Post by thebastidge on Oct 31, 2016 15:47:31 GMT
I changed out some zinc anodes on a 42(ish) ft sailboat this weekend. Did a survey of the keel, rudder, prop etc while changing the zincs on hull near rudder, around the prop shaft, and on each bow thruster. Took about an hour, and one low-pressure (2000PSI) 80cuft tank. The keel zinc had some growth around it that required a scrub brush to remove prior to putting the new, larger zinc on it. The prop had a little bit of transfer/deposition of zinc on the brass, that took scraping with a flat screwdriver. This was my first time doing it so I wasn't super efficient at it, but it was only the minimum billable time- 1 hour @ $130 (per the going rates of the guy I was working on behalf of). The keel had some baby barnacles, the freshwater had killed them and they brushed right off with my bare hand. The captain of the vessel said he'd see us in 6 months to do it again- he's a blue water sailor with his family (wife and two young'uns.)
The weekend before that I placed plastic-sealed EPS foam blocks under some docks for additional flotation (did a couple of those this weekend also). Did 10 blocks in about 6 or 7 hours, with about 5 hours of that actually in the water. I was about as effing tired as it is possible to be and still stand up. Water temps = low-mid 50s, working in a wetsuit- 7 mil farmer john with a 7 mil jacket over that, 3 mil hood, 5 mil boots, and Mechanix work gloves. I wasn't really suffering from the cold, felt fine enough but the energy drain was intense. Plus, when you get that much neoprene on you, just moving around out of the water is a struggle, and you're tired, out of breath, and sweaty before you get in the water. Carrying the weight of tank, BCD, and then 40 lbs of lead is just an added bonus for your workout.
Maneuvering a roughly 20"x20"x36" foam block with 750lbs of steel sled attached to it for weight was another piece of work. That made the foam only slightly positively buoyant, so there was considerable effort involved in making it slide under the docks and pushing against the overhead environment to place it precisely.
I imagine it will get a lot easier as I improve my technique through practice.
The weekend before that I placed plastic-sealed EPS foam blocks under some docks for additional flotation (did a couple of those this weekend also). Did 10 blocks in about 6 or 7 hours, with about 5 hours of that actually in the water. I was about as effing tired as it is possible to be and still stand up. Water temps = low-mid 50s, working in a wetsuit- 7 mil farmer john with a 7 mil jacket over that, 3 mil hood, 5 mil boots, and Mechanix work gloves. I wasn't really suffering from the cold, felt fine enough but the energy drain was intense. Plus, when you get that much neoprene on you, just moving around out of the water is a struggle, and you're tired, out of breath, and sweaty before you get in the water. Carrying the weight of tank, BCD, and then 40 lbs of lead is just an added bonus for your workout.
Maneuvering a roughly 20"x20"x36" foam block with 750lbs of steel sled attached to it for weight was another piece of work. That made the foam only slightly positively buoyant, so there was considerable effort involved in making it slide under the docks and pushing against the overhead environment to place it precisely.
I imagine it will get a lot easier as I improve my technique through practice.