Maintenance required for an older glass boat

[popsovy]

Hello, a first time boat buyer here. Wanting to get Nitro/Ranger type boat for 80% fishing, 20% for fun on water like pulling my kids in a tube. Operating withing 10k budget, so thinking about getting sometime under 18ft, late 90s / early 2000s models.

Being a single dad, one thing I don't have is a lot of time to spend on maintenance. I read online that some people spend hours every couple of months to wax/polish and for other type of hull maintenance on their fiberglass boats -- worries me that I don't have that kind of time.

I want the boat to be safe and not to look terrible, but it doesn't have to be the best looking boat on the block How much time should I expect to spend on maintenance for an older glass boat?

Thank you for your advice

 

[emoney]

Well, you can always pay someone to come do the annual waxing. Depending on the person, some people rarely do any cleaning to theirs, lol. Invest in a decent cover, and rinse the boat when you get home after each trip, and that will cut down significantly on the time to keep it shiny.

If I were you, I would hold out until you can find a 4 stroke motor. There's annual maintenance that needs done, but nothing wrong with paying someone to do that as well. There's no such thing as a "park it and use it" boat, but that's the same for your car.

 

[JASinIL2006]

You can read many topic on this forum addressing the purchase of a boat, so you would really benefit from spending some time browsing for those topics.

In a nutshell, a boat that is 20+ years old that costs under $10,000 is very likely to be a boat that comes with substantial maintenance issues, and it is also a boat at high risk to have structural issues, too. Fiberglass boats from that era often were made with wood structure (stringers, bulkhead and transoms) made of wood encased in fiberglass. Because many boats are manufactured cheaply/poorly, it is very common for water to get into the wood and rot it over time. Obviously, if the bones of a boat are rotten, it's safety is in question, and it is not unheard-of for a rotten transom to give way and drop an outboard motor into the water.

Whether you want to do much appearance-related maintenance (like waxing) is up to you, but mechanical maintenance has to be done, and it and the inevitable repairs needed to keep a boat running can easily cost $1000 or more a year. (That's not counting fuel for the boat, etc.) For many of us, it is a rare year that something doesn't need to be fixed or replaced, and that's especially true on an older boat.

Don't want to be a downer, but boating is not a cheap hobby and I hate to see people get into it without realizing the costs. We got a boat largely because of our kids, and while ours ended up requiring an unexpected restoration due to waterlogged flotation foam and rotten wood (see paragraph #2 above), I have never regretted it. It's been a blast to own, even if it is expensive and time-consuming to maintain.

 

[southkogs]

Also depends on how you store it. I keep my boat in the garage. That means that I really only have to a significant cleaning every once in a while. The rest is all part of our "de-rig" at the ramp.

You could probably find a aluminum boat that would be a little lower maintenance and perform similarly.

:welcome:

 

[tpenfield]

:welcome: to iBoats . . .

Boats and maintenance go hand-in-hand. So, you may not be up to boat ownership, if you are crunched for time. A small boat, like an 18 footer may not be so bad. You just want to get a boat that is not going to be a money pit.

Some boats will look shiny on the outside and not so much underneath the shine.

 

[Chris1956]

Fancy boats need more care, replacement items etc. So pick a boat with minimal vinyl seating and other upholstery, a wash out cockpit and a 2 cycle OB motor. Remember a 2 cycle motor gets new fuel and oil everytime you fuel up. Very little maintenance is required for winter storage.

You will want a tach, fuel gauge and speedo. Other stuff adds complexity and maintenance, and is not necessary.

Gel coat in a dark color often fades. So pick a light color or better yet white.

 

[racerone]

White boats are easiest to keep ---" nice looking "------Red / green / metal flake gelcoat fades the most.

 

[dingbat]

First off, welcome to the club... raised my eldest daughter as a single parent. Being 20 with a 2 year old kid under your arm wasn’t easy.

You know the old adage... if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it.

Don’t know your situation but mine wouldn’t support boat ownership. Had to make time, then drag the kid along, just to get in some bank fishing. No way would I have found the time (baby sitter?) and money a boat requires.

Couple things to consider

Its not like a car where you jump in go.. come back and your done. I put in roughly an hour on each side of a trip getting ready and cleaning up.

Then there is the maintenance... always something. Bi-annual water pump changes. Annual lower unit maintenance...etc. Last outing my horn died and my phone charger port stopped working. Both since replaced

Then there is the trailer. Keeping the lights working is a feat to itself.

I strip, clean and wax the hull every Spring. I use wet on wet wax (only wax I’ve found to go an entire season) so it takes me pretty much two full days when all is said and done.

Found a place last fall that will detail it for $650. Most quotes I got where in the $750 to $800 range.

 

[ahicks]

I would add that a boat sized to fit in your garage, once purchased, should hold it's value the best. Too, having it in the garage will let you spend a little more time maintaining and/or repairing. A free 20 minutes on occasion should do it!

Generally, if you run across a boat like this (garage stored) they are great finds, demand a premium, and are frequently excellent buys.

 

[Scott Danforth]

if you dont want to do the maintenance, rent a boat when you want to go boating.

 

[tpenfield]

Yea . . . maintenance

- I got a trim pump that has been leaking oil for a couple of years . . . got to replace it (or something)
- One of my trim switches keeps getting stuck causing the outdrive to go to the limit and ventilate
- Some insulation in the engine bay keeps falling down . . . got to replace it at some point
- I think one of the u-joints is starting to sign its swan song . . . Might replace the gimbal bearings while I'm at it.
- Not sure the bilge pump is working as it should . . .
- The forward gear does not always engage . . . need to do some work on the cone clutch

Then there is the regular maintenance . . .

Oil changes
Fuel system cleaning
Winterization
Checking everything
Greasing stuff
Cleaning/wax . . . . I sometimes have time for that

 

[Chris1956]

As Ted points out, a sterndrive (which he has) takes a lot more maintenance than an outboard, especially a 2 cycle outboard.

They also seem to require lots of replacement parts, and I am not sure why. Circulating pumps, alternators, starters, thermostats seem to wear out a lot, IMO. You also have the sterndrive normal maintenance items such as belts, manifolds, risers and hoses. Typical Outboards have some of those components, and they seem to last much longer.


In addition, it used to take me most of the day to winterize my sterndrive. An outboard takes an hour or so.

 

[Scott Danforth]

here is something to consider.

I currently boat in salt water. when I pull the boat out of the water, I rinse off the boat (usually wash it), rinse the trailer, flush the engine/drive/exhaust, then wipe down the seats, clean the floor, then put it away.

that is about 2-3 hours of work no mater if the boat was used for 5 minutes or 5 hours or 2 days.

if there isnt the time to take care of a boat for normal maintenance, I highly recommend renting a boat and letting the rental company take care of the maintenance. especially being a single dad if you are juggling school, work, activities, etc.