This is Part II of our maintenance list while on the hard at the Norsand Boatyard. Please see “Managing the Maintenance Part I” for our work on our cross beam, sail drives, rudder arm, and props.
Here is a list of the items we worked on that are mentioned in this blog post:
- New Scuppers
- Paint Bow Peak Lockers (inside storage area)
- Polishing Stainless Counter Tops (Bench)
- Snap Shackles for Main Sheets
- Cleaning the Interior Cushions
- Miscellaneous Maintenance
- Sail and Canvas Repair
- Propspeed (Saildrives & Props)
- Finsulate around Rudder posts
- Window/Hatch removal of velcro
- Teak Cleaning
- Relabeling the clutches
Making New Scuppers
We have 17 scuppers (drains) at the bottom of the bridge deck. At some point, one of them fell off and we have not been able to find any replacements. So, Matt decided to make his own.
We purchased PVC white (1220mm x 300mm x3mm) plastic from Cambrian Plastics ($37USD).
Matt started by making a mold out of Plaster of Paris. He made end plates to match the shape of the scupper and used scrap formica around the end plates.
Matt heated a cut piece of the PVC plastic in the oven at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes. He then took the warm piece, wrapped it around his mold, clamped it, and let it cool for 20-30 minutes.
We used a band saw or jig saw to cut out the shape, then sanded, drilled the holes, and created our new scuppers.
After we made our surplus, a friend told us about Tenob which makes smaller scuppers.
Repaint Bow Peak Lockers
The forward bow peak lockers are used for storing our spare sails, bean bags, passerelle, tons of fenders, SUP, folding chairs, and more.
The interior paint of these two storage areas has been chipping off for years.
It is only a cosmetic issue but it is one that has been bothering me for awhile.
The Long Process
Once the bow peak was empty, I used a metal scraper to remove all of the big flaky bits. This process was a loud, dirty job.
I got out the power sander with attached vacuum to smooth out the walls, ceiling, floor and “V-berth.”
It is probably 10-15 degrees hotter inside the hole. Wearing a full suit, goggles and mask makes it seem even worse.
Next, I wiped down everything with soap and water twice.
Then we pressure washed the entire bow peak with warm water and simple green and let it dry over night.
Matt mixed the two-part paint, Jotun Jotamasic 90 (3 parts A to 1 part B) and brought it to me.
It is specially designed for areas where optimum surface preparation is not possible or required and provides long-lasting protection in environments with high corrosivity.
The paint has a pot life of 2 hours so I had to work fast and in small increments. I started with the hardest to reach part first, the “V berth.” It is super difficult to reach and requires full body contortion.
But 4-hours later the entire bow locker was done.
The next day I painted a second coat and we let it out-gas for 7 days.
Talk about a world of difference in appearance.
I also repeated the entire process on the port bow peak which was in a lot worse condition but now looks beautiful.
Stainless Countertop Polish
We love our stainless counter tops! It does take a little more maintenance than standard counter tops but they look so beautiful!
Our countertops got marked up over the last 4 years, despite our careful management. We are not sure what caused these marks but it could be citrus, oil, salt, bleach, hard water).
We spent 4 hours masking and protecting the entire salon.
An easy polish by Absolute Stainless and they look brand new.
We clean it twice a week with two products.
For standard cleaning we use Weiman Stainless Steel Wipes (Amazon). The cost ranges between $12-20 per container.
For corrosion or harder areas we use “Chemico Cleaning Paste” cleansing paste $7 (4 USD). This paste was recommended by Absolute Stainless (the company who installed our counter tops).
Snap Shackles
Our main sheets control our large main sail and are under a lot of pressure during a sail. We have 16m double braid tied to a Harken Black Magic Air Becket block. Catana custom made this block to be connected to a Wichard HR Snap Shackle (80mm) at $150USD x 2.
Our snap shackles were original to the boat and had some wear on the center clip which causes a weak point. We had RH Precision fabricate new stainless steel pins that connected the snap shackle to the block.
More Cleaning
Cushion Cleaning: The inside of the boat got very dusty and dirty with all of the work in the yard. So, I decided it was important to clean our interior upholstery. We have Macrosuede fabric (color Ash) on the salon settee and the cabin benches.
We hired JAE Cleaning Services in Whangarei to clean them for us. It was a bit of a chore getting the cushions to them, but worth it to use their “drying room.”
Of course it was raining on the day we had to transport the cushions. We wrapped each cushion in plastic to prevent it from getting soaked.
It was like playing a game of Tetris trying to fit the cushions into the car in one load.
Miscellaneous Maintenance:
Canvas: We brought Kim (Masterpieces in Canvas) to repair and update a few pieces for us:
- Kim made 3 new Sauleda window shades
- Modified 2 helm back rests to accommodate the new arch
- Made a new back rest cover for our new cockpit back rest.
- Repaired the 2 side rain shades (put support around each snap and added velcro to hold corner when rolling up
- Made covers for both of our bow princess seats to protect our new varnish
- Repaired the aft shade had a small tear near the baton
- Fixed a few small tears on the dinghy chaps
- Replaced the top section of the starboard helm seat that got stained
- Made 2 new helm covers to accommodate our new helm extensions and pods
- Made a new cover for the cockpit back rest
Genoa: Roger from North Sails repaired our genoa which had a small tear near the bolt rope. He also made a backup “Sweetie” patch for our dinghy.
Bottoms Up”
We burnished our Coppercoat which activates the copper. We also added vinyl (from Finsulate) around our rudder posts where we once had antifoul bottom paint (which did not last).
Norsand applied Propspeed to our saildrives and props. Matt greased the prop gears and changed all the zincs.
We added “Finsulate” a type of vinyl to the area around the rudder post. Coppercoat can not be applied near our aluminum rudder post so added a vinyl.
Good comparison between the vinyl around the saildrive and the rudderpost.
Each of these steps are to help prevent growth on the bottom of the boat.
Rudders
The rudders are all cleaned up and have a new bearings so it was time to install them. The install went smoothly and took all of 10 minutes to do both rudders.
Teak Cleaning
The teak on the sugar scoops and in the cockpit were absolutely filthy. We had dozens of workers coming and going, fluids spilled, and polish over-sprayed on them
I gave them a good scrub with teak cleaner. I would prefer to oil or stain them but Matt likes them raw. Perhaps next time I clean them I will out some oil on them.
Clutch Labels
We have close to 20 clutches on the boat. Most of the clutches have labels dating back to 2001. These labels were in both English and French and were very hard to read.
Of course, we know what the clutches do without the labels. However, it is always a good idea to have nice, readable labels for others that might be assisting on the boat.
So, on a rainy day I took it upon myself to scrape the old labels off and put new labels on.
Lastly we washed and polished of the boat which made her all shiny and pretty.
Be sure to read about our brand new solar arch – it is super sexy!
Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind actual live events.
Be sure to read Managing the Maintenance Part I blog post.
We were in the Norsand boat yard working on repairs and maintenance items from November 2025 to January 2026.
