Liveaboard Maintenance Time Spent Per Week

[Agility]

While you are living aboard full time. How much time per week do you spend on maintenance tasks.

I'd include the obvious things like oil changes, wash downs, stainless polishing, mechanical repairs, light improvement projects etc.

I'd also include water maker start up/shut down, battery charging, inspecting the hulls, anchor, line chafing. I'd also include genset repairs, watermaker, Aircon, winch, sail repair etc.

Basically, any time you spend making sure the boat is sound and the systems are functioning to the desired level.

Feel free to detail time spent per week on most typical maintenance tasks. For instance, my wife spent about 3 hours a week polishing stainless while I spent about 150 hours in one year on the genset.

[captintommy]

I should have read what you would have had us include as maintenance. I did not include the new windlass, AIS antenna, solar panell and extra battery, much less wood wrapped steering wheel and new lockers in the aft cabin. All I thought of was cleaning, varnish and wax.

Can I vote again? lol

[Pelagic]

I like everything to work and enjoy improving on the original, so about 2 to 3 hrs a day not counting research.

I hire someone else to wash the boat, keep the stainless polished and do the grunge jobs.

What I do, is not work, it is an “avocation of the retired” and brings me great satisfaction

[MarkJ]

We do 1 hour per day each. So its about 10 hours per week - weekends off! But then we just painted the bottom (of the boat!) so thered a few extra hours...

[James S]

Good survey idea...I'm amazed at the results so far...up to 20 hrs a week?

I wonder how blurred the line is between maintenance and upgrade.

I'm doing a refit so cant vote for anything current...but in the past it was around 1 hour a day for pure maintenance….even that sounds high.

[Amgine]

From experience, even the regular sweeping of the cabin sole is really maintenance to keep it from getting scuffed. And, imo, system upgrades are a part of maintenance (and something I personally don't end up doing as often as I should.)

So, yah, I can see 20 hours a week in keeping the boat clean and shipshape. Most of it is little stuff - getting the sand out of the cockpit, wiping down the head to prevent mold and corrosion - that get to be second-nature when you're aboard for long stretches.

(Note that I'm not a liveaboard; just an occasional multi-month cruiser.)

[jcmcdowell]

I voted for 5-10 hrs per week, but I could do a lot more. There is ALWAYS a long list of maintenance, repairs, upgrades, cleaning than CAN be done and always something unexpected that gets moved to the top of the list.

[cptnandy]

over 20 but then I charter.

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by cptnandy

over 20 but then I charter.

Then tis polishin' not maintainin'?

I keep the boat at a good clean state, but I reckon I would be sacked from a charter operation in 2 minutes!

[Agility]

Somehow, I think that maintenance is part of the secret recipe that makes long term cruising so fulfilling. If you didn't have work that needs to be done, that beer on the back deck after fired up the barbecue wouldn't task very good.

Of course, too much can be overwhelming but that's what yards are for.

[Brent Swain]

I do a couple of hours a year on maintenance
Brent