A Swan 44 is in for more work this winter, including the installation of a secret weapon for the upcoming double-handed division of the Bermuda Race. Free Bird will be sporting a racing bottom upon launching this spring which will increase her chances of finding her way to Bermuda faster than the rest of the fleet. To accomplish this, we will begin by removing all of her existing bottom paint and applying a barrier coat. Then, we’ll build up the layers of paint and finish everything off with a burnishing rubdown for a truly fast bottom.

A 42 foot power boat being stored with us for the winter sustained damage to her built down skeg which caused significant water intrusion. This resulted in the saturation of the non-structural foam core. Upon further investigation, it was determined that not only was water getting in through the damaged area but also through the skeg-hung rudder gudgeon. After removing the saturated core and drying out the skeg area, the gudgeon will be reinstalled (to prevent future leaks) and the skeg will be repaired. Additional layers of fiberglass will be added to ensure that it is stronger and more robust than new.

In addition to the usual maintenance and project work for over 140 storage customers, our Awlgrip Paint Facilities are in full swing painting all the new boats for our production department, many of our storage customers, and the boats of other boat builders. By the end of this year our talented crew of highly skilled artisans will have sanded, primed, and painted close to 40 boats. Just think: One of those boats could be yours…