Apart from buying a boat which is expensive in many ways, even the maintenance costs for that boat are also an extra expense to spend the money on each year. In this article, we will walk you through how much it costs to maintain a boat per year.
On average, the cost of maintaining a boat is around $2,000 per year. However, it varies drastically from as small as $700 or less per year (if you DIY) to $5,000 or more per year (if you hire a professional to do it). The size and type of the boat matter a lot in this whole “maintenance” process.
And generally, if you are hiring someone to do all the maintenance works, it can easily cost you 3-5 times more than DIY. Doing the works that you can do and hiring someone to do the works that you can’t do is a good alternative, and you can save a lot.
Here’s a table showing the average maintenance costs of a boat per year.
| Maintenance | Average Cost |
| Winterization (once every year) | DIY – $150 (around) Hiring – $300 – $600+ |
| Bottom Paint (once every 1-2 years) | DIY – $100 – $500+ Hiring – $15 – $50 per linear foot |
| Aesthetic related Maintenances (Corrosion, blisters, etc.) | $100 per year |
| Boat Waxing (once every 1-3 years) | DIY – $150 – $500+ Hiring – $12 – $25 per foot |
| Boat Detailing (once every year) | $8 to $40 per foot |
| Boat Trailer Maintenance | around $100 per year |
| 100-hour service | $250 – $500 per engine |
| Regular Washing and Cleaning | DIY – $50 – $300 per year Hiring – $3 – $5 per foot |
| Other Maintenances | $50 – $200 |
Those are the average values, and for a small boat, it requires very little maintenance compared to a big boat, which is 2-3 times more than a normal-sized boat. Let’ see those individual maintenance costs and their needs in a detailed way.
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Different Boat Maintenance Costs Per Year
How Much Does It Cost To Winterize A Boat?
On average, winterizing a boat cost around $300. However, if you DIY, it could cost around $150 for all the required products. But if you hire someone to do it, it could cost you around $300 – $600+. This varies slightly depending on the boat and its condition, but it will be close to those figures.
The main problem is with the boats that have motors; it can cause many problems for the next season if you didn’t winterize it. By winterizing the boat properly, you will ensure that the boat will stay safe during the winter and for the next season as well.
DIY boat winterization doesn’t vary nearly as much. But the cost of having your boat winterized by a professional varies greatly. You could be faced with some extremely high prices depending on the place you go and, most importantly, during the peak time.
All boats need to be winterized, especially motorized boats. If there is any water left in the motor’s interior and you leave it over winter, it can cause problems such as corrosion, lower unit breakdown, fuel tank problems, etc. For non-motorized boats, proper cleaning and storing are sufficient.
How Much Does It Cost To Bottom Paint A Boat?
On average, bottom painting a boat costs around $200. However, if you DIY, it could cost around $100. But if you hire someone to do it, it could cost you around $15 – $50 per foot. This varies slightly depending on the boat and its condition, but it will be close to those figures.
Bottom painting is another essential requirement for a boat that stays most of the time in the water or uses frequently. However, you need not apply a bottom paint every year unless if needed. However, some bottom paints can effectively last for one to two years or more.
Bottom paint for a boat is used to stop the growth of algae, barnacles, and weeds below the waterline of the boat. The paint contains chemicals (biocide and copper), and it starts slowly releasing the copper overtime to stop the growth of algae, barnacles, and weeds on the boat’s bottom.
Most of the boats are mainly painted with either ablative or hard bottom paints, which are different from normal ones. Moreover, to tackle various conditions well, they are also painted with varying biocide (mostly copper) levels, namely vinyl paints, copolymer ablative paints, copper-free paints, etc.
How Much Does it Cost To Treat Aesthetic related Maintenances For A Boat?
Yearly aesthetic-related maintenances will cost you around $100. Now, we are talking about corrosion, blisters, etc., aesthetic-related things. Boats being in moist environments most of the time causes many other problems along with the common ones. For example, take the blister scenario.
Blisters on a boat are bubbles of water under the Gelcoat. The Gelcoat (boat’s outer layer) is porous and absorbs water. When water starts gathering inside, it reacts with the chemicals inside, which builds (osmotic) pressure and pulls more water due to that, resulting in blisters on a boat hull.
Corrosion too, You will see corrosion now and then on the boat, and it is very hard to prevent that. Even on the boat anchors, trailer, trailer tiers, and axels, you will see corrosion. Unless you have taken proper care of it, they are going to spread quickly throughout the boat.
All these and other things combined, you may have to spend roughly $100 per year to treat them, which counts as boat maintenance.
Related Post – What Are Blisters On A Boat? Are They any problem? Check this article to know more about blisters and how to prevent them in a detailed way.
How Much Does It Cost To Wax A Boat?
On average, waxing a boat costs around $300. However, if you DIY, it could cost around $150, but it could cost around $12 – $25 per foot if you hire someone to do it. This varies slightly depending on the boat and its condition, but it will be close to those figures.
Waxing your boat is essential to maintaining the color, shine, and integrity of a gel coat finish. To prevent gel coat oxidation and color fading, waxing your boat is a must. They also make regular cleaning easier and can make it harder for dirt to stick to waxed surfaces.
