There comes a time when certain truths about your boat become evident. The initial honeymoon thoughts of water whispering under the hull, and of enjoying drinks in the moonlight, change to dirty oil diapers and leaks over the matrimonial bunk. If you’re the rare person who has kept your new boat for 20 years or, more likely, someone who bought an older boat with the idea of fixing it up, some work will be needed to save the relationship.

Model year 2003 was a good one for boats. Many of the big names producing cruising boats back then are still around now. Asian boatbuilders were stepping up their game. Competition between European and U.S. builders was fierce. Overall build quality was generally high. You probably would have found a great deal more teak on board than you would at a boat show today.

Still, at 20 years old, a boat built in 2003 is likely to have had one to three owners with varying technical abilities and maintenance budgets. The amount of use the boat has had can also affect its condition. In most cases, we’d rather see a moderately used boat with normal service and cosmetic repairs than a very lightly used boat. Extremely low engine hours indicate that the boat sat unused for most of its life. When boats sit idle, leaks are not noticed, repairs are not made, and engines gather moisture and acidic combustion by-products that corrode and degrade components.

Let’s look at the kinds of repairs you’re likely to face with a boat at the 20-year mark.

The Beating Heart

When assessing any 20-year-old engine, service records are worth their weight in gold. No matter whether they’re on paper or in a computer, accurate records are invaluable for assessing an engine. All engine manufacturers have recommended service intervals, and if these intervals have been met, it is easy to see what might be due next and when. If the records are scanty, it might not be fair to assume nothing has been done, but a few clues can help you fill in the details.

You can usually tell if an engine is wearing its original paint. Spots of rust, matching painted hose clamps and hoses, or miscolored components tell a tale of repairs—or lack thereof. Mechanics hate rusty fasteners because they are much more likely to round off or be seized. You can sometimes tell if a part has been touched when the factory paint has been disturbed around the gaskets or fasteners. Some clues may be missing (and not in a bad way) if you keep your engine paint touched up. Matching engine spray paint is cheap, and keeping the engine looking nice will pay dividends, including helping you to notice and stop oil or fuel leaks before degreasing, scuffing and masking the engine for the painting.

Inspect the edges of the hoses and pinch them in the middle. Hoses that flare and show threads or wire at the cut end, or that feel crunchy or stiff, are on their way out. Hoses that look like starved horses, or whose rubber jackets are splitting, are at the end of their lives. Some manufacturers recommend replacing all hoses at specific intervals; if you’re not sure that’s been done, this is a good time.

People are usually good about normal service, which includes oil and filter changes, impellers and air filters, but after two decades, it may be time (or time again) for diesel injector replacement, valve adjustments and heat-exchanger or intercooler service. Exhaust components such as elbows and risers have a lifespan, and may need replacement. Motor mounts may be due for replacement, opening up questions about the rest of the drive line.

Many a boat has come into a boatyard with a mild vibration, and left after a discovery that the motor mounts need replacement. The rubber isolation blocks inside the mounts break down over time, causing more engine movement. This can lead to misalignment, vibration and increased cutlass bearing wear. In many cases, worn cutlass bearings can only be replaced, or are much easier to replace, after the shaft has been removed.

This will often be the first time the hidden parts of the shaft have been seen since it was installed. Most shafts on higher-end boats are now machined from A22, either Aquamet or Aqualoy, a highly corrosion-resistant stainless steel alloy. There are less expensive, less corrosion-resistant alloys (A18, 316, 304) from which shafts were and are created, but they are a false economy for something so critical to powerboat operation that’s partially hidden from view. Even A22 shafts can suffer from crevice corrosion when they are deprived of oxygen, such as inside a shaft log filled with stagnant water on a boat that rarely moves. There is a real chance that once the shaft is seen, it may have significant pitting or wear, and need to be replaced.

With everything apart, this is also a fine opportunity to renew the hose and packing in a conventional stuffing box, or the seals or bellows in dripless boxes. For instance, PSS type A bellows should be replaced every six years. And, replace hose clamps with ABA non-perforated 316 stainless clamps. It would be silly to sink a boat over a $15 hose clamp.

With the boat hauled, spend some time cleaning up the underwater metals and inspecting any bronze for dezincification. If the bonding system is in poor shape or the boat was ever in the water with a depleted anode, the bronze could have suffered. Check for pink blotches or pitting that would indicate the metal becoming brittle and requiring replacement.

Which Way to Go?

Once the drive line is sorted, make sure you can point the boat in the direction you want to go. Head back to the lazarette and check the rudder stuffing box for leaks. Shake the quadrant to determine if the rudder shaft support is worn. Check for hydraulic leaks in steering rams, hoses, pumps and plumbing. Make sure any ram base hardware is tight, and any tiller-to-ram connecting hardware is not worn.

For cable-steered boats, think about renewing the cables and inspecting the sheaves. Edson recommends replacing cables every 10 years. In the interim, running a tissue lightly down the cable can help find any fishhooks from broken strands.

