The longest you've gone...

[airdvr1227]

without a major repair bill?

I'm new to this thing and I've always heard horror stories. You know, a hole in the water in which you throw money...Break Out Another Thousand.

I'm wondering if there are actually boat owners who don't end up doing major repairs. Reading this forum it appears that everyone's whip breaks badly at some time.

 

[lowell7963]

Re: The longest you've gone...

13 months. Only, engine oil, gear lube, fuel filter, plugs. Now toys and accessories a different story.

 

[samagy16]

Re: The longest you've gone...

I'm not sure if repair bill applies, but as far as the amount of $$ you stated "...break out another thousand" it is something that is unavoidable, at least in my case give or take a few $$.

I own dual outboards and making sure they are in top shape is not cheap. I have a mechanic do my work and they have bills to pay also if you know what I mean. I have only had one major repair in my three years of ownership so I can't really complain. I think it's the constant small amounts of $$ for fun and other small things you want to constantly do that makes it VERY EXPENSIVE.

Boating is not cheap but I couldn't imagine my life without it.

 

[TJDave]

Re: The longest you've gone...

A major repair bill? Never.

But it depends on what you consider "major" also. I just replaced all my tilt/trim hoses last weekend. 6 of them @ $30.00/hose was not cheap. I replaced them myself. I probably saved a ton of money because the two hoses that run from the pump through the bottom of the outdrive were a PITA!

Do I throw money at it? Yes!

 

[HAV2FISH]

Re: The longest you've gone...

Boats and cars are a lot alike. They both need routine maintenance, and you pay big bucks to have that done. What makes a boat seam more expansive is you do all the maintenance in a shorter time span 6 to 8 months depending on your boating season. Now as far as beyond routine maintenance on a 14 year old boat i have replaced 1 lower unit $550 used and one prop $150. I don't think thats bad.

 

[tomdinwv]

Re: The longest you've gone...

I ran my toon for 2 years with very little problems. Had to replace the fuel enrichment valve and did some routine maintanence. Maybe put $200 in that type of stuff over the 2 years. That does not include the money I spent on making the boat "mine". The cuddy I have now, When I got it I had to replace the engine block and I did a complete engine rebuild, replaced all filters, spark plugs etc... Had to put a new fuel pump on it and several other little things here and there. I guess the initial investment was close to $2000 to get it in the water.(Worth every penny) Other than fluid changes and routine mainanence I should be set for a while. A large part of the costs is labor. I'm a diesel mechanic and have rebuilt many gasoline engines and I'm comfortable tearing into anything as long as I have a manual to guide me into unfamiliar territory. If I had to pay someone to do all the work I have done to my boats the costs would be much much more. My advice would be if your handy with a wrench get yourself a shop manual and try to do as much of the work you can yourself. You have another great asset in this website. The guys on here are knowledgeable and always eager to help someone out with a little advice.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: The longest you've gone...

We dropped major money into our old '73 outboard to get it "awakened" and running properly after buying it. It hadn't been run in many years. It made one or two trips back to the shop that first season working the bugs out but since then.....not one trip back and it's on its 5th season with us. I changed my impeller once and have spent money on other improvements on the boat but those weren't technically necessary.

 

[MudSkunk]

Re: The longest you've gone...

without a major repair bill?

I'm new to this thing and I've always heard horror stories. You know, a hole in the water in which you throw money...Break Out Another Thousand.

I'm wondering if there are actually boat owners who don't end up doing major repairs. Reading this forum it appears that everyone's whip breaks badly at some time.

proper maintenance, not using the boat outside of designed parameters(too big an engine whipping it about like a stuntman trying to pull too many skiers or skiers on a boat that isnt designed to ski on etc), and keeping it clean will make it no different than owning a car. i find there is no difference in expense than owning a weekend driver. the people that complain of such things tend to have bought a vessel that was in poor shape to begin with and/or do not take care of it.

boats are no different than cars take care of em and they will last forever. for example i know i have little ability or interest to maintain or properly run a 2-stroke motor so i bought a 4-stroke engine. if i had a 2-stroke it wouldnt be long before i was dropping a lot of money on a regular basis to have it repaired all the time.

 

[dingbat]

Re: The longest you've gone...

I've not had a major breakdown per say but preventative maintenance isn't cheap.

Reseal lower unit, new water pumps, new head gaskets, replace power packs and stators. Consumables like plugs, filters, etc. It?s all adds up. Easily $1K a year averaged over the last 5 years. Then again, I put more hours on the boat in the year than most do in 5 years.

 

[JB]

Re: The longest you've gone...

Major repair bill?? Never. Did all my own repairs, but never had a major repair needed. Major expense to upgrade or restore? Every three or four years for the last 30 years. That is just for parts and supplies.

 

[skargo]

Re: The longest you've gone...

If you can do your own maintenance, you are miles ahead of the game. I can;t imagine being in this hobby/way of life if you have to pay someone for everything.

Boating is cheaper than one of my other hobbies, which is rock crawling.

 

[captharv]

Re: The longest you've gone...

Bought the boat new in '01. Have not spent major money on it yet, because I do all my own work, and operate the boat sensibly. By sensibly, I mean: cruise at 3500RPM, only full throttle once in a while to test performance.
I do plugs, oil and O/D lube, filters, power trim, power steering and trim tab fluids every year. Treat an engine right and it will run right.

 

[dontask]

Re: The longest you've gone...

1976 (last time)

 

[BWR1953]

Re: The longest you've gone...

I owned my Bass Tracker Tournament TX-17 with 50hp Mercury for nearly 8 years and never did any work on it at all. Just kept the fluids filled and used the heck outta that boat.