Is it better to look good than to be good?

One of the things that amazes me about not working anymore is: How did I work a full day and get any boat maintenance done? One answer is that I did not get all the maintenance done. Anyway not done as well as it should be. One item that always seemed low on the priority list was keeping the boat clean and looking good. So this summer I had a lot of time to do just that. A couple months ago, I washed and waxed the hull and all the fiberglass that is suppose to be shiny above deck. Of course, I started this project when the weather was the hottest and a few days when the temp was in the 90's, my motivation was hard to find. But the result is that the boat looks a lot cleaner and there is a shine to much of the boat. Not bad for a boat built in 1985!

Then a couple of weeks ago I attacked the teak. There are 18 pieces of teak on deck consisting of toe rails, foot chocks and companionway trim. I prefer the look of varnish and even though I used Eppiphanes last time, the varnish was peeling in little more than a year. Some friends and some of the dock rats suggested Cetol. I was never a big fan of it because of the color and the satin finish. I did some research and found that Cetol makes a "Light" finish. I could live with that. They also make a Clear Gloss overcoat. That sounded good too! So I scrapped and sanded the remains of the old varnish off and applied three coats of Cetol Light followed by three coats of Cetol Gloss. Does not look as smooth and deep as many coats of quality varnish, but does give me the look that I like. And hopefully if some of the dock rats are correct, I should not have to repeat this for some time. Just a yearly maintenance coat. Although some naysayers say: "You will be scrapping it off again next year."

While I was sweating in the heat waxing the cabin sides, one of the "naysayers" that owns a boat near me came by and said: "You know that is not going to make you any faster". I know that none of the cosmetic waxing or teak work that I have done this summer will actually improve the performance of the boat. But, like one of my crew said: "It will go faster, trust me. It shows your pride in ownership and can infect the crew with the same." I am sure that the crew does not enjoy setting on dirty decks or bird poop! I know that I don't like it when I sail on other boats that are not well kept up. So now I feel like keeping the boat looking good. And I have the time too!

So maybe if the boat looks good it really will be good!

On another note, I know that a lot of things not related directly to sailboat racing can improve my racing. I find that when I keep my weight down, excercise a lot and eat a healthy diet, I can concentrate better and think better while driving the boat. And my performance is improved.

Hmm, something more for the "naysayers" to think about!

Foot Chock in the cockpit.



Toe Rail