What are the recommended refit locations in the US? ie Best labor price to quality?

[Infatuation]

Call Cruising Outpost magazine....Bob Bitchin..owns the mag. out of SO CAL. and ask him for a recommendation..BOB know EVERYTHING !!!

[Mithril Bham]

Try Philbrooks, Sidney BC
Pay upfront in Canadian before the exchange rate changes.

[s/v michaela]

Stay in San Diego and refit the boat in Ensenada..Just sail it down rather than transport it. Come down and check on the rates at Baja Naval, or Guillermo's yard. Simple solution and no moving expenses. Only 80 miles away... Then slip it at Marina Coral or Cruiseport and go sailing south when you retire..oh btw.. Just hire a local guy to be a supervisor and have him send pics and keep in contact on the phone with you... There are some really excellent guys down here who would do that until You could come down.

[Terry107]

Originally Posted by alaskanviking

What are the recommended refit locations in the USA? Best labor price for quality work?

Hi, I am looking for some help in choosing locations for some refit, and modifications. Specifically I am trying to find good places with the best labor rates for quality work. Boat is a Passport 42ft pilothouse cutter with a 6.5ft draft and 13ft beam. I can do a lot of work myself as I am experienced in boat repair, maintenance, Electrical, diesel engines, and fiberglass work, and may have some ABYC certifications next year if I can swing it. The problem is usually time and space/work area.

Background: I am from the PNW, but currently stationed in San Diego, Active Duty Navy and up to choose orders in January. A rough look at what MAY be available has a lot of east coast billets (jobs). As this will be a last tour before I retire, ideally I am looking at stuff by Seattle, or Everett Washington. I am also looking at Little Creek/Virginia Beach Virginia, Jacksonville or Pensacola Florida. I haven’t made up my mind on where I want to retire too. I have very little experience or knowledge with the east coast, so part of me wants to transfer there to get the feel of it and helps decide if I want to be east or west of panama when I get out. To simplify I get to move to Florida, Virginia, Washington, or stay in San Diego, and then two years later I get to move anywhere I want. The Navy partially helps with the moving bill (boats are complicated for PCS moves).

Essentially I would like to stack the cards in my favor and push for billets in areas that I can get some work knocked off of my list. If I transfer I will likely ship my boat. As I would have to pull my mast, I could take advantage of that opportunity to redo the mast and rigging. If I have it in dry storage I could effectively get to both sides of the boat for painting/varnish/wax/polish canvas work ect. Things that are difficult in a slip, or I have to plan, haul out, pray that contracted work goes according to schedule, and that military tasking’s don’t come up to change my schedule.

San Diego is expensive! The general attitude here is if you have a boat you have money. The State, City, Marina’s, and Boat Yards conspire to extract as much money as possible from you somewhere in the rate of double/triple anywhere else, and sadly not always at quality. There are Venders that do quality work, but expect to pay premium California prices. Labor rates are in the 100-150 an hour range, plus all the fees, taxes, nickel and dimes, hassles ect that aren’t even mentioned on quotes. Many try to hawk cheap gear and equipment to bring down the price. I got a Quote this summer, $1000 to haul out, another $1000 for bottom paint using the crappy eco stuff that you have to redo every 1-2 years. They won’t let you bring your own good paint (3-5 years) and do it yourself (this was a DIY yard). If there are places on the east coast or in Washington like this I’d like to know so I could push for benificial and reasonable locations. To clarify, I dont mind paying for good work, I dont like dealing with a "your small $1-5k or less project is barely worth our while, we are busy unless you have a mega yacht", then pay top dollar, and get nickle and dimed on top of that.

I have seen high quality work for decent prices in Mexico, however military are unable to go to Mexico at this time, and my schedule doesn’t allow me to go down and supervise for several weeks.

V/R

Robert

This will give you an idea of what you can pay in Cornwall UK.My boat yard Calstock boat yard Cornwall charges $93 per month for a 34ft boat.You can do any work yourself without restriction. Haul out is approx $140dollars. I cannot believe the prices you pay in the USA. Pity there are no USA postings in Cornwall !!!!

[alaskanviking]

Originally Posted by SVChasingAmy

I am also looking for somewhere in Southern California to put my boat on the hard and do some work myself.
I totally understand the San Diego thing. I spend $900 /mo. for a slip and the last time I had work done, the rate was $150/hr. for changing out thru hulls that I could have done myself, but the yard required a licensed tech.

Are there any dry storage yards that will allow some DIY that is relatively close to San Diego, Long Beach or Oxnard?

Sounds like we both need some advice!

I had good bottom paint right before california changed the rule, but we are touching 5 years and its definately due. still looks good, but I have to clean it more often now. the diver keeps telling me how good of a paint it is. I was trying to hold off as I will be deployed for a while. I didnt win the free hualout at the boat show a couple months ago :-( but I will try again in june for the other boat show.

I believe Driscolls is a DIY yard. but what I have been hearing around the block is that all the boat yards in San Diego are really strict about bottom paint.

