Question for all my fellow DIYers out there

[davidh82]

Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a great Monday.

I have a question aimed at those of you who take care of your own boat maintenance. How do you manage your maintenance logs and data?

For the past three years I have filled out the paper log included in the Mercruiser manual, however it is becoming bit cumbersome. I am finding that it can be hard to read my own handwriting and there is a lot of information that I would like to be able to remind myself about next time the maintenance is due.

A better solution would probably include a place to enter information on part numbers, maybe pictures. Perhaps an app that can automatically alert you when maintenance is due.

So, what are you guys doing to manage this data? Have you found an app that works well for this? Are you keeping paper logs like myself or do you just keep it all in your head?

Thank you for taking the time to read this thread and I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

 

[BleednBlue]

Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets

 

[paulswagelock]

I use notes on my iPhone. It syncs to my pc and iPad automatically. Can insert pictures, freehand arrows, etc.

 

[northern]

I ran the maintenance department for a large system. We had a file on every piece of equipment so we could figure out what was best for each application. On the boat I do paper in my log book and file all the invoices at home. The invoices explain the work the log keeps the records at hand.
I dedicate a page to each service item so I can find it. I cut the corner off the top of the page for oil and any service that is repetitive that way I can find the last one. Do you keep a log for your car. IE gas, mileage, oil change, replacement of parts. If no then doing a boat may not be what you want to do.

 

[H2ONUT]

I use notes on my iPhone. It syncs to my pc and iPad automatically. Can insert pictures, freehand arrows, etc.

Yes, I do the same.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[rondds]

Got one of these...

 

[bbwhitejr]

+1 on an Excel spreadsheet. I make notes and transfer to my spreadsheet. I have a separate word doc with part numbers.

Bennett

 

[SloBurn]

I do everything based upon a time frame. Fall- oil change, filter change outs, and tune up, spring- out drive service and impeller, etc. So if the leaves are changing-time to buy oil and filter. Time to splash-service outdrive. easy to remember.

 

[JimmyDubai]

I do it on paper and then up to the cloud. One of the members promote something called Boating Suite which allows you to log your maintenance work; let's allow him to explain more.

 

[fwebster]

I keep a detailed hand written maintenance log that I periodically (about once a year when it snows!) convert to an Excel spreadsheet. I find it handier and faster to keep the hand written log on the boat than to have to deal with a laptop or tablet in a constantly wet environment. Perhaps it is just one more example of why we own the boat.......freedom from TV, noise, electronic tethering.

Part numbers and sourcing becomes more important the longer you keep the boat. I used to keep a notebook with my numbers and sources, but I find it easier to manage if I make notes as we make changes/repairs then summarize the notes on a printed copy of the Sea Ray parts manual for our year and model boat. Perhaps it is just because it forces me to keep the part numbers organized the way Sea Ray organized the parts list as opposed to a random jumble of descriptions, numbers and vendors in a notebook.

 

[play dough]

Kept an Excel spreadsheet for each year. Every penny ever spent on the boat was entered on the spreadsheet, fuel, dockage, service, insurance, etc. It wasn't real detailed but told the story. Date, hours, who, and what. Service invoices were kept to reference more detail if necessary. When I sold the boat after 12 years, I had a spreadsheet for each year that I emailed to the buyer giving him a complete service, usage and expense history of the boat.

 

[Tonka Boater]

I do it on paper and then up to the cloud. One of the members promote something called Boating Suite which allows you to log your maintenance work; let's allow him to explain more.

Thanks for the plug. I have an iOS app called Boating Suite that I develop and maintain as a side hobby. It does everything that you're looking for EXCEPT the automatic reminders. I've toyed with with reminders in prototypes but it's not as straightforward as it might seem and I haven't come up with a solution that would satisfy most users, most of the time. Everyone's needs are as unique as their boats and their schedules for maintaining them. I could do it based strictly on hours but that would require users to be very diligent in entering hours accurately and consistently. If you're not accurate and consistent, the reminders will be useless. Some users just want time-based reminders but that doesn't work for all types of maintenance.

Anyway, I think it's a great app and I've been using it for my own logs since 2009. It's not perfect and it won't ever be perfect, but it's a great tool and my labor of love.

You can find it at www.boatingsuite.com

Thanks,

Rob

 

[fwebster]

Rob,

There is another variable you will have to consider and contend with if you try to incorporate a reminder feature into your system: Calendar time. We have found that some critical parts are both engine hours and calendar time sensitive. For example, my impellers have a generally accepted life span of 300 hours, but about 20 months is all I can get out of them in the Florida heat. At 1.5 years I've run up about 175 hours roughly 1/2 the normal life of impellers in my situation with my engines. Accessory drive belts is another part that seems to dry out and give up long before the normal life span. Sea water hoses are yet another.

