My January 2024 issue of Practical Boat Owner just arrived and there is a six page article about big problems to watch out for.
There is a link to a video as well.
www.pbo.co.uk
One minor quibble is the sound quality in the video was not good, at least thru my computer. Of course there is also the difficulty of the accent.
Many of the problems with hull, keels, and spongy decks are, IMHO, the direct result of maintenance ignored for way too many years/decades. Other problems with corrosion, contaminated fuel, and prop damage should be more noticeable, but it's easy for owners to put off maintenance for another day/month/year. Many of us suffer from that frailty.
Not you or me, of course....
The strong warning about cheap diesel heaters is one I have seen elsewhere and often, but their too-low-to-be-true prices are quite seductive. (a friend just installed one and all he can talk about is how cheap it was.)
The warning about too-old sail drive seals ("boots") is one that we EY owners thankfully do not have to worry about. There are a large and growing number of late model sailboats with these units and most owners I have spoken to plan to ignore the recommended service ($$$) interval for those. Many just change the subject instantly.... I wonder how their insurers will respond to a sinking?
Anyhow, PBO is a great magazine, every month. Its target audience seems to be DIY-ers and active owner/sailors. Not a cheap subscription, but nothing any good ever is, IMO.
There is a link to a video as well.
15 things you never want to see on a yacht - Practical Boat Owner
Leisure boats don’t need to pass an MOT. You can buy one tomorrow, sail it away, and if it sinks because a skin fitting shears off, or if it explodes because of a gas leak, then that’s your bad luck. There are unscrupulous sellers out there who think nothing of slapping a bit of filler and paint...
www.pbo.co.uk
One minor quibble is the sound quality in the video was not good, at least thru my computer. Of course there is also the difficulty of the accent.
Many of the problems with hull, keels, and spongy decks are, IMHO, the direct result of maintenance ignored for way too many years/decades. Other problems with corrosion, contaminated fuel, and prop damage should be more noticeable, but it's easy for owners to put off maintenance for another day/month/year. Many of us suffer from that frailty.
Not you or me, of course....
The strong warning about cheap diesel heaters is one I have seen elsewhere and often, but their too-low-to-be-true prices are quite seductive. (a friend just installed one and all he can talk about is how cheap it was.)
The warning about too-old sail drive seals ("boots") is one that we EY owners thankfully do not have to worry about. There are a large and growing number of late model sailboats with these units and most owners I have spoken to plan to ignore the recommended service ($$$) interval for those. Many just change the subject instantly.... I wonder how their insurers will respond to a sinking?
Anyhow, PBO is a great magazine, every month. Its target audience seems to be DIY-ers and active owner/sailors. Not a cheap subscription, but nothing any good ever is, IMO.