Hauling Out is Hard to Do

Our first sailing season has ended and Kairos is sleeping safely on land in the Puerto Del Rey boat yard. She’ll get some much needed rest here and some TLC over the next four months before she splashes back into the water in early November. I was dreading haul out day. The amount of work required to prep a boat for storage can be overwhelming. I knew it would be hard work and I was right. However, with a little up front planning and organization, the process can be smoothly executed.

On Saturday, July 2^nd, we left Culebra behind and sailed to the Puerto Del Rey Marina. We arrived in the pouring rain and went straight to the fuel dock. Boats are stored with their fuel tanks completely full in order to discourage algae growth, so we filled her up.

With our diesel tanks full, we backed into our wet slip, where we would spend the next couple of days preparing for haul out. There was a lot of work to do, but we were soaking wet and in much need of hot showers. It would be an almost impossible situation to clean and prep the boat while living aboard with the pups, so we rented an apartment within walking distance of the marina. We packed an overnight bag and set off to enjoy air conditioning, a hot shower, and a real mattress. It was glorious. Over our 5 months at sea, we only spent 3 nights off the boat and we were so excited to enjoy the comforts of land life again.

The following day, we began haul out prep. While it was hot and humid in the slip, we knew it would feel 10 degrees hotter in the boat yard.  Therefore, we wanted to knock out as much prep work as possible before haul out. For two days we cleaned and organized the boat. Below is our pre-haul out check list, which we developed after researching online and reading some very informative posts by other sailing blogs, such as Windtraveler, Commuter Cruiser, and Sailing B+A.

Pre-Haul Out Check List

1. Declutter Boat—Go through every cabinet and drawer and throw out or donate any items that are not needed for next season. We removed ALL food items from the boat. I can’t think of anything worse than coming back to a boat full of bugs, so we didn’t want to take any chances. We spent the last couple of weeks on the boat eating all of our canned goods, so we didn’t have much food left. But if you have extra food at the end of your season, there are plenty of workers at the boat yard that would be happy to take it off of your hands.
2. Clean with Vinegar—I spent two straight days wiping down EVERY surface with a 50/50 vinegar/water mixture in order to prevent mold growth. It took a very long time and I still smell like stinky feet, but hopefully my hard work will pay off.
3. Remove Batteries—Remove batteries from all electronics: flash lights, handheld GPS, handheld VHF, head lamps, etc).
4. Empty Water Tanks—We completely emptied our water tanks and lines. We left all of our faucets open. Be sure to empty your hot water heater as well. We removed the water tank lids, so the tanks are well vented. We also removed our water filter (we’ll put a new one in next season).
5. Remove Sails—UV light can do some real damage to sails, so we removed ours and stored them below deck.
6. Remove Running Rigging and Other Lines—Remove, clean, and store all lines below deck. We replaced the running rigging with messenger lines so we can easily rig our boat next season.
7. Remove Canvas—Clean and store the dodger and bimini below deck.
8. Close Propane Valves on Tanks
9. Clean and Empty Head and Holding Tank—We flushed our holding tank with fresh water, then chemically treated it prior to pump out. We left the holding tank and head dry and vented.
10. Clean Refrigerator—Drain and clean fridge and leave cracked for ventilation.
11. Clean Silverware—Clean silverware and store in a Ziploc bag.
12. Laundry—Wash clothes, towels and sheets and store in sealed bags.
13. Battery Water—Top off water in battery banks.
14. Clean Stove
15. Clean Grill—Clean grill and store in lazarette
16. Clean Shower Sump—Clean and drain shower sump. Ours doesn’t drain completely, so we used the shop vac to remove all of the water.
17. Store Dinghy—Clean and deflate dinghy and store on deck. We wrapped ours up in a tarp.
18. Outboard Motors—Flush with fresh water and run dry (run the motor until all of the fuel in the lines is used up). We also lubed the clamps so that they don’t seize up.
19. Fenders—Clean and store fenders below deck.
20. Garbage—Remove all garbage and clean bins.
21. Cushions—Turn up all cushions and wash cushion covers.

