How to Maintain a Boat?

Thursday, July 20, 2023

How to Maintain a Boat?

Boat maintenance, which can cause serious damage to your boat if neglected, is a subject that every boat owner should take extremely seriously. Just as you need to have your vehicles maintained regularly on land, you should also take care of your boat's maintenance in the same way. To ensure that your boat is safe and secure, you can contact expert companies. Let's take a look at how different types of boats are maintained.

How to Maintain a Wooden Boat?

When it comes to maintaining your wooden boat, you can get a basic idea by looking at the wooden objects you use in your home. To preserve wood in a healthy way for many years, it must first be kept dry. This is easy to do with objects in your home, but how can you keep a boat that is meant to be on the water dry?

First, you must keep the interior and exterior of your boat clean. Some substances that accumulate on the outside of your boat can damage the wood, so these substances should be removed without harming the wood (make sure that cleaners such as pressurized water and detergent can be used on the wood). The next step in boat maintenance is to renew the varnish, ensuring that the barrier that protects the boat from water is refreshed and performing at its highest level.

If you have a wooden boat, the best thing you can do is to take it out of the water and store it on land during the winter months. This way, your boat will not be exposed to seawater during periods when it is not in use.

How to Maintain a Fiberglass Boat?

When it comes to maintenance of fiberglass boat, the priority is to keep it clean. The gel coating on the boat can be eroded by foreign substances that accumulate on the bottom and sides of the boat, which reduces its protective ability. Therefore, exterior cleaning of your boat is important.

However, accidents can happen, such as scraping against rocks or debris. When such an incident occurs, you should carefully inspect the affected area for any cracks immediately after tying up your boat. Remember that these small cracks will become bigger and more costly if not repaired. After repairs and cleaning, you should polish your boat. Polish not only makes your boat shiny but also protects it from the harmful rays of the sun. Finally, as mentioned earlier, you can increase the resistance of your boat to the abrasive effect of saltwater by applying gel coating to make it more protective.

How to Maintain a Sailing Boat?

Maintenance of a sailing boat is a bit different from the wooden and fiberglass boat maintenance we have discussed so far. Basically, your boat's maintenance can be similar to the above depending on the type of hull maintenance, but in sailing boats, maintenance of the sails themselves and the winch system should also be done. First of all, our first advice for sail maintenance is not to let your sails dry out if they have been soaked in seawater. Because salty seawater damages the resin substance in the sail fabric and shortens the life of the sail. Therefore, you need to wash your sails with fresh water. The biggest factor that damages your sails is the sun's rays. You can protect your sail from the sun's rays by keeping it away from the sun with a cover. For sail maintenance, you should check your sails before taking your boat out to sea, making sure that the stitches are not damaged and still maintaining their shape. When not in use, lowering your sail and moving it to a closed area will reduce the stress on the sail and protect it from materials that could damage its integrity. Again, at this point, let's note that your boat's winch system needs to be regularly checked and repaired if necessary. As with all mechanical components, cleaning and regular lubrication will extend the life of your winch system.

How to Maintain a Steel Boat?

The maintenance of a steel boat is not fundamentally different from the maintenance of a fiberglass boat; however, the most important thing to pay attention to is rust and corrosion. Rust is a serious issue in steel boats that threatens the structural integrity of the vessel. Therefore, the boat should be regularly checked, and any damage to the paint or protective layer should be quickly repaired.

After providing general information about the maintenance of boats made of different materials, let's examine the common maintenance procedures that need to be performed regardless of the material used.

Maintenance of Electrical and Water Installations

To maintain the electrical and water systems of your boat, you should regularly check that the electrical system is functioning properly and that there are no malfunctions. Similarly, the water system is also a component that needs to be checked and maintained regularly as any problems that may arise can pose a safety risk.

Fuel, Oil and Steering Maintenance

Regular inspection of your boat's fuel tank and fuel-carrying pipes is necessary, and the parts that use oil in your boat should be cleaned and lubricated regularly. Also, make sure that your boat's steering system is periodically lubricated with the appropriate oil.

Engine Maintenance

You should never neglect the maintenance of your boat's engine, which is one of its most important components. If the engine maintenance, or in other words, the stern maintenance, is neglected, your boat's performance will be dramatically affected. In some cases, problems with the engine can cause boats to become stranded at sea and lead to very negative situations. Therefore, when performing a comprehensive maintenance of your boat, the engine should be a particular focus.

It is worth noting here that both interior maintenance such as teak maintenance that reduces the slipperiness of your boat's floors, and technical maintenance such as boat rigging maintenance, should be performed periodically. These maintenance tasks are critical to your boat's safety, security, and performance.

As you can see, paying attention to details is crucial for a boat to achieve its highest performance and work efficiently. Neglecting the regular maintenance of a boat will result in performance loss and lead to larger maintenance and repair costs in the future. For these reasons, you should ensure that your boat undergoes periodic maintenance and is quickly repaired when necessary. Of course, it is impossible to perform all these tasks alone. Therefore, you can get support from a reputable company with a long history in the industry. At Asmira, we offer all the maintenance and repair services your boat needs, from gel coating to electrical systems, from carpentry to toxic paint applications, with our superior quality. You can visit our website for contact: 

https://asmiramarine.com.tr/#refit-repair