The time has come round again to get the boat out of the water and have another look at the bottom. It was last done 2 years ago, and this was about a year after the hull had first gone in the water. Then I applied 2 coats of "Comastic" having been advised to use this by Braidbar Boats because they had first applied it, and apparently it is wise to stick to the same stuff.
I booked the slipway at Harefield again and on the given Friday the team arrived to swap Nuggler with a boat already awaiting relaunch on the slipway. 
There is a crude railway on which run two bogies. The trick is to position the boat right then it is pulled out using a tractor and pulleys. Nuggler seems a bit more difficult than some because it is a little deeper draughted and is just about the maximum sensible length for the slipway. I bring with me a builder's prop to stick under the stern to take some of the weight once in position,
but even so, the boat must bend slightly because many of the internal doors with not shut properly while up there.
The next job is the pressure wash to remove surface algae and loose paint. I hired a petrol pressure washer for this purpose and it certainly cleaned the surface off quickly. A number of bright orange galvanic corrosion spots were uncovered by this process. This left a layer of limescale behind which the water jet seemed unable to move and this became the toughest part of the job. Using a very sharp scraper (with replaceable blades) it was possible to crack this layer off cleanly with body weight and brute force. By the evening of the first day I had completed one side. The next morning saw the other side completed, but it still required finishing off with a rotary wire brush on the angle grinder. The makers of "Comastic" recommend spray application or failing that, to brush the first coat on to ensure that it is worked into all the pits in the surface. I used the brush, but it is hard work as the coating is thick and stiff to work. However, by the evening of the second day I was at the end of the first 5 litre can, and 1/3 way along the second side.
I ran into my first small problem in that the contents had not been stirred initially (as recommended on the tin!!) and the mixture was getting progressively thicker to the point of being almost unworkable. The next day I finished the remaining side and then started the second coat, this time with a roller. This was both easier and faster so that by Sunday evening the boat would have been ready enough to go back in the water if bad weather prevented further work. As it happened, although bad weather had been forecast, Monday turned out well, so I was able to get on with other jobs such as preparing the stern for a makeover and painting the black up to the gunwales. I also opened up the weed hatch to give that a makeover too and found time to roller a third coat of Comastic on the sides. A full day of rain on Thursday was a disappointment because I needed to apply a second coat of gloss to the stern. That will now have to wait until another opportunity. Friday is the day to go back in the water again.
Total cost of the DIY adventure was £362, including 3 cans of Comastic and paint for the gunwales. On the face of it this is the same cost as advertised services from the average boatyard. However, there are added items which I have done which would have bumped up the cost as well as having the satisfaction of a job done to my standards. Whether that is better or worse I cannot say, but one passerby commented that his visit to a boatyard had turned out badly due to inadequate surface preparation. I was certainly a week of hard work.
Informative Post.
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It is not just the exterior part, but you also have to check the bottom for holes or cracks so that they can be repaired for the next sailing trip.
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Posted by: air jordans | October 30, 2010 at 08:27 AM
It isn't neccessary to clean down to bare metal. A build up of paint is normal over the years. Pressure washing is all you need. It is important to use the same product as last time it was done as some paints react. A bitumen based product is normally used but there are also tar based blacking paints as well as synthetic paints which claim to last longer. Opinion varies about painting the bottom of the shell but I think it is preferable.John
Posted by: John Hewerdine | January 29, 2010 at 05:07 PM
Please can you tell me why in three weeks the blacking has started to come off under the water of my narrowboat?
we did the correct prep etc. (rub it down to the steel, with wire brushes, scrapers, sanders and plenty of elbow grease) we used International bitumen and the weather was fine so no problems with the drying (4 coats applied) we are moored and cruise on the river great ouse (Cambs) It is so disheartening after all our hard work and for this to be happening...... any suggesttion?
Posted by: David Clarke | September 16, 2005 at 09:59 AM