Hi Mark, I used to store my boat an hour away for 7 winters. More recently I kept her closer, 30 minutes away, but it's the same amount of work. If you have everything with you, it goes well. Make a list of what you want to do, be flexible, have plan B and C as you may be fighting over power and water and what you can get accomplished around wind and rain. You can scrub the bottom with a pole sander in the rain or wind but you can't paint. I always take extra power cords with multitaps, and extra hose and Y connections and extra nozzles, shut offs, etc.
Obvious tips: gas up the car and pack everything the night before, and take a good lunch, leave early, get there before the crowd, get right to work when you get there. Be ready to lend any tools, or help a neighbor, but try not to get dragged into a long bullshit session where the skippers stand around and no one gets anything done. (guilty) Save any beer till end of day after you've completed part of your list. Always reward yourself on the way home if you had a productive day. Try to shop or pickup parts at night and save daylight hours for the boat. Keep a small notepad in your pocket and jot down lists of things needed; paper towels, rags, chip brushes, 216, epoxy, bottom paint, wax or PoliGlow, rollers, covers, extension handle, old painting shirt, etc I wouldn't worry so much about the packing. I also wouldn't tighten it for the first few days, as it will expand a little on it's own. I'd be more concerned about charging the batteries fully, test run the engine while she's on stands, lubricate the shifter cables, steering cables, wheel pedestal, and checking the fuel and all hoses and thru hulls. This is a good chance to lube the thruhulls and be sure they open/close. Close all valves before the launch except cockpit drains. Don't get too crazy about anything on deck or in the cabin. Prep the hull from toe rail to toe rail, and leave the rest for later. Maybe overnight on the boat to maximize your time on site. I charge all electronics the night before the launch or delivery trip; VHF, GPS, spot light, cell phone, etc, and carry them in a backpack to the boat. Tip: Tip the yard guys in advance, like when they first put the straps on your boat, on stands. I give the guys $20/man but roll it up and hand it personally to the lead man with a strong handshake, thanking him loudly and quietly ask him to divide it up as he sees fit. Let him divide it up at his descretion. I also help them by watching what they do, removing the stands and chains, and picking up some of the plywood squares from under the stands, that's how I learn. After they splash the boat, keep the slings holding the boat while you visually check all thru hulls inside the boat looking for water leaks. Only after checking every seacock the speedo and depth sounder for leaks, should you open the engine intake seacock and start the engine, let it run for at least 10 minutes before removing the slings. I use the warmup time to rig docklines and fenders, center the rudder, engage the transmission in forward and reverse for a short burst, to check the transmission and prop, and thank the yard guys before backing out of the lift. Good luck, Chuck Resolute 1990 C&C 34R Atlantic City, NJ ----- Original Message ----- From: "CNC boat owners, cnc-list" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> To: "CNC boat owners, cnc-list" <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Sent: Friday, May 2, 2014 2:15:11 PM Subject: Stus-List Spring prep This spring is challenging - the weather is just starting to warm up. Hopefully this weekend I can strip off the boat cover, get the boat paint done, quick polish/wax topsides and do some initial interior cleaning on the new boat. Target is to splash Friday next week. Bit of a challenge because boat is an hour drive away. Any advice on dealing with a stuffing box? I've never had one before. I've read lots online. Bought new stuffing if required. As far as know there were no issues with the stuffing box previously - but after 3 yrs on the hard should I replace the stuffing? Not sure if it might dry out at all? Or should in leave well enough alone - only replace it if there is a problem? Mark _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
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