It’s Easier on the Hard

Those of you in less salubrious climes probably hauled your boat when winter set in, and she sits on the jack-stands as you read this. Tropical folks have been enjoying their boats all winter, but most schedule a haulout for the spring, if only to touch up the antifouling and replace the zincs. In both cases, the time the boat’s on the hard is ideal for taking care of minor topside repairs—remember when you whacked the dock last August? So, get some old clothes for crawling around under the boat, a small blue poly tarp for a ground sheet, a flashlight, a paint scraper, a dust mask and a stick for checking your props. Let’s get started.

Maybe your boatyard has already done the first thing on the list. Yard managers need to scare up work over the winter, and often do topsides and bottom checks of boats they haul. You