarei.

Disgusting Water Tank

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Sugar Shack is equipped with (2) built in water tanks that hold 400L of water each.  These are fiber glassed into the boat and are not easily accessed.  As you know, we have a water maker that provides all of the water to the boat.  It converts salt water into potable drinking water and is a true must have for our cruising life.

The port water tank feeds the port head (toilet, sink, shower), exterior shower on the port sugar scoop, and the galley sink.  The starboard head feeds the starboard head (toilet, sink, shower).  I use the galley sink (port tank) to fill our drinking containers.  Matt on the other hand fills a 20L water jug directly from the watermaker because he “can taste and smell” the water that comes from the water tank.  I can’t so I’ve been using it for years (which might explain my strange personality).

The Problem

The interior lining of the water tank has been peeling away for years.  Matt has drained the tank, 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.  Raw fiberglass was exposed in some areas of the tank.  This could explain the weird tick I have (kidding, I am fine, but really this is disgusting!)

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.  So the water goes through each filter before coming to the taps.

The Access

You can see from the above photo that the two access points are very, very small.  In addition, they do not give you easy access to the center because there are two baffles (which prevent the water from swashing around while underway).

So, we make the decision to cut a rather large hole in the center of the tank to provide easier access.  I say “easier” but still not great access to the back corners.

The Removal

We are not sure what they used to line this tank but it does not seem to be the correct product.  The port water tank is far worse than the starboard one so we are focusing on this one.  Plus it supplies our galley and our drinking water so it becomes the priority.

The existing lining scrapes off with a knife but some areas require heavy sanding and grinding.  You can see that there are areas that bubble up, then they pop water is released. 

Step 1: Removal of old lining

Matt had really worked hard to remove a significant portion of the old lining.  However, it still took he and Josh (from Norsand Boatyard) a week to completely remove all of the lining.  It is a very difficult job because you are extremely uncomfortable, often upside down, inhaling fumes, and stretching to reach the corners.  They used puddy knives, stainless tubing, sanders, and grinders.

Step 2: Cleaning

First Josh vacuums as much dust and debris that he can.  Then he has the unfortunate job of wiping the tank down with acetone.  It is a very toxic smell.

Step 3: Gluing

We noticed a crack, on an insignificant area of the tank, that we decided to fix with epoxy.  The crack is on the top of the tank on an extra piece of fiberglass that makes the corner an angle vs a hard corner. We are not sure what its purpose is and it does not impact the quality of the actual tank.

Lance comes in to pre-mix the two part epoxy which Josh performs acrobatics to apply it on the crack.

Step 4: Painting 

We are using International Interline 850 paint which is a light colored, solvent free, heavy duty epoxy tank lining specifically designed for potable water.  It requires a very specific application where you apply a thin layer, wait 24 hours, then apply a 2nd coat, wait 24 hours and then repeat 2 more times for a total of 4 coats over 4 days.  Here are the data sheet on Interline 850.

Then we have to wait 8 days for the paint to “off-gas” before we start the final step of flushing.

The smell is so overwhelming that we can hardly stand being on the boat.  Ideally, we would open all of the hatches and let it vent out, but it is so darn cold (7-14C or 40-55F).  So, we run the dehumidifier to try to help remove moisture from the air and we have a heavy duty, very loud, industrial fan that sucks the air out of the hull and displaces it out the escape hatch.  So, we only have to have two hatches on the port side open.

Between the smell, cold, and loud noise it makes it unbearable to live on the boat.  We have 17 days of this.  This is Conor painting the inside of the tank and a photo of our dehumidifier and large, obnoxious fan.

Step 5: The Lip and Top to Seal the Tank

We had to cut a large hole in the center of the tank in order to access the inside.  In order to put it back, Josh had to build a fiberglass lip for the top to sit on.  Once the lip was built, he glued it onto the tank and it was painted.  Then the top was fitted, glued in, painted, and then fiberglass was placed on top of it.

Once the lid was set, we cleaned up any excess epoxy (glue), and painted the edges.  Now our 8 days start.

Step 6: Off-gassing

The paint or lining we are using is solvent free but it still requires an “off-gassing” period.  So, we wait for 8 days with the port hatches open and the dehumidifier and fan running causing a really crappy living environment.  If we weren’t in the middle of other boat projects we would just leave the boat — but alas, we are trying to complete several other projects while we are on the hard.

Step 7: Painting the Exterior

While the tank lining is “off-gassing” Norsand sends in Ian (aka “Stretch”) to clean up and paint the exterior tank.

