Boat maintenance

Since boats are quite expensive pieces of equipment, it is obviously very important to maintain them correctly and to repair any damage as it happens. A Scout is THRIFTY. It should be considered a part of normal activities for all Sea Scouts to take an active part in this maintenance in keeping with their experience and skill and in some Troops each Scout is expected to “clock-in” a certain number of hours boat work before they are allowed go afloat. A Scout is HELPFUL. As you gain experience so you will be expected to take a more active role in this work, including supervising members of your watch and doing some simple repairs. A Scout is TRUSTWORTHY. You’ll get credits towards the various badges for the work which you do in your ordinary winter maintenance programme.

Most of the regular maintenance will take place during the winter months. At the end of the boating season, the boat should be taken out of the water and immediately washed down with fresh water, and weed growth scraped off the bottom, mud and dirt washed off all moveable parts (bottom boards, rudder, oars and spurs) removed and stored indoors. If possible the boat should be stored under cover, or at least upside-down. If a tarpaulin cover is put over a boat, it is a good idea to raised with some sort of “ridge pole” and to leave openings, either at the bow and stern or under the edges of the tarpaulin for air to circulate around the inside. At this stage sails should be washed in fresh water and dried thoroughly before storage and standing rigging should be inspected for wear and replaced if necessary. Paint on a boat is not just to make it look pretty. It also helps to protect the structure. Any wooden boats will probably need to be sanded and painted or varnished. If the paint is in particularly poor condition it will need to be stripped off completely, possibly with a heat gun or with chemical paint strippers. These are potentially dangerous and should be used with care by people who have been shown how to use them properly. A Scout is not a FOOL. Minor repairs to timber or glass fibre gunwales, decking, etc. may be required also. It may even be necessary to fit a tingle to a wooden boat. HOW? Sanding generates a lot of dust andappropriate face masks should be worn. If the existing paint is still adhering to the wood then only a light sanding will be required.

Boat Maintenance

Use a medium grade of sandpaper and sand only lightly. The idea is to “cut” the existing paint, that is to barely take the shine off it, so that the next coat of paint will stick to it. Any loose paint will need to be stripped off, probably with a paint scraper. You should be careful not to damage the boat. The edges of an area like this need to be sanded smooth.

When the surface has been sanded it is ready to paint. Before painting read the instructions on the tin, does it need to be shaken, stirred or diluted? During painting try to be careful not to get too much of the paint on yourself, your friends or on the paintbrush. You will do a better job with only a little paint on the brush and go back to the pot often. If any bare wood is exposed it is best treated with a primer first. After that has dried, use an undercoat and then one or two coats of gloss paint. If two coats of gloss are used you will need to give a very light sanding between coats. With varnish a coat of varnish diluted with white spirits should be used as a primer on bare wood. Two or three coats of full strength varnish will be required on a varnished boat with a light sanding between coats. The brushes should be cleaned thoroughly after use otherwise they get hard and useless. Any boat kept on a mooring throughout the summer may need to have anti-foul paint below the water-line to stop weed growing. This paint contains a poison and you should be careful not to get any splashes on your self. It is best to wear protective gloves. Always wash your hands thoroughly after any painting job.

Glass-fibre repairs Many Scout boats and canoes are now made of fibreglass and generally speaking the routine maintenance of these boats is easier than wooden boats. It will be important to learn how to do small glass-fibre repairs. One of the secrets of good glass-fibre repairs is good preparation. Any loosened or splintered pieces must be removed and the surrounding surface must be roughened with coarse sandpaper or a file. Repairs are made using a cloth made of glass fibres called chopped strand mat (CSM) and resin. The pieces of CSM are cut out in advance and the resin is prepared by mixing in the correct amount of hardener. This job must be done quite quickly once started because resin will not stick well to anything once it has started to set. When you have seen a couple of repairs being done you will be able to undertake one yourself under supervision. Whenever using any chemicals (including paints, anti-fouling etc.) any person working with it should read the instructions first and be sure they understand them.