Albin 43 Home Bound - Part 2

5/25/2008
5:35 AM

Today is Sunday, here is an update from the past few days.

Thursday - Little Shark River

We rose bright and early to bight clear skies and a beautiful sunrise. We did not leave at dawn as today was a short run. The seas were as forecast, 1-2' with a 5 - 10 knot wind.

The owners wanted to try their hand at anchoring so this was to be the place. Out of the way, 15 foot depths, and little current makes it a good anchorage. If you want to find the location, its on the western side of the Everglades below the southern most inhabited spot in Florida and just above Cape Sable. The run was about 3.5 hours, arriving a little after noon.

I instructed Mercy on how to make a bridle for her chain rode and she accomplished the task to perfection. We dropped anchor and settled in for the night

The mosquitoes were as big as hummingbirds.

Dinner was grilled chicken...Mn, Mn, good. Mercy keeps her crew well fed!

Friday - Islamorada

We pulled anchor at sunrise and began our trek to the Keys. It would be a short run to Channel 5, only about 35 miles. Crab pots were not present on this trip which made navigating much easier.

I let Mercy operate the boat today and had Mike do the chart reading and way point programming. Both of them were doing quite well after 4 days on the water. Mercy was a little intimidated at first behind the wheel of a large vessel but quickly got the hang of things. Mike understood why I insist that you always have paper charts on hand even if you have the latest electronic charts. Sometimes the data on each does not match, which we did find on occasion!

We had a problem with the AC last night and Mike wanted to stop in the Keys to trouble shoot it so we got a slip for the night. As it turned out, we had to find a diver to unplug a thru -hull. Yes, running aground does create problems even if you get back off Mike learned. He now knows why you must stay in the marked channels at all times unless you know the waters.

The Memorial day weeked has brought boaters out in numbers; fishing boats, motoryacht, cruisers and trawlers were everywhere, hundreds of them. I thought there was a fuel problem?

I nice dinner of Mahi at a local hangout topped the day off.

Saturday - Miami

We began the days run north at bout 6:30, trying to beat the rush of fishing boats out of the marina. No such luck, but we managed with them.

We took Hawk Channel on the outside as its an easier and shorter run the the ICW. Mercy performed navigational duties today.

We crossed over into Biscayne Bay at Angelfish Creek a little north of Key Largo. This route is more protected than the Atlantic run in Hawks. The run north was met by many boaters coming south for the weekend. Miami rose into view some 20 miles away.

As we cruised into Miami the storm clouds we had been observing dealt their blow with lightning and heavy rains. We decided to drop the hook just west of Key Biscayne to ride it out and let it pass. Shortly afterwards, the wind increased substantially; I would estimate to 50 -75 miles per hour.We heard a crash and the bridge Bimini came crashing off the side of the boat, shredded. At the same time I saw that we were dragging anchor. I rushed out on deck in the blinding rain and managed to let out enough rode to finally stop us again but the wind continued and the rain poured.

Needless to say, this event caused Mike and Mercy some anxiety so we decided to pull anchor and head to a marina. We found Miami Marina just up the way and pulled in for the night.

After showering and drying out, we treated our selves to some Majitos and Cuban food at Bayside.

I advised Mike and Mercy that boaters all have stories to tell; they now have their first one. I went on to say that things happen while on boats; some good, some not so good. You just have to roll with it. It happens to us all.

Well I'm catching a cab in 30 minutes to the airport. Time for me to get back to my wife..:)

Mike and Mercy will be just fine now. They have the basics to continue on their journey. They will taking their boat to the yard for a little work, the continuing on their full-time cruising journey.

Mike

6/3/2008

6:55 AM

UPDATE!

I spoke with Mike yesterday afternoon and they are in Daytona Beach. The run from Miami was without any trouble at all. They will be at the yard Wednesday afternoon late.

So there you have it; with a little coaching and self confidence, operating your new yacht is a breeze.

Mike

Albin 43 Home Bound

5/22/2008
6:02AM


Monday

I joined Mike and Mercy aboard their "new" 43 Albin in Ruskin, FL. Ruskin is a little south of Tampa. As always, I always offer my customers assistance with their new purchase; this time I'm helping the new owners with their navigation and operation of the boat back to Georgia.


Tuesday

We left Ruskin a little before 7AM on Tuesday with a forecast of thunderstorms and wind all day long; the forecasters were right. I let Mike handle the boat from the start. He was anxious getting her out of the slip but with a few words of encouragement, he did just fine. I don't like to operate new customer's boats but just sit back and offer guidance and encouragement; you only learn boat handling by doing.

