Category: Boat Care

At the BMEEA, we know that buying a boat is more than just the purchase itself. There are many things to consider and usually these are learnt on the fly which can be frustrating and costly.

 

We will be running a series on “10 things I wish I’d known before I bought my first boat” and round 1 is 10 things Derek Gilbert, BMEEA Chairman, wishes he’d known before he bought his first boat – Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

10 – I wish I’d known that not all equipment is built to the same standard

 

I wish I’d known that not all equipment is built to the same standard, for example stainless steel is not necessarily stainless, NMEA0183 or NMEA2000 data protocols do not guarantee that different manufacturers equipment will share data.

 

There is no substitute for constant vigilance onboard a boat, aside from trips and slips, the use of cheaper materials, untested second hand gear and ‘bargain’ equipment can create a dangerous situation onboard and many frustrating hours trying to integrate things that were never designed to in the first place.

 

There is no such thing as cheap on a boat – only ‘the right thing for the job’ will do!

 

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At the BMEEA, we are experts in all aspects of the boat owning experience, so please do get in touch with your nearest BMEEA member for assistance!

At the BMEEA, we know that buying a boat is more than just the purchase itself. There are many things to consider and usually these are learnt on the fly which can be frustrating and costly.

 

We will be running a series on “10 things I wish I’d known before I bought my first boat” and round 1 is 10 things Derek Gilbert, BMEEA Chairman, wishes he’d known before he bought his first boat – Enjoy!

 

 

9 – I wish I’d learned that Electrics and water do not mix well

 

I wish I’d learned that Electrics and water do not mix well, no matter how carefully cables are run and connections are made.

 

The marine environment will seek out any and every weak point and will cause bolts and screws to vibrate loose, will cause corrosion and high resistance joints in switches and contacts, triggering intermittent operation and power fluctuations in entirely random ways and with entirely unpredictable consequences.

 

More and more boats are having more and more complex systems fitted to try to make navigating, operating and enjoying your boat better.

 

All it takes is a waterlogged connector, a failed battery cell, a loose terminal in the power supply and the experience onboard can be very different, this is when basic navigation skills are needed as a backup – what backups do you have?

 

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At the BMEEA, we are experts in all aspects of the boat owning experience, so please do get in touch with your nearest BMEEA member for assistance!

At the BMEEA, we know that buying a boat is more than just the purchase itself. There are many things to consider and usually these are learnt on the fly which can be frustrating and costly.

 

We will be running a series on “10 things I wish I’d known before I bought my first boat” and round 1 is 10 things Derek Gilbert, BMEEA Chairman, wishes he’d known before he bought his first boat – Enjoy!

 

 

8 – I wish I’d known how important a VHF radio was

 

I wish I’d known how important a vhf radio was onboard a boat – mobile phones require access to land based Aerial masts and so once offshore, the mobile phone is useless, it is essential to do a VHF course.

 

This really falls into the requirement for every boater to take responsibility for their actions and use of a vhf should be a mandatory requirement for every boat owner – every boat should be fitted with one too.

 

VHFs enable you to contact ALL the nearby vessels and in times of emergency, every minute counts in terms of requesting assistance or you assisting another sailor in need.

 

Everyone onboard should also have a briefing on how to use the VHF, never rely on just one person knowing how to make a call, if that one person has an accident, who is going to call for assistance?

 

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At the BMEEA, we are experts in all aspects of the boat owning experience, so please do get in touch with your nearest BMEEA member for assistance!

At the BMEEA, we know that buying a boat is more than just the purchase itself. There are many things to consider and usually these are learnt on the fly which can be frustrating and costly.

 

We will be running a series on “10 things I wish I’d known before I bought my first boat” and round 1 is 10 things Derek Gilbert, BMEEA Chairman, wishes he’d known before he bought his first boat – Enjoy!

 

 

7 – I wish I’d taken classes

 

I wish I’d taken classes to learn about navigation to learn about buoyage and accurate chart reading, how to recognise important details on charts and how to navigate the boat safely.

