Belt replacements maintenance question

[wakehead]

I have a 2002 SANTE and I was wondering if anyone has any advice on when i should change my belt straps at the back of the engine. I bought the boat 5 years ago and have not done this since. There is nothing wrong with them from what i can see but just wondering if I should change them as regular maintenance or if it seems that they would last a long time.

What do you guys think?

[s_kelley2000]

A visual inspection will tell you a lot but 5 years seems like a good time to do this. They are cheap and easy to change but it will put a big damper on your day if you snap one in the middle of the lake. Take a good look at them and see if the edges are starting to fray or if they are getting dried or cracked at all. If so I'd get on them sooner rather than later. If they still look pretty good I would probably wait for the next impeller change since you have to loosen the belt anyway and then just put a fresh belt on at that time.

[seth]

And you should always have a spare set of belts on the boat. It can go from the worst day ever to a 10 minute fix and back riding again.

[wakehead]

Thanks for the tips guys. AS spares I will just keep my older ones in the boat.