Trojan Boat Forum

Given that the boat is a 1980 tricab with the mid-mounted gas engines, and assuming that the boat doesn't sink, catch fire, run aground, get rammed, or suffer any other major calamity, how much would you expect to spend on maintenance in a year? For this question, forget the soft decks, rotten stringers, soft rudder mount backing boards, and blown head gaskets, but include bottom paint(every two years in brackish water?), oil changes, spark plugs, the occassional head or appliance replacement, etc.


Next question: What is a good reserve to set aside every month to budget for soft decks, groundings, engine replacement, and other non-recurring expenses over $1k?

(side question -- where is the delete button on an ipad? Im stuck in the middle of this post after i previewed it and can't scroll down in this text box to correct the "anything input...." issue.)

Next question: Does anyone actually set-aside money each month to cover expected or unexpected expenses, or do you just write a check when it is time?

I inch ever closer to being a tricab owner. My last two major toys have been airplanes, where you had darned well better set aside $1/min for engine replacement and other expensive items($30,000 every 2000 hrs of engine use, give or take; $2000/yr for inspections whether you use it or not, etc), otherwise you will be in for a real shock.

Anything input you could provide on the cost of boat ownership would be appreciated. Thanks, Perry

WHAT? No answer in 45 minutes on a holiday weekend??????


Actually what i forgot to add is that I am the original do-it-yourselfer. I even considered building a steel boat from plans. I found a really cool one where you start with 40 x 10 ft sheets of steel. All the parts are then cut-out on a plasma cutter at a job shop. You start with a bunch of flat parts just like a balsa wood model airplane, and you just weld them together. Then i realized that I wanted to be young enough to actually go boating when I finished. The point is that I'm trying to get a handle on parts cost, as well as the time to do the repairs. I probably won't rebuild engines myself, but pulling them and dropping them back in seems like quite a reasonable thing for me to do. Same goes for a rotten stringer replacement (thanks to those who have shared their stringer replacement experiences!). Pretty much everything else is fair game for me to try. Thanks, Perry

The answer can vary from boat to boat ( even the same boat ) , Last year I spent maybe 7-800 In maintenance and repairs incl haul out , 2 years ago , 5k in one week , and a month later over 10k , Bad year , very bad .

P-Dogg

I have had my '79 tri-cabin almost three years and have spent about 5k/yr so far but only because I am upgrading the entire boat a little at a time. If i just look at items I had to do it is closer to 1K/yr. I have to pay to have everything done also since I can't do the work myself unless it is very minor. That amount doesn't include hauling out, winterizing, or shrink wrap since I have to do that every year. That alone costs about 1.5k.

I'm sure a lot will depend on the overall condition of your boat in general and your engines & also how much you run the boat. I only have a 6 month boating season which makes a big difference.