I think as a boat owner I should be able to do most of the repairs or at least have the knowledge to do so... but having the time tools and space to do so are another thing.

I do think that anyone that calls themselves a cruiser should be able to do what ever is needed to keep their boat going... they should be somewhat self reliant, but as we may have to "punch a clock" and the like, often times it is more efficient to hire someone to do the work.

I take a certain satisfaction in doing work on my boat and I feel confident of the repairs I make... but if there were something I couldn't do... such as bead blasting the windlass and powder coating it (I don't have those tools) I have no qualms with sending the work out.

I tend to agree with the electronics "box" replacement... in spite of the fact that I probably could troubleshoot down to a component and replace even BGAs using my work lab.

Ken mentions crane and machine work... certainly tools that the average boat owner is not likely to have. So indeed there are practical limits to what a boat owner might do.