After a few reschedules with Singlar boat yard we finally hauled Chrokeva from the water on January 27th 2010 for the 1st bottom job that we have had since purchasing Chrokeva over 4 years ago. It was a bit of a nerve wracking experience due to the fact that the haul out is located in a very tight channel with several obstacles and the added discomfort of knowing these full keeled boats back up poorly needless to say anxiety was high. In the end the haul out went without a hitch and not so much as a scratch put on the boat.
We decided to employ Bob Buchanan with Total Yacht Works to oversee the bottom job as we have heard so many positive things about both Bob and Total Yacht Works. We had planned to just have the bottom painted and the waterline raised but we soon found out once the boat was out of the water that we will not be able to paint directly over the old paint as it is starting to fail so the decision was made to remove the old red bottom paint (a much bigger and more costly job) and put another coat of barrier coat on it and then re-paint the hull with black Trindad SR. We also decided to change the color of the boot stripe (now a really funky orange) and possible re-paint the blue hull stripe as it is really starting to show its age. The other things that are on the list for this haul out is an out is a out of water survey for insurance purposes, change the cutless bearing, do some gel coat repair and possibly do a stainless steel repair the bow pulpit. There may be other things added once the survey is done but for now things look good.
We will be living on the boat while it is up on stilts in the yard and I have to say that is quite a experience in itself. We all must climb a very tall ladder several times a day and the dogs must be carried up and down to go potty. One thing we realized right away is that it is quite a bit hotter being on a boat out of the water. The fans are going all day and night and it still seems almost unbearably hot inside. The good news is that the boat yard is absolutely immaculate. The restrooms and showers are great and the people are friendly and professional. We should be out of the water and living aboard for the next week (give or take a few days).
