One might be tempted to think that if the boat just stays in the stall and never goes anywhere that its condition will remain status quo. False! A boat deteriorates even just sitting in the stall. And it deteriorates even more when you use it - unless you take care of it.
Faraway represents a major commitment for me, certainly financially, but also in other ways. And so a certain level of maintenance is required.
I had the boat hauled out on May 8th, and she went back in the water May 22nd, exactly 2 weeks later. Below is a picture from a previous haul-out so you can see the massive machine they use to lift the boat and move it around.
I pull the boat into a staging area below the area that you see here. They lower the straps beneath the boat and then just lift it up. This lift can carry up to 50 tons. Faraway weighs approximately 10 tons.
Then the operator drives the boat along to where it will be set up on barrels and blocks so that I can work on it.
I will make a long story short here and cut to the chase.
Over those 2 weeks I sanded the bottom (a miserable job I might add), painted the bottom (2 coats of $140 per gallon paint), had the blue "boot stripe" at the water line repainted, and had the bite in the swim step repaired. I also replaced all the zincs, and cleaned out the bow thruster tunnel thoroughly. I also cleaned and waxed the sides from the water line up to the gunwales.
Here is a picture of the boat right before she was relaunched.
I'm glad spring maintenance is done.
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