Boat Yards in Mexico

[KenAct2]

I read the published hourly billing rates for a boat yard in Mexico and find them attractive. Does anyone have comments that would make me think it is not a good idea to investigate having repair work done there?

[rcmpegasus]

I have had a number of things done down in Mexico. I have been in the Opequmar yard in Puerto Vallarta a number of times, also lots of friends and neighbors that have used the La Paz, Ensenada and Matzatlan yards. My experiences were very good, high quality work good materials and 1/3 the price of US. You have to be careful in what you have them do and you MUST be there while they are working. They work hard but it's easy for them to get confused on what you want and they do it different than you had in mind. This is espisaclly true if your Spanish is poor, like mine.

They excell at wood work, fiberglass and painting. At least as good as the work I got in California, maybe better. I would avoid anything that takes technical knowledge that you do not have. things like refridgeration, electrical and instuments. If you can direct them it's fine but hard to find experts in these things.

The hardest part is materials, you can get just about anything you can buy in the US and the price is maybe 10 - 20% more. Paint, resin etc.. is about the same, radar, chart plotter etc.. is 20% more. Bringing it in your self is a paperwork nightmare and don;t even try to ship it, it never makes it, at least that is the case in Puerto Vallarta.

I plan on having new decks, pilot house and aft deckhouse done next year and will probably pay 25% of what it would cost at home. All my systems will be redone in the US though.

Not sure what coast you are looking at but the yards vary greatly, so ask around.

[KenAct2]

Bob, thanks for the info. I have purchased a 1981 Lancer 44 Motorsailer and will be having fiberglass repair, vinyl headliner/wall covering, and thorough detailing and polishing inside and out done right away. The boat is in So.Calif and I was thinking of Ensenada, do you have specific yard comments?

[imagine2frolic]

Bahia Naval I believe is the name in Ensenada. I had to get pulled there. They were honest, and very inexpensive. I have since heard other good things about them from forums.......i2f

[TaoJones]

From the latest 'Lectronic Latitude, comes word that the present economic crunch has had the side effect of making California yards be more competitive on price with Mexican yards. From the report:

* * *

"You know how everything is less expensive in Mexico? Well, it's not. Take hauling out your boat.

"Most folks who cruised Mexico this winter figured it would be much less expensive to have their boats hauled out down there than when they came back up to the States. But that's not proving to be true."

* * *

To read the entire report, go to:

Latitude 38 - The West's Premier Sailing & Marine Magazine

It's the first item, "Hauling for Less."

TaoJones

[DaveB]

Originally Posted by rcmpegasus

I have had a number of things done down in Mexico. I have been in the Opequmar yard in Puerto Vallarta a number of times, also lots of friends and neighbors that have used the La Paz, Ensenada and Matzatlan yards. My experiences were very good, high quality work good materials and 1/3 the price of US. You have to be careful in what you have them do and you MUST be there while they are working. They work hard but it's easy for them to get confused on what you want and they do it different than you had in mind. This is espisaclly true if your Spanish is poor, like mine.

They excell at wood work, fiberglass and painting. At least as good as the work I got in California, maybe better. I would avoid anything that takes technical knowledge that you do not have. things like refridgeration, electrical and instuments. If you can direct them it's fine but hard to find experts in these things.

The hardest part is materials, you can get just about anything you can buy in the US and the price is maybe 10 - 20% more. Paint, resin etc.. is about the same, radar, chart plotter etc.. is 20% more. Bringing it in your self is a paperwork nightmare and don;t even try to ship it, it never makes it, at least that is the case in Puerto Vallarta.

I plan on having new decks, pilot house and aft deckhouse done next year and will probably pay 25% of what it would cost at home. All my systems will be redone in the US though.

Not sure what coast you are looking at but the yards vary greatly, so ask around.

Hi,
I am looking for a good Mexican yard to get a Hudson force 50 re decked, any particular one you could recommend ?

[zeehag]

i know baja naval is same price schedule as shelter island marina and driscolls...there is a yard where the tuna fleet used to be in ensenada--i donot know where it is exactly or the pricing---is supposed to be still less expensive than the others--with decent work ---goood luck with the decking--i donot know if the practice of gouging those who return home for a few days is in effect there, as it is in naval---the price goes up 40000 dollars whenye leave the boat to go home!! so---goood luck.

[DaveB]

Thanks for the heads up. So there is a good chance I can get screwed by the boatyards in Ensenada ?

[islandplanet]

I just flew down to San Diego to measure a rig on a 55' that we're doing some sails for. Customer mentioned that a representative from Baja Naval visited the marina trying to round up work for the yard. Apparently they are slow right now. When I checked into Baja Naval in summer of 2008 I found them ridiculously expensive and did my own work up here. I think they have lowered rates so they may be worth checking out. As with any boatyard I would make sure I was there to monitor the work and keep track of the time actually spent working on the boat. I keep a log anytime I have a yard doing work on the boat so if they try to pad the hours I've got some documentation.

[Mule]

There is no shortage of press about the boat yards on the Pacific side of Mexico, however I never hear anything abourt the East Coast. I would suspect Meridia, with its traditionbs would have a sizable number of 2nd even third generation boat craftsmen but I never hear about it...Anyone out there have any knowledge of east coast boat yards in Mexico and farther south?

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by DaveB

Thanks for the heads up. So there is a good chance I can get screwed by the boatyards in Ensenada ?

if you leave your boat, count on having it more than you counted on paying --last time i was there..was a few yrs ago--there was 40k stuck onto the boats that were left without the owners on board--we stayed on board and kept costs down ----

Originally Posted by islandplanet

I just flew down to San Diego to measure a rig on a 55' that we're doing some sails for. Customer mentioned that a representative from Baja Naval visited the marina trying to round up work for the yard. Apparently they are slow right now. When I checked into Baja Naval in summer of 2008 I found them ridiculously expensive and did my own work up here. I think they have lowered rates so they may be worth checking out. As with any boatyard I would make sure I was there to monitor the work and keep track of the time actually spent working on the boat. I keep a log anytime I have a yard doing work on the boat so if they try to pad the hours I've got some documentation.

baja naval is comparable to and with driscolls yard and shelter island boatyard, 2 of the most expensive yards i have known---the is a yard where the tuna fleet was in ensenada----i donot know exactly where it is--but i would go there if i had work done in mexico.....