You know the old joke about new babies not coming with instruction manuals? Well the same can be said of buying a new-to-you sailboat. Usually your new rapidly devaluing investment comes with either a locker full of outdated receipts, paperwork, and tech manuals for every lamp, beer coozie, and shackle, or it comes with absolutely nothing. Fear not, we’ve gathered a circle of service experts from around the Chesapeake to offer their best tips.
Canvas
Canvas often goes ignored until that fateful day when you poke your finger through some dry rot. If cared for properly, your bimini, sail covers, and other canvas should last about 10 years. Lis and Sean Lawlor own The Cover Loft in Annapolis. Lis says boaters should clean and waterproof their canvas every year. For Sunbrella, 303 Fabric guard is the recommended waterproofing spray, applied thick onto a completely clean and dry canvas. It’s also a good idea to clean any Eisenglass and lubricate zippers, too.
“Signs that the canvas needs to be replaced are rips in the stitching and dry rotted fabric. One tip is to restitch the canvas, if the thread is worn,” says Lis. “Another tip is to spend the money on a Tenara (Gore-Tex) thread upfront on new canvas, and the thread will outlast the canvas without the cost of restitching.”
Rigging
If your rigging isn’t upright, you aren’t going anywhere. So it’s a good idea to spend some time getting friendly with your chainplates, turnbuckles, and clevis pins.
John Callewaert of Eastport Spar and Rigging suggests a professional inspection every three to five years. He also encourages boat owners to service and lubricate all of the mechanical components of the rig once a year. Learn to take apart and service your winch before it seizes.
“The biggest mistake owners make is under-maintaining their rig until something is broken,” says Callewaert. “That ends up haunting them when it all goes wrong.”
Cracks, corrosion, and distortion are your three big enemies in the rigging. It can be dizzying when you think about all of the critical parts that keep your mast upright and your boat together. You can always hire a professional rigger to do a survey and make recommendations (keeping in mind they make their money on rig repairs and upgrades). Boating organizations such as BoatU.S. offer free guides and checklists to help walk you through the process of inspecting your rig.
Sails
With all of the other systems on a boat we see as critical, from the fridge to the head to the Wi-Fi booster, sometimes we forget it’s a sailboat. And your sails need TLC and upkeep just as much as any other system. Sun, water, and chafe are big enemies of any type of sail. Make sure your sail is covered when not in use. A big rain can mean an ecosystem of puddles in your nicely flaked sail, even if you do have a cover. It’s a good idea to raise your sails on a calm day in the slip and shake out any excess water. This will help prevent mildew and any moisture-loving critters, too.
If you won’t be sailing for more than a few weeks, or if you’re kissing your sailboat goodbye for the winter, it’s always a good idea to take your sails off and store them in a dry place. Many sail lofts will babysit your sails in the off season and even give them a wash for you.
Airing out and scrubbing your sail at the start of each season is always a good idea too. Since sailcloth types vary wildly, check with your sailmaker or on the web site of the company who manufactured your sail to find out what’s recommended for your particular sail.
Engine And Electrical
It’s a good idea to learn how to do some basic maintenance on your engine, whether it’s outboard gas or inboard diesel. Changing the oil and other fluids, checking your impeller, cleaning your heat exchanger, and going over your engine for rust or cracks should all be second nature before you start hosting sundowner cruises.
Some boat owners take it a step further and use the off-season months to sign up for an engine maintenance class. Considering what mechanics charge per hour, it’s well worth the investment of time and money to learn as much as you can about your engine.
Whatever area of your boat befuddles you the most, don’t be afraid to ask your local expert for some pointers or even an extra hour on the clock to walk you through some basics. Technician Frank Hoot from Diversified Marine, Inc. in Annapolis says one of the biggest mistakes he sees boat owners make is not taking the time to fully understand how all of their boat’s systems work. “Annapolis School of Seamanship has a class for new boat owners that many of our clients have found very useful,” says Frank.
John Callewaert agrees, “Maintenance is everything!” He reminds sailors that being cheap about maintenance will only result in paying more in the end in repairs, headaches, and lost time out sailing the Bay.
Between books, classes, seminars, YouTube, online resources, local service people, checklists, and other boaters, there is no excuse for letting regular maintenance slip by each year. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and don’t turn a blind eye. There is no such thing as a low-maintenance sailboat.
by Cindy Wallach, SpinSheet March 2014
