What The First 6 Months Did to the Hull - Episode 292 - Acorn to Arabella: Journey of a Wooden Boat

Steve orchestrates Arabella's inaugural haul out in Rockland, Maine, and it's our first time having a look at Arabella on the hard again. This DIY wooden boat, launched just this past June (2023), Arabella faces a couple of routine maintenance challenges for this short haul-out, notably, substantial damage to the bottom paint due to oak planking swelling.
Steve also gets to the replacement of the zinc anode on the propeller and the careful repacking of the stuffing box with flax packing-a choice informed by Nigel Calder's expertise to mitigate potential galvanic corrosion due to stray current. Whether you're a boat enthusiast or curious about vessel maintenance, Steve's hands-on approach and insights make this video an educational voyage into the world of boat care. After some sailing, let's delve into a maintenance adventure!
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Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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[@kyleabingdon6323]

Use some decent primer. (Oil based aluminium oxide) Primacon etc. It’s worth spending money on. I’ve been working on wooden boats for 18 years and have never seen primer come of timber in 6 months. Even on oak. Anti fouling failing off is one thing but your primer should be saturated into the wood not just sitting on the surface. Good luck with it all.

[@timothyfoster6169]

Two guys workin on hindu are quite possibly the best wooden shipwrights in the area. Shoutout to mike and simon for keeping so many boats floatin.

[@AcornToArabella]

Yeah we’re lucky here in Maine. I keep meaning to get down there to introduce myself! -Anne

[@kurtcraig3421]

@@AcornToArabella be nice to see what their up to

[@coolcreamykiwi]

SOOOOOOO GLAD I DONT OWN A WOODEN BOAT!

[@svlamancha9877]

A traditional stuffing box would usually have three pieces of packing. The ends should be cut at an angle to form an overlapping seal and these joints should be staggered around the stuffing box. 👍

[@lbh002]

Sounds like rings on a piston. That makes sense!

[@todddunn945]

I was just in the process of posting the same thing when I noticed this post.

[@curtyoung3153]

Those are for high pressure applications. There should be no appreciable water pressure on this seal.

[@curtyoung3153]

Unless Arabella sinks lower in the water.

[@wurly164]

Thought the same, from working on pumps

[@RechargeableLithium]

Please re-do the packing. You should have THREE pieces of packing in that nut! You want to cut the ends on a 45 degree angle relative to the centerline of the shaft. This double bevel keeps water from getting around the ends of the packing. Check marine how-to "Re-Packing A Traditional Stuffing Box" As my boat has a 1" shaft, I keep a short length of 1" stainless tubing on board. I use it to cut and perfectly trim the three pieces of packing in comfort so I don't destroy the packing while holding a boat yoga pose. 😄 Fair winds from SV Jane Ann

[@d-rot]

Yes, I would have thought you'd have 3 lengths with the joints at 120 degrees from each other around the shaft as well as the 45 cuts on the end so that there was no ta single straight path through it for the water.

[@snapperboat25]

Can confirm. Retired surveyor here.

[@TheBeaker59]

Agree, my boat takes 5 pieces (it is a very old stuffing box) also we just use ordinary automotive grease and heaps of it. In loose but snug with lots of grease then first trip out adjust while running to get a drip of water about every 5 seconds. but nothing at rest. Also we have lots of shaft outside so wrap packing around it in a coil then cut the 45 against shaft all at same time. the gland has a grease niple which on ours has a copper tube up to convienient location so extra grease can be added when needed.

[@snuggles243]

As a boat builder retired you beat me to it

[@haydenwatson7987]

Everybody beat me to it. three rings with a 45º cut at the end and the cuts offset by 120º. It can be redone in the water although it is a bit scary.

[@sarahjarvis6433]

Omg…..as a non mariner but a keen follower I could not believe what six months in the water had done to her. Enjoyed the video it was a real reflection on what a tight community the boating world is. The affection shown to your dog was heart warming. Have a great Christmas.

[@jakleo337]

Yeah, from museum piece to just another wooden project boat in six months.

[@TotalBoat]

SO happy to help anytime!! Awesome work guys!

[@AcornToArabella]

🙌thanks, team!

