lifespan of motor-boats in general...

Hi

I've been reading threads here for weeks now and especially the restoration sub forum. I can't get rid of a thought that strikes me every time I visit. Several of the boats has allot of rotten stuff like stringers and transoms but not due to respectable age ( I assume)...
I mean, My own boat is made 1966 and I just presume that it has lots of rotten wood cause of the age but many of the boats that needs a heavy repair due to water isn't much more than 10 years old.

Is it just me or is it the normal lifespan for a boat before it might need some heavy repairs... 10 -15 years?

Re: lifespan of motor-boats in general...

I think it really depends on the boat and the care it gets, zymox. I think the life span of a well-built and well cared for boat is indefinite.

Your boat may be a good example, as was my 1966 Boston Whaler (see avatar).

Other boats seem to me to be designed and built to be disposable, like autos.

Re: lifespan of motor-boats in general...

JB said:

Your boat may be a good example, as was my 1966 Boston Whaler (see avatar).
Other boats seem to me to be designed and built to be disposable, like autos.

Click to expand...

Nah, mine was rotten all over but I'll fix that and I feel that it somehow may have earned its rights to be rotten all over due to its age. Your boat looks really great though and I tend to agree with you on the disposal issue, that can be a good answer...

Re: lifespan of motor-boats in general...

Care, especially careful outdoor storage, can be life or death for a boat.
Some boats end up with water standing inside possibly for years.
There are some boats, early small Bayliners come to mind may have been more prone to rot problems. I had a wooden boat built in 1929 that was allways kept inside and had excellent
mechanical and cosmetic care.I also have a 57 Aluminum Crestliner that had the same basic care. It still has its very nice Mahogany seats with varnish still intact and a sound straight hull.
And this boat was used for duck hunting,taking the rubbish to town and as a fire boat.

Re: lifespan of motor-boats in general...

I never heard so much about boats rotting until I got on this forum, and I have been in and around old boats all my 50+ years. But there are many, many posts here where people assume a boat 15-25 years old is rotted. But it's not that either is factually wrong; it's just that there are different assumptions based on different experiences. Apparently there are certain boat types used in certain conditions/regions that are prone to rotting, and the opposite true elsewhere.

My experience is based on boats made for the water, used in salt water, left outside uncovered and often in the water their whole lives, with rare "rot" issues. It seems that boats not made for the water, kept off the water, used in fresh water have the problems. I suspect as well that areas with freezing temps will have more problems with rot due to expansion/contraction of damp areas, opening up cracks.

Of course, any boat left with standing rain water in it for a year will likely have rot issues. Since there's no reason to consider buying such a boat in the first place, it's not, practically speaking, an issue.

Re: lifespan of motor-boats in general...

many,,,,,many a boat made in the early 60's is still working and on the water today

Re: lifespan of motor-boats in general...

I think the quality of all boats went down hill as more manufactures entered the marketplace in the late 60's. The well established builders had old plants that were paid off and the new guys had to cut corners to make margins. The strong sales of the cheap boats forced the average price down and everybody had to drop quality to keep there market share.

The newer bigger more powerful outboards hurt I/O sales and I/O boat builders had to cut quality to stay in the game. The skill and resources needed to build a outboard boat are far less than a inboard. The manufacturer did not need to buy the power plant, buying and installing the motor was up to the dealer.

Chopper gun outboards did not need highly skilled labor and the boat could be made very cheaply.

Re: lifespan of motor-boats in general...

Age has very little to do with it. It's all about how the boat is cared for and stored. I pass probably a dozen boats on trailers on my way into work. Maybe four of them are properly covered for the winter (well-tarped, shrink wrapped or a shelter put over them). Some have varying degrees of their mooring covers on (minimal protection against snow and ice, snaps and zippers aren't waterproof, canvas is easily torn). And three of them are completely uncovered - one with it's bow lower than the stern! Once some ice or snow builds up in the hull, it doesn't take long for the floor and stringers to get saturated with moisture. Add some leaves, moss, raccoon nest, etc. and a perfectly good boat can be ready for the landfill in just a few years.

Re: lifespan of motor-boats in general...

As the number of people who believe boats are waterproof goes down, the lifespan of boats goes up.

The number one challenge which affects boat longevity: Owners who believe they are waterproof.

I would say that owners who underestimate the power of sun damage is the number two issue affecting the lifespan of boats.

Re: lifespan of motor-boats in general...

+1
The way a boat is cared for is more importent than anything.

A friend of mine found a real nice '89 berreta two years ago the deck,stringer,and transom where soild as a rock interier was perfect.
Only two short years later most of the vinyl is shot most af the gauge are hard to read. I dont think it has spent a one day coverd or inside in the time he has had it.

Re: lifespan of motor-boats in general...

the 60s boats were probably hand laid glass by crafstman where almost all new ones are chop gun operated by anyone they get to put up with the smell and mess and that don't know how to set up a gun or get the mix right but if you buy 2 identical boats and neglect one and take care of the other the life spans will be vastly different, you can run a Mercedes into the ground in 2 years if you don't take care of it.

I would say ignorance is the biggest killer of boats.

Re: lifespan of motor-boats in general...

Current boat is 40 years old ... last boat was 40 years old ... family has a couple that are sneaking up on 50 years old. One of those little tubs is still running the original 3hp Evinrude on it.

They can last for quite a while.

Re: lifespan of motor-boats in general...

I assume you are talking about fiberglass boats rather than aluminum boats. An aluminum boat (at least the smaller ones) will take a lot of abuse and neglect before they start to give you real trouble. My son is still using the 14 ft. Lone Star that my dad purchased new in 1957. For most of it's life, until very recently, it was kept outside year round with little or no protection.

Sometime in the mid to late 1980's. I replaced the plywood on the seats which, while still solid, had become rather splintery and a hazard to the backside of anyone sitting on them. At the same time, I checked for leaking rivets found a few with seep leaks, covered those with a product called Lab Metal and that took care of that.

After my dad died in 1991 I gave the boat (which was still being kept outside, uncovered) to my son who then replaced the transom. Not because it needed replacing, but because he was using a long shaft motor and that was the simplest way to get the motor up to the proper height.

This year, he again replaced the plywood on the seats because he wanted to do a better job than I had done in the 1980's. I can't fault him on that one. I had used some almost new salvaged plywood that had been treated with some kind of oil and wouldn't hold either paint or varnish for more than a few months before peeling off.

The boat still doesn't leak and since it is now being kept inside I see no reason why it wouldn't be good for another fifty years.