Zen and the Art of Sailboat Maintenance

[bsangs]

After successfully completing yet another boat project, my dad lovingly quipped to me, "I would have bought you a boat 45 years ago if I knew it was going to actually make you handy." He's not wrong. This lifestyle choice really does throw you into the deep end, and force you to learn at lot of skills you may not have had. Anyone told me a few years ago I'd become versed on diesel engines, electrical wiring, plumbing, knots, small fridge repair, waterproofing, woodwork - not to mention actually sailing - I'd have laughed at them. And there's still more to learn. Also, the assistance provided from people in the sailing community - whether it's you guys here, the crew in my boatyard, my marina friends, the previous owner, the small and large businesses that produced some of the things I needed to fix - is unmatched. Who needs a trade school when you own an old sailboat?

 

[reginaldobaker]

Right on! Even just a cheap sewing machine for canvas/interior work can be a rabbit hole in itself

 

[Pete the Cat]

I have a sailing friend who exhibits absolutely no interest in working on his boat. He has a very simple rig and sails almost every decent day. I was flummoxed by his not having any boom vang and decent winches on his small keelboat, but then realized he had the perfect boat for him--very little to go wrong because he just does not want to get involved in that. I also have seen the other end of the spectrum: where a sailor has outfitted his boat for a round the world trip and spends nearly all his time in the slip talking about amps, exotic battery configurations and the latest electronic additions. So I think it is probably important for folks to gain the expertise to maintain the boat you have and not get a boat that is beyond your interest and capabilities. I see a lot of boats in my marina that look abandoned and I think someone did not think through what it was going to take to maintain them for their intended purpose.

 

[bsangs]

I have a sailing friend who exhibits absolutely no interest in working on his boat. He has a very simple rig and sails almost every decent day. I was flummoxed by his not having any boom vang and decent winches on his small keelboat, but then realized he had the perfect boat for him--very little to go wrong because he just does not want to get involved in that. I also have seen the other end of the spectrum: where a sailor has outfitted his boat for a round the world trip and spends nearly all his time in the slip talking about amps, exotic battery configurations and the latest electronic additions. So I think it is probably important for folks to gain the expertise to maintain the boat you have and not get a boat that is beyond your interest and capabilities. I see a lot of boats in my marina that look abandoned and I think someone did not think through what it was going to take to maintain them for their intended purpose.

Well I'll be honest. Before purchasing, I'd certainly heard about all the work that could go into maintaining a boat - especially an older one - but until you actually experience it, it's all just anecdotal. I'm not claiming I can do everything, far from it in fact, but if you want to get your boat out on the water instead of just sitting in a slip, your hand is forced and you have to learn. (And sometimes you have to pay handsomely for the things you cannot learn, or just don't have time to learn depending on schedules. Looking at you, worn out dripless shaft seal three days before a two-week trip to Block Island.)

 

[G Kiba]

I have seen the same gambit of human/sail behavior. When I first started sailing, I thought everyone was like me - fix the boat so you can sail it! Was not long to figure out that all the car and motorcycle experience in my youth would be so important after encountering folks without that experience and skill. Then I learned there are folks who only work on their boats and not sail them. In fact, not even go sailing. I don't understand that - but "whatever floats your boat?"

 

[Christian Williams]

Sailboats are a commitment sport or endeavor or "thing." If we're halfway there they don't work. I mean, you take people sailing and the engine doesn't start, the mainsail won't go up for some unknown reason, the cushions are all wet, the icebox has a dead mouse in it, and the cocktails flag you left up has been wrapped around the shroud in tatters for three months and there seems to be no way up there without a ladder, which you forgot to bring again.

Halfway there just doesn't work. It's a life lesson of some value. With sailboats, halfway there is a For Sale sign.

