Maintenance can be expensive whether we are talking about vehicles on four wheels, two wheels or our favourite, the ones on water. Maintenance and service are more important on your boat than your car as the ramifications of an engine not working are far more dangerous than your car. An inadequate service schedule will lead to unsafe and unreliable operation, costly repairs later and reduced reliability and enjoyability of your car or boat.
It is true that boat maintenance and running is far more costly than that of a car, but there are reasons for it. The old saying of adding the word “marine” to it will double the cost is true but there most definitely are valid reasons for it.
Boat Engines
Your boat engine runs continuously under high load and high rpm (3000rpm and above) while your car engine generally runs between 1000rpm and 2000rpm operating under high load and high rpm only occasionally. Think about your car cruising on a freeway at 100 kph using about 20hp to sustain its speed. Your boat, then again, is cruising up a never-ending steep hill at 3000rpm while pulling a heavy trailer with brakes dragging at 130 kph. This requires an engine output of 100 hp to 150 hp simply to maintain its speed! This means that your boat engine is heavy duty compared to the one under the hood of your car.
Using your boat
Your car will hardly ever sit without use for extended periods of time. On average, an Australian car is driven 12,881 kilometres a year and by large, a boat does around 100 hours a year. If you calculate an average speed of 25mph, that 100 hours equals roughly to 4,000 kilometres a year. There is a lot of “downtime” for your boat in between cruises and downtime is not good for the longevity of the engine, battery and other components.
Durability and “wear and tear”
The demands on the components, lubes and service life of boat engines are not comparable to those of a car. Boat components are expensive because they are built to withstand a constantly wet environment. This means all the parts on them can resist the corrosion that comes from the saltwater environment. This is not a common requirement for car parts or engines. And it is important to remember that no material will last the salty, wet conditions and the heavy-duty use forever! Seawater is intrusive to the mechanics of the engine and corrosion is an issue whether you use the boat or not.
Service and maintenance
There are numerous affordable car part warehouses in the market and 24-hour roadside assist is standard practice for your car. The higher price of service or replacement parts for boats together with fewer service providers and workshops nearby can often result in “fix it only when its broken” approach to maintenance.
But you have chosen a life, or at least your weekends, on the water and we understand why. The freedom of open water, the social aspect of getting out with your friends and family, the calming effect of the ocean and the lull of the waves – not much compares to that.
Your boat is worth every penny and we will help you keep it running smoothly. Give us a call today and make sure you won’t be stranded at sea.