Mercy and I sit and studied the charts slowly making our way across Tampa Bay to the intracoastal waterway. Reading charts is a skill you learn by doing also; Mercy picked up on it right away.

We made our way slowly South finally docking near Boca Grande for the night; 80 miles at about 7 knots, 10 hours on the water are tiring. No major problems for the day and the boat ran fine. The only issue is that we ran into major rain and with no side curtains on the Bimini we all got soaked.

Wednesday

Yesterday was better weather. We left Boca early and made our way to Ft. Myers to the Gulf of Mexico. Beautiful blue skies awaited us. Unfortunately a 10-15 knot breeze out of the SW made for 2-3 foot seas on our starboard beam. The trawler is not equipped with stabilizers so she took on a rolling act soon upon entering the Gulf. It made for some difficult walking about topsides but it wasn't terribly uncomfortable.

We made our way 27 miles to Marco island arriving at about 5 PM. The boat was ransacked below but nothing was broken.

After putting things away we treated ourselves to a great dinner at the famous Snook Inn.

Today, May 22, we are headed to Little Shark River to try our hand at anchoring on the hook. This will be another new adventure for Mike and Mercy and they are excited about it. I will not be posting tonight as there is NO cell coverage in that area of the Florida Everglades.

The new owners are getting a good handle on boat handling and navigation; practice make perfect they say. Today, the forecast is for 1-2 foot seas so we'll focus on seamanship skills and offshore navigations.

Stay Tuned.

Mike

Boating Costs

5/18/2008
6:05 AM

Most of us watch the rising costs of fuel and wonder where it will end. I could get into the politics of why they are high, but I'll leave that for another blog. In my business, I watch it more from a boating perspective. How will it affect my business? Will it deter used boat shoppers and affect the boating lifestyle in general.

I still have many buyers shopping for boats; most of them are going to buy when they find the right boat. So for you shoppers out there, here is the scoop on boating costs, fuel in particular, and how it relates to boating.

1. Fuel costs are the least of the concerns you should have. Unless you are a charter boat fishing guide, you will not use a lot of fuel. The majority of boaters put less than 100 hours a year on their used boats; I am no different with the Patricia Ann, I put only 50 hours on her last year. Using 50 hours as a rule, I burned only about $1600.00 worth of diesel last year. But that was money well spent as cruising is our passion that gives Mary and I a lot of pleasure. Of course trawlers and sailboats get the best fuel economy, but what if you like a motoryacht or a nice offshore fishing boat? Once again, the time you'll be cruising at 22 knots will be low compared to the time you'll be idling, trolling or at the dock. Remember the trip I took last month on the 36 motoryacht from St. Petersburg, FL to Ft. Lauderdale? We only burned $1,400.00 in diesel and that was in rough seas. As an owner, its doubtful that you'd make that trip often.
2. Dockage will likely be the most expensive of your costs. Of course, it depends upon where you keep your boat as to the prices. Here in Florida the costs can be extreme. In Ft. Lauderdale, to dock the Patricia Ann at one of the upscale marinas would costs me $2400.00 a month or $28,000.00 a year. OUCH! In north Florida, my dockage is only $635 a month or $7,620.00 annually. I can take you to a nice marina in Georgia that would cost us only $280.00 monthly or $3,360.00 a year. So it just depends on where you are. If you can pick up a mooring ball, your costs will plummet to a few dollars a day; if you can anchor out, its FREE.
3. Insurance can be a costly package. As a full-time Florida resident, my boat insurance is very high due to hurricane threats. I pay about $4,500.00 annually. Obtaining insurance coverage in Dade and Broward counties is almost non-existent I am told. A new customer of mine has obtained coverage of his new trawler for about half of that but he must remain out of Florida from June 1 to November 30 (Hurricane Season). His cost will be about $2,300.00 a year.
4. Maintenance costs are always there, regardless of the age of the boat. My annual maintenance costs hovers around $3,500.00 annually. If you can perform the majority of the maintenance yourself it will be manageable. Remember, you have diving costs to scrape the running gear and replace zincs, oil changes, water pump replacement now and then, new hoses sometimes, and consumables such as varnish and paint. There are those issues that will come up like replacing canvas or blister repair that will be expensive but are done infrequently. If you stay on top of things, maintenance is just that - preventative!
5. And lastly, you may have a ship's mortgage as well. There are some very good rates out there right now. I have three mortgage brokers that can shop your loan to many different companies. If your credit is good, you'll get good financing. This cost will be near the bottom of your boat costs. Obviously, I cannot predict what that cost will be for you.