I find it pretty simple to keep up with the maintenance clock on critical systems on the boat. When I do routine maintenance, I skip ahead and make a note in my log at the top of the page I estimate I'll get to when the maintenance clock on that item runs out. Since I do most of my own maintenance, I am intimately familiar with the boat's maintenance schedule and really don't need anything but a note in the maintenance log book to keep me on track.

 

[Tonka Boater]

Rob,

There is another variable you will have to consider and contend with if you try to incorporate a reminder feature into your system: Calendar time. We have found that some critical parts are both engine hours and calendar time sensitive. For example, my impellers have a generally accepted life span of 300 hours, but about 20 months is all I can get out of them in the Florida heat. At 1.5 years I've run up about 175 hours roughly 1/2 the normal life of impellers in my situation with my engines. Accessory drive belts is another part that seems to dry out and give up long before the normal life span. Sea water hoses are yet another.

I find it pretty simple to keep up with the maintenance clock on critical systems on the boat. When I do routine maintenance, I skip ahead and make a note in my log at the top of the page I estimate I'll get to when the maintenance clock on that item runs out. Since I do most of my own maintenance, I am intimately familiar with the boat's maintenance schedule and really don't need anything but a note in the maintenance log book to keep me on track.

Frank, that's a great example that illustrates the complexity of adding reminders. You could enter the manufacturers recommendation based on calendar time and/or hours but every situation will vary based on many factors.

 

[rcknecht]

I do everything based upon a time frame. Fall- oil change, filter change outs, and tune up, spring- out drive service and impeller, etc. So if the leaves are changing-time to buy oil and filter. Time to splash-service outdrive. easy to remember.

I do the same... No log needed. I change two batteries every other year. 4-5 years on the exhaust. Coolant when I replace the impellers.

 

[Tonka Boater]

I do the same... No log needed. I change two batteries every other year. 4-5 years on the exhaust. Coolant when I replace the impellers.

For maintenance, I do the same, I perform routine maintenance annually or every other year so it's pretty simple. But, at the risk of shamelessly continuing to promote my app, I log everything so I have a complete picture and I enter details in the notes section for the entry (even routine maintenance). One nice feature if my app is that you can export your log books to .csv file and open them in Excel.

Here's an example of a non-routine maintenance entry from my app with details on the maintenance that was performed.

 

[quality time]

I also use notes on my iPhone/iPad for upgrades and maintenance performed since atleast one of them is always with me. I have an Excel sheet with part #'s and vendors.

 

[alnav]

In addition to the Notes app on Apple products already cited, I find the Reminders app useful for maintenance items that need to be scheduled. One can create a task like "Change Generator Impeller every 14 months" and how far in advance to trigger the reminder. The trigger can also be based on the location of the device like "Remind me to Change Generator Impeller after 13 months when I arrive at the marina".

 

[JVM225]

I used the notes app on my iPhone and iPad and I kept a looselelaf binder with maintenance instructions, dates of service or installation of various things, sources, and any other relevant information that I thought may help for my old boat. One copy stayed on the boat and another at home. The person who bought my old boat found the binder very helpful and I was able to refer to it when I went over the boat with him during the sale.
I plan to do the same with this boat.
I purposely leave out prices or money spent. Those numbers stayin my head. My wife is fantastic but I see no point in going out of my way to let her know how much things cost. :smt018
BTW: I use the notes app for all kinds of things.

 

[highslice]

Thanks for the plug. I have an iOS app called Boating Suite that I develop and maintain as a side hobby. It does everything that you're looking for EXCEPT the automatic reminders. I've toyed with with reminders in prototypes but it's not as straightforward as it might seem and I haven't come up with a solution that would satisfy most users, most of the time. Everyone's needs are as unique as their boats and their schedules for maintaining them. I could do it based strictly on hours but that would require users to be very diligent in entering hours accurately and consistently. If you're not accurate and consistent, the reminders will be useless. Some users just want time-based reminders but that doesn't work for all types of maintenance.

Anyway, I think it's a great app and I've been using it for my own logs since 2009. It's not perfect and it won't ever be perfect, but it's a great tool and my labor of love.

You can find it at www.boatingsuite.com

Thanks,

Rob

I used this app for 3 years until I got rid of my iPhone. I loved it. It worked just as advertised.