Step 8:  Closing up the Tank

Matt had to install the two small access points before we began the flushing step.  The forward one is easy as it is just a gasket and a million screws and washers.  The rear one had to have all of the hoses and tank sender be connected in addition to the gasket, million screws and washers.  Everything went well until we filled the tank.  The tank sender, which tells us the level of water inside the tank) had a crack in it.

Unfortunately, it was a Saturday, everything is closed on Sunday, we splash Monday and leave Tuesday.  So, we place a rush order to be delivered to Marsden Cove Marina where we are checking out.  But in the mean time Matt creates a temporary solution with a piece of plexi.  

He loves the plexi because he can now see inside the tank.  I think he will install the new tank sender once we arrive in Vanuatu.  But he will also find another place to install the plexi because he likes to be able to see inside the tank.

Step 9: Flushing

After our 8 day off-gassing period, we are ready to flush the tanks.  This entails filling he tank full, letting it sit for 24 hours, then draining it.  We repeat this process for 4 days.  Our watermaker would not be able to keep up with this rigorous schedule so we have to be near a water source which forces us to stay on the hard for an additional 4 days. The watermaker can fill 40L per hour so it would take a solid 10-12 hours to fill the tank which is not time efficient.

We are finally ready to test the taste and smell of the water….

Update:  Needed more off gassing time

After we refilled the water tank we left NZ for Vanuatu.  Within a few days we could tell that the tank was not ready.  It had a very clear paint smell.  Since we had to empty the tank anyway, we took showers and ran the laundry.  As it turned out we had a lovely paint order on our clothes and in our hair.  Gesh.  Ok, Re-shower, re-wash.

We drained the tank, then used vacuumed out the remaining water and put two fans in the opening.  We left the tank like this for almost 3 weeks before we could no longer smell “paint” smell.  Finally success.

We are so very grateful to Norsand Boatyard, Josh, Conor, Lance and Aaron for all of the gymnastic poses and for helping us with this very difficult project.

Our blog posts run 8-9 weeks behind actual live events. The events from this blog post occurred in the Norsand Boatyard during May 2024.  During our last blog post we share all of the repairs we did in the boatyard on our 2nd haul out of the season.

Beastly Boat Projects: Part I

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There are so many things we do on the boat that are so very dreadful and darn right beastly!  Lucky for us, we are on the hard at Norsand and can employ their team to more effeciently conquer some of these boat projects for us.

Living on the Hard

Many cruisers rent an apartment when their boat is on the hard because frankly it is irritating to be on the hard while living onboard.  Why do you ask?  Well, first, we have no running water.  Which means no sinks, toilets, or showers.  Lucky for us we are fairly close to the bathrooms but still, in the middle of the night, I have to layer the warm clothing (as it get’s down to 11c), go outside, climb down my stairs, walk to the bathroom, and return.  Then I am wide awake for hours.  Brushing your teeth, or washing your hands, or doing the dishes take on a totally different meaning when you have to carry them downstairs, outside, and to the public sinks.

Now, let me shine some light on my craziness.  Yes, the above is true.  However, I only have to go down 5 steps where my neighbor has to go down 18 steps!  I have no right to complain.

Saildrive Maintenance and Repair

The boat projects begin.  We engaged Whangarei Marine (also known as Ray Roberts) to help us do some general maintenance on our saildrives.  I scheduled them for the day after we were hauled out but I did not expect to still be on the trailer when they arrived.  They made the best of it.  Taylor and Damon showed up and expertly removed the props, zincs, and drained the oil.

Then they had to move our engine forward in order to pull the saildrive out.  Only to have to repeat the process on the other side.

Plans Always Change…

We originally started out with replacing the bellows, clamping rings, and seal kits.  Then after we removed the saildrives we noticed our damper plates were a little worse for the wear (still functional, but new would be better).  Unfortunately, Volvo no longer sells parts for our 23 year old engines and there were no second hand damper plates.  So, we added a spacer to get more time out of the splines.  Matt thinks we added 4-5 years before we might need to think about repowering the boat (new engines and saildrives).  Gesh, this was a super expensive boat project!

Once the saildrives are installed we have to wait for the coppercoat to be applied before we install the boot that goes around the sail drive.  The rubber piece is glued with 5200 then Matt installs the fiberglass with screws.  We decided to cover these small pieces with an anti-foul wrap instead of our coppercoat.  This is a relatively new technology. It literally is a wrap that is meant to protect the bottom of your boat.

