Paying the Piper- Boat maintenance if you don’t stay on top of it!

Since I’ve owned a sailboat, I can honestly say I’ve done as much as I could with the time I had to put toward boat upkeep and maintenance.  However, I must caveat with the fact that I live three (3) hours from my boat, so getting there to do much of anything takes some planning, and getting major projects done almost always requires me to take time off work,,,,which I don’t mind, but I mind being away from the family for any reason.  Admission: I like being around my wife and my kids!

One of the things I’ve done well is to hire Dockside Divers, a great hull cleaning company that doesn’t bitch about my hull paint because they keep it in good shape and they change my Zincs without me having to ask.   They were also honest and straight up when I asked about my prop,,,,,saying,,,yep, it probably needs to be balanced, “we can do it and get it back on the boat no problem”.   I liked that.  One of the things I have not done so well is to clean, wax and polish the hull above the water on a regular basis.  Take my advice,,,,if you’re in a slip and not cruising,  you may want to do this yourself or have it done several times a year instead of once in two years,,,,for this, you’ll pay the piper too! 

Of course, I’ve also paid attention to the engine preventative maintenance and service checks on a regular basis and I know clearly that diesel engines like to be run, generators like to be run with the right load on them and both engines need to be run to stay functional with everything lubed well.  One secret you need to know about your  sailboat diesel engine,,,,find out if there are Zincs INSIDE the engine from your manual, the internet or a mechanic,,,,cause those might need changing and service too.