 

[southofvictor]

When I was a kid growing up in Milwaukee I was part of a local cycling team sponsored by a bike shop two blocks from my house. The guys in the shop were all bike and motorcycle mechanics and took me under their wing allowing me to use the shop and teaching me how to do things correctly. I feel so lucky to have had that experience since it gave me a foundation to grow other technical and trade knowledge. Big thanks to everyone (including a lot of you on this site) who take the time to “pass it on” to others!

 

[alcodiesel]

"When I was a kid growing up in Milwaukee I was part of a local cycling team sponsored by a bike shop two blocks from my house. The guys in the shop were all bike and motorcycle mechanics..."

Is it any wonder that two pioneers, well, three, in the development of aircraft were bike mechanics to start with: Glenn Curtiss and the Wright brothers. Bikes, planes, boats and even rockets (a friend of mine was a bike mechanic, now years later is an engineer at NASA Langley).

As another former bike mechanic. I heartily endorse Christian's observation: "Halfway there just doesn't work." Or as a group of my friends say; "Half measures avail us nothing."

 

[Vtonian]

Hi Bill. Welcome to Sailors Anonymous.

 

[bigd14]

Owning an old boat definitely helps keep the mind sharp! I have been thinking about how many different areas of expertise I have needed to sail and work on my boats. At different times during my boat ownership I have been a:

Engine mechanic
Plumber
Electronics engineer
Electrical engineer
Electrician
Rigging engineer
Rigger
Materials engineer
Carpenter
Painter
Fiberglass fabricator
Metalworker
Upholsterer
Supply manager
Aerodynamicist
Meteorologist
Navigator
Yogi/Contortionist

And probably others. What else?

 

[Vtonian]

definitely a sanitation engineer...

 

[Frank Langer]

Owning an old boat definitely helps keep the mind sharp! I have been thinking about how many different areas of expertise I have needed to sail and work on my boats. At different times during my boat ownership I have been a:

Engine mechanic
Plumber
Electronics engineer
Electrical engineer
Electrician
Rigging engineer
Rigger
Materials engineer
Carpenter
Painter
Fiberglass fabricator
Metalworker
Upholsterer
Supply manager
Aerodynamicist
Meteorologist
Navigator
Yogi/Contortionist

And probably others. What else?

I'm sure bartender should be in there somewhere!!
Frank

 

[G Kiba]

Don't forget,
Teacher, Tour Guide, Safety officer, Host, Historian, logistics manager, and Hospitality.

 

[bgary]

The conventional wisdom is that a boat is a hole in the water you throw money into.

I'm more prone to believe a boat is a floating project list that never gets shorter.

 

[bigd14]

My wife jokes (except she’s not joking) that my first boat project was equivalent in learning and cost to a second college degree.

 

[Bepi]

Other than reading, sailing is the most rewarding hobby there is.

 

[Gaviate]

floating project list that never gets shorter.

Lol, like wood, definitely not waterproof. The more time in the water, the more the list will swell!!

 

[tenders]

Other than reading, sailing is the most rewarding hobby there is.

Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.

 

[vanilladuck]

Hear hear! I couldn't agree more with the intersection of skills needed to sail and really take care of a sailboat. It seems rare nowadays to find sailors that actually enjoy working on their boats. That's usually a job contracted out or ignored.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a DIY household long before "DIY" was a recognized novelty acronym. When anything needed doing, fixing, constructing, or improving around the house, car, boat, bicycle, or other things, my dad would jump in and get busy. And I was right there to ask, "why?" When I got my first car, a used and beat up 1984 Toyota truck, I asked how I could go about getting it running. My dad responded without hesitation, "we're going to fix it together". I few weeks later we were dropping the transmission out in the garage to replace the clutch.

As a result, I've been relatively handy for most of my adult life. But, it wasn't until I bought my first boat, Rumour, that I saw the confluence of all my various skills harnessed in one object of affection -- the boat. And, it's a love affair which regularly fuels learning new skills.

 

[windblown]

My wife jokes (except she’s not joking) that my first boat project was equivalent in learning and cost to a second college degree.

A Masters Degree, I think.