[@Cadcare]

Total Boat is known in my loungeroom and I fly hang gliders, although I do also own a kayak. That's a good job at the TB Marketing Dept!

[@kathywrightjohnson6804]

Awe Akiva! What an undignified exit from the boat. She will be back in the water soon enough. It is amazing how fast the deck looks worn. Aaron needs to come swab the deck! I hope he and his family are doing well. I miss his little self. I bet it feels great seeing her back in the water. Still praying for your mom. Have a great week.

[@johnnunn8688]

Needs a holystone 🤣😂.

[@218philip]

A boat that is treated like a piece of furniture should stay on your mantle, it’s use is where it’s character develops.

[@johnanderson3842]

Usually the packing nut takes 3 layers of packing with the cut ends cut at a 45 and alternating opposite each other

[@Mark-jp9dz]

Cheat code on the anodes. put a drop of nail polish over the bolts and their immediate surrounds. This helps hold the anode together and secured on the prop until it is completely worn away. Otherwise it is not unknown for the anode to erode around the securing pins and for the anode to fall off long before the majority of the anode is worn away.

[@ChimeraActual]

Did someone tell you owning a wooden boat would be easy, not to mention cheap, in New England? It would be worse here in Texas. Oh, well they'll always be someone to take it off your hands for pennies on the dollar. You may have left a little less of a gap between planks than that Oak expected. Don't worry, you can open her up and make that right... My father came back from WWII and bought an old dry lobster boat on the south shore, just for "pleasure". Recaulked her and took her out for a spin. Looked aft and found long ribbons of cotton following him. It's all learning and stories in the end.

[@TheBogolese]

A captain always goes up with his ship. ;-)

[@MichaelAllanTorrey]

Wood boats and paint problems are a fact of life. But, your energy and commitment to Arabella from the very beginning will guarantee a successful outcome. Good luck and a very Merry Christmas to you, Robin, Akiva and Arabella! Michael, Norwalk Ct. ❤️🇺🇸🎅🏻

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday and thank you, Michael!

[@claudehopper9813]

In true Arabella spirit you found a problem , got after it and managed to get her back in the water looking solid . Glad you raised the waterline that looks much tidier as Capt. Q would say . Season Greeting from San Diego to the whole Arabella crew !

[@brianpesci]

Safe travels, prayers for your mom❤!

[@davidc6510]

A great video update Ben. Nice to see Arabella has a nice new coat of bottom paint to protect her until the spring. Thanks for sharing!

[@sveinungchr]

Amazing episode. Thank you for sharing it.

[@AcornToArabella]

And thanks for watching! Happy Friday!

[@sunrain4820]

Thank you 🥰✌🏽💐

[@schwabrichard9829]

Good update Steve, hopefully that will solve two problems!

[@stefanvanvuuren3931]

Wow seeing Arabella out of the water again, I only now realize how deep her draught is. She sits very deep in the water.

[@AcornToArabella]

Ocean-going, displacement-hull boats are like that!

[@jameswood2711]

Well done Steve , Akeva stole the show, what a beautiful nature he has, have a great Christmas.

[@nigelwalton4769]

She's riding beautifully!!!

[@joecioe8566]

Shocking to see what 6 months has done. It all makes sense and looks great going back in the water.

[@theconfessionsof_a]

Great work getting the bottom painted in less than ideal conditions, so great to see her pulling away from the lift, smooth as silk!

[@aaronpreston47]

I remember seeing some of those seams as big as 1/4” at the back. Amazing how tight the seams got.

[@AcornToArabella]

Oak!

[@karaDee2363]

That's perfectly normal on a wood planked hull..

[@timothyrepp4259]

@@AcornToArabellaWhat type of oak did you use? Was it true white oak? From my experience most of what is called white oak is not and will absorb a lot of water. True white oak will not absorb much water. Of course any species of wood will absorb some water, so I understand planks are always going to expand and cause the seams to shrink. Just curious about what species you used. I’m sure you told us but I can’t remember. I always thought it was neat how some wooden boat builders would shovel sawdust into the water around the boat when it’s first launched. The sawdust would get sucked into the seams, temporarily sealing them until the planks had time to swell making the seams watertight. Anyway the boat is looking awesome and I hope you had a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

[@cowcreekwoodduck9074]

Nice job getting that done quickly, in less than ideal temperatures! good to see that the packing has been replaced. It will be interesting to see if that solves things.

