We use our boat pretty hard. At least for working/part time sailors....
The boat is a 2005 Sabre 386 that we love very much! She has taken us 14000 miles in the six seasons we have had her in the water and she has surpassed our very high expectations in many ways. Three trips to Bermuda, 5 months cruising in Maine and countless weekends cruising the coasts of RI MA and CT have given us a great appreciation for the boat Sabre built for us. We love the way she sails, we love her living spaces and she has been rock steady reliable with the exception of the Yanmar saildrive. That is another story though and not for discussion now.

This spring's work list follows. Please note that my background is that of a mechanic and I subscribe to the maintenance is easier than restoration school of thought. I like to find problems before they become "real". I replace things before they are dead so that I can enjoy my cruising with a beer in hand and not a wrench. The other credo is that if "it" is on the boat it must work as designed! No room for slackers here. This season, I must have 100 hours of time in on the boat and I am getting tired of the projects. People who don't know how much we use the boat make comments as they walk by on the dock that suggest that we must never use it but rather just polish the thing all the time. I understand why when I reach this point in the year and I begin to get tired of the projects....

Next week we go sailing!

Esmeralde spring work list / maintenance list 2011 engine hours about 1300, miles sailed 14000

• Engine/drivetrain
1. Motor oil and filter.
2. Fuel filters.
3. Re design of perpetually leaking radiator cap flange.
4. Coolant flush.
5. Heat exchanger cleaning.
6. Coolant hoses changed.
7. Raw water pump rebuild.
8. Valve adjustment, valve cover gasket replacement.
9. Saildrive cone clutch replacement.
10. Saildrive oil change.
11. Zinc replacement.
12. Alternator/waterpump belt replacement.
13. Clean engine and engine compartment.
14. Wiring inspection.
15. Raw water hose replacement.
• Fresh water system.
1. Remove water tanks from boat, clean tanks and area around tanks.
2. Replace various water system hoses including tank vents.
3. Replace water faucets in galley, head and vanity sinks.
4. Replace sink drains with stainless type with faucet controlled stoppers.
5. Replace water filter in galley sink.
6. Treat water system with cleaner.
7. Commission water maker.
• Interior maintenance
1. Repair stained cherry below starboard chainplate and re-varnish.
2. Rinse and vacuum bilges.
3. Repair varnish on cabin sole where water stained below varnish.
4. Cut hole in face of galley to access area where water accesses cabin sole and epoxy seal sole.
5. Make door cover for new hole.
6. Repair navigation seat back locking mechanism.
7. Clean interior spaces (bilge) of any mold or mildew.
8. Remove all icebox interior shelves, walls and parts and scrub clean
9. Replace rusted cabinet hinges in galley.
10. Paint edge of cabinet where garbage pail lives.
11. Replace ash ceilings in foreword cabin.
12. Polish stainless light fixtures.
13. Replace seals on icebox lids.
• Exterior maintenance
1. Clean and wax hull.
2. Clean and wax deck, cabin house and all non-skid.
3. Varnish all exterior wood with two coats of Epifanes.
4. Replace all dodger windows.
5. Polish all Bimini and dodger framework and fittings.
6. Re-seal all dodger and Bimini hardware.
7. Reseal leaking chainplate deckbolts port and starboard.
8. Replace broken anchor/deck protector.
9. Clean cockpit sole teak.
10. Polish exterior stainless steel.
11. Free frozen bolts in barbeque mount.
12. Replace seals on cockpit locker lids.
• Plumbing
1. Replace head.
• Rigging.
1. Replace gauge in backstay adjuster.
2. Replace lazy jacks.
3. Check rig tune.
4. Bend on sails.

Replace windlass motor and gearbox.