Hull Blacking

[Emerald]

Hi all, just looking for advice whether I should go to the expense of hull blacking this year or not? The money tree is looking decidedly withered at the moment so I am looking like most people to save cash where I can. That said I want to give the boat the best possible care I can so is it false economy to scrimp on her this year?

I estimate the boat may have been in the water for approximately 15 months from new and I believe the existing blacking may be INTERTUF 16?

BTW The swans are doing a great job on the clingy green stuff stuck to the hull :0

[Guest]

Hi all, just looking for advice whether I should go to the expense of hull blacking this year or not? The money tree is looking decidedly withered at the moment so I am looking like most people to save cash where I can. That said I want to give the boat the best possible care I can so is it false economy to scrimp on her this year?

I estimate the boat may have been in the water for approximately 15 months from new and I believe the existing blacking may be INTERTUF 16?

BTW The swans are doing a great job on the clingy green stuff stuck to the hull :0

 

Next year...

[RLWP]

Can I check my understanding? The boat is around fifteen months old?

 

If that is the case, I wouldn't worry. We try for two years, and have occasionally left Tawny Owl for three. Tawny is much older than your boat

 

Richard

[Burgiesburnin]

Hi all, just looking for advice whether I should go to the expense of hull blacking this year or not? The money tree is looking decidedly withered at the moment so I am looking like most people to save cash where I can. That said I want to give the boat the best possible care I can so is it false economy to scrimp on her this year?

I estimate the boat may have been in the water for approximately 15 months from new and I believe the existing blacking may be INTERTUF 16?

BTW The swans are doing a great job on the clingy green stuff stuck to the hull :0

 

 

 

Are you saying that it's only 15 months since the hull was last blacked? If so and the original blacking if intertuf or any blacking commercially available then I don't see why you should be looking to redo it.

 

Let the money tree recoup a bit and think again next year or even. The year after that.

[Emerald]

Can I check my understanding? The boat is around fifteen months old?

 

 

Richard

 

That is correct we have had the new boat at Christmas but I think it has been in the water for around 10 months before we bought it.

[DeanS]

Hi all, just looking for advice whether I should go to the expense of hull blacking this year or not? The money tree is looking decidedly withered at the moment so I am looking like most people to save cash where I can. That said I want to give the boat the best possible care I can so is it false economy to scrimp on her this year?

I estimate the boat may have been in the water for approximately 15 months from new and I believe the existing blacking may be INTERTUF 16?

BTW The swans are doing a great job on the clingy green stuff stuck to the hull :0

 

I recently took our boat out for blacking, and was surprised at how tough the underlying Comastic layer was still intact... I dont think it really needed the additional blacking but that is because it had loads put on in the past most likely. I'm in the process of buying a new widebeam, and I had a good look at the blacking coating which comes on a new boat, and I dont think it's as good as a boat thats been blacked routinely for many years. So if your boat has only been in the water for 15months, it probably has quite a thin coating of protection....and the sooner you put some extra protection the better....however...I also dont think that waiting another year would cause THAT much of extra corrosion if you havent got the cash....and...I would guess that boats that are nearer salt water/rivers..may be more at risk than others...but I'm not sure if thats true or not. I do know there are different kinds of anodes available. Interestingly, when you see how an anode corrodes, it makes you really think about what's actually in the water.

[Emerald]

Sorry for bringing this up again but how do I know how much blacking I need for a 57 footer?

[Jamesb4uk]

If it helps i used 15 litres (Rylards) on a 42 footer.

 

2 coats on the base & 3 along the waterline.

[blackrose]

I'm in the process of buying a new widebeam, and I had a good look at the blacking coating which comes on a new boat, and I dont think it's as good as a boat thats been blacked routinely for many years. So if your boat has only been in the water for 15months, it probably has quite a thin coating of protection....and the sooner you put some extra protection the better....however...I also dont think that waiting another year would cause THAT much of extra corrosion if you havent got the cash....

 

It very much depends on who built the boat and who blacked it. I took my Liverpool boat out of the water after 1 year because I was warned, and as predicted the blacking just fell off as soon as the pressure washer hit it. If it's a budget boat then I'd get it out when you can, but as Deano says, waiting another year won't make much difference. 3 years after blacking my boat, when I could clearly see rust patches on the waterline, I waited another year. The following year when I eventually got the boat out of the water those rust patches were wire brushed off and the steel was fine. It was just superficial surface rust. One caveat to that is that if your boat is left for long periods on shore power it's galvanically isolated.

[Canal Rat]

It very much depends on who built the boat and who blacked it. I took my Liverpool boat out of the water after 1 year because I was warned, and as predicted the blacking just fell off as soon as the pressure washer hit it. If it's a budget boat then I'd get it out when you can, but as Deano says, waiting another year won't make much difference. 3 years after blacking my boat, when I could clearly see rust patches on the waterline, I waited another year. The following year when I eventually got the boat out of the water those rust patches were wire brushed off and the steel was fine. It was just superficial surface rust. One caveat to that is that if your boat is left for long periods on shore power it's galvanically isolated.

 

Second that Blackrose. I've just had mine out for blacking. I don't have a galvanic isolator but I will soon. The damage from not having it looks like someone opened up an AK47 and took pot shots at the hull. Anodes only work in the area they are fitted. It was like a band of no pitting up either side of the anode. I had 12 pits on one side and about 32 on the other, the side that the cables run through.

 

The worst thing was lifting two dogs up and down a 12" drop. Nasty. Especially after being walked along a muddy tow path

[alan_fincher]

The worst thing was lifting two dogs up and down a 12" drop. Nasty. Especially after being walked along a muddy tow path [/size][/font]

Can't the dogs manage to leap up even 1 foot on their own, then ?

[Christianonthecut]

Little dogs generally can't. Our cocker spaniel is useless at getting on and off the boat.

[Timleech]

It very much depends on who built the boat and who blacked it. I took my Liverpool boat out of the water after 1 year because I was warned, and as predicted the blacking just fell off as soon as the pressure washer hit it. If it's a budget boat then I'd get it out when you can, but as Deano says, waiting another year won't make much difference. 3 years after blacking my boat, when I could clearly see rust patches on the waterline, I waited another year. The following year when I eventually got the boat out of the water those rust patches were wire brushed off and the steel was fine. It was just superficial surface rust. One caveat to that is that if your boat is left for long periods on shore power it's galvanically isolated.

 

A lot of new boats are not well prepared or blacked, and actually need blacking more often than an older boat. This is especially true if the millscale was not removed from the steel.

 

Tim

[Guest]

hi guys as you may see we are soon to be newbees to the canal system & are trying to understand as much about narrow boats as we can beforehand.

Now this may seem a very silly question to all you well seasond folk but 'taking a risk at being ridiculd' What is 'blacking for?' we have been around sea going boats for years & know about antifoul, is blacking similar, please dont laugh, well not too loud. thanks

[ditchcrawler]

Can't the dogs manage to leap up even 1 foot on their own, then ?

My poor old boy can't any more Ian sorry to say.

 

hi guys as you may see we are soon to be newbees to the canal system & are trying to understand as much about narrow boats as we can beforehand.

Now this may seem a very silly question to all you well seasond folk but 'taking a risk at being ridiculd' What is 'blacking for?' we have been around sea going boats for years & know about antifoul, is blacking similar, please dont laugh, well not too loud. thanks

To stop it rusting away I would say

[bottle]

'Blacking' is to stop the hull rusting away, there many different types (and cost) but they are mostly of a bitumen type base.

 

The recommendation is to have it done every two years but there is one product that is supposed to last longer.