Launch Day Essentials – get ready before the splash

Trailerable boats have it easy. All it takes is a gentle roll down the slipway and the boat is afloat. Larger craft require the services of others. Cash changes hands. Sometimes lots of it, depending upon where you are. You don't want to be doing this every day.

Boatyards prefer owners to be there when they launch their boats. That way, as soon as they’re properly afloat, the skipper can jump aboard and check for leaks. Only once the owner is satisfied will they remove the strops and allow the crane to trundle off to its next job.

Most sensible owners will check their boats as soon as they’re hauled out, so will know if any major work is needed well before the launch date. But no matter how assiduously we’ve checked the various tasks off our lists, it’s almost impossible to remain sanguine when we take our last sight of the keel as the boat settles into the water. This is always a nervy moment.

My own method of pre-launch panic limitation is to worry only about those jobs which are impossible to do with the boat afloat. Anything that can be done later -- no matter how inconveniently -- is a grade two consideration which, if overlooked, will be irritating but redeemable.

At the top of the list must be those potential pathways that could allow water into the hull. Remember, sinking is embarrassing. And expensive. Your pals will never let you forget it and neither will your insurers.
.So, here’s my pre-launch anti-panic schedule.

Transducers:

Apply silicone grease to the O-rings and fit the log and echo-sounder transducers. Make sure the log’s paddle wheel turns freely and also runs true fore and aft. Yes, I know this can be done with the boat afloat, but who wants to let even a cupful of water in later

Rudder: Check it works freely and that the bearings aren’t binding. With cantilevered spade rudders, it’s important to make sure that the neck bearing (where it emerges from the hull) isn’t rotating with the stock. The bearing should remain stationary and the stock should turn inside it. This is a particular problem with aluminium rudder stocks, where corrosion might have hardened over the lay-up period and bound the stock to the bearing surface. Don’t worry about a little bit of wear – better a bit of slack than a very tight bearing.

On wheel steered boats, turn the wheel from hard over one way to hard over the other and make sure the rudder turns equally on both locks. If the steering mechanism has been worked on in any way perhaps wires replaced or push-rods stripped and serviced -- this is an essential check which can save you embarrassment on the way back from the launching bay. To see a boat fail to make a turn into its berth because the rudder will only turn a few degrees in that direction, might amuse the bystanders but is an inauspicious start to the season.

If there’s a stuffing box on the stock, make sure it’s lubricated and adjusted properly (see notes under Stern Glands below). Sealing O-rings should be replaced periodically, but you need to drop the rudder to do this so you might want to think about this earlier. Always take the opportunity to replace them if you have to drop the rudder for any other reason.

Seacocks:

These have a habit of seizing up during the lay-up period, so don’t assume that just because they worked when you craned out they’ll still be OK.

If the seacocks are of the bronze cone-valve variety (such as Blake’s) hopefully they will have been greased and adjusted during your winter maintenance. It’s common to see the adjustable compression plate either too slack or hardened down too tight. A good rule of thumb is that it should take the strength of two fingers to turn the lever.
Excellent though they normally are, ball valves are engineered to tight tolerances and it doesn’t take much to jam them (it helps if they’re worked regularly). Some years ago, just a few days after launching, we were joined on our first sail of the season by a friend and his new betrothed. A sensitive lass, we were told, unsure whether she would actually like sailing.

Unfortunately, motoring out of Poole Harbour, I was dismayed to discover that the toilet outlet seacock was seized in the closed position. “All it needs is some gentle easing,” I told them cheerfully. “It’ll be fine by the time we anchor.”

I wasn’t fine. In my eagerness to fix the problem, I must have leaned too heavily on the valve’s lever because I managed to shear the stem in my efforts. Later I learned that the experience of perching on a bucket while the rest of us disguised the sound effects by talking very loudly in the cockpit was so traumatic for our new lady friend that any future marriage became contingent on a cottage in the country and a profusion of hollyhocks. For them a landbound future beckoned and I had to pay to have my boat lifted out again for repairs.

Incidentally, although the Blakes type seacocks are easy to strip and service, ball and gate valves are relatively inexpensive items which aren’t worth the effort of even dismantling them. It’s better to fit new.

Of course, hoses and their clips (doubled) should also be given the once over, but as these can be replaced afloat, they’re rather outside our current remit. The exception, however, are the cockpit drain hoses which must be meticulously maintained because their seacocks are usually left open.

Exterior grilles on inlet skin fittings should be cleared of any build-up of antifouling. The engine cooling water inlet is the most important as any choking off of the flow could lead to overheating. As you’ll probably need the engine immediately to move away from the launching bay, it’s also not a bad idea to check the raw water supply right to the block: this will include the seacock, inlet strainer, water pump and hoses.

Stern gland:

If of the conventional stuffing box type, these should be checked annually, adjusting or repacking as necessary – and don’t forget to fill the remote greaser with a water tolerant grease. It’s tempting to over-tighten stern glands. Don’t, or both the shaft and bearing surfaces will overheat and wear rapidly. Stuffing boxes are meant to leak; two or three of drips of water a minute being a useful indicator that you’ve got it just about right. Of course, this is difficult to judge with the boat ashore so you may need to adjust it later.

Face seal types such as the PSS and Deep Sea Seal, should be inspected annually. They depend on the thrust from the bellows to maintain the right degree of contact pressure, so it’s worth checking the bellows’ compression while you’re about it. Assuming there’s no damage and that the securing hose clips are in sound condition, they shouldn’t need any other attention.

The Volvo lip seal gland wears gradually and should be replaced about every seven or so years, depending on how much use they have seen. They require a squirt of their special grease every 200 hours or annually, depending on which comes sooner. Shortly before the launch is an obvious opportunity.

Anodes:

As one of the best investments you can make, it never pays to skimp on cathodic protection. If there’s even the slightest chance that what’s left of your anode won’t make it through the season, dip your hand in your pocket and buy another. Although shaft anodes will certainly help protect the prop, they are unlikely to extend their protection to the engine.

And remember, with ‘oval’ anodes it’s the fat end that points forward. As fishes have discovered, this is the best way to minimise drag and who are we to argue with them? In truth, I don’t imagine the drag penalty of having it mounted the other way round is likely to be very significant (particularly when the anode becomes misshapen with erosion) but as the manufacturer has gone to so much trouble it seems a shame not to play the game.

The cost of new fastening studs is minimal. If in doubt replace them.

Prop nut:

Both the prop nut and its securing split pin (or tab washer) must be in good condition. The propeller itself might soldier on for years with minor problems but if the nut dezincifies and splits you could lose the prop - possibly the first time you go astern. Ever since a split pin was stolen minutes after I fitted it and spotted seconds before a launch, checking that important little item is one of the last things I do.

Batteries and bilge pumps:

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None of this is anything but common sense, but it’s astonishing what can be overlooked in the excitement of the moment. So, take a deep breath and have a careful scan around. Then go sailing!