Underwater Preparation
A very important part of future proofing a vessel, regardless of the construction material, is to prepare the hull before re-launching. This can sometimes be as simple as re-applying a coat of antifoul, and other times requires a lot more preparation work such as stripping back to bare hull, as we had to do on our own 62’ ferro-cement yacht.
Further down on the page are some photos of a recent Copper Coat job on a Moody 36. This required all of the previous antifouling and product to be removed from the hull and keel before build up coats of 2-part primers were applied. Then, due to the heatwave temperatures hitting the UK at the time, the application was undertaken overnight to ensure the product was applied within the manufacturers specifications.
There was some marine growth on her hull
And fouling on the prop
Corrosion on the rudder post
Scraping antifouling off of the old epoxy coating
Left: antifoul. right: epoxy coating
Scraping the epoxy coating off of the ferro-cement
Stripping back the topsides where needed .
Scraping epoxy and paint off. Heat and paitence.
patches of paint staining where the previous epoxy failed
most of the epoxy has been scraped off
Primed topsides, and scraping the hull
diamond grinding the ferro-cement
Diamond ground for painting
Rudder stripped and cut away for rudder post access
Starting to finally add paint!
Topsides primed and glossed. Hull had 3 coats of epoxy paint
The cutlass bearing housing cleaned up and bearing replaced
2 coats of antifoul going on and the bronze propellor cleaned up prior to painting
Shiny topsides and antifouled
Rudder re-built and put back on, prop painted
Looking neat and tidy again!
And the name back on the transom!
A sail training vessel needed a new prop to match her new engine
The old prop was removed
The shiny new prop was unboxed
And installed
And the folding ability tested
Antifoul removal in prep for CopperCoat
Application of GelShield. Changing colour every coat ensures even coverage
Always nice to have an even colour again!
Careful preparation for all stages of CopperCoat is key
Application overnight due to heatwave temperatures!
Re-installing cleaned up bronze rudder fitting. Held in place with copper rivets