[@glencrandall7051]

Thank you for sharing. Have a great day and stay safe.🙂🙂

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday to you!

[@emilkaveby5448]

Could have been interesting to see a comparative ohms reading of an inch of the old and new stuffing material... Hope you got rid of the galvanic corrosion! Have a great friday!

[@AcornToArabella]

Here’s hoping! Happy Friday! 🙌

[@Synssins]

​@@AcornToArabella The staining on your fingers from handling the original packing indicates it is graphite impregnated. Glad to see Arabella held up as well as she did, though I never doubted she would.

[@GregoryVeizades]

@@singlekceven a simple continuity test.

[@Gottenhimfella]

I was similarly thinking thatit would be in the future interests of the many people watching this series if you were to check for electrical conductivity through the original sterntube packing material. I get that you don't know the source, but that seems all the more reason to check if it's conductive (and to check if there is now isolation between sterntube and propshaft)

[@TheAirzuki]

Why not use a garlock packing?

[@jimclester4754]

Another week another great video. Steve I have learned so much about boat building watching you apply your skill and craft over the years now. I love your channel. Look forward to next week. Jim from Arkansas.

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday to you, Jim!

[@rudywoodcraft9553]

Congrats on the first haulout milestone, and a very productive one!

[@AcornToArabella]

Cheers!

[@americanbaldguy4238]

Happy Friday! The fresh paint looks good!! A continuity test on that gasket material would be revealing..

[@samrodian919]

Yes I agree, the first thing I would have done is get out my test meter and see if there were any conductivity on that stuffing material. Looking at it I'm pretty sure that there is plenty of graphite in the woven strands, thus making it conductive. Come on Steve, do the test and show us!

[@jimtitt3571]

Of course it has continuity, it's graphite impregnated. Makes no difference in a stern gland anyway (unless it is itself causing corrosion). There is a distinct lack of any anodes for the rest of the stern gear and rudder hangings, engine etc and in fact the hull itself, correctly it all should be connected by a bonding cable and to the relevant hull anodes. The prop anode is only there for the propellor itself and isn't sized for the entire vessel. I'm a marine engineer and boat builder/surveyor and the first (and last) thing you do is measure the voltage difference between the water and all the metal components (with and without the electrical circuits switched on) under about 0.5V is good. Then start bonding everything to the primary hull anode. There's an engine amongst other things in there and depending on how well it was marinised there can be electricity wandering everywhere. On a marine engine the entire electrical sytem must be isolated seperately.

[@lancedaniels]

Thanks for posting and sharing.

[@AcornToArabella]

And thanks for watching! Glad you’re here!

[@clarencehopkins7832]

Excellent stuff bro

[@myfavoritemartian1]

Three steps forward, one step back. (As expected) Good work!

[@AcornToArabella]

🙌happy Friday!

[@jcurtis4082]

Sounds like an excellent first haul out. Acorn on!

[@Nick-ye5kk]

Greetings from a slighly damp Bedfordshire. The joys of wooden boats! Looking forward to the next sailing season..

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday! We are too!

[@billlippincott3937]

Good morning gang!! Arabella is looking great!!

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday, Bill!

[@kiblerjim]

well done! great work!

[@Chr.U.Cas2216]

Dear Arabella's Acorns. 😁 ;-) 👍👌👏 Oh WOW, you tackled all this pretty fast. My deep respect! Thanks for putting it in just one episode (some other utubers would've made at least 2 episodes out of this content). 2) Because I've not much knowledge about wooden boats, I was totally shocked 😱 how Arabella's underwater hull looked after only 5- 6 months in the water. The good thing is, that the planks have become so much bigger that the seams almost disappeared. 3) I really hope and wish you that the issue that caused the zinc anode to disappear extremely fast is solved with the new packing. As always: Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing. Best regards luck and especially health to all involved people and Akiva. 💚

[@dickdegraaff5452]

