How to inspect a yacht before going to sea?

Why is boat inspection important? 

Inspection of the yacht is a guarantee of your safety. It must be carried out thoughtfully, preferably with an experienced partner. Especially when you may still lack the necessary experience. At the stage of inspecting the boat, you can identify a number of problems that can ruin your life. 

Inspection and inspection of the yacht before the new season is especially important. The boat could stand for an indefinite amount of time, for example, in a dry dock or simply unattended. It is important to find all possible problems - then your vacation will be truly safe. 

What are the inspection stages?

If we are talking about a comprehensive inspection of the yacht, then it can be divided into three important stages. The boat must be inspected before launching, after launching and under sail. 

Pre-trigger checks are the most important to perform. The cost and inconvenience of having to raise the yacht again can be prohibitive. The hull of your yacht, including the keel and rudder, needs a good, thorough inspection. Any issues that need fixing can take a long time. After the yacht is launched, a full check of the systems must be carried out.

There is always a lot to check. Therefore, set aside a whole day for this and try to find problems now, and not during the time you go out on the water. Moreover, many problems that are not detected during a superficial examination can be revealed during swimming.

If there really are problems, then a thorough one-day cruise and an overnight stay at anchor should show them. While any problems can be frustrating, they should at the very least be discovered before the first full sail of the season.

Finally, when you finish this season while still fresh in your mind, make a list of all the problems. They must be eliminated before the start of the next season, and the yacht should be prepared for wintering.

Inspection of the yacht on land (in dry dock)

When inspecting a yacht in dry dock, you should pay attention to the following points:

• Inspect the housing for cracks, delamination, corrosion (if metal), impact damage, and repair.
• Scraper all body through fittings to check for any corrosion. Check and lubricate valves.
• Pay attention to the condition of the steering wheel bearings.
• Carry out a thorough anti-corrosion treatment of the body and replace all anodes.
• Clean all keel coolers.
• Make sure your lug is clean and spins freely.
• Make sure the propeller is in good condition.
• If you have a thruster, make sure it works properly.

Do not forget that this list is very approximate, in each case it is necessary to pay attention to different details.

Inspection of the yacht after launching

When inspecting the yacht after launching, you should pay attention to the following points:

• Check the tightness of all body through fittings.
• Start the engine, heater, and generator, if you have one, and service them.
• If you have a battery tester, test each battery individually.
• Check the expiration date of fire extinguishers, the presence of pressure and their condition.
• Make sure your life raft and life jackets have been serviced and that hydrostatic descenders (if you use them) have not expired, as well as flares.
• Make sure hatches and other slippery surfaces on deck have anti-slip tape in good condition.

• Check the tightness of hatches and lanterns. 
• Turn on the electronics. You should see your GPS position within 10-20 seconds, and if you have an AIS transponder, you should see yourself on a site like Marinetraffic.com in less than 10 minutes.
• Make sure the maps are up to date and take paper maps with you, even if they are quite small. 
• Test your VHF radio to make sure it is working.
• Check tools (which can easily rust and become unusable) and spare parts such as spare impeller, oil, coolant and wooden yokes.
• Take a small first aid kit with you and check it is complete.

It is also worth checking how the rigging and sails work. It is important to inspect the sails themselves for damage. 

Checking the yacht at sea

When the previous stages of inspection have been completed, it's time to go to reconnaissance in force. You need to try all the features of the boat, so choose a good day when you can set sail, turn on the stove, lower the anchor, and use the navigation and anchor lights.

If everything is going well, then (suddenly) everything is fine! But if there are any problems, it is better to find out now. Don't forget that everything comes with experience. Therefore, do not neglect the help of senior comrades-yachtsmen.  

If all is working well, this outing is a good opportunity to do a couple of man overboard rescue drills, raise the mooring buoy, raise the pole and do some navigation and tide calculations.

Also rehearse signaling MAYDAY, putting out a fire, and handling the CO alarm. Don't forget that skills need to be honed. Then any trip and adventure will be within your power!

Don't forget to rate the content! Other interesting materials can be found in the "News" section or on the links below.

30.07.2022