Well there you have it I think. I had a good conversation with a buyer this week and we talked about this very subject. We both agreed that boating is more than a passion; it should be classified as a sickness. Yes, us boaters have it in our blood and a rise in fuel prices will not likely deter us; we will just eliminate something else to compensate.

I'm leaving tomorrow to help my latest customers Mike and Mercy bring their new 43 Albin trawler home this week. It looks like I'll be making my third trip through the Keys in as many months. But hey, someones got to do it..:)

Stay tuned.

Mike

Used Boat Blisters and Hydrolysis - Part 1

5/18/2008
6:00 AM

Update! We could not make our schedule last week so we did not go into the yard. We are scheduled once again, to go on-the-hill June 9th.

Stay tuned.


5/4/2008
12:35 PM


If you are searching for your first used boat you've very likely heard about blisters. Most boaters with in-the-water boats are aware of them. But what are they, how do they form and most importantly, what do you do about them...if anything? I've been involved with 5 surveys since the first of the year and every time a boat was hauled from the water, blisters are the fear from the prospective buyer. You have no need of panicking, however, the issue is easily managed.

My trawler, the Patricia Ann has had a number of tiny blisters on her hull for some years and I've known about it. I've just watched them and evaluated them each time I pulled her out of the water. I've finally decided to tackle the problem. Next Monday, 5/12/2008, she will be pulled from the water to begin the task of removing the existing blisters, drying of her hull and applying a epoxy barrier coat, and finally new bottom paint.

To help you better understand the cause and what to do about it when you are searching for and evaluating your next boat, I'm going to chronicle my project with descriptions and photos. It's my intention that you will have a much better understanding of the issue when your surveyor says, "this boat you wish to buy has blisters".

Technically speaking, blisters are the symptom of a condition that is known as hydrolysis of the laminate. Hydrolysis is the chemical process of decomposition of a material and the addition of water (Webster's). When used in reference to the polyester resin it is the breaking of the bond of the resin. In layman's terms, it's simply the decomposition of uncured resin.

As you will see, not all bottoms with hydrolysis damage have blisters, but all bottoms with blisters have some degree of hydrolysis.

All boats of polyester fiberglass resin design and manufacturer soak up water. I've heard that a boat may soak up to 20% of its original weight in water. What happens is when water penetrates the gelkote, the glass fibers assist by acting as capillarys to transport the water into the laminate. Once inside, the water goes into chemical solution with the resin in the gelkote and laminate.

So how do the blisters form? Blisters form when the flow of water into the laminate is greater than the flow of hydrolysis fluid back out. The acidic solution, under pressure, that is produced by hydrolysis cannot escape back out through the gelcoat and a blister begins to form. Over time, they grow larger and slowly start delaminating the outer layers of laminate. Smaller blisters will combine with others to form larger blisters and the process continues.

One of the most asked questions is "Why do some older boats blister and others do not? What we find is those older gelkotes are porous. Water flowing in is equal to the acidic solution flowing out. The gelkote is much like a sponge. The result may be underlying hydrolysis but no blisters.

So why are blisters and hydrolysis a problem? First, it is unsightly and may slow the boat in the water. But more importantly, if hydrolysis goes unchecked structural delamination can occur. Nothing will scare away a potential buyer faster than blisters.

The affects of hydrolysis on the resin may be quite serious. The hydrolysis process can soften, weaken and remove the resin from the laminate. Strength of the hull is reduced.

You might ask how long might it take for the deterioration to become a structural concern? No one really knows yet; fiberglass boat building has not been around long enough to determine that.

So we now know that any boat with blisters has a hydrolysis problem to some degree; however a boat without blisters may have a problem but doesn't show it. So what can you do to evaluate the hull for hydrolysis?

1. Identify the size and frequency of blisters. Blister diameter is often associated with the depth of the blister and thus a rough gauge of the depth of the hydrolysis. Bigger blisters usually mean bigger problems.
2. Look for cracks, crazing and pin holes. These may be letting lots of water into the laminate and accelerating hydrolysis.
3. Look for sediment piles inside the hull. These typically indicate active hydrolysis, even though there may be no blisters
4. Take moisture meter readings both inside and outside.
5. Drill or grind into the laminate to determine the extent of laminate damage.

REPAIR OPTIONS:

There are some differences with owners as to the best way to repair blisters and hydrolysis.

Some owners choose to do nothing. Maybe not the best choice, but we all tend to postpone it as long as we think we can get away with it.

