Tybee Time is at the boatyard getting some TLC

Well two days after returning from the pirate fest in Tybee Island Georgia , Dirk and I had just enough time to un-pack, wash clothes and re-pack to head to Panama City for the week. Tybee Time was hauled on the 17th for some serious TLC from Dirk and I, and she was also having a bottom job done. Dirk brought Tybee Time through the bay and up into the bayou for his first "single handed" adventure. I drove the truck over and waited for his arrival. Here he is as he pulled her into the lift area.
Below is a photo of her fresh out of the water. We were both surprised at how clean her hull was. Dirk cleans the bottom as often as he gets the chance. After the hull was pressure washed we took a look to see how she looked. When we first had the boat surveyed a year and a half ago the surveyor noted that the boat had what he called chicken pox. Very tiny blisters on the bottom side. We thought at the time it was a big deal but he informed us it shouldn't be a deal breaker as many boats especially older ones can have that. "Keep an eye on them and tend to a few each time you have the boat hauled and you should be fine." We had expected a few of them to have grown over this time period but were surprised to find the bottom looked the same as it had at the time of the survey. Now I know there are people who have their preference to bottom paint and so not all people will agree with our choice. We decided to go with a hard paint rather then an ablative paint this time. Dirk did his research and looked at pros and cons for both and felt this would be the better option for us. Besides if we decide to go back it should be no problem" This is a closeup of the bottom and it shows how thick the layers of old paint are.


After much consideration we decided if we were gonna do this we would do it right, so we elected to have the bottom sand blasted, five coats of barrier paint and then the blue Trinidad as the final coat. Just a wee bit more then we expected to pay, did I say wee bit? Gulp......Takes a bite out of the cruising kitty but that's how it goes. So the guys park us on the other side of the yard and the whole weekend we just about had the yard to ourselves as they were closed. It was a beautiful weekend with high 70's during the day and 50's in the evening which made for nice sleeping weather. It was just a little un-nerving for me as I have never been on the boat while it was on the hard. Knowing that the only thing keeping us from falling over was those 3 stands they had propped on each side of the boat. Friday evening Dirk was already up to his elbows with work. He wanted to get the most out of his time off work. We purchased a finishing system called Poli Glow, and its claim is that it can take old oxidized fiberglass and make it shine once again. It comes with a liquid prep that you dilute and it removes stains and oxidation. The key is to get the boat an even color. We purchased the additional de-oxidizer that comes in a powder and its put onto a wet sponge and rubbed on the boat. Here is Dirk hard at work on Friday prepping the boat.


You can see by this photo how dull the finish is. I call it battleship grey

Here Dirk is applying almost the last of six coats recommended.

Here is one side complete. I have to say we are very happy with the results. Now we will see how long the finish holds up. It states to wash it down with the liquid prep and re-apply a couple coats once a year.

We never have seen the boat shine like this before, and for the price we cant complain. Now we can't wait to see the final product with the new bottom paint. This project took about two days and I have to admit, Dirk did most of the hard work on this. I did however manage to get the teak off the companionway to begin stripping and refinishing that. I had started it last fall but did not get it all done. Summer was just not the time to do it so I'm hard at it again. I also managed to do some interior organization and hang our new sign we bought at the pirate fest. It hangs on the door to the bathroom, how fitting. The blue sign on the bottom was there when we purchased the boat. Dirk also managed to find time to install the new salt water foot pump and faucet for the galley sink. When we start cruising I want to conserve my fresh water and have heard it is just fine to wash your dishes in salt water and give them a fresh water rinse. This project went surprisingly well considering we had to run a hose from the engine compartment, thru the bilge, and up under the sink. Why is it that when anyone works on their boat it always looks like this on the inside.

So with good progress made we decided to head home on Tuesday and give it a rest. The yard was sandblasting two boats beside us and we had to have things closed up in order to keep some of the dust out. Also I wasn't going to get any varnishing done unless I wanted to go for that textured look. I know I have a major wipe down and clean though when it goes back in the water.