Owning a boat can be an expensive investment. However, without proper care, this investment can end up costing even more than you might imagine. As with any expensive purchase, it is essential that you take the appropriate steps towards ensuring that it remains in excellent working order, and saves you the trouble of paying out the ear for further maintenance or worse, needing to buy a new boat altogether.
DOCKED
When you are not using your boat, you still want to ensure that proper maintenance and care is taken while docked. Checking on your boat whenever you get the chance and keeping it clean, free of barnacles, and any other issues will ease the pain of arriving only to find that you can’t get it started.
Furthermore, you can read advice on this boat dock blog to provide ways to keep a docked boat even more secure and protect it from sea waste, algae, and more via a boat lift. This sort of device will make it easier to arrive, enter the water, and get out to sea as quickly as possible, so you are not wasting time cleaning and prepping.
AT SEA
When out at sea, no matter how far or close from the shore, you want to be able to just relax and enjoy your time there. However, neglecting to take proper care of your vessel when out on the open ocean can leave you sinking (not literally) very quickly.
Checking for potential dangers and obstacles bobbing in the water is essential to continue along your course. Furthermore, ensuring that the sails are kept in excellent working order and devoid of holes will make your trip out and back much more comfortable. Additionally, things like the rudder and propeller need to be watched to make sure that nothing, be it seaweed or ocean garbage, get caught in them, which could cause serious damage.
ALL THE BOAT YOU CANNOT SEE
Aspects of your boat such as the interior and engine as well as any of the submerged elements are also something that should not be neglected. While it can be easy to forget about these specifics due to the whole out of sight, out of mind thing, this can leave you with heavy costs to pay and could ruin your favorite pastime.
Undertaking adequate maintenance every once in a while, whether it be done personally or by hiring a professional (although, it pays to learn all this on your own), will save you the trouble of getting all dressed up ready to take a day relaxing at sea, only to find damage and rust and anything else that might go wrong. Finding the time to check and double check any wear and tear will save this from ruining your day, and keep that plain sailing easy as a sea breeze.
You want this investment to last as long as it can, and so taking adequate care when it is needed is essential to remaining a happy camper, or should that be happy sailor.
Image Credits: Photo by Bobby Burch on Unsplash.