our case studies for proper yacht management

mildew is an unsightly mess, but can also indicate a bigger problem

This past summer we spent several hours cleaning a customer’s yacht that was suffering from a bad case of mildew throughout the bilges and some compartments in the pilothouse. When we returned to the boat the following week, we were surprised to find much of the mildew returned.

 

Even an extended period of rain would not cause this much damage without an additional catalyst. While inspecting the bilge, our technician heard the sound of dripping water and followed the sound to the starboard deck, where a hose connected to the half-inch diameter drain had come loose. As the deck shed water through the drain, water was dripping down the inside of the hull and dispersing into the bilge, creating a wet environment ideal for mildew. Our technician reattached the hose and added a more robust hose clamp, and repeated the process on the port side.

 

Water can enter a boat in a number of ways, sometimes through unlikely avenues. Explore every inch of your yacht to avoid unpleasant smells and maintain a clean – and safe – environment.

less-than-optimal speeds may be caused by out-of-spec components

While delivering a client’s Hinckley Talaria 40’ to the boat yard for end-of-season service, we noticed the boat was not traveling as quickly as expected. After hauling the boat, we confirmed the bottom and trim tabs were free of growth and the waterjet impellers and shafts were not covered with barnacles.

 

We knew our client’s boat frequently nudges onto sandy beaches to pick up guests – and ultimately this proved to be the key to solving the problem. While the waterjets are designed to process large volumes of sand, the blades on the jets’ impellers can, over a period of hundreds of hours, fall out of the tolerance specifications required for optimal use. When the jets were disassembled for service, both impellers were indeed out of spec – contributing to slower speeds and causing the boat to burn more fuel.

 

The impellers were sent to the manufacturer and returned to the proper specification. After re-launch, we experienced proper speed figures and a decrease in fuel consumption. Sharing the details of your boating habits with your boat yard or yacht manager can help them better diagnose any problems that arise.

practice for an emergency for composed decisions under pressure

"Those safety drills we went over just paid off!” exclaimed a client on the phone one day this fall. He’d just watched another boat cut a navigational marker and abruptly run aground. With a boat full of guests, our client maneuvered near the grounded boat, maintaining a safe distance from the ledge. Its captain and occupants were panicking. One guest appeared to be injured, and another jumped into the water without a life vest.

 

Our client directed a guest to throw the rescue rope and life ring we had placed on board to the man in the water, while he called the Coast Guard with the location, description, and number of people on board the grounded vessel. He used the hailer function on his VHF and instructed the captain and crew to don life vests and check all bilges for water. Though taking on water, the boat was hard aground and not in danger of sinking in the short term. Our client instructed the occupants of the boat to stay put until the Coast Guard and towboat arrived.

 

The right safety equipment and consistent practice of proper safety procedures will empower you to make composed, methodical decisions in an emergency.

Work Below the Water Line Keeps Your Yacht Up To Speed

During a recent inspection of a new customer’s yacht, we discovered that the boat’s bottom had not been properly maintained – for years – which limited the yacht’s performance and shortened the life of each additional coat of paint.

 

Over the years, coat after coat of bottom paint had built up on the boat’s hull. To make matters worse, without a consistent maintenance plan in place, different types of bottom paint were used from one year to the next, causing the paint to not adhere to the surface properly and flake off.

 

Even when the same paint is used consistently, some flaking can still occur. It is important to make certain that flaking surfaces are sanded and primed each year before any paint is applied. If your yacht’s bottom has excessive paint build-up and poor adhesion throughout, a complete soda blast is the most efficient and best solution for long term performance. Soda blasting allows you to start with a clean slate and removes hundreds of pounds bottom paint.

new electronics empower you to make safe boating decisions

Proactively keeping your electronics current keeps you safe on the water and helps you avoid in-season down time should an older component fail. Many older units from manufacturers such as Northstar® and Raymarine® are no longer supported. While they may still function properly, if they fail they can’t be repaired and parts are unavailable – which could quickly disrupt your boating season.

 

Last spring, we oversaw the installation of Sirius® satellite weather and an Automatic Identification System (AIS) on one of our customer’s yachts. A few weeks later when the family was out on the water, they were able to avoid a major thunderstorm because they could watch its progress in real time on their chartplotter. AIS, formerly only available on large commercial ships, allows them to obtain information on vessels within their vicinity, conveniently displayed on their chartplotter – which is particularly helpful at night.

a well-maintained engine room ensures fast problem solving

Maintaining a clean, dry, and corrosion-free engine room ensures a better environment for the components that reside there, but also enables you to quickly identify any problems.

 

While aboard a customer’s yacht last summer, we found a bit of water directly beneath the port engine. Since the area was always wiped down and thoroughly dry, this ingress of water immediately stood out as a problem. A quick taste of the water (proving it to be sea water), confirmed our suspicion that the port engine’s raw water pump (which cools the engine) was leaking and pumping sea water into the engine room bilge. We quickly identified the raw water pump needed to be fixed, and avoided overheating the engine and bathing it in corrosion-inducing seawater.

 

When you keep your yacht’s engine room clean with thorough wash downs, and always attack rust with primer and paint, you’ll also be able to quickly identify any potential problems.

consistent ac system flushes enable uninterrupted comfort

We received a phone call this summer from a distressed yacht owner who was experiencing poor air conditioning performance. After talking the owner through checking the raw water intake strainer for blockages and ensuring that the unit was set properly, we came to the conclusion that the entire system needed a complete service and acid flush.

 

With time, the sea water used to cool the AC unit leaves small deposits inside the system. Continued build up without a yearly flush will eventually hinder performance and clog the unit.

 

The added expense of a regularly-scheduled air conditioning system service far outweighs the discomfort you’ll feel if the system breaks when you’re far from shore on a hot, humid day. Schedule this service for your yacht regularly, and know you’ll spend the warmest summer days in pleasant, uninterrupted comfort.

expect the unexpected: always go behind the scenes

At the beginning of last season, we noticed a small puddle of water beneath the engine’s raw water intake seacock on our client’s yacht. Upon opening and closing the seacock several times, we discovered sea water leaking out of the base of the handle. If not addressed, the seacock would eventually pose a safety risk.

 

After further discussion with the owner, we discovered that the boat had sat in storage for the past three years, untouched. Had the seacocks been exercised and serviced regularly, this repair would have been unnecessary.

 

Unfortunately, the adage “out of sight, out of mind” never applies to a complex yacht. When was the last time all of your seacocks were exercised to prevent them from leaking or sticking in the open position at the worst possible time?

short-term cost cutting always yields greater expenses later

"I can probably get one more season out of it, don’t you think? The varnish was just done last year!"

 

One of our customers asked this question two years ago when we supplied him with our list of annual maintenance recommendations to pass on to the boat yard his yacht would be stored at for the winter. Thinking he was saving money, he launched his boat the following spring without the needed annual varnish. By the end of the season, the toerails had "burn through" bare spots, and the varnish was crazing and flaking on the eyebrow and grabrails.

 

Exterior varnished areas that are constantly exposed to sun need varnish every season – two maintenance coats at a minimum. You may be enticed to dodge a recurring expense, but when you see varnish flaking away from your toerails, leaving bare teak that will soon turn black, you invite repairs that will be exponentially more costly than balanced, yearly service.