ISO PACIFIC NORTHWEST BOAT YARD RECOMENDATIONS

[AZ-Oldguy]

My Endurance 35 is at a slip in Blaine, Washington. But I am going to be away most of this winter for 4 months. I'm looking for a place, hopefully less than 100 miles away, where I can put her on the hard that is reasonably priced and allows me to do some refit work myself in April before it is launched again. I am looking to repaint the bottom, repair a blister near the waterline and possibly replace the hardware that holds the gudgeons to the keel. I would also be looking for some professional work done (Inspect rigging and some electrical upgrades)and possibly get someone else to sand or otherwise remove all the old paint so that I could paint the bottom before I put her into the water. I would appreciate hearing your recommendations and experience.

[rbk]

Get out of Blaine and don't get your boat near their yard. First hand experience. They are crooks and to top it off all the skilled labor is in Anacortes, Port Townsend and Seattle so you get dinged the drive there and back for any work you have done. Blaine is a nice town and Semiahmoo is very respectable but I have nothing nice to say about the yard in Blaine. All the skilled work I had done was top notch and looking back it would have been worth the time to move further south. Being a Canadian I did my due diligence and checked prices in BC but they were considerably higher even with the exchange then they throw on a bunch more sales tax. If you're not from Washington you can apply for a sales tax exemption on parts but not labor. Wish I could give you specific yards but I'm pretty sure there's good options in all three cities. Good luck.

[AZ-Oldguy]

Thanks for the quick reply, "Crooks" was also my experience in Blaine 2 years ago. So last year I took it up to Port Moody and was hauled out and worked there for a week. Much better and more reasonable and some good local expertise. However I don't think it would be a good place to try and leave my boat on the hard for four months as they have very limited space in their yard. Which is why I posted this ISO. Thanks for the reply hope others get back to me. I have heard there are some places down near Camano Island. I know Anacortes would probably have some places as well, just looking for recommendations.

[MVNoPlans]

You might contact Zittel's Marina in Olympia. They can store boats on the hard and they allow owners to do the type of repairs your have indicated you want to do. A bit far, but it could be a fit