Cream Puff on the hard
After the St Petr Grand Prix race, some serious work was scheduled for Cream Puff. We are overdue for a haul out and bottom maintenance. Every couple of years, paint is applied to the part of the hull that is underwater. This prevents bottom growth such as barnacles, algae, and such. It also protects the fiberglass hull from blistering in the salt water. Amel requires the prop to be removed and serviced. Oil is drained and replaced in our Amel drive (gear box between the prop and the engine transmission – sort of like an axle on a car). The bow-thruster (forward prop that moves the boat from side to side when docking) is serviced. The boat yard we used in St Petersburg had only ever seen one other Amel. I stayed with them the first couple of days to ensure everything was done according to the specs I had received from Amel, France.
We also need to raise the waterline on the back part of the boat as the previous paint did not quite reach the surface. This is a hot topic amongst Amel owners. There are tons of postings on the Amel owner’s site about whether this should be done, or not. The diehard Amelest say to never change anything on the boat. They say it was designed that way on purpose. They also claim the reason the boat floats butt down is because there is too much stuff onboard. Well, we haven’t fully moved on yet so, I don’t see how we can have too much stuff. We also have 400’ of chain in the front anchor locker which you think might weigh a pound or two in the front of the boat. I don’t think anything we rearrange or take off is going to make the boat float more evenly. So, we are simply going to raise the waterline a couple of inches in the back. Sorry Henri.
Mark and Steve working on the prop
Mark and Steve working on the prop
