INFORMATION LINKS

• NOAA WEATHERFAX

• LOCAL WEATHER

• LOCAL LIVE WINDS

• LOCAL TIDES

• LOCAL OCEAN CAM

• LOCAL MAP

• LOCAL AERIAL

• LOCAL CHART

• LOCAL ROADS

• STRAIT OF GEORGIA

• HOWE SOUND

• KNOTS

• SAFETY EQUIPMENT

• BUOY SYSTEM

• COLLISION REGS

• SPEED RATINGS

• YACHTWORLD

• WEST MARINE

MAINTENANCE

Maintenance is the second biggest concern of potential yacht owners, next to financing. Although romanticized at the onset, repetitive maintenance quickly affects interest in boating, and puts a serious drain on finances making the vessel purchase questionable. Maintenance can be minimized, however, if it is better understood in the marine environment.

None of mankind's building materials have ever been able to survive long in the ocean environment, especially on seagoing sailboats. Wood has often been called the 'king of maintenance', due to it's penchant for finishes, sanding, and rot, however the most exotic high strength building materials fair even worse on the ocean. The newer Kevlar, Spectra, Mylar and Carbon Fiber materials are quickly degraded by the enormous UV exposures on the ocean, as well as movement stresses, eventually cracking (Americas Cup boats have to retire a new jib after about 60 tacks). Nylon, Lexan, polyester, polypropylene, vinyl and other less-exotic plastics and materials also degrade in UV (ultraviolet light) as can be seen by the cracking of automobile dashboards. 

Steels make up many of the fittings and rigging on sailing vessels. Stainless steel is not 'stainless' when it is on a boat, often spotting very quickly or rusting if it is low grade stainless, as used in kitchens. Only special stainless steels such as 314 will stay relatively intact. Left in an anaerobic environment such as a through-deck, however, even 314 stainless will begin to pit or form 'crevice corrosion'. These are invisible hairline cracks, which cause the fitting to suddenly shatter under load. One failure leads to another on a sailboat, and a shattered wire terminal will cause the whole mast to topple into the sea. 

Aluminum is used for masts, booms, other items, and occasionally the vessels hull. It survives on deck quite well if anodized, but otherwise will get pitted very fast. A bigger problem is combining it with the ever-present stainless fittings. 'Dissimilar' metals (as per free electrons) such as stainless steel and aluminum combined in a marine environment will create something similar to a car battery, causing the aluminum to migrate over to the stainless. Adding outside electrical current increases this. The action is severe enough that if you moor and aluminum hulled boat next to a steel hulled boat and have any electrical current leaking into the water (i.e. from poor grounding or a submersed wire) you can have the aluminum hull begin to migrate through the water over to the steel one, at an alarming and dangerous rate.

Brass often gets confused with marine bronze, and although the latter is one of the finest materials for boat fittings the former turns green and pitted almost immediately. An alloy of copper and zinc, brass eventually looses the zinc component and the fitting becomes brittle and cracks. Through-hull valves are sometimes made of brass, and an unknowing owner can have his vessel sink if the valve snaps off.

Fiberglass, once considered impermeable to water, has since been discovered to allow passage of water through osmosis. Used in construction of most sailboat hulls, certain impurities or chemicals left behind in the lay-up may cause an osmotic influx of water, eventually forming a blister, or 'boat pox' on the hull's outer gel coat skin. It is estimated that 70% of the world’s fiberglass hulls have at least a few blisters. Serious blistering can cause structural weakness, or delaminating, of the hull. Epoxy resin has, however, been found to resist osmosis, so fiberglass made with epoxy resin, or coated with epoxy resin, will be free of any osmotic problems.

The risk of chain reaction means that fittings and structures affected by the above-mentioned problems are repaired by replacement, and much of the vessels structure and systems can be replaced over time at some cost. Careful selection of materials, however, can prevent many of the above maintenance problems from ever occurring. Use proper grades and types of metals, prevent bending and fatiguing, and avoid combining dissimilar metal types. Cover UV degradable materials with UV resistant covers (i.e. acrylic). Paint all non-epoxy hulls with epoxy barrier paint at the earliest convenience. Education in these basics will allow one to curb the maintenance of these very expensive machines.