Waxing is different from polishing. Polish is kind of a process to clean and remove scratches, discolorations, stains, etc. At the same time, waxing is to protect the finish.
Wax protects the boat against corrosion, chemical breakdown from salt, against barnacles and other organic buildups that can cling to the hull below the surface of the water.
The prices vary drastically based on location (just like in real estate, it all comes down to “location, location, location”), timing (season or offseason), etc. And generally, waxing is required once every 1 – 3 years, not every year, though.
Related Post – Why Are Boat Engines Expensive? Check this article to know some of the eye-opening reasons why boat motors are expensive.
How Much Does It Cost To Detail A Boat?
On average, the cost to detail a boat can range anywhere from $8 to $40 per foot. However, it varies based on size and condition. The larger the boat, the higher the boat detailing cost will be. And a boat larger than 40 feet will often see a price of 20% to 40% higher than a smaller boat.
Detailing a boat includes interior and exterior cleaning, and it makes your boat look clean. Detailing a boat is similar to detailing a car. With this, you will make your boat look new and clean. Sometimes waxing, polishing also comes under detailing.
Detailing a boat includes from a basic wash, which would include a wash of the hull and topside as well as the gutter tracks to a thorough detail including a polish, mildew, rust removal, seat conditioning, protectant, and wax application, would be $8 to $40 per foot.
Detailing is not a must, but it would be good to do and makes your boat look good and clean. Again, this detailing is related to aesthetics. Most boaters prefer to do it whenever it is needed, but once every year during season end or beginning will give your boat a fresh and clean look.
How Much Does A Boat Trailer Maintenance Cost?
On average, boat trailer maintenance costs around $100 per year. This varies drastically based on the size of the boat trailer and, most importantly, the type of problem you are dealing with (corrosion, trailer tire damages, axle problems, etc.).
Boat trailer maintenance includes
- Check your tire pressure.
- Don’t forget to bring along a spare tire.
- Periodically check your tires for wear and age.
- Use wheel bearing protectors.
- Keep your trailer brakes clean.
- Have your brake pads or shoes inspected every few seasons.
- Check the brake fluid reservoir in the master cylinder.
- Apply lubrication to your trailer’s coupler.
- Check all of your trailer lights every time you hook up the trailer.
- Keep the trailer light connection on your tow vehicle covered when not towing to prevent corrosion (source).
Doing all those things will cost you some money. Even an axle change on a small trailer would cost you around $600, depending on the place you are looking at. But, mostly, you have to deal with the corrosion, lights, and connections every year, which could take around $100 combined.
How Much Does A 100-hour service Cost For A Boat?
On average, 100-hour service for a boat costs around $400 per engine. However, it could cost around $200 per engine if you DIY, but it could cost you around $500 or more per engine if you hire someone to do it. This varies slightly based on the engine type.
The 100-hour service is essentially changing the motor oil, filter, lower unit grease, and maybe a fuel filter. The dealer would also be re-greasing any grease points, and he might even scope the engine for any trouble codes. You might be looking at $300 to $500.
Generally, 100-hour boat service includes the following changes.
- Engine oil and filter change
- Lower unit lube change
- Primary (Racor) fuel filter change
- Secondary (engine mounted) fuel filter change
- Lube all grease points
- Clean and grease prop shaft
- Spark plug change
- Impeller change
- Thermostat
However, many won’t change all the things specified on the list every 100-hours. Few people change them whenever they see the wreckage. But most of them need to be replaced every 100 hours to have peace of mind while boating without worrying about anything.
Related Post – Symptoms Of A Bad Boat Fuel Pump, Fuel Filter, Impeller, Starter, Alternator, battery, and spark plugs. Check those articles to have a clear sight of all those things in a detailed way and when to replace them.
Regular Washing and Cleaning
On average, washing and cleaning a boat can cost you $300 per year for all the products. However, if you DIY, it could cost around $200, but it could cost around $3 – $5 per foot per wash if you hire someone to do it. This varies slightly depending on the boat and its condition.
Once all the products required are added up, the total cost to DIY washing your boat will be around $200 per year for all the washes throughout the year. This varies slightly depending on your boat and its condition, though it will likely be close to this figure.
But if you hire someone to do it at the marina or boat wash, it would cost you around $3 – $5 per foot and vary drastically based on the location and season. Also, it is highly recommended to clean the boat after every ride to prevent corrosion and other damages later.
Related Post – How Often to Clean (Wash) Your Boat? Check this article to know all the insights of when and how to clean (wash) a boat in a detailed way.
Other Maintenances
Here’s a list of other maintenances.
- Bilge Pump
- Battery
- Electrical Lines
- Propeller
- Anodes
- Anchor and anchor lines
- Safety Electronics
Maintaining those devices on the boat will cost you some percent every year.
Bottom Line
On average, the cost of maintaining a boat is around $2,000 per year. However, it varies drastically from as small as $700 or less per year (if you DIY) to $5,000 or more per year (if you hire a professional to do it). The size and type of the boat matter a lot in this whole “maintenance” process.
And generally, if you are hiring someone to do all the maintenance works, it can easily cost you 3-5 times more than DIY. Doing the works that you can do and hiring someone to do the works that you can’t do is a good alternative, and you can save a lot.