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boat than the year-round, sun scorched, salty waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Every boat will eventually require some money and attention, and the philosophy
of repairing small failures quickly before they grow into larger problems is a time-
proven winner. As long as an Ensign is well maintained, there is every reason to
believe the oldest of our classic day sailers might be around for another thirty or
forty years, and maybe even longer.

Maintenance is a must, but preventing failure is much easier on you and your
boat. At times, prevention might seem like an extra, sacrificial cost, but it is
always less expensive than the averted repairs and maintenance. In the battle
against the enemies of fiberglass: UV, pollution, weather, normal use load and
water penetration, only ‘normal use load’ cannot be addressed with some form of
prevention. Key prevention techniques to consider:

- Keep your boat covered when you’re not using it, to minimize UV and
weather exposure.
- Apply an epoxy barrier coat on the hull (under the bottom paint) to
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protect against water intrusion and pollution .
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- Keep water out of the bilge with an automatic bilge pump .
- Rig up a small solar panel system to keep the battery charged for the
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bilge pump .
- Store your boat under a cover during the off-season, or even better,
store it inside.
- Install garboard drains to eliminate water from the keel during
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winterizing .
- Mount deck hardware and seal chainplates with butyl tape like the pros
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at Hinckley and Morris .

As one might expect, sixty years can provide plenty of opportunities for missed
prevention and maintenance. As a result, Ensigns can be found in a wide range
of condition, from pristine to ‘In Need of an Appreciative New Owner’. Fear not,
however, because Everett Pearson overbuilt the hulls, which makes every
Ensign hull a solid rebuild opportunity. For the worst-case scenario, current
costs for a new deck, IGU (internal glass unit, aka the cabin structure) and a
fiberglass cockpit floor are $6840, $2775 and $1395, respectively. Complete
renovation of an Ensign at a reputable marine service company, starting with just
a used hull, is ~$18,000 - $25,000. Done by yourself with these new
components, the cost can be about half of that… $11,000 - $12,500, a real
bargain when one realizes a fully renovated Ensign is almost indistinguishable
from a brand new one, which by the way, is now selling at well over $60,000.
One final point… Today’s resin systems, manufacturing methods and materials
have dramatically improved over sixty years, and Ensigns are still being built the
same way. With early Ensigns still performing well and expected to be around at
least a few more decades, how much stronger, more durable and longer lived is
a brand-new Ensign?

It’s almost summer, and I hope you have plans to spend many enjoyable hours
aboard your Ensign with friends and family in the next few months. I encourage
you to introduce some new people to the sport or gift your crew with Associate
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