Boatyard to avoid

[P_Walkabout]

Let us share bad experiences with boatyards.

Here is my part.

B&V Marine, boatyard in Langkawi, Malaysia.
I cannot recommend B&V Marine in Langkawi. On the contrary, I would advice to avoid going to this yard unless you want a cheaper storage and you do ALL, but then ALL the works and maintenance yourself. Be aware however, that the lifting of the boats is done by cranes without the help of spreaders, crushing the top sides of some boats.
The yard has no amenities but you can use the basic ones from the port Authority. Internet covers only a very small part of the yard

Beginning 2016, I bought a Formosa 41 which unfortunately was already in the yard and I am really not satisfied by the handling of the work I gave the yard.
A few examples,
The engine is a Perkins 4.108 M. I requested a job on (a) leaking valve(s). I was billed for new valves, new valve seats etc … in August 2016. The same bill indicated the cleaning of the heat exchanger, which I did not request. When I returned to the yard in October, the heat exchanger was opened anew because the seals did not look good. The engine was test run on January 3rd, after which I went home for a month. During that time, the yard BROKE INTO MY LOCKED boat without my permission and took the heat exchanger out. Upon my return, I found a broken and irreparable tube stack (a 1500 US dollars part) in the heat exchanger. The yard did not want to take responsibility for this, only told that the piece was corroded due to age (just now, although the heat exchanger was opened twice before by the yard). I never got an explanation nor an apology for the break-in beside that I could not be joined. The yard told that I did not leave a phone number or an email address (although the yard was able to send me bills to my email address!)
Further, the reassembly of the engine was badly done and incomplete: missing or untied hose clamps, unconnected and even cut sensor cables, leaks, oil filter not more removable and more small things which never got fixed even after several MONTHS. And now I am not so sure that the valve job was done, the valves are certainly not adjusted.

Seacocks: you could not operate most of the new seacocks the yard installed (7 pieces): either the travel of the handle was impeached by a hose, another seacock or a bulkhead. It took a couple of MONTHS to rectify this although I have now 2 shortened seacock handles and a hole in a bulkhead.

Mast (complete mast ordered and paid by the previous owner). The halyards (one wire and one textile) are on the wrong sides of the mast forcing the halyards to go from one side of the mast to the other side in between the fixed metal mast steps. Further not a single cleat was provided, nor blocks for the lazy jacks, nor attachment point for signal flags. The many holes from previous hardware installations are not filled . . . The dimensioning of this new mast was not done correctly nor tested by the yard which had to use great forces to place the genoa stay at launch time, resulting in the forcing upward of the bowsprit and destroying the structural integrity of its fixation. I left the yard with a crippled boat.


My list of grievances does not stop here but this gives an idea of the work of the yard.

About the bills:
Storage: although clear for hard stand, water and electricity, you should however check. I was charged twice for electricity and water for December 2016.
Works: there is no transparency, no details, not on material used or supplied nor on workman’s hours. This leads to abuses as I could not tally the sums, with the exception of the carpenter’s work. The yard also charge for the reparation or redress of their own mistakes!
The yard does not put the boat back into the water before all bills are paid, your are thus a financial hostage in a foreign country.


The claimed knowledge and experience of the management certainly do not reflect in the performance of the workforce. The work is done by a workforce who has no idea of what a boat is (the carpenter is an exception) and the management does not supervise ANY of the work done by their manpower. I can add that I am not the only boat owner complaining!
And yes, my boat was seriously damaged when put back into the water by the crane (no spreaders to reduce the sideway crushing forces on the top of the hull).


S/Y Elysion
Langkawi, 26-02-2017
Note: I can stave this information with pictures and copy of bills.

[Orion Jim]

Thank you. It takes courage to name names in our litigious modern society.

[Karl79]

Thank you @P_Walkabout for this report!


I'll be in the area, looking for a dry dock for half a year. Is there an alternative marina that you could recommend?

[JATIII]

Thank you @P_Walkabout.