Looking Good

1/27/2008
11:03AM


Well we have only 5 more weeks of winter here in Florida (March 1st is my chosen date) and we'll be back to real boating weather. It was cold and rainy here all weekend, at least the sun is out today.

When buying a boat, its easy to be turned off by the cosmetics of the boat. Of course, I'm not suggesting that it be ignored. I tell buyers to gage how well the boats been maintained by how she presents herself. If the the gel coats all scratched up and the teak is in bad shape, I usually find everything else in the engine room the same way. It's an indicator.

But a dull exterior isn't a bad thing either. The gel coat on a boat is there for one purpose, to make her look good. It has no other purpose. The gel coats worst enemy is the UV rays of the sun. After 5-10 years in the Florida sun, most gel coats begin to dull and chalk up. Not even intense polishing will bring the gel coat back to the luster when it was new. So when you find a boat that has a lack luster exterior but everything else is up to par, there is a way to bring her back to her factory-fresh appearance with a little work. How? By painting her.

There are just a few factory boats that are painted, Hatteras and Huchins are two that come to mind.

When we bought the Patrica Ann, she was in very good condition, but her gel coat was dulled and there were a few cosmetic fiberglass dings here and there. Professional painting of a boat is no inexpensive task. I've been told its about $1000 a foot to have it done so that was out of the question.

I set out to explore the process and read as much as I could about what paint would be best and how to do it. At the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show, I spoke with representatives from Interlux. Interlux is owned by the same company that makes Awlgrip and Cetol. The rep explained to me that both the Interlux brand of topside paints and the Awlgrip brand are very similar in formulation and application. Interlux, however, is formulated for the do-it-yourselfer. So my choice was made, Interlux Perfection was the paint to use.

Without going into detail about what the directions state, let me just say that although working with two-part paints seems intimidating, its really very easy to do. Just follow the instructions supplied with each container and you'll get the hang of it right away.

I chose the roll and tip method of application as spraying in a marina is out of the question. Its simple to do once you get the hang of it. Instructions are supplied by Interlux.

Here are a few tips.

1. Begin your project by dividing the boat into manageable sections; that way the task will not overwhelm you. I chose the starboard cap rail on the Patricia Ann to begin my project.
2. Preparation of the painting surface consumes about 3/4 of the time you will spend on your project. A bad surface will produce a bad paint job. Begin by wiping the gel coat down with thinner. This will rid the surface of any waxes that may have been applied that will cause your paint to lift after its been applied.
3. Next, take a small ball pen hammer and go over the entire surface to be painted, taping to find any pockets in the gel coat. When you find them and you will, grind them out with a Dremel tool. You don't want to spend the money and time to do a nice paint job and have voids crack later on.
4. I used the West System epoxy with the Fairing Filler to fill the ground out places. Sand them flush after they have cured. Wash the dust off with water.
5. Ready to give up yet? Next, tape your area to be painted and remove any hardware to make it go easier. I used the 14 day painter's tape available at Lowe's.
6. OK, its time to paint. I used a 4 inch foam roller and the best 2-1/2 inch natural paint brush I could find, also available from Lowe's. Mix up only enough paint that you can apply in 2 hours, for me its 1/2 quart. The paint is expensive, about $85.00 a quart and you don't need to be throwing any away.
7. Only apply paint when the relative humidity outside is 75% or less. Be sure there is no chance of rain.
8. The paint takes about 5 hours to cure. Be sure to complete your paint application no later that noon to allow complete drying. If dew settles on your paint, the moisture will turn the gloss to a flat finish.

All said and done, it took over 600 hours to paint the Patrica Ann including prep work. We used about 3 quarts of West System resin and 12 quarts of Interlux Perfection to paint two coats on her.

Was it worth it? Absolutely! She looks great!

If you have been contemplating the painting of your boat and would like to ask me some specific questions, feel free to ask.

Mike

Amelia Island Winter Cruising Special

1/25/2008

The Fernandina Harbor Marina, Cafe Karibo, and Paradise Yachts on Amelia Island Florida, in cooperation with the CruisersNet has announced a Winter Cruising Special. Stay with the marina for 2 nights and get a 3rd night for free. This applies to dockage and mooring balls. In addition, Cafe Karibo, 3 blocks from the marina, is offering visiting boaters a "Buy 1 entree' and get the 2nd entree' at an equal or lesser value at no cost"

Coupons are available on my website on the News page.

