Insider Tips From Yacht Service Pros
While we regularly see our customers for routine maintenance and check-up services, we often see issues that could have been avoided, meaning less service trips and more money in your pocket and time on the water. Our service department recently shared a few tips to help owners keep their boats running smoothly in peak condition and to help with resale value down the road.
Take care of the heart
The ticker keeps things moving. Our service department highly recommends you focus lots of attention on keeping the heart of the boat healthy — this includes things like the engines, bilge pumps, Seakeeper or other stabilizer, generators, batteries, and A/C system. We recommend, on a daily basis if possible, get down in that engine room and look around for leaks and corrosion. Get up in the bilges to keep them clean and protected.
Look underneath
While out of sight, it should never be out of mind. Pay special attention to the bottom of your boat — inspect the paint and running gear and keep those intakes clean – and be sure to keep the regular services up to date on these.
(Don’t) Sit a Spell
Remember in day’s past when your parents or friends would ask you to crank up their car if they were out of town for a while? That same thinking applies to yachts. One of the worst things you can do is let your boat sit in the water, not being used. Get it moving. Even if just for a quick maintenance run.
Log it
Experienced yachtsmen will be the first to tell you how important it is to track maintenance, so you aren’t left guessing when it’s time for all mechanical systems to receive services. While it does take some time and thought to update a database of your systems and their varying mechanical schedules, it is highly recommended and in the long run you'll benefit - whether you’re enjoying your boat regularly or prepping it for a sale.
All in all, it’s really about intimately knowing your yacht. And if you find you can’t, or don’t want, to do it yourself, hire a good captain to stay on top of it. (We can help with that, too!)
Whether intending to keep your boat for years to come or preparing it for sale, do your best to keep it in pristine condition. You’ll have full confidence in your yacht’s seafaring ability, your gleaming vessel will be the star of the show at the dock and on water, and when the time comes to sell, you’ll save time and money getting her ready and will ultimately reduce time on the market.
HMY stands ready to help with any and every part of the yacht buying, selling, and ownership process. It is our mission to be your full-service yachting partner for life!
HOW WE SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS
The HMY service team focuses on two primary areas: handling warranty-covered work and maintenance on new Viking Yachts, Princess Yachts, Valhalla Boatworks, and OKEAN Yachts models sold by HMY’s team of experienced brokers; and taking care of HMY’s expansive stock yacht inventory.
Importantly, for our clients, our 12 strategic locations at major marinas throughout the Southeastern United States (from the Florida Keys to Charleston, SC) and decades of relationships with vendors means head of service, Nancy Pack, and her team have ultimate flexibility when it comes to servicing our clients’ needs, making the entire process as seamless and easy as possible for them.