Dear Anne, Robin, Steve and all others who worked on Arabella, When WIlleke and I saw this episode WIlleke asked me to call a guy we know who’s working with a museum shipyard where wooden boats still are made. He said that when wooden boats are only in freshwater the first paint layers are holding about 9 months because freshwater is less aggressive than saltwater. Expansion of the wood also takes slightly longer in freshwater than in saltwater, but he couldn’t explain the reason for this. So it's completely normal that Arabella had to go through this. The yard where our acquaintance works usually leaves wood in the water for a long time before it is used for the bow of a wooden boat he said. Whatever it’s good to see that Arabella iwent back in the water and hopefully these layers will hold a couple of months longer. We look forward to your next vlog and send you love from the Netherlands

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday, Dick and Willeke! I hadn’t thought about the salt water versus fresh water as far as its ability to enter wood but your friend is right. In this instance if you painted a surface that was 10x10 centimeters and then stretched the surface by a centimeter in one dimension, you’d be asking the paint to cover more area, and I don’t know any paint that grows with the surface it’s on! If someone does they should let me know. 😊 sending love from Maine! -Anne

[@belledetector]

Clever to haul out for a fresh bottom job. This second coat will last you much longer, and now you know your seams have shut correctly. 💪

[@richardwilson2068]

When I was an engineering apprentice, I was taught that instead of butting the joins on the shaft packing it should be cut at an angle so that the ends create a seal when tightened. Like a scarf in a plank. This way the water can only leak between the shaft and packing gland, not through the butt joint aiding lubrication of the shaft.

[@stevencarpenter8841]

Another really interesting video. This ongoing adventure will continue to be fascinating and I enjoy watching. I can see now too why continued financial support is important as the ongoing maintenance costs of a nice boat is not insignificant. I really appreciate the videos and Anne's thoughtful and patient responses to questions and criticisms. Hope Steve's Mom is doing ok and am curious how Alix is doing and if he and his family have had an opportunity to go out on the boat with Steve. Thanks again for the great videos! Steve is amazing.

[@raybame5816]

Loving the new waterline. I was happy to see the lines between slings to prevent the all too familiar slippage on a wet hull. Good analysis and explanation of the paint failure. During these 6 months I watched the topside bright work deterioration. Having a lot of varnished mahogany on my own boat I can sympathize with your probable feelings along those lines. I guess old boats were mostly painted (white) for that reason unless it was teak. Fair wins and Merry Christmas.

[@Cadcare]

So cool!

[@rick91443]

Happy Friday from Normandy,....cheers richard

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday, Richard!

[@cageordie]

I am quite surprised how much marine growth had accumulated, but time passes faster than you expect. It was nothing like the weed growth that we used to see in the SF Bay. But I think some of those boats hadn't been out in years. I worked next to the Marina Village yacht harbor and honestly seldom saw any of the slips empty, we used to go there for lunch at least once a week. Hopefully the new paint will stay put a lot better.

[@Riiyan]

I'm with George, wouldn't have any problem working on such a awesome wooden boat. Stuff happens, you gotta get it done to get back on sail!

[@AndrexT]

Wow that 28 minutes went quickly and wow what a mess the hull was and barnacles as well! At least is is painted and smooth now and should last much longer. Kudos to Total Boat for their support. Love the new waterline.

[@johnnya9001]

Well, now I am really impressed. You backed up Arabella like a pro. Not an easy task with a heavy full keel boat. Cheers.

[@AcornToArabella]

It’s not! One time I was cruising a full-keeled boat and we backed into the free docks in Elizabeth city, North Carolina, and it took so many attempts (4?) that the bridge operator who we had just talked to over VHF to open the bridge offered to open the bridge again for us so that we could go to a different dock on the other side where we wouldn’t have to back in. 😅 ha! -Anne

[@philparmenter53]

Good afternoon and Happy Friday to all from Plymouth UK

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday, Phil!

[@fordfan3179]

You could set up a test stack of a piece of stainless, some of the suspected graphite and a piece of bronze to see if you have continuity through the stack. Then compare that to a continuity test on the new configuration in the boat.

[@willyshopdotcom]

The problem Nigel called out wasn't graphite's conductivity, it was graphite's position in the galvanic series.

