Immaculate boat, use it hard or compromise?

[Marine Reflections]

Neglect or protect

In my humble opinion there is nothing harsher and more able to reduce the re-sale value of a boat than neglect...

I see it every day (rough diamonds) as I call them..

There is a big difference between enjoying your boat, letting the odd marks or scrapes wait until the end of season and outright neglect.

As someone posted.. "you want to own your boat not have your boat own you" which is quite right, but a lack of a (stitch in time) usually leads to trouble further along.

Every surface should really be well protected so that the protection can take the brunt of the elements, not the surfaces.

A lack of protection causes premature oxidation, surfaces hold onto stains and marks causing you to use harsh cleaners which in turn lead to even faster degrading.

It's all a very personal thing... one of my clients (well known ex MP) has me wash and protect his boat every 30 days, the boat (if I say so myself) really does look and feel in 100% perfect condition..but the really sad thing is, he has not even used the boat in well over two years!! is the maintenance worth it?

Another two owners who both own Stevens 1280 steel boat cruisers as case studies.. the first had his boat cleaned and protected by me on a monthly basis for 2 reasons, 1, he and his wife went to lots of rallies and events on the river and liked to have the boat looking 100% for each visit. 2, he was concerned with the re-sale value and a fast sale should they want it.

At the start of the economic downturn their decision was to sell, the asking price was acheived and was achieved quickly.

The other owner had put his 1280 up for sale 18 months prior to the downturn, he decided that it should be up to the broker to keep it clean and refused to pay for any (extras) despite the broker stating that it was his responsiblity, the broker was also charging £300.00 per month to have the boat sit there, he would still not pay for a £200 clean and wax..the dirt and oxidation began to form.. today the boat is still up for sale and that's even after dropping the price by £55,000.00... Who spent the most money?


Maintenance is like life: work it hard and its easy ... but work it easy and its hard.

 

[Poignard]

The French seem to have the right attitude to boat owning. Most seem to treat them like cars [in more ways than one!]. you buy a new one, use it hard, eventually it gets scruffy so you buy another.

 

[U4]

There are many reasons why a boat which is used a lot will not be as immaculate as one which is not used but kept pristine. Just using it causes wear and tear, and the inevitable bumps and scrapes, and mechanical issues which require time and money, and sometimes removing from the water. So in fact, there are lots of reasons, and your statement doesn't really make a huge amount of sense from any point of view, unless you live very close to the boat, have lots of money, and have lots of time?

I agree that using your boat will cause wear and tear, it’s inevitable. My statement (that I stand by) is purely saying that you can still keep your boat in great condition even if you use it a lot. From my point of view this makes lots of sense as I know many people who do just this, including myself.

Personally I am lucky. I live five mins walk (or a 15 min dingy ride) from my boat and I work from home most of the time which no doubt helps

 

[KevB]

1. and 2. for me

We use the boat as often as we can, 900 hours since we bought it new and use it in all weathers but we make sure we leave it clean, tidy and washed everytime. If anything breaks it's fixed straight away.

 

[pheran]

There are many reasons why a boat which is used a lot will not be as immaculate as one which is not used but kept pristine. Just using it causes wear and tear, and the inevitable bumps and scrapes, and mechanical issues which require time and money, and sometimes removing from the water. So in fact, there are lots of reasons, and your statement doesn't really make a huge amount of sense from any point of view, unless you live very close to the boat, have lots of money, and have lots of time?

I guess we use our boat more than most - 158 days aboard last year - but despite it now being 7 years old, people have been kind enough to remark that it looks like brand new. So I don't accept your contention that use and great condition are incompatible. And 'heavy' use doesn't mean you can't be careful how you treat it. Perhaps I'm one of those who has plenty of time!

 

[Firefly625]

1. and 2. for me

We use the boat as often as we can, 900 hours since we bought it new and use it in all weathers but we make sure we leave it clean, tidy and washed everytime. If anything breaks it's fixed straight away.

Totally agree with that... same thing we do....

.....isn't half the fun the cleaning and fiddling...( errr with the boat that is..)

 

[benjenbav]

Totally agree with that... same thing we do....

