Where should I sail 45' ketch for interior refit?

[Pipistrelle]

Go to Yacht Haven Marina, Phuket Thailand, contact Mali at Yachts Repair, which is where we had our teak decks replaced at a fraction of the cost of European or N American prices, and also had our interior wood stripped, and recoated with 10 coats of varnish. Simply superb, couldn't speak more highly about them.

[Canuck Sailor]

I had extensive work done to interior & exterior of my 45' Offshore 44 in Port Carmen, Cebu Island, Philippines in 2010-11. It would have cost me mega bucks anywhere else including Phuket, Thailand where most cruising yachts go for refits in Southeast Asia.

We moved everything off the boat except systems and took an apartment ashore for almost a year. $200CDN per month for huge flat. Cost of living one third of N/A.

Work/Labour was inexpensive at that time as was materials so long as you used local(excellent) wood. Teak as we know it in N/A isn't readily available there but they have similar woods that are even better in some instances.

We paid an American ExPat to have locals do work for
Semi skilled labourer - 350 Pesos per day
Glassers(excellent workers) - 500 Pesos per day
Painter (excellent) - 700 Pesos per day
Head foreman (talented) by the hour based on 1,400 Pesos per day.
40 Pesos per CDN$ at the time.
I do not know the labour rates at this time but the owner of the business got at least 25% of that money.

Interior work done included new cabin sole/sub sole and some floors(dry rot); new cabinetry matching current lockers & cabinets; cabin sides; overhead covering; painting and glassing. The cabin sole is parquet but I have seen strip with holly insert work as well.

Exterior work done included complete deck, cabins and topside painting. New hard dodger with glass window, two opening; non-skid area modification and painting; spar modifications; sail modifications & repairs; exhaust modifications; stainless welding and varnish work.
Some marine goods and materials were hard to come by and needed to be shipped in which turned out inexpensive for us and our long stay.
PM me if you have any questions.

[Geoff S.]

It sounds like you're already leaning towards and planning on Rio Dulce, but I can offer some applicable guidance regarding Trinidad. Not that I'm a poster child for the optimal major refit...I landed in Chagauaramas in August of 2002 and we're only this year looking at splashing in the next 8-ish months...and I seriously doubt you want to spend 13 1/2 years on your project. But I bear a large part of the blame for things taking so long: 1) I picked the epitomé of a "fixer-upper", and every time we ripped something out we uncovered new skeletons lurking, and ended up replacing every system and nearly every stick of wood in her; 2) My meagre cash flow (I'm the first to admit that I have no business playing in this league) and religious aversion to debt was kinda-sorta compatible with incremental progress; and 3) As an absentee owner, working my tailfeathers off up in Michigan to keep up with my boat bills, I wasn't on-site cracking the whip...and thus the guys who are there in the contractors' faces being squeaky wheels took priority. So, I'm certainly not advocating you do it the way I did it...

But, that being said, I know for a fact you can get anything you want done in Chaguaramas. I myself have done everything on Diva that's on your list and more, and you can get quality work at still-reasonable prices (compared to US labor rates) in a (touch wood) non-hurricane zone. I would strongly urge you to retain a management company, such as Dynamite Marine to point you to the A-list contractors and keep some momentum going if you're not going to be continually on-site, but I know of some owners who have been able to be mostly there in person and gotten great recommendations from YSATT, a professional contractors association, so it's possible to self-manage.

But my own experience makes me emphatically second Uncivilized's counsel that you could be opening up quite the can of worms...those "while we're at it"s can really start to add up.

Bon Chance, Mon Ami.
Geoff

[sanssouci]

Originally Posted by Guy

So you always go with the cheapest labor? Hardly anybody works a full day, you are lucky to get 4 hours of work per day out of a crew. You might be a little surprised on your return. Everyone has a cell phone now.
If some guy paddled up in his cayuca looking for work, you might get him to work a full day for $10 and he would be pretty damn happy about it too. These people can live on so little.

Will I have a problem getting over the bar with a 7.5 draft?
Will I find a dock or will I have to anchor out?

[model 10]

Originally Posted by sanssouci

Will I have a problem getting over the bar with a 7.5 draft?
Will I find a dock or will I have to anchor out?

That will be sketchy. There are lots of boats up there with that draft but they wait for a high tide to come and go. If you screw up, there are guys who will tow you off for $50. I have seen 7'9"
No problemo with finding a dock or anchoring out.

