Sailing on the open seas during a warm summer day is any boat owner’s safe haven. Whether you’re fishing or cruising, a calm sailing trip is sure to relax you. Minimize risks and keep your boat trips relaxing and safe by making sure that your boat follows a regular yacht maintenance schedule inclusive of everything from luxury yacht repairs to marine toilet repair and maintenance.
Any yacht owner would know that a yacht maintenance routine is essential to keep your boat in perfect condition. After all, you don’t want any preventable issues to ruin your day when you’re out at sea. Making sure that you have access to top marine yacht services is imperative for your sailing enjoyment.
In this article, we list down the importance of yacht maintenance and the regular maintenance routines you should be doing to keep your boat in top condition.
The Importance of Yacht Maintenance
While it can be tempting to forego yacht maintenance to just sail the seas, you shouldn’t. Seasoned yacht owners know the value of a well-maintained and well-kept boat, which is why they will tell you how valuable yacht maintenance is.
Yacht maintenance includes yacht interior cleaning to engine check up. More than the aesthetic purposes, yacht maintenance takes on an even higher priority once you realize that a lot of fatal boating accidents are caused by machine or equipment failure. These could have been prevented with a regular yacht maintenance schedule.
Owning a yacht is taking care of an investment. From your first sailing experience to all subsequent summers and seasons, your yacht needs to be maintained in top condition to avoid any mishaps. Aside from that, you also get the benefit of being able to sail in luxury and comfort.
How to Maintain a Yacht
Maintaining a yacht requires a systematic checkup of your boat systems. While there are several bodies of water that a boat may explore in, generally speaking, there are some steps that you shouldn’t skip when doing your yacht maintenance routines.
Whether you’re sailing on a river, lake, or open sea, there are several important yacht maintenance routines that you should regularly employ once you own a yacht. In this section, we compile an essential yacht maintenance checklist that you should go through when inspecting your luxury yacht.
The Essential Yacht Maintenance Checklist
Before you set sail (or maybe even after!), make sure to that you cross off the following from your essential yacht maintenance checklist:
Clean the yacht exteriors
At first glance, cleaning your boat’s exteriors might be simply because you want to make it look clean and polished. Exterior cleaning, however, should be a regular part of your yacht maintenance for more than cosmetic reasons.
Regular exterior cleaning stops the spread of rust and erosion. Aside from that, exterior cleaning prevents the growth of invasive plants and sea species. This is especially important if you have been travelling between waterways.
Inspect all gauges
Keeping your boat trips uneventful and comfortable requires that all your systems are in place. The first of these many systems are your gauges. Inspect all your gauges and make sure that they are working properly. This lets you know about your yacht’s speed, fuel levels, etc. to avoid any surprises and unnecessary hassles during your sailing trips.
Test the battery
Much like automobile batteries, your yacht batteries are an essential part of your luxury boats. It is for this reason that you need to check and test your batteries as part of your yacht maintenance routine. This ensures that you have a smooth experience during your boat rides.
Generally, yacht batteries can be recharged so long as they are above 20% capacity. A consistent pulse on your battery levels is necessary. It is also the key to avoid constant yacht battery replacements.
Check the propeller and skeg
The propeller and skeg are essential parts of the yacht in terms of navigation. If the propeller is damaged, you won’t exactly be able to travel very far. In addition, a damaged skeg won’t allow you to navigate the waters because you can’t steer properly. Include checking the propeller and skeg in your regular yacht maintenance checklists to ensure safe travels.
Scan the hull and bilge for damages such as erosion, dents, and leaks
Scanning your yacht for even the smallest damages will prove to be valuable especially when it comes to accident prevention. Before sailing, make sure that you check your hull and bilge for damages, including dents and leaks. This simple step prevents any mishaps and malfunctions during your boat rides.
Check and/or replace the engine oil
Changing the oil in your automobile engines is an essential part of automobile maintenance; likewise, changing the engine oil is an essential step of yacht maintenance checks. Take note that your boat engine’s oil needs to be changed every 50 to 100 hours of operation, so that means an annual oil change is necessary.
