I may have lucked into a great deal on a place to keep my DSII in wetslip. I found a guy with a private dock who's renting out space for less than half what a wetslip at a marina would cost (and without the 3+ year waiting list). It would be great to just be able to get out and go, rather than having to spend 20 - 30 minutes raising the mast and setting the rigging each time before we go out, then another 20 - 30 minutes taking the mast down and stowing all the rigging when we're done. So I'm pretty excited!
The problem is, my boat has (as far as I know) always been a trailer sailer, and so there isn't (again, to be best of my knowledge) any antifouling paint on her bottom. And even if there was, I'm sure by this point it's more than spent, because I don't think she had been sailed in a few years by the time I got to her. So my question is this: in preparation for putting her into the water as a permanent home in a freshwater lake in Virginia/North Carolina, what do I have to do to the bottom? Do I have to get antifouling paint specifically, or will a new coat of Rustoleum do? Or if I'm diligent about hauling her out every 3 or 4 months to spray off any goo and growth that may have accumulated, would that be sufficient? I'm not racing, so top notch performance isn't a concern. And if I do have to paint her annually, what would that cost? I'd like to be able to keep her on the water, but if I have to drag her out each year and drop some great sum of money on bottom paint, then maybe a trailer sailer she'll stay.
Also, I've noticed that when we go out, the bilge takes on some water; not a whole lot, maybe a gallon or two in 4 - 6 hours. My guess is that, like most DSs of this vintage (1972), the centerboard gasket is in need of some attention. Hopefully just some tightening, but possibly replacement. But since I've never careened the boat, I have no idea how to access the gasket and attachment point. Do I use the two inspection ports just aft of the cabin? Is there another way? Or will it all make sense once I tip her over, and I'll feel stupid for even asking?
Thanks!