Caring for ‘Pike’

Minute cracks at the foot of the stem

 

Paint removed

Epoxy resin applied

After three coats of paint

All boats require carers. Without a carer a boat will deteriorate. If an owner values his boat he will care for her. I value ‘Pike’; therefore I care for her.

When I conducted a trial sail with 'Pike', water found a way into her bow buoyancy chamber. I didn’t discover it until I arrived home, and I was a bit shocked to find that the chamber was not watertight. I therefore resolved to make repairs so that I could rely on it to remain watertight.

A close inspection of the bow revealed that at the foot where panels on both sides join the stem post, there were tiny cracks in the paint. I stripped back the paint and found small crevices between the stem post and the panels. It became clear that these minute gaps were responsible for the water ingress. To prevent this happening in future, I filled them with epoxy resin.

Afterwards, over a period of three days, I applied one coat of International Toplac paint each day. One application a day allowed the paint to thoroughly dry. While I was doing this I painted a few bare patches along the chines that had suffered abrasion.

At the end of the season, I’ll probably give 'Pike's' hull a rub down with wet and dry and apply one or two coats of paint to improve the finish.

‘Pike’ is ready for her next sail.