[@fordfan3179]

@@willyshopdotcom ahhh, missed that part. Thank you

[@zrebbesh]

Classic for wood boats. Good job pulling it out before things got too bad. I've heard people talking about it say you need a few more haulouts early in a wood boat's career, and then you get to a "regular" maintenance schedule after the first couple years. Also, good call raising the waterline paint. You got a whole lot more Oak in your hull than the Astrid plan actually called for and OAK IS HEAVY. So, yeah, sitting a few inches deeper in the water or so probably shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

[@Barastiboy582]

It’s great that the planks have taken up so well. Back in the deep blue 👍

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday, and thanks!

[@Barastiboy582]

Thanks. Never seen that stuffing go in like that. It’s normally 3-4 turns and opposing 45° joins. Having said that there doesn’t seem room for that many winds.

[@ryan_mcme]

She looked good when I saw her! Keep on keepin' on, 'bella fam. Happy Friday! ☕

[@AcornToArabella]

Awww thanks! Happy Friday!

[@shortypalmer2560]

as usual great video. I wanted to repeat what you told me when I asked about the how you determine the water line, you told me it was magic. Now I see how to you do it, You place it in water and mark the line, lol.. It looks great. May the wind always be at your back.

[@AcornToArabella]

😁

[@mikecabral1579]

I was a pipe fitter when I was young. Every year factories would shut down for two weeks for maintenance. I have packed a lot of valve glands. If corse we didn’t want any leaks but the principal was the same. I was taught to cut the packing materials mostly graphite impregnated on a 45 degree angle and there were several layers stacked one over the other and stager the seams or ends so they wouldn’t lineup. I understand that you want some leakage but cutting at an angle made it easier to get the length correct. Some large valves would be 3-4 layers deep and we had tools to pull the packing out. Well that was nearly 60 years ago and still remember it clear as a bell. Bless you and be safe.

[@AcornToArabella]

Thanks for the note and sharing your experience.

[@johnnunn8688]

Wow, seeing that, at first made me worried for Arabella but thanks to your explanation, I can see it’s quite normal. 😮‍💨

[@johnbrown-so3vz]

The packing looks like graphite valve stem packing. The PTFE will be a better fit. We used to use dry flax and marine stable grease. With a weekly greasing schedule via a nipple PTFE is SO much better 🤞

[@direbearcoat7551]

Oh, yeah! This video was just fantastic! You guys rock! I learned a lot about this. The wood "moved" and it caused the paint to flake off. Hopefully the wood is done "moving," so it doesn't need to be scraped off and repainted anymore. However, if it does, it will be a whole lot less, next time. Steve, you're getting it, and your explanations are really succinct and highly educational!

[@AcornToArabella]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gavinferguson]

not surprised as you said the wood moved more than the paint can cope with ist all part of boat life great job on the bottom paint and other fixes

[@AcornToArabella]

Except that most boats are planked in cedar. Cedar doesn’t move as much dimensionally, and most boats will only get hauled out for a few months at a time and then put back in. Arabella, being a completely new boat planked in oak means that we painted surfaces that were one size, and then asked hybrid hard/ablative paint to cover a larger size a few months later. Thanks for watching! -Anne

[@JakobEngl]

Great video

[@AcornToArabella]

Thanks!

[@skipper2285]

Here I am in a reasonable climate overflowing with advice and "should have done." There you are in a climate that includes something called "winter" where water has a solid state. You guys are getting it done. I'll save all of my sagacity for when I decide to thin out a forest and build my own boat from scratch. No doubt, should I live so long, I'll be reviewing your videos when I come across issues. Good job, folks!

[@chicobicalho5621]

Those 10 inches of blue paint above the water line look really good. I know it was done for practical reasons, but it was an aesthetic plus.

[@danhallatt4954]

Happy Friday from the north of France!

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday! ☕️

[@johnkruer7557]

I carried the same initial scraper on my boat back in the day.

[@stanRmeyer]

I would call the paint a failure

[@Kelpie119]

I have a timber boat - stopped using zinc anodes 15 years ago - use mild steel anodes - works a treat.😊Less issues.

