Clean Hardware

Winches will get running smoothly with a little preseason TLC.

Pedro Martinez/Volvo Ocean Race photo

Boat hardware is a big expense but it can last for decades if it is properly maintained. If it’s not properly maintained, watch it seize up and corrode and open your wallet to replace it. 

All hardware should be routinely flushed with fresh water if sailing in salt water, but it should be particularly well flushed before an off-season lay-up. Winches, which are the most costly of boat hardware, also need periodic maintenance. Give them a spin: They should be free-moving and not make any unusual sounds. 

If it’s time to clean them or inspect them—and if you haven’t done it for a few years, it’s time—start by downloading instructions from the winch manufacturer’s website. It’s not a difficult process, but it’s important to put them back together the way they came apart. Taking photographs as you go through the process can also be helpful. 

Even if they are in good working order, you may want to consider replacing the springs and pawls, which are inexpensive parts that can wreak havoc if they break. You also want to check for worn gear teeth. Everything should be cleaned, regreased and re-oiled as you put the winch back together. 

When it is closed up, give the winch a spin to make sure it’s moving smoothly, and if it’s not retrace your steps to figure out where you went wrong in putting it back together. 

Other hardware, including travelers and blocks can be cleaned with soapy water and a toothbrush and inspected for cracks. Hardware manufacturer Harken recommends using a drop of McLube One Drop Ball Bearing Oil to keep ball bearings lubricated.

Although an inspection of a boat’s safety equipment can be done at any time, it’s not a bad idea to check it off the spring fitting out list so you know everything is in order for the sailing season.

Be Safe

Are you sure your life raft will be ready if you need it? Check the repacking date as part of an annual safety inspection.

Walter Cooper photo

Check the expiration or repacking dates on any safety equipment on the boat, such as flares, man-overboard modules and life rafts. Double check that epirbs, personal locator beacons and VHF radios with DSC capability are properly registered.

It is recommended that inflatable life jackets be serviced annually. Disconnect the CO2 cartridge and inflate each jacket manually, then let it sit for a few hours and make sure it is maintaining air pressure. It is usually not possible to repair leaking jackets, so it is recommended that the jacket be cut up to ensure it never used, said US Sailing Safety at Sea Chairman Chuck Hawley.

Inspect and count all life jackets on the boat, making note of the sizes and types available. Outfit them with lights and whistles and change light batteries if needed. 

Fire extinguishers should also be examined to make sure they are not expired and that the gauge is in the green. Inverting them several times will help unpack the powder in them. 

Lastly, take inventory of the charts on board, making sure you have the proper paper charts for the areas you sail in or several redundant methods of accessing an electronic chart. 

Bottom of it

A fresh coat of bottom paint keeps your boat sailing smooth all season.

If it’s been awhile since the bottom has been painted, it may be time to consider a self-polishing paint. For boats sailing in salt water, a paint such as Interlux’s Micron 66 actually gets smoother with use and won’t need recoating every spring. Just give it a good cleaning. When it does need to be recoated, you don’t have to sand it all off. The bottom can simply be cleaned and scuffed and a new coat applied. Sailors in fresh water could use the company’s Micron  CSC HS paint, which provides similar benefits, along with low VOC emissions, and is appropriate for fresh water.

Self-polishing paints will save a lot of maintenance for most cruisers, but racing sailors, or those for whom a very smooth bottom is a priority, will likely want to use a hard paint such as Interlux’s VC Offshore or VC Offshore Regatta. Sanding and polishing will lead to a highly low-friction bottom, but the paint will need to be reapplied annually, especially as paint wears with regular bottom cleanings.

Regardless of the kind of paint on the bottom, it’s crucial that it is in excellent condition prior to launch, as it’s only going to wear throughout the season.

Brighten up the brightwork

A shiny caprail is the sign of a good varnish job.

Onne van der Wal photo

Every good varnish job starts with great preparation. Although it might not be the fun part, because wood tends to look worse before it starts looking better, it is the main factor in determining what the final product will look like. Undoubtedly it is easier to work on things like handrails when they are removed from the boat, but this is not easily done and requires very careful rebedding so it’s often the right call to work on teak in place, with the area carefully taped off. 

Depending the state of the old finish, you may need to use a heat gun or chemical stripper to remove it. If there is little finish left, sandpaper will work, starting with a low grit such as 80-grit and working slowly up to 220-grit. Take pains to remove sanding dust as you go and be thorough about it; no finish will look good with dust particles in it. 

Disposable foam brushes work best for applying varnish (use a new one for every coat and have spares in case one gets dirty in the middle of a coat). The first coat of varnish should be thinned about 20%, but subsequent coats can be full strength. Wet sand with 220-grit sandpaper between each coat, and plan on doing several coats—probably between seven and nine-. Wet sand with 320-grit sandpaper before the final coat, and do an extra thorough job of dust removal before applying the last coat of varnish. 

Depending on how exposed the brightwork is, a good varnish job should last for several years, so it’s worth putting the time in to do it right.

Engine maintenance

Do not neglect your boat’s engine at this time of year. One of the most complicated systems on a boat, it’s also one of the most expensive to repair and one of the most inconvenient to live without. A DIY-friendly illustrated guide to diesel engine maintenance can be found in Technique on page 48.

Top up spares

You don’t have to carry a ship’s chandlery on board, but it makes sense to have a few spares onboard for systems and hardware. It’s almost impossible to have too many batteries in all the sizes needed for flashlights, handheld electronics, emergency navigation lights and more, so stock up. 

You should also carry a selection of cotter pins, rings and stainless steels screws, nuts and bolts. An epoxy repair kit, sail glue, nylon and dacron sail tape, oil, oil filter and impeller round out a basic list of spares. 

Although it doesn’t qualify as spares, a good boat sewing kit should also be on board. Make sure you have plenty of thread, a palm, a variety of needles and a fid or two, which will allow you to make small canvas and sail repairs as well as splicing and whipping.