Are you a do-it-yourselfer?

[MIKEMCKEE]

I try to do most of the normal boat maintance myself, but as always there are some items that I don't have the knowledge or tools to do it right. I have found that 87% of the time I do require another person to do a job, I find that I have to go behind them to,
1. Ensure that what I wanted was done correctly (not Half A***d)
2. Clean up the area where the work was done
At a rate of about $65.00 per hour I really get upset having to do this. One time I had a DC system rewired and you wouldn't belive the trash all over the place, I had so much scrap electrical junk in the bilge, I was afraid to use the bilge pump, I had to crawl in there and hand the junk to my wife bit by bit.
Anyway I do try to fix thing's myself, that way when it breaks down again I can only blame myself.

Mike
s/v Blue Bayou

[DBartilson]

Whatever I think I can handle, I do now while I'm young (65). I can see in the near future that not doing hull polishing/waxing will be contracted out but almost everything else I need to do to be familiar with all the systems. Besides, the boat is 30 years old...anything I do is generally an improvement and I'll have the experience when/if I get a newer boat. In the meantime, I've improved and learned about my boat and boats in general.

[imagine2frolic]

I have pulled, and installed motors. Painted from the top of the house down. Rebedded the keel of ole' Frolic. Replaced swagings, and installed complete standing rigging. Replaced chunks of the bow ripped out by an idiot boater. Did I mention the boat is wood? Designed, and installed port bow roller. Fabricated supports for new traveler. Pulled heads for bad gaskets. Installed radar mast along with the radar. Arch for solar panel I installed, and the list goes on.

I will save the making of sails, and rebuilding notors to the experts. I will install them though! My budget forces me to do the work, and find great satisfaction afterwards!

[SailorAmy]

You should see me with a sandblaster...

[wolfenzee]

boats are like horses, some people muck their own stalls
some people pay to have some one else muck their stalls
(for those who don't know anything about horses, mucking stalls is shoveling manure).
Alot of the cost of owning a boat is paying someone to do the work for you.

[geraldartman]

Yep! Addicted. Last year reworked a Catalina 22. New wiring, pump-out head, new sheets, minor fixes and electronics. Sold it last fall. Purchased a US Yacht 25 with trailer this spring. This fall/winter will gut and refit. Already repaired crack in rudder. Same price as the Catalina 22. Much more boat with 10 horse motor, roller thingy, depth and speedo, even a spinnaker. Mama has her enclosed head and I have a galley. Don't like the layout so will completely redo the interior. Nice thing about this one is it does not have a molded interior liner. Its all wood and ready to be cut out. I already have new opening ports, compass, and designs drawn.

Hopefully, she'll be in shape for next summer in the North Channel.

Jerry

[wolfenzee]

The man that biult my boat did a wonderful job, on the boat part. Cabin looked a bit rough to me, turns out the biulder stoped working on the boat when he turned 70 and all the subsequent owners never did much to the boat. I am totally rebuilding the interior, replacing/upgrading the hatches, modifying the rig etc....
my theory is that if you have a sound hull anything else can be rebuilt, repaired, redesigned, replaced or removed

[capngregg]

I have found that the work I do is better quality than I can get if I hire it out. (except for really specialized stuff like electron beam welding and other high end work) Not that I do superb work but rather most jobs I've hired out have been mediocre quality for a premium price and like most of you have noted, you have to go behind the workers and clean up their mess and sometimes repair their repair.

At the cost of some jobs as 2Gringos said you can buy the tools and use them again for other projects. Since I can't afford a therapist, I use boat repair as my "therapy". There's something very attractive and soothing about getting lost in thought on a challenging project.

Boat repairs of the "major" category also give you a chance to practice Engineering systems and repairs of all sorts. (it helps to be an Engineer though so you don't over or under Engineer a project or repair)

DIY 'til you Die!

[wolfenzee]

the last work I "hired out" was to someone that could do a much better job than I.....problem is the never got the work done and it cost me $3000 to do the work myself

My fault for helping out a friend in need then trusting that the work I paid to do would get done, I guess I am just old fasion.

[BluewaterBruce]

If I can do it, you can do it.

I do it all or at least I'm willing to do it all, fiberglass, engine, plumbing, electric, paint - everything. I learn as I go and there are times I have to redo work but the more I do the more I learn and... I can by all the special tools I want with the savings. With the special tools the next task is easier. My wife is trying to figure out where we are going to put all the tools when we cruise.. But when we do cruise, I will know all systems aboard and be able to complete repairs. I did this with with a 25 year old Harley and rode it for a year and a half starting in 2000 - I took it completely apart and then rebuilt the engine, painted (4 times to get that RIGHT! - now that cost me a few bucks) and completly reassembled it to the point it almost looked new. After the the Mpls to Alaska to Key West to DC to L.A to Oregon to Mpls - ride, I moved to Pensacola; I stopped riding and started sailing. In all honesty I do not or did not know how to do any of this. But I never took a class on sailing, motorcycles or computers and I have been doing computers for 14 years now and I have my own business. If I go easy, think it through, stop when I am not sure and don't settle for less than doing it right - even if it means doing it again and costing me more money - I get er' done and I get er' done right. That's my half baked philosophy but it works well, for me. I sure do need more spare time though... there's always drawbacks in everything you do. I have been working on the Soverel for one year now, we bought it from a charity in South Florida - needed a little work like another engine and major (in my opinion) hull work. I do find having too many things apart at once increases the difficulty but.. sometimes that's just the way it goes. It was more fun in the begining but she is so beautiful I can not keep my hands off of her - the boats nice too!