Is there anyone out there that has had their vessel re-done in the
Chesapeake Bay area and willing to "crow" about the guys who did the
work?
I'm looking for recommendations from "
experienced" owners on a full
service outfit in the middle
Chesapeake Bay area that you
trust to do "quality"
work (from first hand knowledge) for what I consider a major
project:
We are ready to give our 1975
Gulfstar M53
Ketch a major face-lift (full bottom job [Caribbean cruising],
hull and topside refinish [paint or refinish gelcoat], replace all thru-hulls, refinish brightwork [teak], rebed all
hardware,
portlights and
mast collars, install stern thruster, underwater lights, re-engineer [extend] swim platform, un-step and
service masts [x2] and standing
rigging ... then re-assemble it all to get us headed south after splash and sea-trial.
Our vessel is in great shape with the original
gelcoat on the
hull but painted gunnels and non-skid. We do have "spider cracks" in the
gelcoat in typical places (transition areas at the base of the coach roof, gunnel vents, around the base of some stanchions) gouge/scratches in the hull (above waterline). Last haul-out revealed no
blisters - fingers crossed! Masts have not been unstepped in approx 10 years but no issue with tuning the rig during our
ownership (4 yrs).
I'm willing to pay for quality work but like many on these
forums - I am a capable DIY'er with little desire to subject my body and lifestyle (we live aboard) to a 1-year
refit in a
DIY yard (although I will certainly do some things myself to defray unnecessary labor costs like remove
hardware [for painting] and de-couple
electronics [for
mast removal].
I will ask a service provider (those that impress me with a great customer service attitude) to do the work inside of 60 days (APR-MAY 2017) and will be very interested in if they guarantee their work (not sure if this is common)? I have flexibility on the time window (JAN - MAY 2017).
I have begun to reach out (via advertisements on internet) to major yacht yards in our area who often refer me to the on-site service provider contractor in their yard - and I am starting to get responses from yard service sales/customer reps but have yet to speak to a
project foreman and start an estimate.
Any recommendations or
advice would be greatly appreciated from the wealth of knowledge that members of this forum have provided me for several years before I commit to any one currently 3-choices (Jabin, Annaplois Harbor, Zimmerman)?
PS - I know that some will recommend we take the
boat to the
Caribbean and do it there (where labor costs are cheaper and EPA is a non-factor) but that doesn't fit into our schedule as we want to enjoy cruising with a
boat that is ready to go.
Looking forward to some sage advice!
Respectfully...
TMT2
SV Take Me There!
Gulfstar M53
Herrington Harbour South (Chesapeake)
Linear Mode
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