On the simplest level, I have simply popped blisters and filled them with epoxy. Some owners have tackled the entire boat blister problem this way and proudly claimed they have solved their problem. Of course, this completely ignores the problem of water continuing to get in to the laminate and causing even more blisters and hydrolysis.

And finally, the most complete repair is the removal of the gel coat and replacing it with a impervious barrier coat.

LAMINATE REPAIRS

Perhaps the only successful method to date of repairing a blistered boat hull is by peeling the gelcoat and any damaged laminate from the boat. Some have tried sandblasting the hull but it's a hit and miss attempt at best requiring a very skilled blaster. The best you can hope for is an uneven, wavey hull when complete.

To begin the repair the boat is hauled, washed and the blocked on stands.

Once the amount of laminate to be removed has been established, the removal process begins. A tool that has become commonly called a Peeler is used. It cuts the gelcoat and laminate off like a hand-held electric planer. It can be adjusted to remove only to the depth of a single coat of bottom paint if need be. The hull is left quite smooth, requiring only minimal sanding and fairing.

The cutting tool is a much cleaner operation in comparison with grinding or sandblasting, both for the boat and the environment.

Once the gel coat and any damaged laminates have been removed, its time to dry out the boat. We now need to remove as much water from the boat's hull as possible before making our repairs. This does not suggest that we will get all of the water out ( I doubt this is possible anyway), but to remove as much as practical.

We've chosen this time of year as this is the dryest season in Florida with the lowest humidity. The boat's hull will be measured initially with a moisture meter to give us some baseline reading. She will then sit for days, weeks, months "draining" water from her hull until we have obtained the lowest moisture readings possible on her hull. She'll be monitored weekly. We've talked about building a tent over her to speed up the drying but the yard says that they have had less than satisfactory results with this method.

After the hull has dried, it will be time to re laminate any areas that were found to have hydrolysed laminates. Woven glass cloth will be used with epoxy.

BARRIER COATING

Following removal of hydrolyzed material, drying of the hull and replacement of glass as necessary, a barrier coat is applied. Epoxy resins are by far the best water-proofing materials to date for boat use. Although they have much higher costs, they have been the preferred resin for many successful repair jobs.

As a barrier coat, six rolled coats will be applied to arrive at a thickness of about .030". Once faired, two coats of anti fouling paint completes the repair.

So there you have it. If you find just the right boat that has some blisters, you now know what they are and how they got there. You also know what options are available to repair.

References:

BLISTERS & LAMINATE HYDROLYSIS by Craig Bumgarner, Updated April 9th, 2003
David Pascoe - http://www.yachtsurvey.com/

Tom Musto - BoatSavers

Fuel Costs Affecting Boaters

5/2/2008
5:57AM

Good morning all,

Do you think politics has an affect on us boaters? Read on.

The cost of fuel is affecting the boating industry. Buyers are hesitating to purchase because of the uncertainty of these costs. Used trawlers and sailboats however, are more popular than ever due to their low-fuel consumption.

We hear in the news where want-too-be presidential candidates advocate taxing the profits of big oil. The oil companies are making too much money at the expense of the little guy out there. They want to redistribute those profits to others. That's the most absurd thing I've ever heard.

Why don't we tax Microsoft or McDonald's profits? They have a greater margin than the oil companies.

Taxes are not paid by corporations, you the consumer ultimately pays the cost. Don't let some Washington politician tell you otherwise.

Let's take a look at the cost of producing a gallon of fuel and the profits made from that.

Recent Reported Profit Margins

ExxonMobil - 9.4%
Connaco - 6.9%
BP - 8.4%
McDonald's - 12.0%
Microsoft - 31.6%
GE - 11.4%

Sources: Standard & Poor's Capital IQ
Source: Reuters Fundamentals

The cost to produce 1 gallon of fuel is broken out as follows. Value expressed in % of total cost to produce each gallon.

Crude Oil - 53%
Federal/State Taxes - 19%
Refining/Profits - 19%
Distribution - 9%

So, given these factors, here is the breakdown of one $3.35 gallon of fuel purchased at your local Exxon station.

Cost of Crude Oil - $1.77
Federal/State Taxes - $.63
Refining - $.33
Profits - $.31
Distribution - $.30

Source: US Department of Energy

I see clearly where our problems are! Do you? Try Middle Eastern crude and taxes paid on the fuel. Those account for the two largest pieces of the cost.

Tell you elected officials to cut taxes, start drilling in own own oil fields, and let the free market take care of itself.

Mike

PS: I just sent President Bush, my two Senators and Representative a copy of this posting! Feel free to do the same.