Top left shows the bare hull with the rubber boot down toward the bottom hanging losely.  The rubber boot is glued on first.  Then we glued (5200) the fiberglass boot (upper right photo) which has the new antifoul wrap on.  Once the fiberglass is set, the wrap company came back and added the plack paint around the edges and frankly made a huge mess of the entire project.  But it is on the bottom of the boat so we are letting it go.

An Experiment

Not a boat project, but a fun experiement.  In one area we have coppercoat (on the hull), prop speed (saildrives and props), Vivid barrier antifoul paint (rudder casing) and a new antifoul vinyl wrap (on the sail drive boots).  We are testing to see which of the 4 antifoul uses do better.  We both are betting on the antifoul vinyl wrap being the first to go.

Circle (upper left pic) is Vivid antifoul paint.  Lower right pic is the antifoul vinyl wrap.  Upper right shows you the coppercoat (antifoul on the hulls), vinyl wrap (black on the sail drive boot) and coppercoat on the saildrive and props.

Caulking the Deck and Beyond

There is a sealent that runs along the deck and the hull all around the entire boat.  It was looking super ratty and some areas had small leaks.  We tried to get a small area repaired in Raitea but they did not do a really great job so we decided to replace the entire thing all around the boat.  This is one of the boat projects we did not want to conquer on our own.

Josh is assigned to this lovely, dirty boat project.  First he has to carefully dig the old sealent out between the wood toe rail and the deck.  You can see it looks clumpy in some areas which is not only ugly but uneffective.  This has been a boat project we wanted to tackle for some time, but never had the time and dry weather for long enough to do it.

This is an area where he picked out the old sealent and then in the lower photo replaced it with fresh product.

Here is another area that was bad, it is the port sugar scoop by our swim ladder.

A Busy Caulker

Since we have such a talented “caulker” we asked Josh to seal several other areas:

  • Starboard large window (Int/Ext) / hatch that had a small leak
  • Starboard & Port helm seats and helm stations
  • Both davits at the boat attachment point
  • Forward and aft bimini poles (above the cockpit)
  • Inside around the new ceiling panels we installed last season in each of the 3 cabins, both heads, and salon.
  • Around the entire bimini rail, all four sides
  • Let’s just say that we “caulked” the majority of the boat inside and out

I am not sure Josh wants to do more caulking boat projects from us again, but it was great fun having him around for most of our time in Norsand!

Teak Bimini Rail

The teak bimini rail was falling off.  I am sure part of the reason it came loose was because it is old, but also because Matt steps on it when he works on the sail.  In order to properly repair it we had to completely remove it (carefully so it doesn’t break).  The rail is attached to the bimini which is made of honeycomb (strong and light).  Because the wood is old and fragile, Matt decides to take on this boat project by removing it himself.  Now the yard can fill and prepare the board to be re-installed.  Please note that our bimini rail did not look like the photos below. I failed to take a before photo of the wood so you get a middle photo of half of it torn out. 

Matt and Ben tackled the honeycomb part of this boat project.  Matt cleaned it out and prepared it for filling and then Ben filled it with sealant. We wanted to fill it to ensure the wood would hold more securly.  While the boys were working on the bimini, I worked on the wood. The end product looks amazing!

Bathroom Ceiling

This should be the last ceiling job that we do for a long time!  The master bathroom had 5 panels that were made of fiberglass and covered in paint.  The problem was the humidity over the years caused the paint to chip and it looked horrible.  The only way to properly repair the panels was to remove them, sand and repaint them.   The problem with this boat project was that they were solidly in place, glued with 5200 and tons of caulking.  It was beastly!

Of course, once you remove the panels you have to remove all of the awful glue, silicone, and residue — making this a truly beastly boat project.  We bring a day laborer, Kenan to help me for one day and I finish up on day 2.  Smooth as a baby’s butt!

Josh installed the new ceiling panels with VHB tape and then spent a few days caulking around every single panel!

Once he was done the master head looked spectacular!  I am so happy with the repaired ceiling.

Boat Projects To Be Continued…

We had so many beastly boat projects that it requires 2 blog posts!  So stay tuned for our next post as we install new heaters and a new 220v inverter/charger, we install new anchor markers and clean up our 100m of stainless steel chain, varnish tons of teak and install new mirrors.

What the cockpit looks like during project mode….ugh!

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occured during  7 Nov. – 22 Dec.  We repair several gel coat areas in our last blog – did you catch it?