Crashed into a buoy on the 20th, having a hard time getting responses for gettin repairs

[UK-WOOZY]

On the 19th i launched my boat again after it being out the water since dec 2019. Also had it sandblasted in 2020 and then re-barrier coated and coppercoated. On the 20th I went for a shakedown sail with a friend who isnt experienced. I was on the starboard side of the thames and also sitting the same side of the boat, friend on port side. Full sails up and with engine on. Next thing i see the large metal navigation buoy appear from behind the genoa on the port side and try to steer away from it but it was too late and the metal ring of the buoy struck the middle of my boat damaging the rub rail, and it pushed it inwards and has warped the hull. There is cracking inside above the wooden panel near the deck. I had done the route many times. The chainplates are fine, bulkheads are fine.

I have so far contacted: Gillingham marina, Burnham on crouch harbour, Hayling boat co, Suffolk Marina, Foxs, Dauntless, Rob Crowhurst and a few others. Aiming to go via GJW. Clarke and carter at burnham who i got the boat from originally in 2017 are seeking to see if the rail is available from Jeanneau as other owners of the same model have got hold of the rail via Jeanneau USA but shipped from france. I have also found the exact same rail at Crest aluminium in the USA but they have not replied to any of my emails after I provided them with my address to get me a quote for shipping.

So far have only heard from Rob Crowhurst who has looked at my boat and i await his quote. Why is it so hard to get repairs in the UK. I had got the boat to how i wanted and its been giving me sleepless nights as the events replay in my mind.

 

[Sandy]

Contact your insurance company. They will handle your claim.

 

[UK-WOOZY]

Contact your insurance company. They will handle your claim.

i did. All they said was to get quotes. so far had 0 quotes off all i have contacted

 

[Concerto]

Rob Crowhurst does excellent work but is always very busy. I have never needed to use him, but watched and talked to him when he has worked in Chatham Marina. He would be my guy to go to in your situation, so await his quote.

Do not expect the job to get done soon as you should be lucky to get finished by the end of the winter. Back in the late 1980's I had my boat damaged much worse on it's mooring and that took 18 months to get finished.

If your boat is still watertight, then continue to use it, if not have some temporary repairs made so you can continue to use it. The insurance company should pay for this as well.

 

[Caraway]

It's only 9 days ago. Perhaps you are expecting too much of a mainly artisan industry.

 

[RichardS]

Is you friend still a friend?

Richard

 

[UK-WOOZY]

Is you friend still a friend?

Richard

just

 

[Irish Rover]

Shit happens. Instead of sleepless nights try to focus on the bright side. It's a boat. It's fixable. It happens to all of us to a greater or lesser degree at some stage. Most importantly - no one got hurt. It could have been so much worse. Best of luck getting it sorted.

 

[Moodysailor]

I fully appreciate your feelings, but given the current state of the industry & knowing how busy yards are generally in summer, I would suggest to adjust your expectations. As well as a huge increase in boating participation, a lot of people are on holiday or being forced to isolate at the moment (coincidence...?)

When I was manager of a marine engineering company over 10 years ago it would often take 2 weeks or more to get out a repower quote in the middle of summer as everything is urgent to everyone during the peak months.

Sorry to pee on your fireworks, I know how frustrating this is.

 

[Blueboatman]

There are 4 things to repair there aren’t there ?
Two aluminium sections
Some relaminating to do inside
And perhaps some gelcoat attention to the outside after the stresses on the grp are relieved..

Luckily you can still sail ?

So until the aluminium components can be sourced …??

If it were my boat and I had TPFT I would in the autumn remove and get a go at straightening (part of )the rubrail. Live with the toe rail . See if the hull flexes back , laminate inside , polish and breath a sigh of relief not to have done worse.

I have clanged a buoy or three over the ( many many ) years for various reasons .
Best of luck, condolences , sail ?

 

[James_Calvert]

I had a hull and skeg insurance job done at Otterham Quay Boatyard a good number of years ago. Also a P bracket cut out and reglass by JEP Marine, Faversham, who did the job whilst laid up at Mariners Farm, Gillingham.

They both still seem to be in business, but the people I knew would have moved on or retired by now I'd expect.

 

[pyrojames]

I feel your pain. I hit a buoy last year and cracked two planks. Elephant boatyard on the Hamble sorted me out, but is a wooden boat.

