Mainship Pilot Hull Color and engine access

[nveater]

So, I have moved from a sailboat to a 1999 Mainship Pilot 30 and am very stoked to get boating this coming Spring. I have lots of questions but I'll start with 2. My hull is dark green, and I understand that Mainship used awlgrip paint. Is there any way to know if it's Awlgrip, Awlcraft or Awlcraft HTD- I have some minor scratches that I would like to take care of and the type of paint makes a difference.

Unrelated to paint- I have a Cummins 220 in the boat how the heck do you folks work on these things and access other components in the engine room. I am a slim guy but it's tough to access certain components. I thought my sailboat engine space was awkward, but this is a whole new level

 

[DavidM]

I feel for you. The Cummins 6BT is a beast in that boat and I don't think many were built with it. Mostly Yanmar 6LPs and 4LHs.

I did all of my own maintenance when I owned a Pilot 34 and crawling around the Yanmar 6LY at the age of 74 and at 225 lbs is what led me to sell it. I trust you are younger as well as slimmer than me.

David

 

[bill.kimbell]

Paint

Most likely Awlcraft 2000.

Can't help w engine access.

 

[Bacchus]

Nigel
Welcome aboard TF. There are lots of Mainship knowledge here from current / former MS owners.

I would bet $ that the hull is Awlcraft 2000. I'm guessing that the HDT is a newer product that your boat unless it was painted more recently and not a factory job. Many use the term Awlgrip generically without being specific as to the actual paint composition. My research indicated that MS used Awlcraft exclusively.

There is some more hull paint info on my Bacchus website (in signature) in the Useful Links section.
If the scratches are small and trying to touch them up vs doing an area I had some success using an air brush and/or a Preval sprayer. I did have a good friend spray a repair area for me and the color match & blend was very good. Let me know / PM me if you have specific questions.

 

[nveater]

Bacchus- Thanks so much for your info- I have looked at your site what a great resource and thanks for sharing

Nigel

 

[nveater]

DavidM- Thanks it is a beast- I did all the Maintenance on my Yanmar 3gm30 - but this is a bit more intimidating. I am thinking of hiring a diesel guy for a couple of hours just to show me around the engine and how they would go about handling the normal maintenance issues in such a small space

 

[willpep]

I owned a 2000 MS30 with a Cummins 6BT. Great vessel and engine. For maintenance, I completely removed the board the companionway hatch was installed in to gain access to the front of the engine and get access to the seawater pump. I would completely remove the pump to to perform the impeller changes. To change the oil filter I would lay on top of the engine to access the oil filter on the starboard side. I also removed the air filter to give better access to the port side of the engine to change the fuel filter. I found I could make my way to all parts of the engine with this type of minor disassembly. Cheers