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A neighbouring owner recently said, ‘Every hour of summer sailing costs an hour of winter boat repairs.’ Spending another weekend in the shed, I can’t disagree. I’ve taken on the hardest jobs and left smaller ones to the marina team.
Winterising
This included winterising, which I wrote about earlier. The invoice recently arrived, listing work and consumables from 13 December 2024. Details:
1. Basic engine inspection and preparation — €136.85
– five litres of engine antifreeze, −25°C — €43.73
2. Engine oil and filter change — 45 minutes, €69.62
– 2.1 litres Marine 4T 15W40 oil — €21.67
– H97 W06 oil filter — €11.67
3. Gearbox oil change — thirty minutes, €46.41
– 200ml Marine 4T 15W40 oil — €2.06
4. Two fuel filters replaced and beneath-engine cleaning — one hour, €92.82
– H31 WK01 fuel filter — €13.80
– R12 pre-filter, supplied by me, €10 on Amazon
5. Impeller replacement — fifteen minutes, €23.21
– 09-810B impeller — €15.01
6. Alternator belt replacement — fifteen minutes, €23.21
– new belt — €13.28
7. Heads winterising — fifteen minutes, €23.21
– two litres of sanitary antifreeze, −30°C — €11.88
8. Battery servicing and anode replacement — declined:
– I charge the batteries myself periodically
– the anode was sound; I just sanded it lightly
Total:
– engine preparation, including reading the manual — €136.85
– three hours’ labour — €278.48
– consumables — €133.10
– total — €548.41
This invoice is a useful job guide. Next year, I’ll try doing some myself.
Keel problems
Besides winterising, the keel needed attention. Before lift-out, I noticed orange marks between the two central keel bolts, somewhere outside water couldn’t reach. During the lift-out bubbling appeared at three places along the keel joint. Apparently, pressurised water had seeped along the bolts into the bilge.
The keel is fundamental. It makes the yacht behave like a self-righting toy, always returning upright. Usually attached by about ten metre-long bolts, its loss can capsize the boat. So bolts need protecting from corrosion, keeping dry and replacing every fifteen years for zinc or fifty for stainless steel.
Perhaps the damage followed the impact with a rock or the grounding . But as the marina had already serviced this joint last year, they agreed to fix it free.
What they did:
– opened up the leaks
– treated against corrosion
– sanded the surfaces
– sealed with two-component Hempel Light Primer
Hopefully, that’s the end of it.
Halyard replacement
Their last job was replacing the main halyard. At Biltema in Copenhagen I’d bought thirty metres of 10mm rope for €50. But my boat had a different arrangement: ten metres of rope extended by fifteen metres of 6mm steel wire, common on old Swedish yachts.
Changing meant replacing the worn masthead sheave with a larger one. Three hours’ labour, plus €33 for the new sheave.
How about you?
If you’re doing winter maintenance too, how does your list compare? What do you do yourself, and what always goes to professionals?
#maintenance
Winterising
This included winterising, which I wrote about earlier. The invoice recently arrived, listing work and consumables from 13 December 2024. Details:
1. Basic engine inspection and preparation — €136.85
– five litres of engine antifreeze, −25°C — €43.73
2. Engine oil and filter change — 45 minutes, €69.62
– 2.1 litres Marine 4T 15W40 oil — €21.67
– H97 W06 oil filter — €11.67
3. Gearbox oil change — thirty minutes, €46.41
– 200ml Marine 4T 15W40 oil — €2.06
4. Two fuel filters replaced and beneath-engine cleaning — one hour, €92.82
– H31 WK01 fuel filter — €13.80
– R12 pre-filter, supplied by me, €10 on Amazon
5. Impeller replacement — fifteen minutes, €23.21
– 09-810B impeller — €15.01
6. Alternator belt replacement — fifteen minutes, €23.21
– new belt — €13.28
7. Heads winterising — fifteen minutes, €23.21
– two litres of sanitary antifreeze, −30°C — €11.88
8. Battery servicing and anode replacement — declined:
– I charge the batteries myself periodically
– the anode was sound; I just sanded it lightly
Total:
– engine preparation, including reading the manual — €136.85
– three hours’ labour — €278.48
– consumables — €133.10
– total — €548.41
This invoice is a useful job guide. Next year, I’ll try doing some myself.
Keel problems
Besides winterising, the keel needed attention. Before lift-out, I noticed orange marks between the two central keel bolts, somewhere outside water couldn’t reach. During the lift-out bubbling appeared at three places along the keel joint. Apparently, pressurised water had seeped along the bolts into the bilge.
The keel is fundamental. It makes the yacht behave like a self-righting toy, always returning upright. Usually attached by about ten metre-long bolts, its loss can capsize the boat. So bolts need protecting from corrosion, keeping dry and replacing every fifteen years for zinc or fifty for stainless steel.
Perhaps the damage followed the impact with a rock or the grounding . But as the marina had already serviced this joint last year, they agreed to fix it free.
What they did:
– opened up the leaks
– treated against corrosion
– sanded the surfaces
– sealed with two-component Hempel Light Primer
Hopefully, that’s the end of it.
Halyard replacement
Their last job was replacing the main halyard. At Biltema in Copenhagen I’d bought thirty metres of 10mm rope for €50. But my boat had a different arrangement: ten metres of rope extended by fifteen metres of 6mm steel wire, common on old Swedish yachts.
Changing meant replacing the worn masthead sheave with a larger one. Three hours’ labour, plus €33 for the new sheave.
How about you?
If you’re doing winter maintenance too, how does your list compare? What do you do yourself, and what always goes to professionals?
#maintenance
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