Camaraderie Among Boaters

1/20/2008
11:15AM
Temperature - 42 degrees
Wind - North at 16 knots



Brrrr, the wind chill is about 35 out. The storms have moved on out and its sunny and clear but the wind cuts right through us Floridians. I did notice a Ketch sailing south this morning and bet the crew as real cold sitting in the cockpit. At least its going in the right direction - South!


One of the best things about living aboard a boat is the camaraderie you have amongst boaters. There are always new people with interesting cruising stories around. Remembering times land bound, I don't ever recall having as many interesting people to socialize with.

Friday night we had (left to right in photo) Julia, Carl, that's Mary, and Dennis over for steaks. Julie and Dennis hail from Annapolis on their 38 foot sailboat docked to our port side. They came to Florida for the winter to escape the brutal weather up North. This is the furthest they have ever been South on their boat. I'm encouraging them to go ahead and make the Bahamas trip. If this crazy weather keeps up, they might just do it. Unfortunately, their boat's heat isn't working very well.

Carl hails from Rhode Island. He's on another sailboat 3 slips to starboard. Carl bought his boat last year, intending to begin an around the world passage. Unfortunately he's not very pleased with how she handles and wants me to sell his boat and help him find another one. But first he's going to Coasts Rica for a few months to help manage the worlds largest Talapia fish hatchery. He says there are over 500 acres of ponds at this facility, full of fish from tiny hatching's to ready to eat size.

I've found him a yard where he can put his sailboat on the hard until he gets back.

Mary whipped up a great Caesar Salad and I grilled some tasty Fillet Mignon's on the grill, we polished off some nice wine and had a good time laughing on the Patricia Ann's heated sundeck.

Mike

Boat Storage and Provisioning

1/16/2008
2:35PM


When we look at the various types and styles of boats, it's easy to over look something critical to living aboard a boat - storage. Now if your chosen boat is only to be used on the weekends or for summer vacations, it might not be all that important. But if you're contemplating living afloat or cruising full/part time, make it part of your priorities while shopping.

When Mike and I moved onto the Patricia Ann, we had yard sales and gave away a lot of our things. We kept only the basic tools, clothes, pots and pans and a few plates to eat on. We recognized we no longer had walk in closets and garages.

When you start to look at boats, make a mental note of what you can't live without before you board your first boat. Mike loves to play with his lady customers with this one. He always uses the number of shoes than can be stored aboard. All kidding aside, it does really matter. I have only 7 pair.

The price of a boat does not indicate it will have all of the storage you wish to have. Don't assume that it will because of price.

Food is a staple. Does that trawler have enough room to keep enough dry goods on board? How about storage for seldom used cooking utensils.

On our trawler we have nine lockers for food storage in the galley alone; pot and pans and seldom used appliances are stored beneath the oven and dinette seating. The galley food storage area is designated as the "day locker" where opened packages and containers are stored until their contents are depleted.

Forward in the guest stateroom, we have designated 3 additional lockers for long-term storage. It serves as a pantry but we fondly call it our hurricane stash. It also doubles as a cruising stash too. We rotate the stock routinely. It contains canned goods, pasta, soups, ketchup, etc.

Last week we took it all out to do some minor housekeeping and organizing.

Before placing it all back into the lockers, we took an inventory and made a written list of what was in there and how many of each. You can't see into the back of a locker easily so you do not know much of something you have. Now when we remove an item for use, it goes on the next shopping list to be replaced. This way we'll never be out of essential stores while out. It will also keep us from accumulating 3 large jars of pickles because we didn't know we already had 2 on hand.

The list is in the first cabinet with the contents listed by cabinet.

This weekend is forecast to be a rainout with stormy weather. Oh well, we'll try to go out the next one..:)

Happy Cruising,
Mary

How Not to Buy a Boat

1/15/2008
3:15PM

A friend once told me of Karma, and yep, there's something to it all right.

Just after lunch today the phone rang and it was the gentleman and his wife I had written about in the article below. Seems they had decided to enlist me to exclusively assist them in their boat search after all. They liked my style.

I'm going to like working with these good people.

Mike



1/12/2008
5:35AM

I received an email a few days back from a man and his wife from Washington state. His email explained their plans to sell their house on the west coast, move east and buy a boat to do some cruising to the Bahamas and up the Atlantic coast. He asked for my help in determining the best boat for their needs and finding one that would suit them. So far so good.

He then went on to say that my email was one of several that he had sent to yacht brokers in FL, GA and SC asking them to do the same thing. We have a problem here!

