Princess family friend, Jon Mendez, famed guest presenter for Motor Boat & Yachting’s ‘How To…’ series, also runs his own business and leads the Princess Rendez-Vous Summer Cruise for UK based customers. As a seasoned yachting expert, ‘My Princess’ turned to his expert advice on how to prepare and service your Princess yacht for another busy boating season.
‘Whether you left your boat in use through the winter or safely ashore awaiting your next journey, the beginning of a new season is always a moment that brings me joy as I can’t wait to be afloat regularly again. Whatever your winter routine, hopefully you have a boat that’s ready to go, and if you are a little bit behind on your preparations, here are some of the items that I check off so that I can really enjoy my trips, minimising the amount of precious boating time wasted further into the season.
Most boaters tend to remember the obvious items – servicing for engines and gearboxes and/or drives, and antifoul and anodes for the hull, buts it’s the smaller tasks that sometimes get overlooked. Health and safety come first. Fire extinguishers need to be removed and shaken if they are of the powder type, so they do not solidify, and those hidden in engine, bow or stern thruster compartments, need their gauges, and service dates checking. Likewise, life jackets are of the utmost importance, so make sure you have plenty on board for all your guests and have them serviced to ensure they are in date. Health and safety come first of course.
Hopefully like me, you try to leave your fuel tanks full during the winter months to reduce condensation. If not, a dose of fuel treatment added with your next fill up can ward of any future issues. Steering systems always benefit from a good winding of the wheel from side to side at all helms as it allows the oil to lubricate the parts, and whilst there, inspect the fluid level and pressure. All the seacocks will benefit from being exercised several times, it just means that when you need to close them, they actually will.
A good flush of the toilet systems – several times before actual use, generally means that they are nice and fresh for the first person. If you have air conditioning, heating or both, run the systems up and leave them on full for a couple of hours, circulating the air and/or fluids within, will greatly improve their performance. Any heaters or dehumidifiers that you left running will need to be removed and stored away for the summer. Your fridge and freezer will need to be run up and temperatures checked, and the ice-maker will need a run. I prefer to discard the first two loads of ice as it can sometimes taste stale.
Lastly, I like to update my electronic chart systems with the latest chart updates, some of these are easy over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, some older models need the chart chip removing and taking to the actual chart agent for the latest information. I highly recommend doing this as a lot can change in a year. Same with your charts and almanacs, it’s a legal and insurance requirement to have accurate up-to-date information. Then have a play with the systems, as any updates to the operating systems can also mean that new features can appear in the menus, or others have moved. It’s very easy to be caught out if you have not used it for a period of time. If all this sounds a bit complicated, then remember the Princess maintenance team will be happy to assist.’
With special thanks to Jon Mendez for his contribution. https://jonmendez.co.uk/
No-one knows your Princess better than Princess Motor Yacht Sales, so find further information about the service and maintenance offering available, including bespoke packages, and the five service centres across Europe, by visiting; https://www.princess.co.uk/princess-servicing-2/
