How often do you use your boat?

[36valley]

Originally Posted by Last Tango

How about this one.........

How do you go about the routine maintenance jobs on your boat, eg battery charging, checking oil, splicing, fitting toys, editing waypoints, tracks, DSC directory updates etc.

Never seen the setup on a dry-stack so I've no idea how you'd access the boat unless it was in the water ?

Just ask them to put it on maintenance frame on the ground when you want to work on it. No different to working on it than when on a trailer.

[neil.mccrirrick]

I count all that as use [emoji1] it’s a hobby and faffing is all part of it although I hate trailer maintenance. On the water (nearest water is 2 hours away) about 60 hours a year. But that will go up a lot next year 🥳[emoji106]

[Last Tango]

Originally Posted by 36valley

Just ask them to put it on maintenance frame on the ground when you want to work on it. No different to working on it than when on a trailer.

.....

[lakelandterrier]

Originally Posted by Last Tango

How do you go about the routine maintenance jobs on your boat, eg battery charging, checking oil, splicing, fitting toys, editing waypoints, tracks, DSC directory updates etc.

I'm not in a drystack, but I check oil on the water before departing - cowl off and dipstick - but not every trip.

Battery charges when running engine - keep eye on voltage and isolate battery when leaving her. If it's low, Itake the battery home & charge it there.

I take SD card home to update chart, waypoints at home etc, but seldom actually use them.

Don't use DSC calling, so don't update this - clear old calls whilst out

Most of these tasks I'm sure you could do before / after a normal run.

I'm 2 1/2 hours away from the boat so I either do these jobs over winter or work around a run. There's not that much to do above normal pre-op checks, or as post run tasks.

[GuyC]

You can ask the dry stack to put your boat on a maintenance berth which is a ground level set of supports normally set up like a bunk trailer. There will generally be access to power and water at the maintenance berth.

The dry stack will also generally have a little book of marine engineers, electricians, valeters etc that they recommend.

Some dry stacks have the option of filling your boat with fuel as well.

There is also a social apsect to them as well which you can, if you choose, exploit.

In terms of faffage, to use someone elses description, they are very handy. You ring up, ask them to launch the boat and assuming you live more than about 30 minutes away, your boat will be ready to go when you arrive. When you get back, you can hose the boat down whilst alongside. The dry stack will lift it out of the water, jet wash the bottom and put it away for you.

Of course there is a cost to all this and it depends on your personal circumstances as to whether it is a worthwhile investment. It probably works out to be the cost of a new trailer every couple of years.

If being out on the water is secondary to tinkering with your boat either enforced or by choice, then it does negate much of the benefit of being in a dry stack.

The other area that I think a dry stack probably curtails is the willingness to take your boat to new places.

It's horses for courses.

Edit - I didn't notice Page 2!

[Windsurfer]

Great question , we use our small rib twice a week in the summer and probably once a month in the winter (normally all day if out at the weekends or couple of hours after work , in the winter its a few hours a time).
Half way through last summer we sold our sib and bought a rib so will hopefully stick this in the harbour for a few months next summer as we have been beach launching!

Please don't get into working out cost per boat ride!

[jakew009]

Originally Posted by Windsurfer

Great question , we use our small rib twice a week in the summer and probably once a month in the winter (normally all day if out at the weekends or couple of hours after work , in the winter its a few hours a time).
Half way through last summer we sold our sib and bought a rib so will hopefully stick this in the harbour for a few months next summer as we have been beach launching!

Please don't get into working out cost per boat ride!

It’s common to see motor cruisers for sale with 200 hours having lost 300 k in 10 years. That’s £1500/ hour depreciation.

Ribs are excellent value by comparison

[Windsurfer]

Wow thats insane , i wonder if you factor fuel , service , maintenance, storage , insurance etc what the hourly cost would be !

[smallribber]

Originally Posted by Windsurfer

Wow thats insane , i wonder if you factor fuel , service , maintenance, storage , insurance etc what the hourly cost would be !

Never ever try to work that out. If you do you will probably give up boating