Maintenance On Your Boat

[Randyonr3]

I find it very odd that when someone posts an issue with something on the CF site, it almost always comes down to "Better have a Mechanic look at that" and it got me to thinking,
How many people DON'T have outside work done on their boats.?.

We've been on ours for going on 12 years now and everything on the boat,
I've done myself.. from motor work to sails and canvas,

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

I find it very odd that when someone posts an issue with something on the CF site, it almost always comes down to "Better have a Mechanic look at that" and it got me to thinking,
How many people DON'T have outside work done on their boats.?.

We've been on ours for going on 12 years now and everything on the boat,
I've done myself.. from motor work to sails and canvas,

Well Randy, we have been on board for 28 years or so, and these are the things that we've hired out in all that time:

Construct hard dodger on Insatiable I in NZed (no shop, no woodworking tools)

Various sails built, but many repairs done on board.

New mast built and stepped after dismasting in 1996, in Australia.

On I-two, spray topsides with LPU. Also put on bottom paint, but that was because it was cheaper than slipping the boat again somewhere else to DIY as usual.

Repair broken boom (no welder on board)

New soft dodger built.

Install new tranny (but that service came with the price of the hardware).

Can't think of anything else...

And I think our experience isn't too far from the norm in long term cruisers, at least the ones that we know.

Cheers,

Jim

[skipmac]

I think my experience closely parallels Jim's. Don't make my own sails and if I wanted to overhaul an engine I would probably farm that out. Otherwise I do pretty much everything on the boat.

Regarding the advice on the forum for some questioners to hire a mechanic, I have seen a number of cases where that really seemed the correct and certainly safe thing to do. For example, when someone starts asking about a 110V AC wiring project but from the nature of the question he or she doesn't know hot from neutral or how to use a volt meter then I think the prudent thing is to recommend they contact a pro.

[sailorchic34]

I don't sew sails either, though I made a Bimini. Other then a odd diver now and then to replace a zinc. I've done everything else myself. I've even replaced the head stay and did that pesky engine rebuild. Though I did have help with the engine hoisting.

With mechanics going for $100 or more an hour, well I can only afford crazy cat lady rates.

Today I touched up the pink paint on the cap rails and polished the stainless. Tomorrow I'll finish the fiddle mounts on the new stove.

[redsky49]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

I don't sew sails either, though I made a Bimini. Other then a odd diver now and then to replace a zinc. I've done everything else myself. I've even replaced the head stay and did that pesky engine rebuild. Though I did have help with the engine hoisting.

With mechanics going for $100 or more an hour, well I can only afford crazy cat lady rates.

Today I touched up the pink paint on the cap rails and polished the stainless. Tomorrow I'll finish the fiddle mounts on the new stove.

Pink?? Oh My...

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by redsky49

Pink?? Oh My...

Well really Fuchsia, but guys call it pink.

[redsky49]

Safety pink, I take it.

[Jim Cate]

OOps,

Forgot one biggie: Had the mast pulled, some minor cracks in the spreader bases welded up, a new forestay added, a new led deck light and a radar mount fabricated. Again dictated by necessity, for the local rules seem to rule out pulling one's own mast, and again, I didn't have a TIG rig handy. Then restepped, etc. Pricey, but needed and good work done by the rigger.

We had already replaced the rest of the standing rigging, so that wasn't on the docket.

Jim

Jim

[Island Time O25]

Early on as a newbie boat owner I used to farm out much more than I do now. But still I prefer at least initially to have a boatyard guy (definitely not a boatyard itself) do the work I'm not familiar with while I help and/or closely watch so that the next time it's doable DIY. I also love to pick the brains of old salts for solutions, ideas, etc. Most hilarious is when I get totally conflicting advice from different people and all of them may be right.

[SimonV]

I do everything on the boat, unless I can't and only then will I get help. The first stop is willing fellow cruisers and last professionals.

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[FlyingCloud1937]

Now this is a funny-fun-Topic.

Since my time on this forum, the only topic that beguiles this, is the:

Topics various of what "PO's did"

A, PO is PREVIOUS OWNER .

As a "PMSG" Professional Marine Systems Guy.

I can tell you story after story of what PO's did wrong.

WOW, this may be the real TROLL thread.

Lloyd

If you don't believe me, just go read most any thread at http://www.cruisersforum.com, asking for help

Originally Posted by Randyonr3

I find it very odd that when someone posts an issue with something on the CF site, it almost always comes down to "Better have a Mechanic look at that" and it got me to thinking,
How many people DON'T have outside work done on their boats.?.

We've been on ours for going on 12 years now and everything on the boat,
I've done myself.. from motor work to sails and canvas,

[Neptune's Gear]

Same as you guys, everything except sails..
Including engine rebuild, rigging, plumbing, electrical, electronics, hydraulics, paint, f/glass etc etc etc
I could not afford to own the boat if I did not do everything

[FlyingCloud1937]

So in the end,

BUY a boat from someone, whom doesn't proclaim, " I did all the work myself"

Unless his work as a PO.

Passes all muster.

Otherwise...Buyer-Beware.

Lloyd

Originally Posted by FlyingCloud1937

Now this is a funny-fun-Topic.

Since my time on this forum, the only topic that beguiles this, is the:

Topics various of what "PO's did"

A, PO is PREVIOUS OWNER .

As a "PMSG" Professional Marine Systems Guy.

I can tell you story after story of what PO's did wrong.

WOW, this may be the real TROLL thread.

Lloyd

If you don't believe me, just go read most any thread at http://www.cruisersforum.com, asking for help

[chuckr]

we have done ourselves unless we can figure it out. had a vexing electrical problem that we had to far out.

but this year unfortunately we are farming everything out. ruptured a tendon in my shoulder and surgery and 2 screws really slowed me down so if we are going to sail this summer we need some maintenance and i simply can not do it. so our options are farm it out and sail this summer or wait till i can do it and not sail a lot this summer. we chose the former.

[american]

I really enjoy maintaining things, doing repairs, and handling my own installs. Sometimes have to farm stuff out due to time constraints. Early on I had myself fooled about cheaper labor in Thailand somehow translating to farmed-out work being more cost effective than spending my own time on a problem. That was before I was taught several costly lessons in poor workmanship, mad management, and disregard for quality/safety.

If I lived on my boat full-time... I'd be doing all the work, all the time.

If I removed all the tools from the starboard lockers... I think the boat would list 5deg to port!

Lastly, the Internet is a beautiful thing. There's literally no end of instruction on how to repair/improve things. I've found the learning/doing process of owning a boat combined with ease of access to info to be one of the greatest pleasures in ownership.