Boat maintenance in Malta: what to check and how often

Most maintenance schedules are written for northern waters, where the year turns on frost and a winter ashore. In Malta it turns on heat, sun and salt. Heat shortens the life of batteries, hoses and anything made of rubber. Sun breaks down canvas, stitching, sealant and gelcoat, the glossy outer skin of a fibreglass boat. Salt dries on every surface, and in summer there is almost no rain to rinse it off. Nothing freezes, so most boats stay afloat and in use all year, and the sea stays warm enough for growth on the hull in every season. The jobs below come round by the calendar. Each one links to its own guide or service page where there is one.

Before each trip

• Forecast. Wind and sea state for the hours you will be out. See how to make your own forecast.
• Engine oil and coolant. Check both levels with the engine cold.
• Bilge. Look in. Water, oil or a smell of fuel that was not there last time has a source.
• Cooling water. Clear the strainer, the filter on the engine’s sea-water intake. After starting, check that water is coming out with the exhaust.
• Batteries. Read the charge before you unplug the shore power. See why batteries die in the heat.
• Safety gear. A lifejacket for everyone on board, and the VHF radio switched on and working.

Monthly

• Washdown. Fresh water over the deck, stainless steel, windows and canvas. Wash teak across the grain with a soft brush.
• Battery terminals and charger. Look for corrosion, heat marks and a charger that never settles.
• Bilge pump. Lift the float switch, which turns the pump on when water rises. The pump should run.
• Engine. If the boat has not been out, run the engine up to working temperature.
• Seacocks. These are the valves where water enters or leaves through the hull. Open and close each one so none seizes.
• Lines and fenders. Look for chafe where lines cross the deck edge. Before a blow, use the ten-minute berth check.
• Covers and canvas. Pooled water, split stitching and loose fastenings.
• Waterline. Weed here means more growth below. See how long antifouling lasts.
• Below decks. Damp, mould or a new smell. Open the boat up and air it.

Going away for longer? Use the checklist for leaving the boat, and for the winter the lay-up guide.

Yearly

• Engine service. Oil, filters, belts, coolant, engine anodes and the impeller, the rubber wheel in the cooling pump. See engine servicing.
• Outboard and tender. A service, and always before storage. See RHIB and tender storage.
• Batteries. A load test in the autumn, after the summer heat, by a marine electrician.
• Teak. A clean in spring and a check of every seam. See teak decks.
• Gelcoat. Polish the topsides, the hull sides above the waterline. Have chips and cracks repaired before water gets in.
• Gas. Hose, regulator and joints checked for leaks by a qualified fitter.
• Safety gear. Expiry dates on flares and fire extinguishers. Lifejacket cylinders and lights. The service date on the liferaft’s certificate.
• Fresh water. Tanks cleaned and the lines flushed through.
• Rig and sails, on a sailing boat. The wires that hold the mast up, their pins, and stitching the sun has weakened.
• Paperwork. Insurance, registration and radio licence renewals. Yacht management keeps track of them for you.

At haul-out, every one to two years

A boat that stays afloat all year in Malta should come out every year. One that spends part of the year ashore can often go two. Our antifouling and haul-out page lists the work, and the boatyards guide helps you choose where.

• Hull. Pressure-washed and inspected while it is still wet, including keel and rudder.
• Antifouling. New paint below the waterline, with extra coats where the wear is.
• Anodes. The metal blocks that corrode so your propeller and shaft do not. See how often anodes should be changed.
• Seacocks. Worked, greased, and their hoses and clips checked. A seized one is replaced now, out of the water.
• Stern gear. Propeller, shaft, shaft seal and the cutless bearing, the rubber-lined bearing that carries the shaft. Rudder checked for play.
• Moisture readings. A meter over the underwater hull, to catch osmosis (blisters under the gelcoat) early.
• Relaunch. Every seacock and the shaft seal checked for leaks before the lift lets go.

What a care visit covers from this list

A care visit is the washdown plus a visual check that everything on this list still looks in order, with a dated photo report each time. It does not include running engines, working seacocks, measuring battery voltage or any dismantling, so those jobs, and anything a visit finds, are quoted separately.