Location: Largs North, Adelaide Australia
Duration: 3rd – 23rd January 2023
Cost: Haul Out and hard stand was approximately $3,335.00 including GST.
The lead up to hauling out was incredibly protracted. Whilst haul out was due in 2022, what quickly became apparent was that, at that time, there was no haul out facilities available in South Australia to lift a catamaran with a 7.77 metre beam. Given this we contemplated taking the boat interstate where there were suitable haul out facilities. Over this time Peter had communicated with Adelaide Shipyard, who indicated they could make a cradle to haul us out, but after 4 – 5 months of follow up and no action we decided not to persevere with this option or this service provider.
The Royal South Australian Yacht Squadron had haul out capability but on investigating this further the cradle was the wrong size and shape for our needs. It would have also been too expensive to modify the cradle to suit our catamaran. So, we gave this option a miss.
Our next and last option in South Australia was Dockyard on the Port River. Peter initially contacted them in June 2022, and they advised that they had a 600 ton travel lift coming from the United States and it was expected to arrive in September 2022. This would be wide enough to lift Sea Goddess, thus we made the decision to wait for this travel lift to arrive. Peter followed up on a monthly basis, and the travel lift arrived and was commissioned in December 2022. Given the timing so close to Christmas we decided to wait until early in the new year to proceed with the haul out.
Haul Out Maintenance Plan
- Install two sea cocks, 1 per each shower in the port hull as the factory configuration was problematic;
- Remove existing anti fouling as the factory anti fouling (Sea Jet), which had lasted three years, was not available in Australia;
- Apply three coats of International Interprotect Epoxy Barrier Coat;
- Apply two rolled coats of International Trilux 33 hot primed anti fouling;
- Clean props of old prop speed and re-coat with new prop speed;
- Clean hull anodes;
- Cut and polish inside of hulls and underside of bridge deck;
- Service Honda 20hp outboard at Honda dealer, and
- Replace collar anodes on sail drive legs.
Dockyard Facilities
The Dockyard precinct was being upgraded while we were there with a new additional hard stand area and three large sheds to cater for undercover maintenance and other works. Work was also underway on new office space and amenities. The precinct is bordered on one side by Marina Adelaide and on another by the Port River. The hard stand area is suitably large with a number of boats already in place when we arrived.
We had an excellent haul out and splash experience, no dramas at all. On site staff were experienced, professional and extremely helpful during both the haul out phase and our time onsite.
Security: Automated gates, triggered by facial recognition, provide secure access to the hard stand area. Additionally, security cameras are in place and roaming security guards attend out of business hours.
Amenities:
- Separate male and female showers and toilets are available on site.
- An external covered area with tables and chairs, barbeque, drink and snack vending machines are available for staff and customer use.
- Parking is available next to your boat.
- A fuel dock which accepts card is available in the entrance to Marina Adelaide.
- The only downside being the amount of dust blowing in from here, there and everywhere.
As an added bonus we had a fabulous outlook and were entertained during our breaks by the bird life and dolphins, as well as passing tugs, cargo ships, rowers, tourist boats, and Wednesday night sailing club races on the Port River. It’s not often you get the opportunity to view the river from this perspective or to appreciate how busy it is, just great.
Outcomes
We had originally planned to haul out for two weeks, and we both worked solidly each day only stopping to grab a coffee or a bite to eat and going to the loo. Even with Peter living on board, starting just after sunrise and finishing in the twilight hours, it took a week longer than expected. But we completed all our tasks, with Peter applying the final anti-fouling coat late on the last night before splash down. We were both happy and satisfied with the outcome of our efforts, Sea Goddess looked amazing, all buffed and shiny. Until next time!
Overall we rated this precinct 9.5/10