 

I wish I had learned about boat handling in changing weather conditions, the effect of wind and tide on a boat when on passage or even when manoeuvring in harbours and rivers.

 

The sea can look so benign, so much fun to play on and so relaxing in the sun, yest when it starts to rain, night time falls or fog rolls in, the situation changes in an instant and can become dangerous, with knowledge of safe navigation and boat handling, these situations become manageable and can be handled safely – classic case of a little knowledge is dangerous.

 

Approved courses would have helped to take the stress out of these situations and enable the boat to be sailed safely and under control.

 

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At the BMEEA, we are experts in all aspects of the boat owning experience, so please do get in touch with your nearest BMEEA member for assistance!

At the BMEEA, we know that buying a boat is more than just the purchase itself. There are many things to consider and usually these are learnt on the fly which can be frustrating and costly.

 

We will be running a series on “10 things I wish I’d known before I bought my first boat” and round 1 is 10 things Derek Gilbert, BMEEA Chairman, wishes he’d known before he bought his first boat – Enjoy!

 

 

6 – I wish I had started off with a smaller boat

 

I wish I had started off with a smaller boat that I could actually sail on my own, building up experience of handling the boat, using the equipment onboard correctly and learning how to adapt to the ever changing sea conditions and how the boat behaves as conditions change.

 

The effort needed to handle a larger boat increases almost exponentially with boat length, the sails are heavier, the ropes thicker and under a lot more strain, the number of fenders have to increase, the mooring ropes are thicker, heavier and longer and the boat handling changes massively too as the hull is heavier, has more inertia so doesn’t stop, turn or reverse as easily.

 

When things go wrong, everything is harder to reef, to turn, to stop or to correct – in short everything is bigger, heavier and mistakes are much more expensive! Sailing courses would have helped avoid these mistakes and de-risk my hobby.

 

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At the BMEEA, we are experts in all aspects of the boat owning experience, so please do get in touch with your nearest BMEEA member for assistance!

At the BMEEA, we know that buying a boat is more than just the purchase itself. There are many things to consider and usually these are learnt on the fly which can be frustrating and costly.

 

We will be running a series on “10 things I wish I’d known before I bought my first boat” and round 1 is 10 things Derek Gilbert, BMEEA Chairman, wishes he’d known before he bought his first boat – Enjoy!

5 – I wish I’d known how friendships would change

 

I wish I’d known that following an initial interest in my boat, most of my friends would be unexpectedly unavailable almost every weekend when I needed them to help me take the boat out and I would be faced with either trying to sail singlehanded or sit on the boat in perfect weather, ruefully watching other boats cast off, while I sat there on my own!

 

Simple tasks such as manoeuvring a boat in a marina is multiples of levels easier when you have a few extra hands available onboard.

 

It is interesting so see how quickly ‘friends’ help you into a purchase with promises of help and support, yet fade away when there is real hard work or commitment needed.

 

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At the BMEEA, we are experts in all aspects of the boat owning experience, so please do get in touch with your nearest BMEEA member for assistance!

At the BMEEA, we know that buying a boat is more than just the purchase itself. There are many things to consider and usually these are learnt on the fly which can be frustrating and costly.

We will be running a series on “10 things I wish I’d known before I bought my first boat” and round 1 is 10 things Derek Gilbert, BMEEA Chairman, wishes he’d known before he bought his first boat – Enjoy!

4 – I wish I’d known that I would get all sorts of ‘good’ advice

 

I wish I’d known that I would get all sorts of ‘good’ advice and meet so many experts, most of the advice would be contradictory and subsequently most ‘experts’ disappeared when the problem I had simply got worse instead of better!

 

Sometimes it really is better to pay for professional services to assist. The information on-line can often be quite suspect too, there are many so-called experts online who all have an opinion of what is best and how best to do a job – even though clearly many have never attempted it themselves!