I used the yard off of National City before (Knight & Carver), but it was a so so experience. I had a diffrent boat then (not a very nice one), and they were transitioning to primarily serve megayachts and building large wind generator blades. looks like they werent very successful as now thier owned by Marine Group. Marine Group I have heard good and bad, dealing with them on the Navy side they have been good, but those are big contracts usually. Marine Group used to be one of the lesser expensive yards when they only had the chula vista facility, I dont know now.

Boat Yard San Diego is a newer one that popped up recently. theyre inland in Chula Vista, sounds like you use Marine Group to haul, and bring it there via truck. $1.50 a foot per day to work on it, but thats $1950 for a month for me. sounds like they can also store some boats, says any size on their website, but only listed prices to 35ft. I dont know how thier quality, or if the hualout, truckmoving fee, and DIY rate is worth it financially, althou I may get a quote, and see if I can paint the bottom myself. FYI it does sound like the owner is a strong personality macho type. my friend went there to get a quote to paint the deck of her 30' catalina. he literally said he doesnt work for females, he also had a long ranting post on his site that raised some red flags, but he took it down by the time she tried to to show me.

Nelson Beumont - STAY AWAY!!! they have done contract work for me with the navy, for small boats. total garbage! we had them replace our nonskid decking. his workers had very little idea of what they were doing, and he didnt stay or check in very often to supervise. the decking started coming up shortly after. they had to get them back three times to do the job correctly took 3-4 months for 4 boats, and we would have to send someone to the base gate to pick up the worker, as he would just drop them off. another time they were contracted to troubleshoot an electrical gremlin. contract had very loosy goosy and confusing wording. pretty much resulting in looking like (and priced) to have them find and fix the issue, but in reality they tested one thing and didnt have to fix anything. we ended up having to do another contract to finish the job. I got there just before, but this is where I got a list of other yards and wouldnt let my guys deal with them anymore.

there are more yards on shelter island, but as thats the area where most of the yachtclubs and hotels are it tends to be expensive there. anything along the coast in the bay has the port of sandiego fees (tax) which increases your cost on everything. those fees are in addition to sales tax, and markup. everyone complains about the prices, so they try to slip in the cheap hardware to lower the price. you have to spell out exactly what you want or brands to use, as thats inconvienient for them to order they charge you more + extra laydays while you wait. its better to plan way ahead, and order most of your known parts online, then keep an eye on them. sometimes your pars are not compatible with what they have so then they have to order parts. frustrating but the reduction in price and lack of tax if you shop right is worth your time. Unfortunately in San Diego most of the boat yards deal with clientel that have more money than sense, and dont ask many questions, so prior to you really have to research and increase your knowlege base, look hard at the paperwork, pay attention to what they say when they talk to for details, and keep track of what and how they are working. I suspect thats what bugs me the most. some of that stuff you have to do anyway but here it really feels like you have to do way more on your part for even small projects, and everything seems to revolve around getting more money out of you.

I do buy some stuff locally at Bay Marine Supply at the end of Canon. I will be ordering my Victron inverter chargers and other heavy equipment through them as they are a bit cheaper or the same price as the online places with shipping for that heavy stuff. very good customer service.


V/R

Robert

[Sailshabby]

Regarding Deltaville, we’ve been there for a couple years. Cheap, yes, but in the middle of freakin’ nowhere (okay, part of its charm, I’ll admit). Labor rate at the yard I just left was ~$85/hr, which was a welcome relief from Annapolis. Slip fee for our 50’ LOA about $3500/year at a lovely marina. West Marine, Tru-Value hardware store, one bar, a 7-11, maritime museum, etc. But again, take a look at the road map - no quick way to get there unless you live there. As for military facilities, Langley has a marina (ugh, but who’s judging), and Norfolk has one (with a mile between docks, great for drunk docking). We considered both - ok, just one - but the summer drive along I-64 from Fort Lee, dealing with the Williamsburg/Busch Gardens/VA Beach tourists,.would have made me insane. If you end up in Norfolk area, you’d be golden at the navy base.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Blackline Marine. Just outside Sydney, BC. Their quality is just as good as Philbrooks and you can (last I heard) do work on the boat yourself as well.

[texingram1]

Originally Posted by YachtBroker

Consider Texas. Mainly Houston Galveston area where we are in Clear Lake. Google Kemah Texas marinas.
3rd largest concentration of boats in the US.

$11/ft per month floating dock space. A little cheaper if you want fixed. One good yard left here you can do your own work ( Clear Lake marine center). $85-110 labor rates for any kind of pro you need. Two international airports.

Half way from San Diego to Fl and easy to sail to Fl from here. 27 square mile protected bay to sail in.

I pay $288 a month at South Shore Harbor League City, TX. floating docks on both side of boat in 36' slip. sort - pool, shower and laundry ammnties are first class and full time security.

Skilled labor runs about $105/HR- some yards do allow DIY

Waters are not pretty and not a lot of places to sail

Good luck - my dad was career Navy - retired in 57 when I was 14. I loved being a "child of the fortress"

[Ape]

Originally Posted by texingram1

I pay $288 a month at South Shore Harbor League City, TX. floating docks on both side of boat in 36' slip. sort - pool, shower and laundry ammnties are first class and full time security.

