25 QUESTIONS

Maintenance and Refit

1. 01

   How often should a GRP boat be hauled out for annual maintenance?

   Haul-out frequency is set by how fast the hull fouls rather than by paint life; the biological load in Aegean and Mediterranean waters shortens the interval compared with northern waters.

   While the boat is out, paint is not the only job available: anodes, seacocks, shaft and moisture readings all fit in the same window. Timing the hull survey to the same lift avoids paying for a second one.

2. 02

   When should stainless deck and rig fittings be replaced?

   Stainless does not fail by wearing out but by cracking, and the crack is invisible — the surface stays bright. The decision should rest on testing rather than on age: dye penetrant brings the crack to the surface.

   Rig terminals, padeye undersides and weld seams are the areas worth scanning on a schedule. Replacing on age alone changes sound parts while leaving cracked ones in place.

3. 03

   Why keep a maintenance log and how should it be organised?

   A maintenance log converts directly into money at sale time: it is the cheapest document available for reducing a buyer’s uncertainty, and it is one of the items that lifts a valuation. Keep it simple — date, work done, parts used, who did it, invoice.

   Compared against the engine’s ECU record, the log’s internal consistency also becomes visible. A log that matches the engine data is worth considerably more than one that does not.

4. 04

   How are winches serviced and how often should they be greased?

   Most winch faults come not from old grease but from the wrong grease: too heavy a grease holds the pawls in cold weather and the winch begins to slip. Stripping, cleaning and checking the pawls and springs at the start of the season is enough.

   A winch that slips under load is a deck safety matter rather than a convenience one, which is why it is operated under load during a survey rather than simply turned by hand.

5. 05

   How do you choose the right antifouling?

   Three things decide it: how often the boat is used, the biological load of the water she lies in and what paint is already on the hull. Applying hard antifouling over an eroding system creates an adhesion problem, so the existing system has to be known.

   Since the gelcoat beneath the paint is visible while the boat is ashore, a hull survey belongs in the same window rather than in a separate one.

6. 06

   How is a soft furnishings refit done?

   Upholstery is a cosmetic item and moves a valuation only marginally; the items that reduce a buyer’s uncertainty — engine, hull, wiring — always come first. Foam choice is nonetheless a technical decision.

   Foam that holds moisture grows mould and comes back as a finding in an interior survey. Open-cell, fast-drying material is worth the difference.

7. 07

   How is the electrical system upgraded to 24V or lithium?

   Changing voltage or chemistry is not only a battery change: cable sizes, fuse ratings, the charger and alternator regulation all have to be reconsidered together. With lithium, BMS-to-alternator compatibility is critical — an incompatible install burns the alternator.

   After a conversion, scanning the connections with a thermal camera catches a hot joint before it becomes a fire. That check costs nothing and is the one most often skipped.

8. 08

   How should deck fittings be bedded and sealed?

   Water entering under a deck fitting rots the sandwich core and advances with no sign on the surface. Sealing is therefore structural rather than cosmetic work: the hole should be over-drilled, filled with resin and re-drilled.

   Running silicone around the top postpones the problem; the water still gets in, just more slowly. This is the single most common origin of soft spots found in surveys.

9. 09

   When does a marine engine need a rebuild, and what does it cost?

   The decision should rest on the engine’s own data rather than on hours: cylinder balance, injector return flow, oil pressure and overheat history. A "time for a rebuild" verdict given without those measurements is a guess.

   Diagnostic reading frequently shows that a rebuild is not required — at which point the measurement has paid for itself many times over.

10. 10

    When does a teak deck need replacing and what does it cost?

    What decides it is remaining thickness rather than appearance: if the screw plugs are close to the surface or the caulking no longer bonds, replacement time has arrived.

    The real risk is not the teak but the water finding its way beneath it, which rots the core of a sandwich deck. Moisture readings and hammer testing should therefore precede any decision.

11. 11

    What is an epoxy barrier coat and when is it applied?

    An epoxy barrier slows water uptake into the laminate and is applied either after an osmosis repair or preventatively. The critical step is the drying that precedes it.

    A barrier applied over damp laminate traps the moisture inside and makes the problem worse. Moisture values should be measured and recorded before application rather than assumed.

12. 12

    Which marinas in Turkey are best for maintenance work?

    What decides it is infrastructure rather than name: travel lift capacity, covered working space, waste handling and whether outside contractors are permitted. Some marinas allow only their own approved teams.

    Those rules set both the cost and the timetable, so they should be asked about before a maintenance plan is drawn up rather than after the boat is lifted.

