Bristol-Blue Lake Michigan Sailing Adventures

This year I have decided to switch up not just my bottom paint but I'm starting to phase out the varnish for teak oil.  The varnish does a nice job but it tends to have some difficulties holding up on horizontal services and the toe rails.  The other problem I tend to run into with the varnish is the need to have several good warm days to apply it.  My plan is to have the boat in the water sometime in the next week and frankly we've only had a few days that would have been warm enough to varnish. This season, I have moved to a mixed medium; some areas varnish and some teak oil.  By next season I expect all of the wood work on the boat will be switched over.  I have been pleasantly surprised how well the two have worked in combination.  The teak oil color matches very well and two coats of oil bring the sheen right up to the same level of the remaining varnish. Starting sanding of the rails. Nicely scuffed up peeling and flaking removed. Ho...

The desire to get the boat in the water this spring is has reached a fever pitch.  Just after noon today the temperature outside reached the magic number: 50 degrees.  What is so magic about this number?  It is the temperature one needs it to be to apply bottom paint.  Immediately after lunch I headed for the marina.  When I arrived one other boater was there working on waxing his hull but within the hour, several other sailors had showed up and opened their paint cans. This year, I have decided to switch up my bottom paint.  I'm going with a multi-season paint.  I'm hoping this will set the boat up for the next 2 years.  The sales rep says it may be good for three years with some touch up. So this is some different stuff.  It is super thin and looks a bit like soapy water.  As I started I was beginning to have second thoughts.  It goes on super thin then it began to bubble.  I've seen this before with latex paints an...

Spring training starts for many this week and it is time to start the boat prep.  Fist trick is to climb in. After a few hours and a bottle of glass cleaner.  I moved all the gear, sails, and cushions back aboard and here is the finished project.  Ship shape and cleaned up.