.....isn't half the fun the cleaning and fiddling...( errr with the boat that is..)

Yes, I like to use the boat and try not to be too precious about the odd mark. But part of the pleasure for me is keeping the boat pristine as well, so plenty of cleaning and minor fixing by me and regular maintenance and replacement by specialists in areas which are beyond what I can do in the time available, given that I don't live five minutes away.

 

[CX54WEK]

We where torn by this when we bought our S23 last year. The boat was almost 6 years old and had only done 200 hours from new. We bought her due to her immaculate condition.

We have since put 300 hours on the clock but have still managed to keep her in excellent condition. It is a case of putting in the hard work and repairing/fixing things as necessary. Our biggest job was repairing the scuff i managed to create when mooring against a concrete wall unsuccessfully.It is just a case of good management. Little jobs get done as soon as they appear, bigger jobs will get done at suitable times (i.e trim tab which is jammed down will get repaired when the boat is lifted in February/March at the same time as outdrive service and anti-foul).

Our main concern is though, when we do come to sell her will the higher hours put potential buyers off?

 

[oGaryo]

I've owned my boat for a short while but I think a general life comment will suffice here from my perspective....

1. earn money.... get spending
2. buy new toy.... get excited
3. use toy to the max... get incredibly excited
4. continue to use toy until it wears out or novelty wears off... get frustrated
5. sell old toy... go to #1



I think it goes without saying that looking after the boat or anything that brings you enjoyment for that matter, is a given.

The only thing I would say though is do as I have done when first starting out, buy second hand well within budget.. the inevitable knocks and scrapes don't become so painfull that you fear going out in her that way and come the time when you're proficient, you'll / I'll hopefully be more able to keep the shiney boat nice and shiney for longer with fewer novice mishaps occuring.

 

[Renegade_Master]

It seems to me that the "things to do" list is a bit like the guys painting the big suspension bridge the list never ends........................bloody boats

 

[TamarMike]

I use boat infrequently (SWMBO says frequently but it doesn't seem like it to me) but I still manage to scuff, scratch, break and lose bits throughout the year

 

[Romeo]

One of the things I love about having an old wooden boat. She picks up dinks throughout the year (If you saw the number of boats they cram into our small tidal harbour you would understand why). However lick of paint in the spring and she looks fantastic again. The fibreglass boats on the other hand seem to accumulate the scratches year on year, and still look tired in the spring.

 

[ADLS]

Lazy Days built 1930 well used but not abused well maybe a little when she nipped over to Dunkirk and those nastie g__mans bunged a few bombs at her. Now what I do is keep a pot of paint handy and when ever the washing up needs doing I nip out and rub down and paint the latest scuff mark and hey presto when I go back down below swimbo has done the washing up.
Keep up the daily, weekly maintenance, take a good regular look around and fix the items when there small repairs and not major repairs.

But most of all enjoy sailing your boat, meeting people and seeing places.

 

[benjenbav]

Lazy Days built 1930 well used but not abused well maybe a little when she nipped over to Dunkirk and those nastie g__mans bunged a few bombs at her.

Somehow, I feel that there is nothing of any value that can now be added to this thread!

 

[kingfisher]

I once had a student on board during the first training in April, looking at the mildewed curtains who suggested that cleaning them would only take a little effort and would make the boat look so much nicer.
I had just spent the whole winter removing the engine and giving it a thorough overhaul, never mind the 101 other tasks, I worked untill 0200 the previous day to get the boat ready for the training. Never came so close to killing someone.
I have been taught that "a clean ship is a happy ship" so when I do see something grubby, I whince and shudder "what would my mates think of this". And of course it is great fun to be invited on a mates' boat and point out an item of bronze he forgot to polish, without mentioning the fact that you are impressed by the way he painstakingly polished his hull.
I love my boat clean, but cleaning is the last thing on my todo list, after safety, repair and maintenance.

But like maintenance, the more you clean, the less time you have to spend on it.

So every year:
1) clean and wax of hull (pollished her this year)
2) massive internal clean at start of season, clean and wax of deck (fittings)
from then on: a deck wash on a regular basis
middle of summer: a full clean internally
And that is basically it.