Skilled labor runs about $105/HR- some yards do allow DIY

Waters are not pretty and not a lot of places to sail

Good luck - my dad was career Navy - retired in 57 when I was 14. I loved being a "child of the fortress"

Does South Shore allow liveaboards? My boat is currently in Seabrook Marina, but I don't meet their length requirements, and my boat will be my sole residence option come July 1st. I'm getting a little anxious about finding a place to call home while I get her pretty.

[friz]

Took my twilight tour specifically at NS Mayport with the intention of settling there after retirement. Cost of living is very reasonable. Sailing is vitually year round albeit my boating employs the principle that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line . Access to the St. Johns river, ICW and the Atlantic. In the village of Mayport, tucked in behind the Naval Station at the mouth of the St. Johns , there is a marina an storage. There are several yard/marinas around the Ortega River/St Johns River on the south side of Jacksonville. Then there is the large complex in Green Cove Springs about 30 miles south of Jax on the St, Johns. Literally hundreds of boats on the hard. Then there are a couple of yards in St. Augustine south on the ICW from Jax. NAS Jax has a large marina and boat storage further down the St. Johns from the Ortega River. Military only.

[alaskanviking]

Thanks everyone for all the good info, its really helpful and apprecieated.

Some of these marina prices im seeing! I pay ~$580 a month at the MWR Marina. $100 is for electricity I use regardless of how much electricity I actually use! they dont want to pay for meters. $10.50 a foot and $100 for liveaboard fee. not really any amenities for the price compared to other marinas in the area, as they use this place to fund the rest of MWR (bowling alleys/gym's ect) and therefore they dont really put too much back into the place. at another marina its $12.50 a foot and there is a restraunt/bar, pool, gym ect. The north part of San Diego bay is anywhere from $12-$30 a foot.

With regards to Mayport/Jacksonville FL, SC, NC, VA and the ICW, how easy is it to get around with a 6.5' draft, and a 65ft mast with all the bridges? the east coast is like a foriegn country to me

I would love to run down to Mexico to do work down there. to get permission right now its so difficult its not happening. unless I get stuck in San Diego and retire here. My nieghbor got a lot of SS work done down there, very good quality. the same job in san diego would not have been financially feasable. that being said ive been hearing that Mexico isnt the deal it used to be anymore, as the big boat yards down there are now run by an American company and get thier parts from san diego marine exchange. keeping an eye on this option, but looking at transfer/retirement dates and weather windows it doesnt seem as likely right now. 10 years ago I could just drive down anytime, and played around Rosarito, and Las Playas all the time. Putting the boat in a yard, ordering and driving parts south wouldnt be an issue. Now it takes several months just to get some of the approvals required for one trip down. I used to sail, dive and anchor at the coronados all the time. Sad and frustrating but it is what it is.

V/R

Robert

[CaptDHill]

Northern Gulf Coast is probably the best kept secret for bang for the buck in yachting. Slips are relatively inexpensive especially along the Mississippi Coast. Water isn’t clear like the keys, but the cost of living is free in comparison and that goes for yachts as well. We keep a SuperYacht in Gulfport for our owner and move it anywhere he wants it from here. As a comparison, the best marina in Gulfport, MS is $5.5/ft. Key coded facilities, and pump outs at every slip. 24hr security. DFM is currently about $2.55/gal. Set Sail Yacht Services charges $98/hr for Marine Engineers. There are cheaper but not better. Set Sail does it all including complete yacht management. There may be other locations as well that are worth it, but I haven’t seen them, and I move yachts everywhere. Nothing is free, but it’s worh paying for competent services.

Best,
Darien

[newhaul]

Bremerton marina $5.50 a foot 100 a month live aboard few meters electric ($.11kWh) and walking distance to PSNS and Seattle ferry. Not to mention several restaurants, 2 grocery stores, and a multiplex cinema. Also have good public transportation hub at head of piers.

[robwilk37]

if youre not in a hurry, my place will be available the end of next year. i had a listing up at one time but cant seem to find it.

vista, ca (county property). 3/4 acre culdesac, 10' x 20' cement pad, 18'x50' 16'h awning, 15'x40'x10'h awning. three sheds, 50amps 110/220vac. and a steel 6-pad cradle.

3 bedroom house with rentable sections. nice and quiet but close to town. $2800/mo plus utilities.

[alaskanviking]

Originally Posted by robwilk37

if youre not in a hurry, my place will be available the end of next year. i had a listing up at one time but cant seem to find it.

vista, ca (county property). 3/4 acre culdesac, 10' x 20' cement pad, 18'x50' 16'h awning, 15'x40'x10'h awning. three sheds, 50amps 110/220vac. and a steel 6-pad cradle.

3 bedroom house with rentable sections. nice and quiet but close to town. $2800/mo plus utilities.

Keep me in mind, that may be possible. Im in my window to choose orders starting this Jan, but my transfer would be the following year, right in your window.

If I transfer I have to be there 24 months, so I'll have to extend a year there to retire. If I don't transfer I'll have to submit my retirement papers in May and extend at this command in San Diego for an additional year.

Thank you!