Yard Work Costs & Evaluation

[sailorboy1]

I bet the yard guys are getting paid the same even when they aren't getting billed out at $300+/hr (that's what it works out for the bottom painting in post 1). Even though I have never seen them all that busy in the marina I'm in maybe they are. But for the most part the yard could be making some good money off me if I felt the rates were more reasonable.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by rwidman

(...)

It's been said that typically a business has to charge the customers about three times what they are paying the employees to make a decent profit.

(...)

Yep. This is a very broad but basically correct vision. Many buyers have only a very remote idea of how much taxation there is in every commercial operation.

People glibly overlook the fact that their governments armies education police medicare roads etc etc do not come free. Every time we buy anything, be it service or a good, we pay for the whole administrative and otherwise infrastructure.

b.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

........... But for the most part the yard could be making some good money off me if I felt the rates were more reasonable.

Why don't you just get some quotes from some comparable boat yards? If you read my post and a couple since and really think about what was posted, maybe you will get an idea of what has to be paid out of what the yard is billing you.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by rwidman

maybe you will get an idea of what has to be paid out of what the yard is billing you.

They are paying $X for the workers whether or not they are billing me $Y. If I get them to do some work they are making $Y-$X. Otherwise they are losing $X.


I've started and owned businesses and don't need any lessons in how it all works. No business fails by charging too much, unless they don't get to charge it often enough.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

They are paying $X for the workers whether or not they are billing me $Y. If I get them to do some work they are making $Y-$X. Otherwise they are losing $X.


I've started and owned businesses and don't need any lessons in how it all works. No business fails by charging too much, unless they don't get to charge it often enough.

With all your experience, perhaps you should have a talk with the yard owner and explain to him how he could run his business much better.

The bottom line is, if you don't like the place you're getting work done, have it done somewhere else. Complaining on a web forum isn't going to change anything.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by rwidman

The bottom line is, if you don't like the place you're getting work done, have it done somewhere else. Complaining on a web forum isn't going to change anything.

I'm not getting any work done. It's a DIY yard and I bet 90+% do it themselves. Maybe that is how it works out for them as they only have enough to keep a couple of guys busy so they price it high.

And I'm not complaining, I'm observing and commenting. Otherwise what would you have to do?

[a64pilot]

Bottom line, go find out where the boatyard owner is living, if he or she drives an exotic car and lives in a Mansion, yes your probably being ripped off.
But I bet you will be surprised how middle class they are, same for most Marina owners I know of, but admittedly don't know any in the wealthy part of the State.


Sent from my iPad Pro using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Cheechako]

No doubt about your observation. It's very hard to get good work done, much less your money's worth hiring out. It's truly unfortunate. Not only that, but instead of having people who know what they are doing, they often assign some guy who was a burger flipper last week to do it....with little instruction!
If I hire out I want a written quote on what will be done.... specifics. "2 hour sanding" "3 complete coats of xxxx Bottom Paint" etc.
I will no longer hire anything out that I cant be there to watch either.


I once left my 47 ft mono in a dry storage in E. Florida for the summer. I had about a 3" wide x 4 foot long section at the water line of maybe 30 tiny blisters. I contracted the yard to simply gouge them out minimally right away so they could dry all summer. I called them end of summer to let them know when I would be launching in october and asked how it went. They hadn't done it yet. 2-3 weeks later when I arrived, they had ground the whole area, some of it 1/4" deep, also well above the waterline, which would require fairing and a hull repaint.. I had it out verbally with the yard manager, and he hadn't even seen it, he just sent a rookie bozo on down to do it. At least I got them to fair it in for me. I ended up raising the waterline 5" above the boot stripe and launching. This was a well known name yard on E Florida.


Another example: My friends had a 48 ft aluminum cutter completely repainted in one of the big megayacht yards in E. Florida. Cost them $20k at the time. We cruised the Caribe together. By the time they got to Trinidad it had to be redone.

[s/v Jedi]

$300/hr for slapping some paint on while messing up the en ironment and neighboring boats is criminal in my book. There is no excuse about taxes etc. at that price level when it is just for extra work on an otherwise diy yard. I guess some like to protect this yard no matter what.