[@sparknflash3]

She looks great after 6 months. Again great work, Steve, Robin, George and of course Akiva.

[@AcornToArabella]

The morale officer is hard at work! 😁🐾

[@gaylespencer6188]

No, it doesn't look great at all. Maybe it's par for owning a boat, but there's a lot of restorative work to do.

[@williamloe5435]

Steve, Usually one adds two or three rings of packing with the joints opposing. Looked like you used just one in the video but that may have been just editing. This allows easier control of water flow, less tight and lots of "slack" for adjustments as the packing settles in to position.

[@Zorgongola]

New waterline looks great! Happy Friday

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday! 🌊🎉

[@Myseadreams]

Thank for sharing your adventures. The correct way to cut the packing is to angle the cut at both ends like a scarf joint to extend the overlap compared to a straight cut. Then you should also offset the joint areas by 120 to 180 degrees depending on how many pieces you use.

[@bendaves77]

Just came across your channel after watching the channel A boat by the river, they're building a beautiful cold molded strip planked sailboat.. I'd love to see you guys put together a video of all the highs , lows and in-betweens of your journey in a single hour long or so video of just the build.

[@johngibson9698]

Hello Stephen: Good show! May I suggest you take your meter and see if you read any continuity through that piece of packing that you just removed. Arabella is a beauty. Thanks, John

[@schaefer32100]

Nice work on repainting the haul. Hope the new material ends the stray voltage problem. Are you planning to winter near Boston ?sure. Enjoy the updates on Friday as you get about lives aboard.

[@AcornToArabella]

Thanks for watching and glad you’re enjoying! I think the boat will end up below the cape. -Anne

[@scottwooster4102]

The packing on Arabella is different from on my boat for sure. I am surprised you don't need two rings of packing where the seems are 180 degrees apposed. Stay warm!

[@AcornToArabella]

I’m sure Steve did that, mine has always needed same. -Anne

[@workingdiligently8458]

yeah i'd be worried there's another layer in the cap. for my rudder box i've got three strips of packing - one just doesn't seem sufficient.

[@brentchalmers1436]

I agree. Used to pack mill pumps with gland packing. Two layers and angle cuts not square. Cuts aligned 180 degrees.

[@seth094978]

​@@brentchalmers1436 Yeah I used to pack pumps for paper mills and we did 3 to 4 layers with angled cuts. Lasted about 16mo of 24hr operation before replacement. Smarter customers bought labyrinth seals.

[@ton73z28]

We've all heard about going down with the ship, this is the first time I've ever seen someone go up with the ship 😊😊

[@AcornToArabella]

😊

[@woodenu2]

Steve, I have not seen only one packing, have always placed 2 and most of the time 3 rings in. Offset the seams if you add more.

[@francisgribben6931]

Hi Steve, when we pack or repack glands we scarf the packing ends. I am sure with your knowledge, thinking about, it you will realise why. better sealing face. Best wishes from Scotland and a HAPPY NEW YEAR. Francie

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy New Year!

[@mikepetersen5024]

Make sure you get all of the packing out. I have had issues with digging the first layer out.

[@ronhowe9913]

Always something to do...gotta roll with the punches...she is a beautiful boat in and out of the water.

[@AcornToArabella]

Cheers!

[@jimparsons9454]

That packing is graphite. As a plumber, we use the same stuff for old steam valves. Hope that helps.

[@MaShcode]

Akiva makes a beeline for the daily local café treats. Must’ve been satisfying scraping down the seam filler.

[@StrelkaArrow]

I can't believe its been 6 months since y'all launched!

[@Worldviewsandthoughts]

Make sure you clean the bilge and oil the bilge to keep it long lasting and looking good.

[@petert3355]

Hey Steve.... easy way to confirm if the material you originally used in the stuffing box is conductive is the test it. Find someone with a multi meter and check if it will carry a current.

[@SirCrypt666]

New watterline is more realistic. But an actual issue is exessive weight, most likely on top.

[@richardredling3291]

You really did a great job on the bottom. She will sail faster.

[@moplum]

A wonderful book about schooners fighting U boats in WWII is “Sub Chaser Jim”. This is one of my favorite books. I highly recommend it. Especially for wooden boat owners in Maine.