 

[mrming]

It’s very difficult to get any boat work done in a timely fashion in my experience of the Kent side of the East coast. As others have said, do a temporary repair for now if possible, and book someone in which could well be over the winter. I had some work done in a large south coast yard over the winter and even that took ages and was hugely unreliable with me having to (gently) chase progress weekly.

 

[Poecheng]

I would have a word with Javelin of this parish - Harbour Marine in Southwold and Ipswich - I don't think you could be in better hands though I don't know the work of others save for SYH which is also very good.
Mike has a site Welcome to Coastal Cruising which will give you a clue and I saw the Southerly 115 in the workshop.

 

[penfold]

If your boat is still watertight, then continue to use it, if not have some temporary repairs made so you can continue to use it.

That; there's lots of summer left, don't waste it. If there's water ingress squidge polysulphide or silicone into the leaky bits(the boatbuilders will be grinding it all out anyway), cover any jaggy bits with gaffer tape and go sailing. Worse things happen at sea.

 

[Leighb]

I was talking to someone in the industry today and he said that all yards are stuffed with work at present because so many owners had nothing done to their boats last year and now want everything done at once. As a result it is very hard/impossible to find anyone willing to take on more work.

 

[William_H]

The sad thing is that the perefectionist who loves his immaculate boat is the one who pains the most when it is damaged. Boats will always be damaged by bumps etc. You just have to accept that immaculate is not so easily maintained. But yes I feel for you. A man with a broken boat is a broken man until it is fixed.
Having said that just be patient and try tog et some good sailing in in the mean time. ol'will

 

[Neeves]

I'd take a light hammer and tap fore and aft, up and down to the water line and below (from the inside) of the crack to see how the tap tone changes. You have some delamination I think you need to. identify how large an area is affected. So tap well away from the damage and listen to the tap sound, now tap at the point of impact - how far do you need to go, in distance before you get back to a sound section.


You seem to have time on your hands.

I'd go back to your insurance company and suggest you would like to employ the services of a surveyor - do they cover that cost.

The surveyor, if local, will know the locations where your specific repair might best be effected.

We don't know how hard you hit the buoy, it should only have been a glancing blow - but the internal damage seems quite significant for a glancing blow.

I hate to be the source of bad news but I would not touch a yacht for sale in which it was identified there was delanination over a significant area. There are plenty of yachts around that are not subject to repair

We were 'T' boned at the start line (we were on starboard) and the damage was not dissimilar to yours - the yacht was written off, and the insurance paid a value beyond its second hand value (mind you the insurance was paid by the insurer of the offending yacht). Our yacht was repaired, bought as is where is by a member of a local marina staff, and still does local races - but not blue water racing.

But I'm worst case scenario - see what the surveyor says.

Jonathan

 

[oldgit]

A boaters tale .
If its any consolation ? self inflicted some damage to my boat on first day of a two week holiday. Simply not paying ******* attention, wind caused boat to veer into river bank at Kew on the tidal Thames.
Just spent 7 hours in transit from the Mudway and only 10 mins from destination. Bank consisted of a concrete wall with over hanging willow trees.
Boat came to instant halt accompanied by sounds of breaking glass and crunching glass fibre.
More funny grinding noises as we reverse out taking half a tree with us. No forward vision , wife takes over helm and I go forward to jettison the newly aquired vegetation.
As we proceed up stream the damage becomes increasingly visable. Front rail a mangled mess with stantions ripped out, chunk of toe rail compltely gone revealing fore cabin interior.
Anchor dangling over the bow with all its stainless stuff on the bottom of the river.
Decision time .
Turn round...... go home and sulk ...... or carry on.
First task on arrival at Teddington remove all the remaining branches from foredeck including the twigs and leaves inside the forcabin. Clear up all the glass and cups etc that had leapt over the fiddles and onto the floor.
Had a beer. it may well have been two !
Bend back and secure whats left of pulpit with cable ties. Sweep up any loose debris and then get out the GAFFA TAPE. Spend next hour sealing up the hole in the toerail, well at least enough to keep out daylight and the English summer, it started raining .
Spend rest of holiday peering out at a lot of mangled stainless steel pipe and a 3ft length of artfully applied Black gaffa tape.
Continued boating while trying to arrange repairs.

The accident happened in late September , it was in May the following year before the boat was finally back to its old self.
The biggest slowcoach, the bloke engaged to refabricate and install my new pulpit.
Threats to remove boat.( which was ashore) if it was not fixed by the upcoming bank holiday.
The insurance company (SAGA) could not have been more helpful and efficient.

 

[Daydream believer]

Have you considered Rice & Coles at Burnham on Crouch?