we have now owned this
boat for about 3 months. It is my first sailboat of any consequence that i have owned.
so. i have a few questions regarding small
maintenance and
repair items that i just can't find the answer to
1. there is a small (about a 3 inches horizontal and about 1/2 inch vertically) place on the
hull where the
paint is peeling. the
hull is fine and i am about 100% sure it is just where this lightly bumped a
dock. I want to
repair as soon as possible. So my questions.
all the
paint is still there just pulled away slightly.is it adequate for the next few years to
epoxy the paint back into place and roll it down tight with a small roller, then hold into place while it kicks in. I think that would "repair" it simply and i also know that some years from now there will be a complete new paint job so i am not too worried about cosmetics. is this solution enough to last for some years? will it cause me grief down the road when we repaint the
boat?
2. i know in theory one is supposed to close the seacocks when leaving the boat. in practice, do people really do that? do you do it if it a day, a week, two weeks? we have 5 (fridge, A/C,
head,
engine,
anchor wash)
3. there was a stretch of 5 weeks where we were not able to get to the boat. i was worried about growth on the bottom and prop. we are in the southern chesapeake so there is a lot of biology in the
water. is it necessary or advisable to clean off as much as you can with a hull brush before setting out? or not? am i being overly cautious?
4. and finally. for those who do have boats in the chesapeake (esp. the southern part)...is it really necessary to take out of the
water and winterize EVERY year. There are enough good days even in the
winter around here that i would (after this first year where we will be painting the bottom) like to go sailing. there are 70 degree days in february that would go to waste. anyway, if you do leave in the water, what do you do to prepare (dehumidifier, etc etc)
Sorry if these seem extraordinarily elementary, but i am a perfectionist and a worrier. my
boating experience was in lakes in
texas with a boat we trailored and this sailing in the Chesapeake is a whole new animal. i don't necessarily trust all the boaters that one just runs into at the marina. there seems to be some expertise on this list that is both practical and knowledgable that i trust.
Thanks for all the replies and help.