Since we already completed most of the dirty work, our haul out day was a breeze. We hauled out on Tuesday, July 5^th. Since Monday was a holiday, we had to complete all of the paperwork and pick out Kairos’s resting place prior to our 10:00 haul out time. In the future, we will schedule our haul out date mid-week so that we can complete these things the day before.

Haul Out Day Checklist

1. Finish Paperwork—Puerto Del Rey had a stack of papers for us to complete prior to haul out. We also had to show proof of registration and insurance.
2. Pick Resting Spot—Be sure to view and inspect your boat’s spot in the boatyard prior to haul out. The first spot the marina showed us was next to the maintenance shop. We opted for a different spot that had less of a chance to see flying debris during a storm. Also be sure to inspect the anchor points to ensure they are sturdy and not rusted through.
3. Haul Out—Be sure to clearly mark the lifting points on your boat. Cover the lifting straps with plastic to ensure that existing paint on the straps doesn’t rub off on the hull.
4. Clean Water Line on Hull—Clean the hull of the boat with muriatic acid at the water line. Muriatic acid quickly removes the yellow stains from the hull. Try to do this right before the power wash, so that the rinse water can be cleaned up and treated.
5. Power Wash—Line up a contractor to power wash the boat after haul out. We had to lay down a plastic sheet under the boat, so that the water could be cleaned up following the wash. As the contractor was power washing the bottom, Rob sanded, using 60 grit paper. We will be painting our bottom before we splash in November.
6. Flush Engine—Run fresh water through the engine cooling system and muffler. We used a water hose to keep the strainer full of water while we ran the engine for a few minutes. It was strange to run the engine while on land, but it was a lot easier than I expected.
7. Starter Battery—Set engine starter battery bank to OFF.
8. Put Motors Below Deck—Outboard motor thefts are common in boatyards, so we secured and stored ours below deck.
9. Strap Down—We used eight 10,000 lb breaking strength straps to secure the boat to the in-ground anchors. Kairos rests on 9 boat stands that are chained together.
10. Seacocks—Grease and close all seacocks. We left our scupper and bilge seacocks open for drainage.
11. Turn Off Electronics—Turn off all electronics, expect for the bilge pump.

Once haul out was complete and Kairos was secure on land, we had a few items to tidy up after a Walgreens run.

Post-Haul Out Check List

1. Grease Boat Stands—Grease boat stands to prevent bugs from traveling up and into the boat.
2. Spray Straps—Spray straps with bug spray to prevent bugs from traveling up and into the boat. This is something that we will continue to do each time we check on the boat throughout the season.
3. Clean and Completely Drain Bilge
4. Cover Windows—Place shades on windows. For windows without shades, we used aluminum foil to cover them. Covering all the ports and hatches reduces the amount of radiant heat, but be sure not to black out all of the light. Some light in the boat helps discourage mold growth.
5. Clean Deck—Wash deck and wax gelcoat.
6. Photos—Take photos of boat on stands and strapped down.
7. Damprids—Place Damprids throughout the boat. We will be changing these each time we check on the boat throughout the season.
8. Ant and Roach Traps—Place ant and roach traps throughout the boat.
9. Thru Hulls—Put foam in each thru-hull to prevent insects from entering.
10. Tape Off Holes—We taped off the holes in our boom to prevent birds from nesting.
11. Remove Cowl Vents
12. Open All Lockers and Drawers—Leave all cabinets and drawers open to promote ventilation.
13. Polish Stainless Steel—This can be done prior to haul out.
14. Cetol—We added a coat of Cetol gloss to our teak brightwork in order to protect it from the strong UV rays while on land. This is something that can be done prior to haul out. But with our pups on board, it was easier to complete once we moved off the boat.
15. Lock Boat and Lazarette

It’s only been a couple of weeks, but we already miss the freedom of living on the water. We’ll enjoy the comforts of landlife over the next few months in one of our favorite cities (San Juan, PR) and hopefully we’ll find some work so we can replenish the cruising kitty. With Kairos safe and sound on the hard, we’re keeping cool in an air conditioned apartment. But we are already looking forward to sailing down island in November and continuing this adventure at sea.