Boat Maintenance Plan & Service Cost Estimator

Salt and sun work on a boat every day here. Boats used most weekends do well with a Wash & Dry every week or two, and a full cleaning inside and out every month or every few months.

Every 6 months is a good baseline for South Florida. Boats kept outside in the water year-round, or with darker gelcoat, often benefit from waxing every 3 months.

Most outboard and inboard engines need a 100 hour service every 100 hours or once a year, whichever comes first. High-use boats also need a 300 hour service, which goes deeper into the fuel, ignition, and cooling systems.

It depends mostly on the engine’s size and brand, how many engines you have, and which service it’s due for. A 100 hour service is the routine one. A 300 hour service adds more parts and labor, so it costs more. The estimator above gives a planning range for your boat, and a call gets you the exact price.

Yamaha’s 100 hour service covers engine oil and filter, gear oil, fuel filters, spark plugs, anodes, grease points, and a check of the cooling system and fault codes. The cost scales with horsepower and the number of engines. Twin and triple Yamahas are priced per engine.

Both. Yamaha calls for it every 100 hours or once a year, whichever comes first. Most South Florida boats hit the one-year mark before 100 hours, so it ends up being a yearly service.

A Verado 100 hour service runs a little more than a similar-size conventional outboard. It includes the supercharger and power steering checks on top of the usual oil, gear lube, filters, and anodes. Like Yamaha, Mercury calls for it every 100 hours or every year.

More than a 100 hour service. It includes everything in the 100 hour service plus deeper work, such as the water pump impeller, thermostats, and a closer look at the fuel and ignition systems. Charter and heavy-use boats reach it first. The estimator adds it automatically if you pick 300+ hours a year.

Outboards are usually the cheapest to maintain. Everything is easy to reach, and the whole engine tilts out of the water. Inboards cost more because they sit inside the boat, and they add shafts, cutless bearings, and exhaust risers to look after.

A sterndrive usually costs more. On top of the engine service, it has bellows, a gimbal bearing, and an outdrive that need regular service. Sterndrives also sit in salt water all the time, so corrosion is a bigger concern than on an outboard you can tilt up.

Check it at every service and replace it every 2 to 3 years or about 300 hours, whichever comes first. Replace it sooner if you run in sandy or shallow water. A worn impeller is the most common cause of overheating.

Check the gimbal bearing and grease it every year on a sterndrive. Many owners replace it along with the bellows every few years. If it’s grinding or rumbling, especially in turns, replace it right away, because a failed bearing can damage the engine coupler.

Every 3 to 5 years is typical for a lead-acid or AGM battery in Florida heat. Lithium batteries last longer. It’s time to replace it when the engine cranks slowly, the battery won’t hold a charge overnight, or it fails a load test.

No. It’s a planning range based on your boat’s size and the services you pick. Call Ethan and he’ll give you an exact price for your boat.