On Board with Mark Corke

Rope Care

It always surprises me the amount of lines, sheets, ropes and wire rigging that there is on the average sailboat. ‘Mallard’ is gaff rigged so there is more than many boats of similar size but even so each year as I put the rig away for the winter I am always aware that I have to go through the reverse procedure of rigging the boat come the spring. I like to wash the ropes in some mild laundry detergent, rinse them thoroughly with fresh water, allow them to dry naturally then coil and put them away. This removes the dirt and grime that builds up in the fibers during the course of the sailing season and especially the salt crystals, which make rope stiff to handle.
There are a number of ways to identify each piece of rigging but I like to add a tag of blue masking tape to each piece and mark it with a sharpie so that there can be no misunderstandings when the spring finally does roll around and I have to re rig the boat. Don't think you will remember what each piece of rigging or rope is or where it goes, I thought I would remember the first year I de-rigged the boat and cursed myself for not identifying each rope or wire as I removed every rope the previous winter.

A little care and preparation now will pay dividends in time and temper the next time you rig the boat.

You can download a PDF page of rope care tips and photos by clicking Download rope_care.pdf   .

Boat cleaning

Just before 'Mallard' boat went into the barn for the winter I cleaned the bottom with a pressure washer as I always do. It's amazing how much crud builds up on the bottom of the boat in the five or six months that the boat is in the water each year. I use the boat a fair bit but I could easily see that if it sat at the slip week after week the growth would be even greater. The pressure washer that I use is a smallish Karcher electric model. Although not as fast as a large gas powered model would be it nonetheless works a treat and saves me the cost of the yard doing it after the boat is hauled.

I roped in my son Sam to help while I took the picture, which you can see bigger by clicking on it, but even after we had finished there was a little stubborn dirt left that just didn't want to come off especially around the rudder pintles and prop shaft. To help loosen up the ornery bits I sprayed the boat with Latitude 43 organic boat soap. I've been using this stuff for a couple of years now and I must say that I am impressed. It contains no harsh chemicals, smells great and works a treat and best of all it is cheaper than many of the other detergent based boat soaps out there. Just spray it on let it sit for few moments then blast it off with a hose or whatever. It's safe for virtually all surfaces, cleans the topsides a treat and when I splashed some onto a Sunbrella cover it rinsed off without leaving a mark.

TIP

For bronze propellers and rudders to work at their best they need to be as clean as possible. A good clean prop will make the boat perform better and the reduced turbulence will increase speed and give better fuel economy. After scraping off as much as possible spray the surface with vinegar and rub with a coarse scotch brite cloth to bring back the shine then rinse to neutralize the vinegar.  Be careful not to get vinegar in your eyes, wear goggles.