Ready for Cruising!

We received word from CSR Marine yesterday morning that the bottom paint was finished and they could put Europa back in the water – earlier than we expected.

We finished up a couple of things – Nick installed the zincs, while I got to work on a few spots that could use more work. I had less than satisfactory results and will be purchasing a different product at some point to remove barnacle residue. Note: I tried to use the power buffer. That thing nearly took me off the ladder. Maybe something smaller in the future, which would also be good for working on small areas in tight spaces.

Fresh bottom paint

Nick had given CSR the go-ahead to do further work related to cleaning and painting the running gear. They wire brushed several areas, and then were able to apply the bottom paint to more than just the bottom of the hull. (Like the thruster housing.) 

Much cleaner!

While the boat is on dry dock stands, there are small areas of the hull that can’t be painted. As soon as Europa was in the sling, Wendell rolled bottom paint onto those spots and then dried them with a heat gun. Ready to go in the water!

The boat looks really good. (Thanks again, Steve Z!) Getting a closer look at components that are out of view when the boat is in the water really helped me understand a few things, and gave us more information about how to deal with maintenance in the future.

bow thruster with new zinc

This time I was there to see Europa being moved around, and here are some shots of her going back in the water. As soon as the bow swim step was even with the pavement, Nick and I boarded for the ride down to the water. It is a little weird to be in between concrete with no fenders out. It was breezy but thankfully not enough to blow us about.

We stopped at the fuel dock to fill up, then tied her up at the Ranger dock while we had lunch at Wally’s. (Fish and Chips: I like them because they are flat pieces of fish, with thin breading, rather than a thick batter. Chowder: A little thicker than I prefer, but really good. Very tender clams.)

After lunch, I headed home with the car and Nick had a lovely boat ride back to the Foss. I met him there and we spent a bit of time tidying up and spraying her down with Salt Away. The boat is filthy again from people climbing all over her in a dirty boat yard. It never ends…

While we were waiting for Europa, we saw one of the new 41s. She was power washed and then moved to the yard to await bottom paint before she goes into the water and her new owner has orientation with Ranger Tugs. This company is known for innovation. Here is an example: the propellers are backwards!