Everything You Need to Keep Your Yacht Shipshape and Luxurious
It’s not all champagne wishes and caviar dreams owning a luxury yacht. Your motivation for keeping your vessel in ship-shape condition includes the potential for fetching the highest resale value. You also improve your chances of obtaining insurance coverage when your yacht is properly maintained as seaworthy. Ultimately, you want to enjoy the luxury of your yacht as your own reward for all the hard work. To help you, here is everything you need to keep your yacht ship-shape and luxurious.
Keep Things Clean
Cleaning your yacht is full-time effort. One of the easiest ways to be sure yours stays clean is to ensure you give it the top to bottom treatment every time you return from an outing. Simple wash downs go a long way to keep up appearances. Alternatively, streamline the endeavor by scheduling preventive maintenance with an outside resource. The metal polishing and systems checks can be accomplished with a team that specializes in this effort. Time your scheduling strategy with your manufacturer’s recommendations.
Systemize Your Detailing
Frequency of use tends to determine the frequency of your applications. Will the topside be served better with a varnish or wax? Interior cleaning improves the overall appeal especially if you are chartering guests on your yacht. Double check the components are performing in high-working order. Between regular use and the corrosive nature of the atmosphere at sea, you do not want to leave the details to chance.
Your Generator – A Beast of Burden
Your yacht’s generator will toil tirelessly when your main engines are at rest. Refer to the equipment manual before attempting any routine maintenance. Checking the filters, belts and maintaining proper fluid levels is excellent preventive maintenance for problem-free performance. For instance, Kohler generators know that you should also have the size of generator that suits your power needs. Finding the sweet spot of demand to solution can range from 4kw up to 150kw. Heavier loads allow a generator to run more efficiently whereas lighter loads can cause performance issues such as smoking, overheating and failure. Always carry spare parts for your generator.
Attending to That Which Cannot Be Seen
Underwater hull cleaning is essential. Even with anti-fouling paint, if you have two different metals either physically or electrically connected below the water line, you effectively have a battery. Sacrificial anodes perform as the attractant for charges that would otherwise hasten deterioration of the metals. These need to be checked and replaced as they wear down. No matter how luxurious it is, your yacht is comprised of metal and is a piece of machinery, after all. Exteriors get rusty and corroded. Keep boat management records of all this work you perform and the maintenance history. It will serve you well when the time comes for an upgrade. Having your records available at the point of resale will stand as the record of your grand efforts to keep your yacht in ship-shape condition.
It is much easier to perform upkeep on a regular basis than to have to play “catch-up.” Don’t wait until things start falling apart to start attending to the details. Small issues turn into big, expensive jobs, and your enthusiasm wanes. When your yacht is kept in its best condition, you are more inclined to enjoy the pleasures of the sea whether your expeditious and chartering guests or just taking it all in yourself enjoying the luxurious life.