Every year I tell myself I will plan the haul-out properly and every year October arrives and I am scrambling to book a slot at STP or Astilleros. So this year I am getting ahead of it.
For those who keep your boats here year-round, when do you typically pull out for antifouling and winter maintenance? I have always gone late October but my neighbour in the marina swears by mid-November, says the water is still warm enough to work comfortably and the yards are less busy by then.
The other question is whether anyone has tried the newer copper-free antifouling paints. The marina has been making noises about environmental regulations tightening and I am wondering if it is worth switching now before we are forced to. My Bavaria has always had Hempel hard racing but I am open to alternatives if they actually last a full season in these waters.
Also — and this is mainly directed at James and Katrin who I know keep busy schedules — do either of you use a gestor or boatyard manager to coordinate the work, or do you just handle everything yourselves? I have been doing it all myself for twenty years but I am getting to the age where paying someone to deal with the scaffolding and the sanding sounds very attractive.
Good thinking getting ahead of it Carlos. I learned that lesson the hard way my first year here — left it until the first week of November and STP was completely booked until January.
I pull the Rassy out in the last week of October now, every year without fail. Late enough that I get a full season but early enough to beat the rush. The yard at Port de Pollença is smaller than STP but the guys there know what they are doing and I can walk down to check on her whenever I like.
One thing worth mentioning — if you are doing your own antifouling, the temperature matters more than people think. Below about 15 degrees the paint does not cure properly. Late October the air temp is still in the low 20s most days so you have a comfortable window.
This is making me realise I need to start thinking about this even though I don’t own a boat. The yacht I’ve been crewing on is hauled at STP and the owner mentioned he could use an extra pair of hands with antifouling this year. I said yes without really knowing what I was signing up for — Carlos, how messy are we talking? Should I wear clothes I never want to see again?
Sophie, yes — wear clothes you never want to see again. I am not joking. Antifouling paint gets everywhere and it does not come off skin easily either, bring gloves and something to cover your arms.
That said it is actually a really good thing to do at least once. You learn so much about what is going on below the waterline — the state of the anodes, the condition of the prop, where the osmosis blisters are forming. My first year doing it I found a through-hull fitting that was weeping and I would never have noticed from inside the boat.
STP slots are already filling up for late October by the way. If your owner has not booked yet, tell him to call this week.
Okay silly beginner question — what exactly is antifouling? I keep seeing the word everywhere and I am guessing it is some kind of paint that goes on the bottom of the boat? What is it protecting against?
Also Sophie if you end up helping with it and they need another pair of hands I would love to come along just to learn. I figure if I am going to be a proper sailor here I should know what happens underneath the boat too, not just on top of it.
Not a silly question at all Anna! Antifouling is a special paint you apply to the hull below the waterline. Without it, the bottom of the boat would be covered in barnacles, algae, and all kinds of marine growth within a few weeks — especially here in the Med where the water is warm. That growth slows the boat down, increases fuel consumption, and can even block your water intake.
The paint works by slowly releasing biocide that discourages things from attaching. You scrape off the old growth, sand the hull, and put on fresh coats — usually two. It lasts about a season before you need to do it again, which is why most of us haul out every autumn.
And yes come along if Sophie ends up helping! The more hands the better, and you will never forget the smell of antifouling paint. It is a rite of passage.
We are back from the UK! Wedding was lovely, Menorca crossing was even lovelier, but now real life is catching up. Tom was just saying this morning we need to sort out the haul-out before all the slots vanish.
We usually go mid-October at STP, mainly because that is when we went our first year and it just stuck. But Carlos your neighbour might be onto something with November — by mid-October the yard is already rammed and you end up waiting around for the travel lift half the day. Anyone know if Varadero Valencia does boats our size? A friend in Denia mentioned they are cheaper than STP but I have no idea about quality.
Tom and Lisa, welcome back! How was the Menorca crossing?
I think I am going to try and book STP for late October too. Carlos you mentioned your neighbour waiting until November — is there much difference in price between the two or is it more about availability? I am trying to budget for this properly since it is my first time getting a boat hauled out and I have absolutely no idea what it all costs.
Also Anna, yes come along if Carlos is happy to have us! The more hands the better, and honestly I could use the moral support. Everything I have read about antifouling makes it sound like a deeply unglamorous weekend.
Sophie, yes please let me know when you are going to STP! I would love to tag along even just to watch and learn. I promise I will wear terrible clothes.
Carlos thank you for explaining all of that. I had no idea there were different types of antifouling paint — I just assumed it was all the same stuff. The copper-based one sounds a bit scary to work with honestly.
I have been hauling out in Port de Pollença for the last five years now and would not dream of going anywhere else, but I appreciate that is partly because the yard is right there and I do not have to move the boat far. The convenience factor when you live aboard is hard to overstate.
Sophie to answer your cost question — budget somewhere between 800 and 1200 euros for the lift, pressure wash, and a week on the hard, depending on the yard and the size of your boat. Antifouling paint and materials will be another 200 to 400 on top. The real savings come from doing the labour yourself rather than paying the yard to do it. My first year I paid for everything and it came to nearly 2000. Now I do all my own sanding and painting and it is closer to 900 all in.
Just got back to this thread after the Sardinia trip. I am booked in at STP for October 12th which feels about right — gives me two more weekends on the water before she comes out.
Honestly after the crossing back from Alghero I want to do a proper check of the cutlass bearing before haul-out. Had a slight vibration at higher revs on the last leg that was not there before. Could be nothing, could be weed on the prop, but I would rather know before the boat is in the slings and I am paying yard rates to investigate.
Anyone used the travel lift at Club de Mar recently? STP quoted me 45 per metre which seems fair but I am curious how others compare.
From the charter side, we usually start hauling mid-October once the last bookings are done. STP and Astilleros are both solid — I have used both. The key thing is booking early because October fills up fast and if you miss your slot you end up waiting until November which means more antifouling growth to deal with.
Marco is right about the cutlass bearing check after a long passage. I would add prop shaft seals to that list — we had one weeping badly last year that looked fine from above but was letting in a slow trickle that only showed up when the boat was stationary for a few days.
Reading all of this with great interest even though I do not own a boat. Is haul-out something I should be learning about already at the Competent Crew stage, or is this more of a boat owner concern?
I ask because my instructor mentioned we would do some basic boat maintenance as part of the course and I was not sure if that included things like antifouling or if that is a whole separate world. The way you all talk about it makes it sound like quite a big job.
Anna, it is never too early to learn about boat maintenance. At the Competent Crew level you will cover the basics — how to check oil, look at seacocks, that kind of thing. But antifouling and haul-out is really owner territory. That said, if you ever get the chance to help during a haul-out, take it. You learn more about how a boat works in two days in the yard than in a month on the water.
I used to help my father with his boat as a teenager and honestly that is where I learned what all the through-hulls actually do.
Finally confirmed my slot at Alcudiamar for the 19th. Been putting it off because honestly I hate seeing her out of the water, but the growth below the waterline after a Mallorcan summer is not something you can ignore.
Carlos makes a good point about learning in the yard. When I was doing my refit three years ago there was a young French couple in the next cradle doing their first haul-out on a Jeanneau 36 and they had no idea where their anodes were. Spent an afternoon showing them around their own hull. They send me a Christmas card now.
One thing I would flag for anyone at Alcudiamar or STP — check your cutlass bearing while she is out. It takes five minutes and saves you a world of grief later. Marco mentioned a vibration and that is classic cutlass bearing territory.