[@AcornToArabella]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[@leoncolyer9420]

Hi guys from Australia 🇦🇺 😊

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday to you!

[@gordonquickstad]

A lot of information in that haul-out. Hope that packing isolates the shaft and prop!

[@AcornToArabella]

🤞

[@Slikx666]

Akiva is such a polite boy. Giving his paw like that for a treat is part of the 'guide dogs for the blind' puppy training her in the UK. Personally I think it's just a good bit of manners when it comes to food. Good boy Akiva. 😄👍

[@AcornToArabella]

Akiva says AWOOOOO! ♥️🐾♥️

[@mumblbeebee6546]

@@AcornToArabellaAwoooooooo!

[@flyerbluedog]

A good idea for a new wooden boat like that would be to sail down south to warmer climes because you know your first haul out you’ll have to scrape and repaint the bottom. If you’re already down south, the temperature at which you’ll apply the paint won’t be an issue anymore. And generally speaking, I’d say it’s always a better idea to go down south to do maintenance and repairs, and I mean wayyy down south, like Central or South America, as everything (save US materials) will be cheaper down there. One To Grow On! 🌈

[@TRFerron]

@AcornToArabella since your stuffing box is connected by the rubber hose to the boat/shaft pipe there can not be an electrical connection where the stuffing material an its electrical connectivity would be important. The only thing which would be connected by the old (graphite) stuffing material would be the stuffing box itself. Only thing i could imagine is that there are steel wires in the rubber hose that would make a connection. Simply test the connectivity between the stuffing vox and the shaft pipe with the multimeter.

[@AcornToArabella]

That’s what we did a little while back in the episode with Nigel Calder, we went step by step through the assembly to see if anything obvious like that was happening. As you’ll see in the video, for the materials that we could reach with a multimeter, the only thing that was different from best practices with a cruising boat such as this was the packing material… which of course we couldn’t test/isolate at the time. -Anne

[@TRFerron]

@@AcornToArabella i have seen the video. There are 2 pathways for the current: Water - shaft - motor - motormounts - boat and Water - shaft - packing - stuffingbox - rubber hose - shaft pipe - boat In the second path the rubber hose should be a good isolator so there shouldn't be an electrical connection. And therefore the connectivity of the stuffing material would be irrelevant

[@AcornToArabella]

But, and maybe you can’t see here, it’s packed onto the bronze and does come in contact with water.

[@johnflavin9073]

I don’t know if you have an opportunity in the future but you might want to consider a grease zerk install into your packing nut. That will help with lubricantion and dripping.

[@enja001]

In future cut the shaft packing like this / it will reduce the wtaer seeping through by a good amount but will still let some by

[@thomaspage334]

i have had great luck with S1 sealer epoxy as the primer now under my bottom paint; no more problems with adhesion due to shrinking/swelling or knots in the cedar planking in my boat.

[@AcornToArabella]

Did you avoid your seams?

[@douglasfielder6977]

Use ohm meter. Touch probes a few inches apart on the seal material. That should test if it was conductive.

[@coronapack]

Top tip: try your best when painting parts with partially painted surface, to feather the paint edges of what patches are there before adding new paint. Will bond the new paint to old paint better.

[@AcornToArabella]

Luckily, bottom paint will stick to just about anything that you sand with 80 grit sandpaper, as most instructions on bottom paint will recommend. it doesn’t behave like a lot of other paints, because it is a very different job. -Anne

[@markchodroff250]

Steve , looks like the bottom paint and seams were a one time experience because everything was new , she looks beautiful , raising the waterline looks better, a red one inch strip above the bottom paint makes it look nice , I did that to my boat years ago , made the topsides pop ? Think about it next time , use red tape to test the look first ? It helps.

[@AcornToArabella]

I dislike the extra work of taping for a boot stripe, and it’s largely aesthetic, so when I painted the boat back in May and June, with all the other work, there was NO WAY that was going to happen. 😊 happy Friday to you and thanks for watching! -Anne

[@badcat4707]

Good morning Akiva 🐺 and Crew 😸😺

[@AcornToArabella]

Happy Friday!