Buying a boat is much different than buying a new house. A realtor works an area concentrated in a specific town; perhaps a specific section of town. A yacht broker's area extends nationwide. We all use a Multiple Listing Service system to search for boats in other broker's inventories for buyers when we don't have just the right one in inventory.

I've worked boat deals with others as far away as Texas and Maryland. I am working a deal now with an individual in California for a boat located in Florida. I have boats listed in 3 states. As boats are movable property it doesn't matter where I find it, I'll get the boat to the buyer.

So I politely declined to help for now. I wrote him back telling him that I'd love to help but he put me in a difficult position. All of the brokers he has contacted will be looking at the same boats, perhaps even presenting the same boats to him. I see a lot of wasted time and time is money. I don't want to spend three weeks looking for a specific boat, traveling to preview it and find out another broker has already presented the boat to the buyer two hours before.

My suggestion to him was that he interview each broker for his/her knowledge of the type boat he might be looking for then let him/her be his exclusive search agent. He'll then have one broker that knows specifically what to look for, how much to spend and any other constraints involved. The broker will look through the entire available inventory and find just the right boat for the buyer and negotiate the best deal.

The process I just described works perfectly every time.

Mike

Boat Decorating

Captains Log

1/3/2008

Boats usually have very few large flat walls (bulkheads) on which to place art work or such. The available room is usually small. I have a cabinet in my Master Bath that had two small sliding panels. The panels were white and offered little originality to complement the colors I use.

My friend and neighbor Cathy on a boat two slips down, offered to paint a scene on them to put some color in there. I like the added red parrots.

She does paintings and such, usually in acrylics. The paintings of people on her website look very true to the real people too.

Check out her work at these locations.

http://www.cathycreates.blogspot.com/

http://www.boobyhatchnews.blogspot.com/

Mary

Boat Gardening

Captain's Log
1/3/2008
09:00 AM

Well it got rather cold last night but not as cold as predicted. I woke to temperatures at 31 degrees outside the boat. I was concerned for Mary's herbs but they did just fine. The thermometer on the sundeck said the temperatures never dropped below 34 back there. The windchill was around 23 however which would have done them in had they been exposed.

Interestingly, I just checked the thermometers again and its now only 34 outside but 56 on the sundeck. The suns shining nicely on the plants and they seem to like it.

So if you have a green thumb and are considering living aboard a boat, be sure you consider that when you are searching for one. The Patricia Ann has probably the best features for boat gardening; big back sundeck, lots of light availability, and a full enclosure to lower to keep the heat in or raise to cool it down. She's also got water up there to to give the plants a drink.

The sprouts I'm growing will be ready for some direct sun tomorrow to give them a charge of chlorophyll. They'll turn green and be ready for salads tomorrow.


Mike

Gardening Aboard

Captains Log
1/1/2008
55 degrees,
Wind NW at 14 knots



My, my, times flying by. It will again be Christmas before you know it.


Mary and I were going to spend New Years on the hook, but again, Mother Nature had different plans. Rain and nasty down here in Florida. And tonight its going to get cold, REAL cold. Some parts inland are expected to get into the teens.



The NWS says that Wednesday night will be the coldest since 2003, but what do they know, we're experiencing global warming. But the heating system aboard the Patricia Ann keeps it real toasty inside.



We've got a batch of sprouts going, lentils and clover. Mary likes to add those to her salads. They are simple to grow too. One batch takes 3 days and that's enough for a weeks menu.



With the onset of cold weather, Mary was concerned over her herbs. We still have a healthy crop growing. The last time we brought them inside, ants took over the boat, not again. So yesterday, Mary helped me build a herb rack of sorts on the sundeck. I built the rack with fiddles to keep them from sliding over while underway. I just hope they get enough light. (12:01 PM, just checked and I think the sun will be fine). We have the sundeck all enclosed for the winter, so the cold should not affect them.

For you gardeners out there, that are contemplating the liveaboard lifestyle, its fully possible to continue with your pastime even while afloat. Just remember to think how your plants will do while underway, pitching and rolling, salt spray etc.

In my photo, I've got some beautiful Pansies in a teak window box in the top-left corner. They do great there.


New Years Resolutions

1. Cruise more
2. Don't drink any more......but then again don't drink any less
3. Stop smoking......I don't smoke now so that should be an easy one
4. Avoid driving in snow........don't have any plans on going to Minnesota so should make this one too

Note: You have to make these resolutions easy to meet..:)

All kidding aside, my resolution is to better serve my customer. In these times of uncertain economics, I've resolved to come up with better, innovative ideas to match buyers with sellers.

Mike