OAK BLUFFS — Steve Davidian, longtime owner of Dockside Jewelers in this picturesque town on Martha’s Vineyard, says dealing with occasional ferry breakdowns is just part of living on an island.

“I’m not worried about it because it’s something I can’t control,’’ said Davidian, 63, as he sat alongside his dog, Martha, behind a glass case in the shop he has owned for 34 years.

Just days after the Steamship Authority revealed that mechanical issues had forced it to cancel about 550 ferry trips between Falmouth and the Vineyard from January through April — about 15 times its yearly average — most island-dwellers and business owners interviewed under Sunday’s gray skies said they weren’t too worried about the service’s mechanical issues. Yet.

Some said the cold, damp weather that has lingered into May is a larger concern in a local economy dependent upon tourism, while others said they worry about public perception of the ferries’ operation by the quasi-public Steamship Authority as much as they do the reality.

“Their image is tarnished slightly, and they have to go out there and they have to regain that confidence,’’ said Todd Rebello, 56, a lifelong Vineyard resident and former town selectman who owns South Beach Apparel and three other shops on Circuit Avenue.

“This is a blip. . . . They’ve had a good track record,’’ Rebello said of the authority. “I believe we’re going to have a very successful season. I believe the mechanical problems are being addressed.’’

If the issues do continue into summer, it could be catastrophic for local tourism, said Mary Ibsen, who for 12 years has owned the Madison Inn with her husband, Caleb Caldwell.

Ibsen, 52, said they opened the inn for the season on April 28 and haven’t had any cancellations or changed reservations so far, but they are watching the service warily.

“It’s never been a problem with the boats. This is really just extraordinary, what’s happened,’’ she said.

But, she said later, “They need to get their act together and address those issues, because it would be terrible to have that happen in mid-June, July.’’

For tourists, the ferries are transportation to a tranquil getaway; for business owners, a source of customers. But for year-round residents of the island, they are a lifeline, locals said, providing access to necessary products and materials and to medical care they can’t get locally.

“We’ve noticed that getting deliveries at lumberyards, they just can’t get the materials over,’’ said Garry Metters, 53, a 23-year island resident who works as a carpenter and tends bar at Coop deVille on the side. “You can’t get sheetrock on the island, framing lumber.’’

Metters said the ferry issues could persuade New Englanders contemplating last-minute getaways to head elsewhere.

“It’s just like the weather. If they say it’s partly cloudy, we don’t get that Boston visitor in midweek. If they say partly sunny, they’ll be here,’’ he said. “If people think they’re going to drive from Boston and sit in traffic for three hours and then not get over on a boat, they’re going to think twice about coming.’’

Reynaldo “Ronnie’’ Faust, 52, owner of Fat Ronnie’s Burger Bar, said he had to shut down his business for four days when a delivery of beef — the mainstay of the operation — was delayed.

Faust said business owners face “a trifecta’’ of challenges as summer approaches: the ferry issues, the enduring chill, and more restrictive policies on visas for seasonal foreign workers under President Trump’s administration.

“When you have a seasonal business, you can sort of weather one storm or the other, but I don’t think you can weather all three,’’ he said.

Many of the breakdowns have occurred on a ferry called the Martha’s Vineyard, which was restored to service only in March — just before the wave of mechanical failures began — following a five-month, $17 million overhaul.

The Martha’s Vineyard ran smoothly Sunday on its 9:30 a.m. voyage to its namesake. Everett Francis, 56, sat alone for a time with his Labrador retriever, Sally, on the top deck of the sparsely populated ferry.

“If it goes back and forth a million times, of course it’s going to break down. That’s the nature of the beast, and if you live on the Vineyard, you really know that,’’ said Francis, who grew up on the island and was visiting his father there on Sunday.

He said machines today just aren’t made to last, not the way they once were. “Buy a car now. The car breaks down in five years, six years,’’ Francis said.

Laurie Welch, 58, who owns Eastaway Clothing and Basics Clothing Company, both on Circuit Avenue, said her businesses depend on foot traffic from visitors coming off the ferries, and any decline could affect her bottom line.

“If something happens up here, that’ll really hurt,’’ she said. “Because we felt it the day they started coming [into the Oak Bluffs terminal] for the spring, just a few days ago. Business completely popped. So that was super important.’’

Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com.