Inspect hoses
While they may seem to be a small part of your yacht, hoses are actually a very valuable component of your boat. Your hoses ensure that liquids are transported all around the boats. Considering this, it is especially important that you pick the right kind of hose depending on the liquid.
Make sure to add a hose inspection in your yacht maintenance checklist. Look out for signs of wear and brittleness, as well as damage. Immediately replace damaged hoses to avoid any internal malfunctions.
Make sure that you are all fueled up
The last thing you want is to run out of fuel while you’re in the middle of open waters. This step is a pretty basic one, but it can be quite easy to forget for some. During your regular yacht maintenance sessions, ensure that your engine has enough fuel for your next trip.
Audit your electrical systems
Electrical systems are essential for yachts, which is why it should be a top priority for any yacht owner to ensure that their electrical systems are working properly. After all, a faulty electrical system can cause major accidents if not prevented. Having your electrical systems audited by professionals should be a constant in your yacht maintenance checklists.
Clean or replace fuel and air filters
Similar to any vehicle, your yachts need clean air and fuel to function at full capacity. Neglecting your fuel and air filters could result in performance issues. Minimize risks and eliminate these problems altogether by regularly inspecting and cleaning your fuel and air filters.
Review your yacht’s plumbing and HVAC
If your boat already has air conditioning installed, then a regular inspection of your plumbing and HVAC system is a necessity in your yacht maintenance routine. Make sure that you thoroughly review this as unnoticed problems in the HVAC systems can cause major problems to your yacht.
Clean and update your interiors
Your boat’s interiors need to be regularly maintained, just as much as your exteriors need to be cleaned. There are several yacht interior cleaning tips that you can follow and apply to your interior maintenance routines, but generally, it is always best to ask professionals to help you out when updating your boat. This ensures that your interiors are treated properly.
Maintain any moving parts as needed
Whenever you need to do a spring cleaning or general maintenance in your house, you check for problems in most areas. For boats and yachts, it is even more important to maintain the small parts to keep your boat in top condition. Oil any moving parts to ensure that they don’t become unstable for general use.
Test ropes, chains, anchors, and docking gears
Your ropes, chains, anchors, and docking gears are subtle parts that can easily get forgotten in the grand scheme of things. However, a thorough yacht maintenance routine involves testing out these parts and making sure that they are still functional. Keep an eye out for rust and broken gears and replace them as soon as possible.
Check emergency and first-aid kits
Never sail without ensuring that you are well equipped for emergency situations. Make sure that you have a thoroughly equipped first aid kit. Your emergency kits should not only include the basic medicines, but it should have the following:
- Supplies for emergency maintenance
- Signal flares
- Emergency radio
Make sure that you also have enough flotation devices for your passengers to ensure your safety while sailing.
Ensure navigation lights are operable
Much like headlights to an automobile, your yacht’s navigation lights ensure that you can safely travel open waters during the night. Even if you aren’t planning on sailing after sun down, it is especially important to make sure that your lights are operable in case of emergencies. Do a routine check of your navigation lights before each trip to avoid any surprises.
Inspect and update the backfire flame arrestor
If your yacht has a gas-powered motor, then ensuring that your backfire flame arrestor is working properly is essential. A clean backfire flame arrestor prevents gasoline vapors from igniting in case of a backfire. Make sure to inspect, clean, and replace your backfire flame arrestor as necessary.
Inspect your rig and sail thoroughly
Any sailor would know how battered the rig and sail can get each time a yacht sails out. It is therefore essential to include both in your yacht maintenance checklist. Your sails should be inspected after every use, while your rigs should be thoroughly inspected every season.
Sail to Your Heart’s Content with a Well-maintained Yacht!
Having a stable yacht maintenance routine keeps your beloved luxury yacht in tiptop condition. Whether you want to sail rivers, lakes, or open seas, having a well-conditioned boat makes for an awesome sailing experience. From relaxing fishing trips to chill evening cruises, minimize the risks of sailing by making sure that you have a well-maintained yacht.
If you’re looking for top experts with a passion for yachts and prices that cannot be beat, then look no further than Marine Care.