Boat maintenance & repair tips for sailors

By Paul Knox-Johnston Sales & Marketing Manager (Marine)

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Falling in love with boating is a lifelong relationship and when you own your own boat it involves a lot of time, effort and dare we say it, money! Neglecting your boat, isn’t a good recipe for relationship success, as when out on the water you look out for each other. Like in all the best relationships it’s the small stuff that really counts and when it comes to boat maintenance nothing could be truer.

Regular care and maintenance attention across the hull, superstructure, engine, deck equipment, rigging, electronics and interior will keep your relationship on course and ensure you and your boat have a happy life together.

Preventative maintenance whilst safely on the pontoon to stop and catch issues when they are small, will reduce the risk of considerable stress and danger to you and your crew if they unexpectedly reveal themselves out on the water.

It doesn’t matter whether you have a sailing yacht, motor boat, river cruiser or narrowboat; whether you head out to sea, on a lake or along a canal, the tasks you need to carry out will be slightly different, but important nonetheless.

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Why is boat maintenance important?

Boats have a lot to contend with in their lifetime; often left alone for long periods of time, both afloat and ashore, are constantly exposed to the humid and harsh marine environment, as well as being repeatedly beaten up by the weather. That’s before you head out into deep blue to play with the wind and waves and explore new locations where we all know the occasional bump and scrape can unfortunately occur.

Regular boat maintenance will extend the life of your vessel and onboard equipment. It will help prevent corrosion from saltwater and reduce wear and tear. Ultimately, it will ensure that your boat will be as safe as possible out on the water, with your friends, family and yourself onboard.

What are some essential boating repair tasks?

Luckily, we already have a handy guide for this, you can view it here:

Regular boat maintenance will help pick up any minor faults before they become major ones. Before you head out on the water for another season, we advise you to always check the following as a minimum (It makes sense to keep checking throughout the season as well):

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Remember every boat is different, so your boat may have other specific maintenance needs which should be checked regularly.

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What are the benefits of maintaining my boat properly?

We all know that owning a boat isn’t a low-cost exercise, so frequent maintenance of your pride and joy will help keep bills to a minimum and allow expenses to be planned in advance. Remember that it is highly unlikely your boat insurance policy will cover you for damage due to lack of maintenance and wear and tear, so keeping up with maintenance tasks will help you in the unfortunate event you need to claim!

Also, and for enjoyment of your time on the water, your boat will sail better, be more efficient (saving you fuel if motoring) and less likely to breakdown or suffer equipment failure out at sea. It will be happier, last longer and better hold its value. You know that old saying ‘happy boat means happy afloat.’

Regular checks on your boat are really important to ensure that it stays in tip top condition and can help you identify and correct any problems before they develop into larger issues further down the line.

...and don't forget

If you’re interested in not just maintaining your boat but also insuring it for peace of mind, then you’re in the right place. Please use our boat insurance page to find out how we can benefit you!

For boat insurance enquiries, call us:

+44(0)1732 223650

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Haven Knox-Johnston is a trading name of Howden UK Brokers Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority No. 307663. Registered in England and Wales under company registration number 02831010. Registered Office: One Creechurch Place, London, EC3A 5AF. Calls may be monitored and recorded for quality assurance purposes.