[sanssouci]

Originally Posted by Guy

That will be sketchy. There are lots of boats up there with that draft but they wait for a high tide to come and go. If you screw up, there are guys who will tow you off for $50. I have seen 7'9"
No problemo with finding a dock or anchoring out.

Is there a website where docks are advertised?

[Canuck Sailor]

Regarding Port Carmen, Cebu, Philippines
I failed to mention that the work ethics there were excellent. Yes, maybe one or two in the whole crew may have not had their hearts in it but generally they worked all day and seven days a week sometimes all at the same rate.
There is a ship yard inside and also part of the complex that takes local tankers up on ways as well as the occasional yacht.
Calling them on VHF or phone will have them send out a boat and guide anyone in who is concerned about getting in behind the islands. It might be considered a hurricane hole. We had 75 knots of winds during one storm and all was well with the boat tied fore and aft across the channel.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by sanssouci

After sailing her for 33 years, I am looking for a port to refit the deck and interior of my boat.

45' 1982 Dufour 12000CT (French)
Where should I sail her for a refit? Should I take her back to La Rochelle?
Somewhere in the Atlantic or Pacific?

Well, since you mention the Pacific… if you want an adventure, the woodworkers of Phuket, Thailand are second to none and are something like 1/5 (yes, you read that right) the price of the first world! Inter Woodwork Phuket being my personal absolute favorite.

[model 10]

Originally Posted by sanssouci

Is there a website where docks are advertised?

The online news letter Rio Dulce news will have adds for some marinas but not all. There are a bunch. If you are hauling out there are only 3. You will probably choose either RAM or NanaWana

[sanssouci]

OK, it looks like Rio Dulce is my destination for removing teak decking and interior refit.

Any advise on dockage?

[model 10]

Originally Posted by sanssouci

OK, it looks like Rio Dulce is my destination for removing teak decking and interior refit.

Any advise on dockage?

If you are not hauling out the choices are almost endless. If you are hauling I would choose NanaWana because it's all paved and it's less $$. They are also way better to outside contractors, as it they don't charge them any fees. If you are staying in the water I would stay close to town but the wake problem is weird in almost all the marinas, so we like Catamaran because it seems the best for the wake problem but you might need a 15hp dink as it is a couple of miles from town.
If for some reason you want to be far away from the madness of Fronteras, Burnt Key or as it was called, Texan Bay is your spot. The refer and rigging and sail repiar guys are there. It's like 25 miles from town. You would need to depend on their launcha to get to town when needed as it's in the jungle with no roads.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Sans Souci,

There's another CF member here, El Pinguino, who has a thread going now about the major refit he's been having done on his Westerly Sealord in New Zealand, at Gulf Harbour. If you search on posts by him, you should be able to find the thread (sorry I don't remember its title), or PM him.

Ann

Hello Ann and San Souci,
The main reason I went to NZ was to get the osmosis and other underwater work done and I am glad I did that. However for a teak deck ( I'm making an assumption there) and interior woodwork I would say Thailand. A boat, about 45 foot, had her teak deck renewed in GH while I was there... I was told the sum of $60k NZD was involved......
In my case a major reason for doing so much work in NZ was that its just across the puddle from Campo del Pingo.

Ping

[Alfred Levitt]

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I am a journeyman marine carpenter (and do both wiring & plumbing systems), I am also an avid sailor RYC Offshore yachtmaster looking to cruise the South Pacific again.

I am looking for an opportunity to do another refit and am willing to barter & deal in exchange for more South Pacific cruising. I am sure we can reach a mutaully advantageous arrangement: money is not my main motivation ... sailing and working on boats is.

I have tried to attach a resume just to give you a brief understanding (bear in mind is was drafted for regular "employmeny" and this would be a different arrangement).

If you are interested I can be reached by email at levittalfred@gmail.com.

Cordially,

Alfred Levitt

[Vivamus]

Take a look on YouTube "ESPER Refit" a video journal of a complete Ouster 435 refit done at PSS Boat Yard, Satun Thailand.

Impressive and very informative.

[Muckle Flugga]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Hello Ann and San Souci,
The main reason I went to NZ was to get the osmosis and other underwater work done and I am glad I did that. However for a teak deck ( I'm making an assumption there) and interior woodwork I would say Thailand. A boat, about 45 foot, had her teak deck renewed in GH while I was there... I was told the sum of $60k NZD was involved......
In my case a major reason for doing so much work in NZ was that its just across the puddle from Campo del Pingo.

Ping