 

I should have known that I would have to double-check and triple-check every piece of advice before setting out on a job.

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At the BMEEA, we are experts in all aspects of the boat owning experience, so please do get in touch with your nearest BMEEA member for assistance!

At the BMEEA, we know that buying a boat is more than just the purchase itself. There are many things to consider and usually these are learnt on the fly which can be frustrating and costly.

We will be running a series on “10 things I wish I’d known before I bought my first boat” and round 1 is 10 things Derek Gilbert, BMEEA Chairman, wishes he’d known before he bought his first boat – Enjoy!

3 – I wish I’d known to be alert and on my guard

 

There are many jobs onboard that can be done by amateurs and DIY enthusiasts, these are many and various, from cleaning blocked toilets to basic engine servicing (both of which can ruin a planned vacation if they fail!)

 

However, even well maintained boats can suffer failures which are unpredictable and can trigger the need for immediate remedial action which can be equally expensive and unpredicted.

 

I wish I had known that I would need to be constantly on my guard and alert not only to general seagoing situations, but onboard gear malfunction issues too.

 

I had no idea that I would need an extensive toolkit onboard and that the cost of spare parts for boats can be quite so high or difficult to track down simply due to the complexity of a boat’s systems and the low volume of parts available (unlike car spares for example!)

 

—————–

At the BMEEA, we are experts in all aspects of the boat owning experience, so please do get in touch with your nearest BMEEA member for assistance!

At the BMEEA, we know that buying a boat is more than just the purchase itself. There are many things to consider and usually these are learnt on the fly which can be frustrating and costly.

We will be running a series on “10 things I wish I’d known before I bought my first boat” and round 1 is 10 things Derek Gilbert, BMEEA Chairman, wishes he’d known before he bought his first boat – Enjoy!

 

2 – I wish I’d known about the constant attention needed

The sea is a very unforgiving environment, aside from the damp and the often windy weather, the constant salt air pervades every part of the boat – so unless I have an expensive to run dehumidifier, the boat needs regular ventilation and cleaning just to keep the mould away.

The damp invades everything, clothes, equipment, bedding, electrics, causing all sorts of issues and only regular maintenance can keep on top of that.

Not to mention the damage that Seagulls cause to the deck and rigging too, unless their dirt of frequently cleaned off, the decks become stained and unsightly in a short space of time.

Mooring ropes need regular checking and even without being used – halyards and sheets will rot and wear requiring replacement if you are to avoid accidents when underway.

—————–

At the BMEEA, we are experts in all aspects of the boat owning experience, so please do get in touch with your nearest BMEEA member for assistance!

At the BMEEA, we know that buying a boat is more than just the purchase itself. There are many things to consider and usually these are learnt on the fly which can be frustrating and costly.

We will be running a series on “10 things I wish I’d known before I bought my first boat” and round 1 is 10 things Derek Gilbert, BMEEA Chairman, wishes he’d known before he bought his first boat – Enjoy!

 

1 – I wish I’d known about the additional costs!

 Owning a boat is much, much more than purchasing it in the first place, once you have bought it – you have to move it to your mooring or berth? Not got one, well maybe you have to wait for a convenient one to become available – yes – there can often be waiting lists and it can sometimes take years before a space becomes available.

Then there is the annual cost of the mooring, the cost of hauling out and the cost to store it ashore, the cost of cleaning the bottom of the boat, the cost of repairing the hull particularly if there is Osmosis in the fibreglass, the cost of new sacrificial anodes, the cost or relaunching too.

On top of that is the cost of insurance, the cost of safety equipment, (flares and lifejackets should be replaced regularly) the engine service, the replacement of running rigging and sails, the cost of replacing the standing rigging.

So there are annual charges you have no control over at all as well as ongoing maintenance charges.  I never realised the add-on costs would continue whether I used the boat or not!

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At the BMEEA, we are experts in all aspects of the boat owning experience, so please do get in touch with your nearest BMEEA member for assistance!