Quick n easy short term layup

[Kevin Henderson]

Well I managed to completely tear a tendon in my shoulder and will undergo surgery (biceps tenodesis) this next week.  (An entire seperate story could be told on how I did this to myself )  my arm will be in a sling and I will have very limited movement for 3 weeks but do not expect to be fully "operational" for about 12 weeks.

I may be looking at not using my boat (at least to sail) until February or March.  Fortunately, I'm in Southern California so the Winter is not going to be frosty and freezing like you Hearty Souls have to put up with in the Northern Latitudes.  That being said, I expect to perform some type of layup maintenace now (This weekend while I still have 1 1/2 arms).  The boat will of course stay in the water and my diver will take care of the bottom.  I am planning to run the engine and flush with fresh water (as per Rons tips on doing so with a 5 gal. bucket) before shutting down.
Is there any thing else that I should probably do that can be done quickly to tuck away my boat for a couple of months of non use while in water?

Perhaps at some point I'll start a seperate thread on how I put myself in this condition.  

Any help as always is greatly appreciated.      

[Les Luzar]

Kevin,
If it were me, I would simply change my HX Zinc, top off your fuel tank, and then run the engine. Then once every two weeks, go to the boat and turn the key and start it up and run it in gear for about 15 minutes making sure it gets up to temperature. This will circulate the oil and heat up the seals etc. If you did not get to the boat for three weeks, it should be fine with the San Diego weather. But I am assuming that you can at least get to your boat, even if you cannot use your shoulder/arm. Or simply buy Ralph a 12 pack of his favorite brew and have him start it up for you! As long as you can get to the boat every two or three weeks and run the engine, you should be fine. Anyway, you may want to go down and sit on her and just enjoy the enviorment on the water! I know I would... Just a thought.

[mregan]

May want to drain the water tanks and the holding tank.

[Stu Jackson]

Kevin, sorry hear.  My advice: don't do anything to "layup" the boat except to assure your batteries are kept fully charged.  This is from my three month experiment with "being on my back" from my 2009 skiing accident.  Running fresh water through the engine does nothing - the system is made for saltwater, too.  If you zinc is scheduled for a change, do it.  I need to do mine quarterly.  When I've neglected it, I had to remove the HX to fish out the crap.  The oil isn't goin' anywhere.  If you can or want to get on the boat and run the engine, sure, it's great for mental health but not necessary.

Hope you recovery goes well and fast!  

[Jim Hardesty]

I agree with Stu.  You don't need to to anything now.  One exception, ventilition, if you are not able to go to your boat, try to get as much air flow as posible.  Then when you restart boating, follow Peggie Hull's instructions and shock and flush your fresh water tanks.
Or you could send me a plane ticket and the keys.  I'd be glad to see that it didn't rot at the dock.
Jim

[Ralph Masters]

First let me say, Jim what a guy.  To go out of your way like that, you are a true ship mate.
Kevin, if you need any assistance, give me a call (619) 274-1507.

Ralph

[Stu Jackson]

One exception, ventilition, if you are not able to go to your boat, try to get as much air flow as posible. 

Kev's got a Mark I, with the cowls.  should be adequate ventilation as long as the openings are, uhm, well, open. 

[Les Luzar]

Kevin,
First of all, I certainly wish you a speedy recovery and sorry to hear of your shoulder issue. Based on all of our excellent input, I think you will be a very busy guy this weekend even though you really don't have to do that much...ie.,  change your HX zinc, check your batteries, empty your water tanks, install a fan for ventalation, run your engine, make sure your bilge pump works since it is the rainy season, check your dock lines for chaffe and of course wash your boat down, since it could get pretty dirty overy the next three months...... I am sure we can think of a few more things for you to do, but if I were you I would just stay home and watch football since it is going to rain tomorrow!  Maybe you can throw a party on your boat on Sunday, and we can all come down and knock off all of these jobs in no time.....

[Stu Jackson]

Kev, in my interests in helping you avoid anything that could be considered "work"  , you simply should NOT have to drain your water tanks.   If you're gonna be "visiting" your pride & joy even with your arm in a sling, not an issue.

When I broke my leg, I spent most of my recovery time (flat out on the living room sofa) figuring out how I was gonna get back ON the danged boat using crutches!!!  What I figured out eventually worked just fine!  Gave me something to do just laying there...   

Since you're "mobile" you shouldn't have much of anything to worry about.

When I finally got back on the boat, the hardest thing was bending down to get to the damn thru hull valves!   

[Ron Hill]

Kevin : I don't think that you have to do to many things in a mild climate for a 6 month layup.  Contary to others, I'd change the engine oil, have full fuel, drain the water tanks or at least add some extra bleach and fill the transmission.  

As mentioned ventilation is VERY important and I'd make sure that you top off the batteries every month.

This is what I would do if I were in your situation!!  My thoughts

[Kevin Henderson]

Thanks to everyone for the input.
I spent this weekend going through and doing many of the suggestions offered.  Especially topping off my fuel and ensuring the batteries are in good shape. 
I did a couple of other cosmetic tasks along the way, like removing my stern pulpit seats, and stowing any lines not used.  (Thank goodness for having lots of canvass to cover a few other things)
The good news for me, as Stu had pointed out, is the fact that I will be mobile and should have no probelem getting down to the boat and simply "hanging out" for awhile.  (I'm certainly gratefull for not having to deal with crutches in my ordeal)

Hmmmm   I wonder if this would be a good time to see if the Admiral would like to try her hand at some boat maintenance projects like changing oil or running a new hose or two...    Nope!!  better not press my luck on that one.   

[Terry Forshier]

I had my shoulder redone 14 months ago. Yes it was a sailing accident a few years ago and i tried to "work it out" for about 2 years. By the time i went under the knife I had really messed it up by accumulating a couple more torn muscles. I had to stay off the sailboat for 9 months and had lots of therapy. I am,I guess, well now but the shoulder snaps and pops a lot. I hope and pray you have a lot more success than I. Remember, take it easy. Terry

[Stephen Butler]

Thought we'd add our layup news to the board.  Our C34 is on the hard for 2 to 3 years while we are in Africa.  She is down in Florida, strapped down and awaiting another hurricane season or three.  We wrote asking opinions and received many.  Anyway, the fuel and water are now topped off, the engine and transmission "pickelled" per factory instructions, the batteries out of the boat and donated, and the cabins filled with anti-mold crystals, which are replaced every 6 months.  The only item left is to either shrink wrap or have a boat cover made.  We have priced both and the boat cover wins after just a few years.  However, we are now getting advice that it would be better to simply wash the topsides every 3 to 6 months, and keep the wax up to snuff.  Seems like there is as much maintenance required not to sail as to keep it in the water.  Anyway, we will get back to our C34 in a few years, catch up on all the then maintenance list, and get back on the water.