Bottom Problems

May 14
The crew came to clean the bottom of the boat. Wow! What they found wasn't pretty as the pictures show.

Buying an old boat is like buying an old house. There are problems that go undetected until work begins on one specific problem. Then more problems appear below the surface. The good news is that every problem has a solution. With boats the solution comes in two parts, like epoxy. These are money and work. Varying ratios are possible. If plenty of money is available, hire someone else to do it. However that solution sometimes creates another problem. The job doesn’t get done as fast or as thoroughly as one would like.

Here is a photo of bottom of the boat. It looks as though it caught some dreadful disease, like terminal small pox of the hull. This is the result of 7 layers of bottom paint left to soak up water year after year. Why did that happen? Why do people go for the quick fix instead of taking measures to assure that the job is done completely and thoroughly in “Bristol fashion?” I have my theories.

First of all most folks don’t consider their boat as their home. Oh, they may consider it home like a tent is a home for a weekend or a few weeks, but they really don’t think of it in as habitation for the long term. So repairs are thought of in the same way – as temporary- just good enough to get through the season.

Others use their boat as party platform tied to a floating dock. The boat is status symbol and a babe magnet. Here’s the way the conversation goes. Imagine Groucho Marx saying this, “Yes, I have a yacht. Want to come over and play with my binnacle?”

Not thinking of the boat as a long-term residence and using it only for entertaining not boating are the two primary reasons. Another may be ignorance. They simply don’t know what to do or how to do it. I can plead this as my reason. However I am smart enough to follow the advice of the boat surveyor. Let the boat dry out and redo the bottom. Well, it was way worse than he indicated or we expected. Now we are about $1500 and several hundred man-hours into the project that never should have had to be done. If the boat had been maintained as it should, with old bottom paint removed, minor repairs addressed, and new bottom paint applied, then none of this would be necessary. All this is happening with our departure date of June 22, closing in on us. My anxiety level is increasing and Bob keeps reminding me that it’s only one day at a time. Keep everything in perspective. The trouble is I have too many things that need doing in each day. Each has a A++ priority.

Cornucopia has had a number of owners and modifications. We expected issues. Maybe we should have bought a newer boat. We bought what we could afford, knowing that issues had to be addressed. Still there are no inherent design problems—nothing that can't be fixed. There are many boats out there that were made by an inferior design or with inferior materials. Nothing can really remedy those problems.

Cornucopia will be in tiptop shape before she heads for the Caribbean. It’s just a matter of taking care of her like a home instead of a entertainment venue.