Dealing with the Stress of Challenging Boat Projects

People always ask “how do you like boat life”? It may seem like a simple question at first, and there is almost always an immediate response of “oh we love it”, however there is so much more under the surface of that answer, it is like an iceberg. We do love it, of course. We love cruising, we love living aboard, being so connected to nature and living a life closely aligned with our values.

On the other side of the coin is the challenges that come with owning a boat, and currently a 1980s boat specifically. We recently had to replace our water tank which was a project that included pumping out 200 liters of water, cutting up an aluminum tank to get it out and installing a new bladder. My partner described it as “hell”.

Shortly after this project was completed, we found diesel in the bilge. This led us to find a leak at the bottom of the diesel tank (after cutting up the floor to access it). Next step was to siphon out 90+ liters of diesel from our tank very slowly. After working a full day of work, and then spending 5 hours siphoning diesel, I was exhausted. Next step that is currently underway is to patch the tank and re fill the tank.

It is hard not to feel defeated when dealing with these challenging, pain staking projects. They are stressful, uncomfortable and time consuming. Yet, I’m sure once we get it all fixed and get out on anchor again, we will shake our heads and say we love boat life.

See, its true. we do love it. But it doesn’t come without extremely difficult, stressful moments. So when people consider if they should buy a boat and try boat life, we try not to sugar coat it. There is a lot of maintenance, things are always breaking, whether big or small. Yes, moorage is cheap, but projects and maintenance sure do add up. You have to be committed to this lifestyle, you truly have to love it, to keep going in the face of these low moments. Boat life is truly a rollercoaster, of the highest highs and the lowest lows. If you are a boat owner with your partner, it can strengthen your relationship or it can easily weaken it. There have been hours of blood, sweat and tears put into the projects we have undertaken in the last 2 and a half years of owning our boat. But still, we continue to think about next steps in this lifestyle.

As we search for a bigger boat, the challenges of these projects have given us insight as to what we are looking for in a boat. Accessibility to major components, recently upgraded systems, a well maintained and cared for boat.

I try to find the silver lining in these situations, no matter how tough it is. And I can assure you, it is so damn tough some days. It is the only thing we can do, when so much is out of our control and we feel so powerless. So, to all my fellow boat owners out there, doing their own brutal projects, hang in there. It won’t always feel so heavy. Soon, you will be at your favorite anchorage, with your favorite people, and you will remember why all the hard work, tears and sweat is worth it.

-Keel xx