Boat Woes - semi rant!

[smee]

Last week I had my (steel) boat taken out at a Mediterranean Spain yard for routine clean off, re-antifoul and re-anode. Then I get a call, the hull in a terrible state its got a hole in it! - hole appears to be about 4 inches square overall. Considering I had only been there two weeks previously and looked in bilge and saw no sign of any water or problems this is a bit of a surprise to say the least and as I have seen it out of water on a number of occasions and its previously been fine (smooth as a babies bum). Its come out of the water at the same intervals as always and way less time between them than a friend of mine did with a similar boat in the same marina with no problems! Naturally I am not feeling very happy, then I get an email from the guy who's overseeing it, and he's suggesting I ship the boat to UK for repair - WHY? 3 grand minimum spent on transport hardly seems a valid or rational solution! Which is what I figured out after the hyperventilating stopped!

Clearly I am not about to take such a daft route so I decide the best course of action is a survey, get a pro in to tell me the real truth, not assumptions! First choice naturally would be an aqcuaintance of mine not far away - presumably someone you can trust..... Or perhaps not! A brief oh dear followed swiftly by a hugely inflated quote and finished with you might get someone cheaper but you get what you pay for; a manipulative statement if ever there was one! Luckily I had not long ago suggested a friend ask him for a quote (which he didn't take up) on a similar boat requiring a similar survey, so with my alarm bells ringing I asked him what his quote was, he being a total stranger to the surveyor in question: strangely that one was to take half the time and cost the same figure per day but in Euros, not pounds! NICE! - checked in mirror, contrary to expectation I don't actually appear to have MUG stamped there!

So I look further for a surveyor, - sad you can't trust friends! I have now found a recommended surveyor whose fee is much closer to what used to be the old length x breadth x 1.1 formula, and this chap seems far more professional outlining exactly what is the plan of action. Great things are looking up at last! I just needed to find out that sand blasting is a possibility in the yard the boat is now stranded in. And the answer is........... NO!

What kind of sham boat yard does not allow sandblasting????
So here I am with a boat with a hole that may may need to be sandblasted in order to effect a repair and the yard won't allow it!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!

It looks like I am going to have to get a survey done on it as it is. With any luck it'll just need a bit of welding near hole and nothing else, so I can get that sorted and get it out by sea to some decent yard who can then sandblast it and do the job properly. Otherwise Its gonna have to go by road to another yard!

On top of this I have severe doubts they actually know what they are talking about anyway, one hole does not a whole hull condemn! - even a couple of holes is not the end of the world! If all you (apparently) do is wave a paint brush around on a few boats in your yard and pass things of a more tricky nature on to a proper yard does this actually suggest a decent knowledge of boat problems anyway!

I could have done without all this turning up right now, I am in the middle of moving!!!


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[Csail]

Why not grind back around the hole, put a patch welded on then walk round with a hammer to check rest of hull then move boat somewhere else and get it all fixed up properly.

 

[chasroberts]

Are you going to name and shame?

 

[smeaks]

I wonder if this hole appeared when lifted and dropped on supports.... is there a cradle? id check out if the legs are bent or the hole appears to be punched and then bent beack..... or am i being a super sceptic...

 

[SvenglishTommy]

I am no expert, but I would not have thought a 4" hole is something that would be noticed only when the boat is taken out of the water. In fact, if there was a 4" hole in my boat, I'm pretty sure I would notice.

 

[simonfraser]

boats have lots of holes in without any problems, is it under the water line ?

 

[longjohnsilver]

Smells v fishy. Can't you get there to see it for yourself? Sounds like a scam, I'd certainly want to know how the hole was made.

 

[Twister_Ken]

In this modern age, surely the yard has the tech to send you a digipic of the damage.

 

[Sandyman]

Something very sus here. 4'' holes do not just appear, unless the rust is so bad that only the paint is holding it together. And that dont sound the case here.
Sounds to me like someone has had an accident & are hoping you will just get it repaired without seeing the damage for yourself.
Would it not be cheaper to travel & see the damage for yourself, rather than just pay for a surveyor to tell you what you could see with your own eyes ??

 

[billskip]

I have friends in spain, and i am sure others that read your post have friends in spain.

Maybe someone can be asked to just cast an eye over your boat and maybe take a few pic's

swot real friends do

where in spain is your boat?

 

[Richard10002]

Had a steel boat next to us for the past couple of weeks in lagos. On the day we left, Charles was putting some rust converting stuff in his anchor locker, then glassing it over.

Discussed holes in steel boats - " no big deal.... cut it out, weld a new plate in, paint it..... not quite thousands of pounds.

you need to go and have a look, probably give up on arguibg the toss wit the yard, get a plate welded on, (even if it's a bit rough and ready, then sail away to somewhere reliable and recommended.

 

[Nick_Pam]

Not sure where your boat is, but I'm flying out to Barcelona to our boat next week and if it is practical, I'd be happy to go and photograph the "event" and send you the pics back.

Let me know or PM me.

Nick

 

[smee]

I have a picture of the hole and it appears to be corrosion, since it a thin area with little jagged holes in it, andthen you can see a stronger line all round where I reckon the hull is normal thickness. What concerns me is there was no sign of this before and its been serveyed twice in the past 7 years. What I am afraid of, is a) it was well hidden before or b) something pretty catastrophic is ocurring where it has been moored to suddenly start muching it away - of course panic and the words of the bloke looking after it have had me imagining the boats about to crumble to dust: when I am feeling more rational I suspect its just a localized problem!

However it not easy keeping that in mind with all the other stupid stuff that is surrounding my efforts try and get it fixed! - some of the surveyors I have asked want it sandblasted to look at it properly - and the yard won't allow that so it rules them out!

I would like more than ever to get my hammer out of the tool box and go round it myself, I am sure it would restore my piece of mind that its not about to fall apart, but there is just no way I can manage to work that out for at least another fortnight cos I am right in the middle of moving and everything's booked!

I have considered asking one or more of the marina locals that I know to have a look for me, but unfortunately I can't be certain I won't get another wonky opinion (even if they are well meaning), as none of them own steel! A few years ago it had another problem which I very carefully investigated and found to require minimal intrusive attention, at the same time I had someone from the marina onboard. I later found out he was telling all and sundry it was REALLY bad and would require major work! Several years have elapsed and my prognosis was obviously right as its never reared its ugly head again and the minimal repair I predicted was correct, cos it wasn't really bad at all it just looked a mess!

I am getting closer to getting it surveyed now though so hopefully I'll soon know for certain what' s going on with it, and hopefully it will be patch the hole/holes and get it in and get it away to somewhere else for the full treatment! If I had to put it on a lorry that really would be ridiculous! Anyway fingers crossed! And thanks for the offers!