Do you have to be up for your own maintenance and repairs to sensibly own a sailboat

[Compass790]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

Maybe we can create a list on CF of anyone who is willing to help other CF members... hourly rate, expertise, experience, location, etc. We can all benefit as we all have "horror" stories from different yards

Yes thats a good idea Cool Hand Luke,
Wont be putting my hand up for USA work at this stage as being an ex-welder the further away from Wu-flu the happier I am given that this is a mostly USA site.
I'm not a fan of sodium hypochlorite taken intravenously as promoted by a

genius fired world leader.
But YMMV

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Rblakenyc

(Most useful will be responses from those who are succeeding in the manner I describe or those that tried that path and it didn't work. Less excited, but expect to be entertained by those do it your-selfers sharing stories about the clueless owner next door.)

Boat life will be a lot easier if you can do most things yourself. It will definitely be a LOT less expense than letting byard monkeys learn at your expense.

Those that can not seem to do things mostly get along fine. They do a lot things that are "wrong", but "work". Your can find how to do almost anything on the internet and in places with a good cruiser population there is normally someone who will give you help/advise

[Scrimshaw4]

It is paramount that you have a survey done on whatever boat you are going to make an offer on! This cannot be stressed enough. That is the only way you are going to have a chance of knowing what you are getting yourself into as far as the condition of the boat. DO NOT use the sellers survey. The adage "Buyer be Ware" is never more true than when purchasing a used boat.
The older the boat, the larger the boat, the more the maintenance. If you're not up for the work then have your checkbook ready.
These are not meant to be negatives, just some of the realities that come along with boating. You have to go into this with your eyes wide open. JMHO

[billdre]

Originally Posted by Rblakenyc

Follow-up questions... related but slightly off topic...

Mooring vs slip... how much harder to do in the water repairs (no electricity, limited water), cheaper and how much more isolated at a mooring vs a slip?

Nights on board at the marina/club.... probably every combination of rules out there but are several nights a week on board typically acceptable in season (in New England)? Same story if at slip vs mooring?

So I chose to put my boat in a slip, New Bedford Pope's Island. It's simply easier all round. Not just working on it. I do almost any work needed before the boat goes back in the water. To me it's worth it. $90/ft for the season. Want to sail, simply walk on. We day sail a lot and go for a couple nights around Buzzards Bay and then back. Plus the shore power is how I keep my batteries charged.
We stay over on board all the time, lots of people in the marina do. One of the docks is clearly a party dock with lots of late night. Our end is mostly fisherman in power boats and so they're out early and back early, not the over night type. No rules against it, I believe 11pm is the limit on loud music.

[Rblakenyc]

Cool hand - I hope to build local relationships that will translate into mentors, advisors and helpers and offer the same to others as my capabilities grow. This has been part of every hobby/passion I've indulged in over my life. Anyone in Ct willing & interested in such PM me!

[Group9]

For us, the only thing I really worry about is a major engine problem, or a drive train problem. That's the only place I could see getting hit with an unexpected and large bill.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Originally Posted by billdre

So I chose to put my boat in a slip, New Bedford Pope's Island. It's simply easier all round. Not just working on it. I do almost any work needed before the boat goes back in the water. To me it's worth it. $90/ft for the season. Want to sail, simply walk on. We day sail a lot and go for a couple nights around Buzzards Bay and then back. Plus the shore power is how I keep my batteries charged.
We stay over on board all the time, lots of people in the marina do. One of the docks is clearly a party dock with lots of late night. Our end is mostly fisherman in power boats and so they're out early and back early, not the over night type. No rules against it, I believe 11pm is the limit on loud music.

Same here... I can't imagine having a boat on a mooring ball permanently. Then, again... maybe when I retire and/or become a liveaboard, I'll change my mind. Until then, I'm paying $307/foot for my marina slip

And yes... the electric is very, very nice

[jalmberg]

The problem with having other people do the work is you are almost invariably disappointed in the results. There are exceptions, but they charge top dollar and deserve every penny. I do 95% of my own work because even if I know nothing when I start a project, by the time I’m done, I have a new skill, possibly some new tools, and I’m pretty sure I’ve done a better job than a ‘pro’ because I care, and because I gave it the time needed to do it properly. As one example, 3 years ago, I paid to have a highly recommended pro paint my boat. Very expensive job! Awlgrip that should have lasted 10 years, but today it looks like crap. In the spring I will haul out and repaint myself. I can’t possibly do a worse job.

[Mickeyrouse]

You don’t have to be a mechanical whiz to own a sailboat. Just like you don’t have to be to own a car, or a house, or a computer, or airplane... But it does help. Or have enough money to have someone else do it, like a car, or house, or computer, or airplane....

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by Rblakenyc

Have enjoyed being a life long small boat sailor. Like many, as I approach retirement I'm drawn to the idealic vision of enjoying several weeklong coastal cruises and many day sails each summer between long island sound and cape cod.

As I'm arm-chair shopping 28-32' classic plastics from '70s to '80s in $5-15k range I'm cognizant that I'm not well equiped to assess condition (soft spots, leaks engine, roller furler, sail condition, etc.) so inspection/survey seems wise even at this price (right?).