Deck Leaks

Any boat should be periodically checked for rainwater ingress. If you arrive at the boat only to find puddles on the sole or wet cushions after a storm, it means the boat manufacturer’s original caulking compound is likely starting to fail. Look at how many pieces of gear are bolted onto the deck and cabin top—and include all the ports, hatches and windows. Each one is a potential and eventual leak source. Since most high-quality bedding compounds are rated for 15 to 20 years, it’s time to start removing gear and rebedding it. Depending on the access to the fasteners below, this can be a daunting task, but it can be taken on in sections. Leaks below can rapidly ruin overheads, cabin sides and soles.

While you’re in the process of rebedding hardware, make sure the original builder closed out any fiberglass-encapsulated coring around the fastener holes. With the fasteners removed, stick a pick into the hole. If you can dig out balsa or foam core, then you should continue picking out the core for a quarter inch to a half inch, depending on the hole size. Place tape under the hole, and then fill the hole with thickened epoxy. Once the epoxy cures, redrill the fastener hole. This process accomplishes two things: The epoxy plug acts like a bushing inside the deck, discouraging the fastener from crushing the core; and, in the event of the bedding leaking in the future, it will prevent water from entering the core.

Even 20 years ago, most boats were built with some coring. Check the deck and cabin (and bottom) with a moisture meter. Good boatyards have a meter. Someone experienced in its use can interpret the readings and make recommendations. This test shouldn’t cost much, and it could save thousands of dollars if a problem is caught early.

Exterior teak trim, whether installed as toerails, caprails or eyebrow trim, should be kept varnished or painted. The extra ultraviolet protection will extend its life. Even impeccably maintained varnish will typically need to be stripped and revarnished at around the 20-year mark.

We should also talk about teak decks. Twenty years ago, teak decks were likely still attached to the fiberglass with screws hidden by bungs. While the teak is probably still OK, any leaking rubber grooves or bungs that have popped out can allow water into the space under the teak. With time, that water will find its way into the coring of the fiberglass through the screw holes.

That’s why it is important to maintain the teak overlay. Look for dried or cracking seam compound, compound proud of the wood or pulled away from the edges, or screw heads showing where the bung has worn away. More modern teak or teak-substitute decks are usually epoxied to the fiberglass without the use of screws, preventing this issue. In severe cases, the teak can be removed, the holes can be filled with epoxy, and the new teak or synthetic teak can be epoxied.

Alternatively, simply fill the holes, add a layer of glass, and paint the deck with nonslip paint.

Electronic Envy

Can 20-year-old electronics still work? Certainly, but they were installed before innovations such as smart transducers, AIS, solid-state radars (with tracking and chart overlay) and Bluetooth-enabled VHF radios. There have been incredible leaps in the resolution, integration and presentation of electronic charts in that time frame. While a great deal can be said about the durability and simplicity of standalone instruments, there are huge benefits to modern, integrated electronics equipment. Old chartplotters often had the resolution of a Pong game. They pale in comparison to today’s high-resolution plotters.

Modernizing a boat with the newest electronics can transform the navigation experience. After all, you spend a great deal of time staring at those screens underway. Having the information laid out on an easy-to-read display, with even more data at your fingertips, can take the guesswork out of maintaining your position and finding your way.

Inside the Cabin

Take a look at your interior cushions and window coverings. Did a previous owner make a bold statement with purple and orange? Are the cushions permanently stained from suntan lotion and damp bathing suits? Has the cushion in your favorite spot lost half its foam support? Twenty years can be a long time for a cushion to survive. Few things will make more of a visual impact than renewing an interior’s soft goods. This is a specialized field, and most good boat upholsterers are booked out for months, so plan ahead and be prepared to wait.

While you’re inside, take a whiff. Is there a bit of a funk? One simple test is to dampen a paper towel or rag, and then wipe it along the sanitation hoses. If your rag smells like what is inside the hose, then the hose has been permeated, and it is time to replace it. Other seawater-carrying hoses throughout the boat should be inspected and replaced as necessary.

There is not a set amount of time that a high-quality, wire-reinforced hose lasts, but any sign of split covering or rusty helix should prompt replacement. Make sure
to inspect and exercise all the seacock valves as well, replacing any that don’t work easily.

40-Year Itch

Sometimes, you just can’t find a boat that moves you like the classic styles of the past. An older boat’s interior can be special and inviting, and the layout might suit you perfectly. Maybe you’ve just decided penury can’t keep you from buying a boat, and a classic is all you can afford.

As you might guess, at 40 years, there likely will be another raft of issues to fix. There are great old boats out there, but since they were built, there have been solid advances in refrigeration and air conditioning technology. The older systems won’t work or be serviceable forever. Increasing modern electrical devices has, in some cases, taxed the original wiring on older boats. It may not be to current safety codes, and the physical wiring and breakers may need replacement. A careful study of the battery bank, heavy-gauge wiring and charging components is in order.

Also inspect for wet decks, wet hulls and interior leaks. Note that boats from the 1980s were likely built with polyester resin, which was much more susceptible to bottom blisters (if that hasn’t been already remedied).

Also beware of previous owners’ unconventional fixes for all kinds of problems. A careful look at the boat and the service records can let you know if you’ve found a turnkey classic or a handyperson’s special. 

This article was originally published in the July/August 2023 issue.