All there is to know about good sailing yacht maintenance

Regular maintenance is essential if your boat is to have a long life. Yet, looking after a sailing yacht is time consuming and requires a good amount of knowledge and being able to work on a number of things. Here is some advice from BENETEAU on how to best maintain your boat and sail safely.  

Maintaining a sailing yacht’s hull  

You need to clean the hull regularly to prevent it from damage and to maintain its performance. Seaweed and other forms of marine growth adhere to the submerged parts of boats. If your boat stays in the harbour all year round, you need to careen her every year.

It is also important to apply antifouling to your boat's hull, but not so often. This is a special paint to protect the bottom.

A boat’s hull is constantly under attack from the seawater environment and must be rinsed regularly.

Maintaining and checking the rigging  

It is relatively easy to check the state of the running rigging oneself. It is harder to accurately interpret the condition of the standing rigging. This is why it is best to have a BENETEAU expert check your stainless steel rigging regularly, particularly if the boat sails a lot. They will check to see if standing rigging parts need to be changed. They will replace them and adjust them if necessary.

You can check your boat’s rigging yourself, but we advise you to call a professional if you need to replace parts.

Taking care of your boat’s sails

Looking after your sails properly is definitely the best way to extend their lifespan. When you are sailing, do your best to prevent your sails fluttering and be careful not to over-tension them.  It is also a good idea to rinse them from time to time and to stow them away when you are not using your sailing yacht for a long time or when it is being overwintered. 

To anticipate any possible sail problems, you should check your sails regularly. Look to see if the seams are showing signs of damage and have them repaired before they get worse.

Checking the condition of your sails helps to prevent damage, such as tearing.

Boat engine maintenance

To set sail confidently, it is important to keep a well-maintained engine, even on a sailing yacht. Similar to a car, a boat’s engine must be serviced every year by a professional.

Regular servicing of the engine is vital, even on a sailing yacht.

BENETEAU professionals look after your sailing yacht

If you want to keep your sailing yacht for a long time, and sail in the best conditions and safely, it is vital to take proper care of your boat. Although some maintenance tasks can be done by you (cleaning, careening, etc.) other more technical jobs require the intervention of a professional, such as servicing the engine or the maintaining the rigging. This is why we recommend that you carry out any small jobs throughout the season and then ask BENETEAU to overhaul your sailing yacht once a year.

Do you need to have your boat serviced? Why not make an appointment with the BENETEAU boat dealer closest to your home port? Your BENETEAU boat dealer will help you out with the smallest maintenance jobs and carry out bigger repairs in keeping with your wishes.