If you have just purchased a boat or are in the market to buy one, countless questions will be racing through your mind.
These include how often you are going to use your new craft, where you will store it, and whether you can afford to have bought it in the first place.
However, the question which is probably most on your mind is how on earth you are going to maintain it. After all, while a boat is not a complex machine when you boil it down to brass tacks, it is still a vehicle that you are unlikely to have had much previous experience with maintaining.
While most people are taught how to keep on top of maintenance when they first learn to drive, first-time boat owners are unlikely to be given such a thorough rundown of the basics.
What’s more, while maintaining your boat isn’t the hardest challenge in the world once you have become used to it, there are certain tips and tricks you need to remember to stay on top of it.
This is a guide to boat maintenance:
Store Your Boat Safely and Transport It When You Want to Use It
A crucial element of boat maintenance is the challenge of storing and transporting it when you need to. Unlike a car, which you can park pretty much anywhere, a boat requires a dedicated mooring arrangement that can cost a huge amount of money and cause you a considerable headache if you are not careful.
This is because you are unlikely to be near your mooring location for much of the time. Therefore, you need to ensure it is safe and secure enough to be trusted when you are not there.
Simply parking it up in any old spot is risky, so you should find a professionally maintained mooring spot where someone can keep an eye on your craft and even maintain it for you in some cases.
What’s more, you need to decide which body of water you are going to use your boat on. This is a big decision because boats are not easily transported from one location to another – unless you use a boat transport service.
Wash It After Use
Another critical maintenance tip you should follow if you use your boat in salt water is to hose it down thoroughly after use.
The damage that salt can do to the materials that make up your boat is extreme when left unchecked for an extended time.
In the same way that cars which have lived at the seaside all their lives are far more likely to have rusted, your boat can quickly decay if left to dry when covered in salt.
Therefore, hose it down after you have used it and leave it outside of salt water when mooring it, if possible.
Service It Regularly
Like any machine, the secret to a faultless boat ownership experience is regular servicing. If you are tempted to leave large gaps between service intervals for your engine and hull, you will almost certainly be punished with pricey mechanical issues.
Don’t take the risk. Have your vessel looked at regularly by a trained professional who can spot issues before they become worse.
