INVESTIGATOR 563

It was more than excellent on the lake on Tuesday, second sail with my daughter since she snuck home from the Uk for Xmas . We’ll probably get one more in before she has to head back into a cold London winter.

A quick report on my long term evaluation of last years haulout.

First, the new formula International antifoul. I was not impressed initially that my cb got stuck after a short time from haulout. I was thinking that the new formula may not be much chop, but today I had a good dive and generally good impression of its performance. I cleared the cb a few weeks back and it wasn’t that bad , today I did a more detailed scrub of the water/weed line and found fairly minimal barnacle growth just a fine coating of short weed and a few crusty bits under the main hull. I had given the boat a couple of light scrubs at the end of last season but nothing since. Frankly I expected much worse.

We sailed over to Rathmines down to Toronto and picked up a nice sou’easter for the trip back down the lake mid arvo. The boat managed a very respectable 5.1 knots which after a year on the mooring with the grass needing cutting is not too bad. And before someone tells me my luff tension was awful. I was too relaxed by the time I looked up to fix it. Second. Windows. After dispensing with my tarp a few months back the new widows have been getting rained on since . Happy to report no wet patches inside so the new ‘gloo and windas’ seem to be keeping the weather out . I’m going to fit a new tarp for winter. Interestingly the fishing line strung around the deck and pulpit have apparently cutdown on the bird poop and nobody is more surprised than me. It’s a bit of a pain to string up but I just chop it and bag it on boarding so plus on that one.

No Bimini has been constructed over winter. I’m getting round to it. As I’ve only had the boat 17 years it’s on the t’do list. My daughter is sick of nagging me about my getting sunburn so gave me a super lightweight sun shirt and a Camo legionnaires hat for Christmas. She has now totally regretted it, as she said I look like a bloody circus . There is no pleasing some people. I must say it worked great and I highly recommend both. Fail, fail, fail. I won’t name the brand, but the knockoff red bootstripe I got off fleabay wasn’t worth a thimble full of political promises. The red turned to orange after a few months and the bits that were left on Tuesday when I scraped it off and bagged it has gone bright yellow. Considering the genuine 3m name decal is nearly two decades old, in the open and still looks new ...well, sometimes you can’t fake it.

Fleabay has given access to some good stuff but the non genuine charger for my 18 v makita drill turned out to be rubbish too, going to god a month after the warranty expired.

Cheers more to come as I examine more stuff

EDIT..it was July last year we relaunched, doesn’t time fly when your living through your second world wide pandemic anyway I’m even more impressed now with the antifoul. International Ultra 2...I’d forgotten the new name.
EDIT MY EDIT. I meant to say July 2020, therefore antifoul is now going on 18 months old

Hi Ozzie,

Did you antifoul the centreboard?

Ian

Only as far up the slot as a brush can reach ian. Growth is only much a of a problem around the opening. Not much grows in the casing I have antifouled it in the past but normally just spray fish oil up into the slot to protect the gal cb. Has been working well for 17 years !

Good to know, thanks Ozzie.

Meant to clarify my last post. I’ve never used anti fouling inside the case itself . Only on the cb. When I first replaced the cb pull ring I anti fouled the cb itself after treatments I’ve detailed in previous post.

I’ve come to believe critters don’t like up inside the cb case as most of what’s growing in the shallows of Lake Mac like some light and passing stuff to feed on. Any marine biologists among you may have a more informed opinion on that one.

Next week when I dive on the hull for another scrubbing session I’ll take a few pics. What is most interesting is the top triangle of the cb (that’s had no treatments )only has light rust after 17 years underwater . No complaints.