Preparation Archives - Page 19 of 29 - Safe Skipper Boating & Safety Afloat Apps for phones & tablets

Antifouling for leisure boats – Part 1

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Boats that are kept afloat can very quickly become a home for small marine organisms such as barnacles, weed and slime. Applying an antifouling paint to your hull is necessary to protect it from these micro-organisms, as a fouled hull can cause problems and will slow...

Galvanic and electrolytic corrosion

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

If sacrificial anodes are disappearing very quickly this can indicate there is a galvanic or electrolytic problem caused by electrical currents, which means an electrical circuit is being made for some reason. In order to understand what could be going on, it is worth...

Steel hull maintenance

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

A steel boat owner’s biggest enemy is corrosion. They don’t have to worry about osmosis or rotting timbers, instead rust is the number one issue that will keep them awake at night. Steel hull maintenance mainly involves checking inside and outside the hull...

Steel and Aluminium Hulls

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

The two metals used for hull construction are steel and aluminium. These are both very strong materials and will last a long time as long as they are cared for, which primarily means protecting steel boats from rust and aluminium boats from electrolytic action. Metal...

Cleaning & polishing painted topsides

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Marine paints have to be designed to withstand a far harsher environment than automotive paints, for example, and have a limited lifespan. New paint jobs are expensive but with the right care, painted topsides can last for 10 years or longer. A boat’s paintwork...

Repairing chips and dings in gelcoat

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Sooner or later a GRP boat will receive the odd knock, chip or ding in its gelcoat. Boat owners need to decide if this is a job for a professional or it is something they can tackle themselves. This article might help you decide which would be the best option for you....