As I’ve said many times before, I like do-it-yourself or DIY maintenance. However, the more computerized the systems get, the fewer options there are for owner maintenance. Back when things were simple and not computerized, we could fix a boat, a Harley or even a car with a pair of pliers, a few screwdrivers, a hammer and some wire. Now I need a tablet or laptop, an assortment of programs and a collection of electrical connectors to generate the error codes.
Still owner maintenance is possible. Here are a few numbers to show why I believe that DIY maintenance is still important for some owners, although these numbers are probably off a bit by now. The closing of shops, the changes in access and the availability of parts (supply chain) has had an impact on all markets.
To begin, there are about 4,500 official marine dealers in the United States. If you look at the number of recreational boats (which is estimated to be over 17 million), that leaves about one dealer for about 3,778 boats. Of course that total number of boats includes canoes and kayaks, but still there are not very many dealers compared to the number of boats.
In the past it has been estimated that there are at least as many service centers as dealers. So if we add those in, we now have about 1,800 boats per boat repair shop. Still far more boats than dealers, service, or repair centers.
This indicates that repairs might take longer than expected and parts might be difficult to get. And all of this was before the current supply chain pandemic experience.
Why does this matter? Well, if you talk to boat owners, they seem to expect “automobile” service. In the past you could take your car in for an oil change and wait with a cup of coffee while the oil change was done. Plus they would throw in a 60-point inspection at the same time. Oh, and they still had time to show you how dirty your air filter was and to check all the tire pressures and the tires tread depth.
Have any of you had your oil changed at a boat shop lately? Can you get it done while you wait? I do agree that a boat oil change can take a bit longer than a car, depending on the boat, engine location, etc., but I bet you don’t want to wait for it (unless you’re planning to sleep in your boat while it’s at the shop).
We have become accustomed to instant gratification in all industries. Aircraft, recreational vehicle, and motorcycle owners, like boat owners, all want service. Today. While we wait. We want repairs done quickly and economically.
But checking around it appears that the average service estimate for other than cars is about two days and probably more like four days. And there’s more. Smaller shops are unable to keep an inventory of parts for the ever-changing boat and engine models. The current supply chain issues are worse for smaller shops than for larger ones. Sometimes the age of the boat and engine might take days on the Internet searching for hard-to-find or out-of-production parts. As owners we cannot expect the same level of service as from the automotive industry. Even with the high number of boats, it’s still nowhere near the automotive world numbers.
To be clear, this is not the dealer or shop’s fault. I believe we need to support the dealers, service centers and freelance mechanics. Without them we would not be boating.
However, I do think that do-it-yourself owner maintenance can help in the grand scheme. Besides, it increases an owner’s knowledge of the basic systems and can also relieve the workload on the service and repair shops for minor repairs and service. And if you think about it, it might be only way to keep older boats serviced. As a bonus, well-maintained boats can bring more money on the used market when you go to trade up.