This is particularly hampered as the good deals seem to be boats on the hard at the moment or past 2 years. (Won't jump on one on the hard longer than that.) Am I crazy to purchase without sea trial?

When I read about all the work the owners have done the prior 5-10 years (typically themselves, I think) I don't get too worried about routine expenses but do feel a big splash of cold water thinking about dealing with those and unexpected issues.

So, the big question, is it reasonable to think I will find and be able to sensibly rely on a good yard to do the main work to keep the boat in reasonable shape? Is it crazy to go that route with an old boat?

I'm not looking to throw money away (I'm pretty cheap). But don't want the lack of mechanical ability and enthusiasm for chores to keep me from taking the plunge if I can reasonably rely on a yard.

(Lastly, I am interested in learning, understand the value of knowing your boat when out sailing, and am mechanical enough to often repair appliances and furnace at home and replace some car parts with help from youtube. Just not something I'm really eager to do more often.)

(Most useful will be responses from those who are succeeding in the manner I describe or those that tried that path and it didn't work. Less excited, but expect to be entertained by those do it your-selfers sharing stories about the clueless owner next door.)

I'm not looking to throw money away (I'm pretty cheap). But don't want the lack of mechanical ability and enthusiasm for chores to keep me from taking the plunge if I can reasonably rely on a yard.

As I say to my son.. you better be rich or you better learn how to do stuff. It all gets expensive.. Houses, cars boats..

[ChrisPuget]

The answer to your question will vary greatly depending on your location. There are many reasonably priced high quality service providers. The spectrum extends on the other end to low quality high price service providers. When working with yacht repair professionals be prepared to have a budget to go up the learning curve for your area. Anything you do yourself with the joy of doing it, is money in the bank.

[Rblakenyc]

Originally Posted by jalmberg

The problem with having other people do the work is you are almost invariably disappointed in the results. There are exceptions, but they charge top dollar and deserve every penny. I do 95% of my own work because even if I know nothing when I start a project, by the time I’m done, I have a new skill, possibly some new tools,

I agree with this sentiment. I often tackle jobs at home myself as I figure I can buy tools and do it wrong twice and still be no worse off (other than time and maybe some aggravation) than hiring someone.

This may be a jaded view but I tend to think there are competent and incompetent people to hire and honest and dishonest. The odds of competent and honest seem slim - particularly as they are booked-up. I've also run into the "i'm busy with other clients but if your crazy enough to pay 2x then I'll bump you to the top pricing" which I'm not interested in indulging.

So, I'm now upping my target price and being more realistic about the work I'll do myself and the expertise I'll need to oversee (and learn from) work I choose to pay for. I may also go a bit smaller (down to 26') to help make ownership a bit more manageable - without giving up the plans for trips to Block, MV, Montauk, etc.

Thanks all for the really helpful sharing of insights and experiences.

[lituya1617]

Allow me to represent old guys who love to sail and live aboard their boats all the time. There are not many of us and we are diverse as to incomes, backgrounds, abilities to repair our boats, physical capacities, and desire to actually go places. Some of us just live on our boats to avoid rent while others sail as much as they can and go on long trips that last for many months. Not much is common to this group but we usually do our own repairs and view our boat repairs as something of a hobby. This group tends to be personally competent, physically active, mentally acute and have a wide-ranging education in things that pertain to boats. Most of us eschew the idea of having a "professional" work on our boat if we can do the job. My personal reason for this is that I have seen the professionals dangerously screw up things on many occasions. I spend the least I can keeping a boat seaworthy and view yachting hardware as just a polished version of the same equipment a commercial fisherman would use for the same purpose at 1/3 the price. Others stick to what came with the boat when repairing it. But I would never hire someone to paint my copper paint or go to a yard where they prohibit owners from working on their boats. In short, most liveaboards are frugal. The upside of this approach is that you don't have to spend like you are rich to enjoy a boat. If you cannot repair a boat, perhaps you should not have one. Boats are not like cars - if you break down in a car, you remain safe but in a boat you could be in danger. For critical things, you need to know the equipment is correctly maintained and properly installed, things you cannot trust others to do. Happy sailing.

[SV__Grace]

The smaller and simpler the boat, the easier it is to maintain.

But the marine environment is harsh and any boat kept in the water WILL need TLC.

If you have the skills and the time, DIY is the way to go As much as I cuss at the effort needed to contort into small spaces, I ENJOY working on my boat. I better enjoy it, as it's a part time job in itself (20 hours per week or more for our 1985 heavy cruiser).

If you don't enjoy DIY you can hire out, but it can be a hassle to find good help, it's expensive, and they don't always do a good job.

Since it's a hassle either way, I'd rather DIY and save the bucks when I can.

[CarlF]

I had a friend buy a similar age boat from an old guy who was only selling because his wife was making him do it - he'd had two heart attacks.

The boat was in better than new condition because the boat had been the guy's love for the last 20 years. He had been constantly polishing and making improvements.

After the sale the owner insisted on finishing a few projects for free. He also brought over huge amounts of free boat stuff that had been sitting in his garage that he'd forgotten about.

And then he went sailing with the my friend several times to make sure my friend knew how everything worked.

That's what you want.

Such a boat won't be a rock bottom price but will cost you far less in the long run. And you'll enjoy owning it much more.