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Old 20-11-2013, 01:50   #1
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Good painting experience Turkey

We often read about poor quality tradesmen and inflated prices on many sailing forums; I guess it’s just human nature to focus on the negative.
I want to share with you a very positive experience my wife and I had in Kusadasi, Turkey.
A previous owner had installed flexible solar panels on the foredeck of our Moody 425 and I wanted to remove them before heading offshore, but after lifting one and seeing the amount of black adhesive that was impossible to completely remove from the non skid, even by a local expert, it was suggested that I consider painting the decks or at least that area,

I read most of what I could on the net and made inquiries on several forums, but the information was on the light side. I had spoken to one boat owner who had his HR 42 repainted in Didum Turkey and after looking at his boat and speaking with others I had sort of decided that we would head there and at least get a quote.
We were enjoying our last evening in the Greek Islands, so we went ashore to have dinner. There we met a German couple and we talked about procedures entering Turkey, as well as our desire to sail to Didum to have paintwork done there. He told me that if he were getting paint work done he would go to Kusadasi as his best friend had his boat painted there and he was very happy with the price and final finish.
I was still planning to go to Didum, but at the last minute I changed my mind. I had just received an email from a fellow sailor from this forum that had his older Oyster painted in Kusadasi and after five years he said it still looked like new, that was it, we were sailing to Kusadasi!
It was one of the more fortuitous decisions I have made recently and here is why;
When we arrived in Kusadasi we were greeted by the marina staff in a large inflatable and directed to our slip. They jumped aboard and helped tie up, which made it very easy for both my wife and I as it was a windy day, nice start!
I walked up to the work yard and met the folks at Ozbek Painting. The local manager has a decent command of English and this made things much easier. To make a long story short the owner Turgut Ozbek and his manager attended our boat and inspected it and a couple of hours later gave us a written quote for the repairs and repainting of the decks. Being good business men, they suggested that I might want to take advantage of a good price on getting my topsides done at the same time. Their prices were very reasonable so I wanted to see other work that they had done. I had the opportunity to inspect other boats and I also was able to talk with other owners about their experiences dealing with Ozbek Painting and the results were pretty much the same...they were good people to deal with.
Nine days after arriving we were lifted out of the water and the Ozbek crew started work. I think I counted 8 workers (they have a crew of 16 skilled workers who have worked together for over 15 years) that were working on our boat.
We wanted a yacht quality paint job using the best and most expensive materials available and that meant “Awlgrip”. I have to say that with all large jobs like this, it’s wise to be able to attend the work site on a regular basis. My wife and I attended the boat every day, to inspect the process and ensure that the products used were as specified and the processes were as called for by Awlgrip. We are not the easiest people to please because our expectations are quite high and our knowledge base is reasonable, as we are in the construction industry.
No job like this ever goes perfect and sometimes a customer’s expectations are different than the trades’ person BUT the real test is how you are treated when you ask to have things done differently. The Ozbek team was wonderful in this regard and always had a smile and a nod and never had their hand out, not once were there ever conflicts as they simply complied with our requests, these people are professional in how they deal with customers.
The end result was a beautiful yacht quality paint job done on time and for the price quoted. We are not only happy, we are delighted! So delighted that we had the Ozbek team do a new bottom on the boat as well as varnish the complete interior.
If you are in the market for a good paint job, bottom work or varnish work at an excellent price you should seriously consider dealing with these people, you won’t be disappointed.

Robert and Carla
S/V Moody Mistress


PS There are other wonderful trades people in Kusadasi, the sail maker is a true professional and does great work including canvas and upholstery, the carpenters are second to none, we had some stainless work as well as our windless rebuilt and HW tank replaced and found this shop to produce high quality work as well. Kusadasi is Turkeys first and oldest marina, it doesn’t have the same draw anymore as areas like Marmaras and Didum but it sure is a great place to have quality work done at good prices.
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Old 21-11-2013, 09:32   #2
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Re: Good painting experience Turkey

Great comments commendation indeed. Do you have any idea as to the day rate / hourly rate of skilled guys as an electrician or carpenter? Additionally I have heard that some imported materials have a high mark up; is this true or just gossip. How did the total cost of you job (materials, labor and tax) compare with what you think you would have paid in say Greece or Spain for that matter.

Cheers

PS I also work in construction and have worked in various places, I worked with Turkish contractors in Azerbaijan and thought them pretty good Engineers.
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Old 21-11-2013, 22:26   #3
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Re: Good painting experience Turkey

The painters incomes do not include overhead for the shop rental, management, etc. etc. but they run from about 1000TL per month for an experienced all rounder to 1300TL per month for the top guy who does all the spray work. Turkey workers work 6 day weeks so you have to factor that in as well. If you want American dollars simply divide these numbers in half.
Yes high end paints are more expensive here, I expect that its import tax. If you wish you can have a Turkey equivalent 2 part poly paint and it saves about 15- 20% of the total paint job. I have looked at some of the paint jobs using local paints and they appear to be very good.
I don't know the cost of paint work in Greece/Spain but what I do know is that Turkey has excellent craftsmen and a work ethic that is in my opinion not only superior to Greece but probably North America as well. All work was paid for in cash so I'm not sure what if any went to Tax.
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