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Old 13-04-2018, 03:24   #1
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Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Ruskin, Florida
Boat: Costum 42 Monohull
Posts: 13
Boatyard in the western Carribean?

Hello to all the DIYers,

I was thinking of taking my 42 ft Pearson (Cutter) lookalike to do some maintenance somewhere from Cancum down to Panama. Jobs to do are bottom paint, taking the mast down and putting in some new gear, putting in a new fuel tank and water tank and getting an aluminium davits system with wind, solar and radar. Most of the work I can do myself but I will need an aluminium and stainless steel welder.


Can anyone advise if there is a boatyard that they know of that has the facilities to do this?


Also should I buy the gear in the states or rely on the chandleries down there with the option of posting gear down?

Thanks for the advice.

Mgago
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Old 13-04-2018, 04:49   #2
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Location: W Carib
Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33
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Re: Boatyard in the western Carribean?

There are a number of options:

Rio Dulce, Guatemala: Three boat yards to choose from RAM Marina (full on USA style boat yard), Abels (good, but more local operation), Nana Jauna (haul out facility, then DYI or provide your own contractors). The Rio also has loads of yacht related services.

Panama: Shelter Bay (the marina is expensive, but yard rates are more in line with regional rates). Linton Bay Marina (new marina, big travel lift), PanaMarina (boat storage on moorings and ashore, trailer to haul). Bocas Boat Yard (bit of a shoe string start up, but can haul your boat). Finding good contractors in Panama is more challenging than on the Rio.

Note that none of the marinas in Panama have cranes to my knowledge. So, you have to hire a crane to come in which gets spendy quick. I found one in Colon to come to Litnon Bay Marina for $350 once, but now the going rate is more like $600.

On the Rio the easiest option to pluck your mast is to pull up at the docks of Cayo Quemado Sails & Rigging and have Tom pull it with his purpose built crane. Ive also pulled a mast at RAM Marine with a a jury rig crane on the travel lift...using telephone poles! [emoji6]Click image for larger version

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Old 13-04-2018, 05:10   #3
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Re: Boatyard in the western Carribean?

More details below taken from my Western Caribbean Cruising Notes. It includes info on Honduras and Belize. The mainland Honduras options I would avoid these days due to security issues. The Belize options I would avoid...well, because it is Belize...and the Rio Dulce is close by.

Welding is available on the Rio Dulce from Carlos the welder and in Linton Bay Marina from Guido (who is also a mechanic and now runs a chandlery in the marina).

"
Boat Yards

Below is an overview by country of the resources available.

Belize

Cucumber Beach has an aging travel lift, but skills & good quality materials can be a challenge to find in Belize. Importation of parts and supplies can be an expensive hassle. Because of this, most boats head to Rio Dulce, Guatemala for maintenance. The Rio has several boat yards, a few chandleries, a wide of skills at favorable prices, and easy inexpensive importation of parts and supplies.
Thunderbird's Boat Yard is a new yard in Placencia offering haul outs, dry storage, and dock space for rent.
Hakim's Boat Yard in Belize City recently added a travel lift with 30' beam and can lift catamarans.

Guatemala

Guatemala's Rio Dulce is the ultimate hurricane hole in the NW Caribbean. This makes it a Mecca for cruising boats and related services. There are 3 boat yards to choose from, a plethora of marinas, several chandleries, and skilled labor available for almost every aspect of yacht maintenance. Rates for these services are relatively low. Importation of goods is easy. This also makes the Rio Dulce an excellent choice for refits.

The 3 boat yards are Nana Juana, RAM Marine, and Abel's.
Nana Juana has an articulated trailer which can accommodate most recreational vessels including larger catamarans. This is a distinct advantage because it means larger cats can avoid the potentially nerve wracking transit under the bridge and power lines to get to Abel's (I cover the details of making this transit in my “Belize & Guatemala Cruising Notes” also available on Amazon).
RAM Marine is large full service boat yard complete with a travel lift, paint shed, dry storage lot, fuel dock, restaurant, West Marine distributor (effectively the same thing as a West Marine store), and restaurant. The one thing missing at RAM is the ability to haul larger cats, but there are plans to add an articulated trailer (the ramp is even built for it).

Abel's is a family run yard which has been in operation for decades. They have a marine railway system and a relatively recently added travel lift. Competition from the new yards has forced them to up their game by adding things like the travel lift, but unfortunately that necessitated increasing their rates too. As mentioned, they are upstream of the bridge. This is not an issue for smaller vessels, but is a significant consideration for larger vessels with tall masts.
Marinas. I wont cover all of the marinas on the Rio Dulce, that's more in the scope of a cruising guide, but below is an overview of what is available.

Honduras

There are several options for boat yards in Honduras (the order I list them in has no meaning)
One, there is a ship yard in French Harbor, Roatan. Their market is mostly the fishing fleet and small ships, but they can certainly haul you or dry dock you.
Two, the naval yard in Puerto Cortez. Sometimes a little dicey in terms of schedule and availability. Typically they only haul you and you must do the work yourself or arrange for it do be done.
Three, La Ceiba Ship yard. Full service yard which does many recreational vessels. La Ceiba Ship Yard is more oriented toward servicing recreational vessels than some of the other options. See http://laceibashipyard.com/. Good prices on bottom paint in the past (relative to Rio Dulce where it is way high). La Ceiba also has the big advantage of being a Free Port -- no duties on stuff you ship in for your boat, but your boat must actually be there.

Panama

Marinas and boat yards in Panama are clustered around three areas: Bocas del Toro, Colon, and Linton Bay.
Bocas del Toro offers one boat yard and three marinas. The boat yard unfortunately cannot haul catamarans, but is an option for monohulls. The three marinas are Bocas Marina, Carenero, and Red Frog. Both Bocas Marina and Carenero are located near Bocas Town. Red Frog is further away from Bocas Town on Isla Bastimentos, but has good amenities and access to the beautiful Red Frog property...including one of the most beautiful beaches in the W Carib.
Colon has one significant option in Shelter Bay Marina. It is the marina of choice for preparing to transit the Panama Canal. Shelter Bay is very protected and offers many amenities, but this of course comes at a price. Shelter Bay also has a full service boat yard.

Linton Bay has the new Linton Bay Marina which is in operation but still a work in progress. They have a huge 100 ton travel lift and a large working yard.

PanaMarina offers storage on moorings or ashore and has a trailer for haul out. They have a small chandlery and a sail maker ashore.
"
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Old 25-04-2018, 10:55   #4
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Re: Boatyard in the western Carribean?

Belizesailor,

Are your Cruising Notes available somewhere?

Thanks,
Duane
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Old 27-04-2018, 04:37   #5
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Location: W Carib
Boat: Wildcat 35, Hobie 33
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Re: Boatyard in the western Carribean?

Yes, both my Belize Notes and Western Caribbean Notes are on Amazon...and cheap! [emoji41]

https://www.amazon.com/Belize-Guatem...s=Belize+notes

https://www.amazon.com/Western-Carib...s=Belize+notes
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