Boat Yards and DIY

[Moonflow]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Hello, TCM1968,

This will probably be partly determined by your location, at least it does, here in Australia. If you tell people roughly where you are, you may get some specific recommendations.

Ann

Hi Ann
Do you have any suggestions for the Sydney area.
Thanks Andy

[Nani Kai]

Originally Posted by Badsanta

Check out Jennings Boatyard in Reedville virgina. New floating docks, new bath house. Great DIY yard. I've been there for years.

+1 for Virginia boatyards. Our 39 Leopard is at Dozier's in Deltaville, VA just a little south of Reedville. Right next door is Sting Ray Point Boatyard which allows DIY's as do most of the boat yards there.

Herrington North in Deale Maryland was a great place to haul out earlier this year and they allowed me to work on my boat without hesitation. They did require proof of liability insurance and my $1M policy was accepted.

I don't mind an insurance requirement or an "additional insured" rider to an existing policy or a policy written for a specific use and time period.

The boat yard has no idea how competent you are. You could start a fire, knock boat stands loose with your vehicle or worse yet move them intentionally, drop your entire rig on another boat, fall off a ladder, electrocute yourself, etc, etc.

An additional insured policy isn't for when you and the marina are in conflict, it's for when a third party sues you AND the marina over a specific incident.

We require groups renting our event space to acquire 'event host insurance' and list us as an additional insured for any events involving alcohol consumption. If we carried this insurance year round we would have to charge all our customers substantially more to offset the cost. Same would apply to the boatyard.

As for the OP's other concern, I agree with the OP. Just tell me the truth. If you don't I'm likely to draw my own conclusions which may not be favorable to you. If you are honest with me we most probably will come to a mutually beneficial agreement.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by TCM1968

I recently have been looking for a boat yard to haul out and do a bottom paint job on my boat. I plan on having a contractor do the bottom job while I changed out the seacocks and thru hulls myself. We used to have two yards near here that I am aware of that would allow any DIY work. Now one of them is under new owners and no longer allows DIY work. They all claim its is because of insurance requirements. One yard had sent three emails to me encouraging me to email them to schedule the haul out and contractor to do the work. I emailed back requesting what the insurance requirements were and now get no response from them.

Question 1: Wouldn't my 500k Liability ins. cover anything caused by myself or boat while in the yard?

Question 2: If the answer to question 1 is no then what would it take to get an insurance rider to cover this while in the yard?

Question 3: If question 1 is no and question 2 is there is no way to procure this type of insurance on my own then how do the yards that do allow DIY work stay in business?

I think it pretty ridiculous to pay a contractor $100 plus per hour to do something I am more than capable and qualified to do myself. Not to mention there is no guarantee the contractor will do it to my standards as this is not always in line with their profits.

Also I am not trying to start a debate on here of weather or not the boat yard owner has the right to do business anyway he or she wants. I just would rather be told "We don't want your business here unless we can make extra cash from you using contractors" than "We can't allow it because of insurance reasons." because if that were the case the yard down road would not be allowing DIY either.

I asked about 500K and was told we don't write less than 1M. Cost difference was little or nothing.

[Knotical]

I have to do considerable amount of DIY work this upcoming winter on my newly acquired old boat, I made several phone calls to different yards and most of them said they don't allow any DIY work, most cited "insurance" reasons. One even mentioned they don't want me damaging multi-million dollar yachts stored in their yard (I liked the honesty). I finally found a place who said I can do whatever I want except sanding and painting (which I wasn't planning on doing anyway), and that they get 20% of any outside contractor work (fair enough). The other reason I chose them is they have their own rigger and I wanna update my rigging.

I have a question - why can't a few owners from each area get together and buy a yard that allows DIY work? Make the yard strictly for DIY work, even allow outside contractors/professionals in. Every owner shares the cost and responsibility equally. I think a lot of people will learn from each other and there will be great camaraderie. What king of liability and insurance issues the owners will be looking at?

Cheers.

[Nicholson58]

We haul in Chaguaramos, Trinidad. Do anything you want or hire the guys. Rates are reasonable. We used to be in Muskegon, Michigan. No problems. Yardsin Cleveland, also no problem.

[CassidyNZ]

Originally Posted by navdi

I have a question - why can't a few owners from each area get together and buy a yard that allows DIY work? Make the yard strictly for DIY work, even allow outside contractors/professionals in. Every owner shares the cost and responsibility equally. I think a lot of people will learn from each other and there will be great camaraderie. What king of liability and insurance issues the owners will be looking at?

Cheers.

I would venture to suggest that the infrastructural costs of setting up a yard (not to mention the cost of waterfront real estate) is probably out of the reach of “a few owners”. I think the cost of a Travel-lift alone approaches $1m

Buying a going concern yard means also paying for good will so even further out of reach.

Well, it sure would be for me.

[TCM1968]

Originally Posted by navdi

I finally found a place who said I can do whatever I want except sanding and painting (which I wasn't planning on doing anyway), and that they get 20% of any outside contractor work

We have a winner! This is the only reason they have for not allowing DYI.

[Xanthe]

Originally Posted by Badsanta

Check out Jennings Boatyard in Reedville virgina. New floating docks, new bath house. Great DIY yard. I've been there for years.

Sounds great! Do they allow liveaboard while on the hard.

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by TCM1968

Update: I received an email today from the boat yard stating that they required only a standard marina policy of 1 Million in liability coverage with them named as other insured. I am going to check with my ins provider to inquire as to what this additional coverage to my already 500K liability would be for the 2 weeks I plan on being in the yard. If this isn't too much I don't believe that is an unreasonable requirement from the boat yard. But why not just say this when asked if I can perform my own work instead of responding with we don't allow it do to insurance reasons? Are they not just loosing business this way? I am curious as to what their response will be when I inform them I have enough insurance.

What seems to really get me is that there is a considerable amount of work I would probably hire them to do for me as it is either above my expertise or something I just would not rather do myself. But if you turn me away when I want to change out a simple seacock myself, then I'll be damned if you earn my business for the other work. Again I believe the owner has the right to operate anyway in which he chooses, but I think it is a poor business model to blanket reject revenue from DIY'ers. Further it is obviously not forbidden by EPA or insurance companies otherwise there would be no DIY yards. I just would like to know I'm doing business with honest people. If someone is going to lie to you so you will pay him to do the work how can you trust them them to not cut corners on that said work to make a few extra bucks.

I have worked my whole life in the service and construction industries and one thing I have learned over the years was that people employed by companies to do work and provide services aren't always as qualified as that company leads the customer to believe.

You said you are in Clear Lake? Which boatyard are you using?

[TCM1968]

I used Clearlake Marine Center. No hassles at all about doing my own work. Stayed on the boat while on the hard and did my part of the work.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by TCM1968

Clear lake Texas

This is why we request that Members complete the location part of your profile - so that the answers Forum Member offer will be relevant.

Please add "Clear Lake, Texas" to your profile and there are a vast number of Texans on this Forum who will be able to provide local, pertinent information regarding DIY yards.

Good luck!
Warmly,
LittleWing77

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by TCM1968

I used Clearlake Marine Center. No hassles at all about doing my own work. Stayed on the boat while on the hard and did my part of the work.

Do you remember what the water depth is on approach there and in the basin? I need 6.5 ft conservatively and am wondering if I could get in there?