How To Streamline Your Maintenance Program: A Beginner’s Guide

Master your vessel with a twice-yearly maintenance routine that helps prevent making costly repairs at sea.

By
Pamela Bendall
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3
Color-coded tools. Red tools are used for the fuel system, blue for alternator, yellow for rigging, and so on. If a tool has several applications then it will have all the colors for each system. (Photo/ Pamela Bendall)
Color-coded tools. Red tools are used for the fuel system, blue for alternator, yellow for rigging, and so on. If a tool has several applications then it will have all the colors for each system. (Photo/ Pamela Bendall)

Owning and using a boat is all about maintenance. While maintenance is not fun—it can be filthy and arduous—it must be done if you own a boat, and it's incredibly satisfying. I promise you, that if you follow this easy and pragmatic maintenance program, there will be a time at some point in your boating life when you say, “Thank you Pamela!”—You’re welcome!

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Pamela Bendall
https://www.pamelabendall.com/
Pamela Bendall has an extensive nautical background with over 200,000 miles of ocean adventures since she began sailing in 1980. In 1986, Pamela and her former husband and two young boys ages 4,10 circumnavigated the Pacific to New Zealand and Japan and most of the islands in between using only a sextant and mathematical reduction tables. She began sailing offshore solo in 2008, taking her boat Precious Metal from Victoria, Canada to Mexico, Peru, Galapagos and throughout Central America. Pamela has her Masters 60 ton Captains license, CYA Seamanship and Navigation Certification, and owned and operated her own sailing charter business Precious Yacht Charters in northern British Columbia and Alaska. She has extensive ocean racing experience including the Victoria-Maui Race and Marblehead and was Chairperson of the Vic-Maui from 2002-2008. She has authored two sailing-related books: Kids for Sail, and What Was I Thinking: Adventures of a Woman Sailing Solo. Pamela and her partner Henry Robinson are currently living aboard their Fountaine Pajot 43-ft. catamaran in Central America and Mexico for Canadian winters and aboard their 40-ft. Ocean Alexander Quetzal in British Columbia, during Canadian summers.

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3 COMMENTS

  2. Very good overview. I especially like “hose clamp day”, “electrical day”, etc. A great way to focus and not skip items. There are a few more screwdriver types, especially that can be confused with Philips: Frearson, and Posi-drive. Frearson are common with bronze wood screws, as found in more traditional boats. Posi-drive is common in NZ and Aus and UK. I found Posi-drive machine screws on the caps of old Lewmar winches.