13. 13

    How often should topsides be machine polished?

    Polishing removes the oxidised top layer of the gelcoat, and every pass takes a little material with it. Once a year when needed, with a protective wax in between, is the sensible rhythm.

    Where the gelcoat has already thinned significantly, polishing stops being the answer and painting becomes the question. A survey establishes which of the two you are looking at.

14. 14

    How is interior woodwork maintained?

    The enemy inside is damp rather than sun: in a closed, poorly ventilated boat condensation lifts the varnish and darkens the timber beneath. Maintenance therefore starts by solving the ventilation problem, not by revarnishing.

    In an interior survey the moisture source and the ventilation arrangement are treated as a heading of their own for exactly this reason.

15. 15

    How often should engine oil and filters be changed?

    In marine engines the interval is set by time as much as by hours: in a lightly used engine acid and moisture accumulate in the oil, so it should be changed at the end of the season even if the hours have not come round.

    Fuel filters may need changing more often depending on water and microbial contamination in the tank. The maintenance record is later compared against the engine’s real history in a survey.

16. 16

    How often should standing rigging be replaced?

    The widely quoted interval is 10-15 years, but that is an insurers’ reference point rather than a rule. The real decision should rest on testing: terminals scanned with dye penetrant, wire checked for broken strands and corrosion.

    Since a rig is only as strong as its weakest link, one cracked terminal outweighs any average age. Replacing on age alone changes sound wire and can leave a cracked fitting in service.

17. 17

    How is the onset of osmosis detected on a GRP hull?

    The early stage is usually invisible; by the time blisters appear the process has been running for a while. Early detection comes from measurement — moisture values in the laminate rise before any blister forms.

    Regular hull surveys are therefore the only way to catch osmosis while it is still cheap to deal with. The interval matters more than the instrument.

18. 18

    Which products should be used to clean the bilge?

    The only question worth asking is whether the water will be pumped overboard. Nothing but marine-safe, biodegradable products should be used, and strong solvents can lift paint and insulation.

    Residue left in the bilge after cleaning can also mask a new leak in a survey — which is a second reason to keep it simple.

19. 19

    How should sails and rigging be maintained?

    Most sail maintenance is UV protection: a sail left unfurled loses a significant part of its life in a single season. On the rig, maintenance is done by hand rather than by eye — terminals, padeye undersides and spreader bases are felt and checked regularly.

    A check at the end of the season leaves the winter available for any repair it turns up, which is usually cheaper than the same work in spring.

20. 20

    How should a boat be winterised?

    Fuel stabiliser, antifreeze through the cooling circuit, the water system drained and batteries on a maintenance charger are the basics, with the bilge dried before the cover goes on.

    Cost is decided by how early it starts: protection applied straight after the last trip prevents most of what would otherwise appear in spring. A boat covered over a wet bilge spends the winter growing mould.

21. 21

    How should a teak deck be cleaned and maintained?

    The greatest damage in teak care comes from over-cleaning: a stiff brush and strong chemicals take out the soft grain, open the surface and thin the deck quickly. Clean gently and across the grain rather than along it.

    As the teak thins, the screw plugs approach the surface and water begins to find its way beneath — which is where a cosmetic problem becomes a structural one.

22. 22

    How is yellowed or dull gelcoat restored?

    Dullness is the UV-oxidised top layer of the gelcoat and can be polished off, but every pass removes material. Yellowing usually runs deeper, and repeated polishing consumes the gelcoat.

    Once the remaining thickness reaches a critical level the answer is paint rather than polish. That distinction is established by measurement during a survey.

23. 23

    Why do anodes matter and when should they be replaced?

    The anode is the part that volunteers to be consumed in galvanic corrosion, protecting the shaft, propeller and skin fittings as it erodes. Replace it once more than half has gone.

    Faster-than-expected erosion is a sign that the system is overloaded rather than working, and the usual cause is stray current. Fitting a new anode without measuring simply feeds the same circuit.

24. 24

    What work should be done while the boat is ashore?

    Every day ashore costs money, so the window is worth planning: washing, antifouling, anode replacement, seacock servicing, shaft and propeller checks all belong in the same period.

    A hull survey belongs in that window too, since the boat will already be ashore and dry. Planning it separately means paying for a second lift.

25. 25

    How often should antifouling be renewed?

    Paint type and location decide it together: in the Aegean and Mediterranean the biological load is high, so eroding paints are usually renewed annually and hard formulations every two years. A particular marina can shorten that further.

    A fouled hull increases drag, so a delay converts directly into fuel cost — the saving from postponing a haul-out is usually spent at the pump.