How much work needed on a power boat?

[Bouba]

I heard that boats need lots of work doing to them. I've had my power boat for 18 months and it's 14 years old but sofar it's just been like maintaining a car. You need an engine service/antifoul once a year and maybe other minor things like new battery in between.
Is this always the case? I mean if I go up to a 10 or 12 metre boat does it need much more work doing - I mean if the boat doesn't have mega complex electrics etc then Is it just like I've experienced so far?
Thanks

Don’t think of it as maintaining a car…it’s more like maintaining a house…only more expensive

 

[Greg2]

Small job then! Why are they out?

Long story short there is little room to do anything when they are in situ and we want to do various things such as re-plumbing the hydronic heating, addressing corrosion on the engines themselves, replace stern gland bellows, general titivation of the engine bay, particularly areas impossible to access normally etc etc. A big factor was a plan to pull the fuel tanks and install hatches for cleaning but I changed my mind on that once the engines were out. Reason being the hatches would be difficult (impossible in some cases) to access and I would just be introducing potential leak points that could be a nightmare to address. The tanks are fairly clean so going to install diesel dippers instead.

As is always the case with boats, the job list (and associated cost) increases exponentially once you start and an un-planned upgrade is installation of electronic throttles. Man maths in overdrive but the boat is a keeper for our retirement.

As I am sure you will appreciate, whilst many are surprised when engine removal is mentioned it isn’t actually a big deal and is fairly easily achieved if the boat is designed right, which the Hardy is with a removable hatch in the flybridge deck.
.

 

[Momac]

I heard that boats need lots of work doing to them. I've had my power boat for 18 months and it's 14 years old but sofar it's just been like maintaining a car. You need an engine service/antifoul once a year and maybe other minor things like new battery in between.
Is this always the case? I mean if I go up to a 10 or 12 metre boat does it need much more work doing - I mean if the boat doesn't have mega complex electrics etc then Is it just like I've experienced so far?
Thanks

Perhaps you have been lucky so far .
A boat may be described as a collection of faults waiting to reveal themselves to you. I always hesitate to say there is no work to do. There is always something to do even if it is cosmetic or just a matter of spending money on replacement items.

I went from a 7.3m single engine boat to a 10.4m twin engine boat . I would say the cost and work required did just about double.

 

[Bouba]

Perhaps you have been lucky so far .
A boat may be described as a collection of faults waiting to reveal themselves to you. I always hesitate to say there is no work to do. There is always something to do even if it is cosmetic or just a matter of spending money on replacement items.

I went from a 7.3m single engine boat to a 10.4m twin engine boat . I would say the cost and work required did just about double.

If your boat increases in size and the cost and work merely doubles, you are lucky.
In fact there are two different costs involved in boating…the true cost..and what you tell the wife

 

[Momac]

If your boat increases in size and the cost and work merely doubles, you are lucky.
In fact there are two different costs involved in boating…the true cost..and what you tell the wife

Not sure where luck comes into into it
I now have two engines - kad32's . The last boat had a single kad32.
Fuel use is exactly doubled
The value doubled and so did the insurance premium.
Servicing costs doubled but I started to do DIY servicing which managed that cost.
The berthing cost increased in proportion with the increase in length of the boat which was a 50% increase.
All very predictable really.

My wife and I have no financial secrets . She was the one who wanted a bigger boat.

 

[Bouba]

Ok…..

 

[DavidJ]

Ok…..

The luck is the wife bit