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It is generally said that the two best moments in a boat owner's life are when he buys his boat... and when he sells it...
Maintaining a boat would be a real hassle ! Indeed, it is easier to compare a boat to a car than to a house.
However, when it comes to boat maintenance, the multitude of tasks and professions involved in ensuring proper maintenance is more akin to maintaining a house. This is part of the complexity of boat and engine maintenance. Boatngo shares with you the best practices to ensure that you enjoy your boat on the water, hassle free.
How much does it cost per year to maintain my boat ?
Estimating the annual cost of maintaining a boat is a question that comes up regularly. And it cannot be answered accurately! To better understand this question, we must first separate out the non-maintenance costs, which make up the majority of your boat's overall budget.
Non-maintenance related costs.
The port : the place afloat or on dry land, in port or at anchor. Its price is generally based on the number of feet of your boat.
The fuel : depending on your type of boat, motor or sail, and your frequency of navigation, fuel can become a significant part of your budget.
The insurance : mandatory for all vessels, it varies according to the responsibilities, the coverages and your navigation area.
Thus, once these costs are separated, we detail the costs related to the maintenance of the boat and the engine(s).
Maintenance costs.
- Engine & cabin winterization
- Hull & superstructure maintenance
- Maintenance of safety equipment and materials.
- Engine overhaul
- Maintenance of sails and rigging, for sailboats
The budget for these different maintenance varies according to the length of the boat, the age, the condition, the type of boat, the equipment... and your ability to do some of the maintenance yourself or not. According to these criteria, we generally give an estimate of the cost related to the maintenance of the boat of about 5% to 10% of its new price.
Engine maintenance.
Whether you own a sailboat or a motorboat, you use your engine for every trip you take on the water. This makes the maintenance of your engine(s) important to enjoy your sailing and for your safety.
What maintenance is required for my engine(s)?
- Good engine maintenance start by calling on a qualified and approved professional to carry out all the verification, control operations and to follow the manufacturers maintenance recommendations.
- So that the dealer or professional can perform the best possible maintenance, it is important to provide a history of repairs, maintenance and spare parts carried out over the last few years.
- To keep your motorization in good condition, the maintenance should be done regularly. Boatngo recommends that you perform an overhaul and winterization of your engine every year.
Engine overhaul & winterization.
The engine overhaul : It consists of 3 parts. Checking and controlling the engine components and their level of wear, changing the various oils and cleaning the engine, changing consumable parts such as oil filters, diesel filters, engine anodes, turbines, seals.
The winterization : When you don't use your boat out of season, it is strongly advised to winterize your motorization to avoid premature degradation by sea water. We start by desalting the cooling system with soft water, using products such as salt stop to maximize efficiency. Then we protect the internal and external parts with WD40 and storage oil.
These recommendations are important to keep your engine(s) in good condition, so that you can continue to enjoy the pleasure of hassle-free sailing.
Maintenance of the hull.
In regular contact with sea water, the hull of your boat requires special care: it is a question of optimizing the performances in navigation and limiting the overconsumption of fuel. Regular maintenance of your hull also helps prevent osmosis.
How do I properly maintain my hull ?
Like the checks and controls on your engine, the underwater part of your boat requires annual cleaning and maintenance. This work can be done by a professional or by yourself if you know the tasks to perform and the products to use.
The fairing.
Do this work on an annual basis for the good condition of your hull :
- Get the boat out of the water
- Clean the hull with high pressure, to remove foreign bodies
- Apply antifouling paint to protect the hull
- Change the anodes as needed
Important ! Some products, especially antifouling paints, can be very harmful to the marine environment, so use eco-responsible products.
Cleaning & products.
Often underestimated, the cleaning of the boat is however one of the cornerstones for the prolongation of life of your hull but also of all the surfaces of your boat, like the deck, the teak, the gelcoat, the wood, the sails, stainless steel and others...
How to properly clean my boat ?
The number 1 enemy is salt ! It will cause negative reactions with most elements. Rinsing with fresh water is crucial after each trip, this is the minimum task to perform. However, if your wish is to give your boat the optimal maintenance to prolong its condition, rinsing it will not be enough.
Indeed, rinsing will eliminate a large part of the salt present on your boat after your navigation but unfortunately even in its place of port, your boat will get dirty.
The ideal solution would be to clean or rinse your boat every day, but this solution is not viable...
The goal is to get rid of them regularly, once a month minimum, layers of salt that have accumulated on the various surfaces to prevent it from becoming encrusted.
Brushes, sponges, cloths, soaps, cleaners and the like are particularly suitable for this purpose. Our advice, based on our years of experience, is to use a universal cleaner such as Nauticlean or Cleanboat for the majority of your surfaces.
For more specific parts, such as wood, teak, textile etc.. It is preferable to use specialized products that will apply a protective layer in addition to the washing effect.
To facilitate the cleaning of your boat and prolong its good condition, you can also choose the ceramic treatment : it provides a protective coating against sea water, oxidation, exhaust fumes, rust and chemicals.
Keep in mind the pleasure !
Described as we did in this article, the good maintenance of a boat cannot be improvised, but it is necessary to keep in mind that all this work ensures you a boating without worries. Depending on your profile, you can choose to delegate the entire maintenance of your boat to a marine company that will use the know-how of its agents to guarantee you a professional work and the good maintenance of your boat.
You can also choose to put on your sailor hat and do some of the work yourself, for budgetary reasons or for pleasure.
However, when it comes to technical tasks that may impact your safety or enjoyment of your boat, as mentioned above, calling a qualified technician is strongly recommended.
