Can I leave my boat to be refitted in my absence?

[demonboy]

We've been in the boatyard for almost a year now (video update about to be published) and we get a lot of emails about our refit, specifically about doing work in Asia. Recently, however, I received this message:

“We have recently purchased a boat that requires a bit of a revamp. We are quite impressed with the quality of workmanship that is being displayed with the refit of your vessel, and this has led us to consider if we should not be doing something similar.

The big problem that we are encountering at home is the very expensive cost of labour for a quality finish, & due to our work commitments we are unable to be there to supervise all our desired projects for the duration of their execution.

So our question to you is: Do you believe that it would work to deliver our boat into the care of the PSS boatyard, with a list of repairs/jobs that need doing, and entrust them to complete them to the standard that we have been seeing on Esper?

List of works to be done include…”

And there follows a list similar to Esper’s refit. My response was quite blunt, which is, perhaps, why they never replied, but the answer is the same however it’s phrased: no, this is a bad idea.

I've written a brief blog post on the main reasons based on our 12 months experience in a foreign boat yard. Link here: http://followtheboat.com/2015/01/11/can-i-leave-my-boat-to-be-refitted-in-my-absence/

 

[charles_reed]

My experience, wherever you are, is that you can't rely on subcontractors to do a job which fits in with the other jobs being done - in fact my experience is that giving instructions and then going away in the hope of having a decent job done is pie-in-the-sky, wishful thinking.
The more complex the operation the more it requires project management and continual, ongoing adjustment.
To project manage any job you need to have knowledge, however theoretical, about the task being performed.

So best is to do everything yourself. But most people have no inclination, background kniowledge or detailed expertise to do it themselves and hope, by contracting others to do the job, they'll get by.
Because they have no knowledge of good or bad practice they only find out which corners have been cut long after the event.
The sad truth (not only in boat life) is that if you don't know how it should be done, you'll pay through the nose for shoddy work - how else do quantity surveyors justify their existence?

 

[rivonia]

Yes you can leave your boat and have it worked on. The proviso is to let the yard know that Mr X or Mrs X will have authority to check on work.

 

[Bertramdriver]

Depends on how relaxed you are about shoddy work and being over charged. Leaving your boat for foreign tradesmen to interpret your instructions and practise their skills? on is never a good idea. You need to be constantly present. In the UK I would have marginally more confidence but would still plan to be around the boat every couple of days.
Never, never, never commission the boatyard/marina for work in your absence .You have no control over what happens and if you have a problem your weeks will be spent in a five star pi55ing contest and fun playing the blame game.
Find your tradesman, sit on his shoulder and immediately voice concerns and issues. Withhold payment if you're not happy.
Or simply roll your sleeves up. Learn the skills and do the work yourself.

 

[macd]

There's only one thing worse than letting a stranger lose on one's boat, and that's the previous botch...sorry, owner :ambivalence:
Even with Rivonia's compromise solution, there are a few people I'd trust to oversee extensive work, but not very many. And to do it properly requires more than just a quick look-see every few days. A big ask of a friend, let alone a passing acquaintance.

 

[Palarran]

This year I'll be leaving my boat for a mini refit in Marmaris with total confidence that it will be done perfectly and at a fair cost. One of the problems is what your idea of "fair cost" is. Reading this forum for several years makes me think in general most posters want to spend near zero for near perfect services. If that is the desire be prepared to constantly supervise, constantly complain, and constantly be disappointed in the results.

 

[vyv_cox]

There is a counter-side, though. A friend made such a nuisance of himself overseeing contractors working on his boat that in the end they walked off the job. You do have to let them get on with it, but an owner's (or his representative's) presence is necessary.

 

[1bobt]

Depends on how relaxed you are about shoddy work and being over charged. Leaving your boat for foreign tradesmen to interpret your instructions and practise their skills? on is never a good idea. You need to be constantly present. In the UK I would have marginally more confidence but would still plan to be around the boat every couple of days.
Never, never, never commission the boatyard/marina for work in your absence .You have no control over what happens and if you have a problem your weeks will be spent in a five star pi55ing contest and fun playing the blame game.
Find your tradesman, sit on his shoulder and immediately voice concerns and issues. Withhold payment if you're not happy.
Or simply roll your sleeves up. Learn the skills and do the work yourself.

You will have realised that sometimes, the owner does not have a clue about how to do, or carry out the work needed.

 

[DownWest]

Like this, as I am currently working on a couple of boats with absent owners...

Way back, on the Mother Earth News, one of the guys suggested charging the same hourly rate as the client made. I was mulling over this, as two of my clients where directors of BP and another was chairman of a major UK retail chain. I liked the letter he sent me.. " While I sell a lot of technical kit, I have no idea what the buttons do." IIRR he sold a PC every 30 seconds.. But had no idea how to use one. Slightly bizzar session when I set one up for him, with my minimul ideas then.

One realy needs to connect with the owner and explain what is going on. No surprises, and , if they turn up, tell the client tout de suit and give him a solution right away. Worked for me.

 

[demonboy]

This year I'll be leaving my boat for a mini refit in Marmaris with total confidence that it will be done perfectly and at a fair cost.

Friend of mine tried to build a super-yacht in a Bodrum boat yard that specialised in gullets. He ended up with super-gullet. Which yard are you in, out of interest? We lived in that area for four years when Jody was managing Yat Lift (some years ago now).

Or simply roll your sleeves up. Learn the skills and do the work yourself.

We do as much as we can on the boat but the skills required for a complete refit are vast, and if we were doing it all ourselves we'd still be stripping the old teak deck off. Needless to say we have picked up many tips and tricks over the last 12 months so whilst we've employed tradesmen for the majority of the work, we're now better skilled ourselves for the future. It's like a very expensive boat refit course

A friend made such a nuisance of himself overseeing contractors working on his boat that in the end they walked off the job.

I've seen that happen a couple of times recently. There's a fine balance between instructing the worker on what to do and overseeing it, and stepping in every five minutes telling them how to do their job.

 

[Palarran]

Offshore Sailing is doing the work at Albatross Marina.

I like Gullet's. They don't really sail but are pretty cool and relatively inexpensive for their size. Are you saying your friend didn't get the boat he had designed. That would be a strange one.

 

[wazza]

It's been bleeding ages since you guys posted a video, I thought maybe all was finished and you'd buggered off without telling you YouTube followers ;-)
Hope all is going well there in cold and miserable Thailand....or was that here in Sweden....

 

[demonboy]

It's been bleeding ages since you guys posted a video, I thought maybe all was finished and you'd buggered off without telling you YouTube followers ;-)
Hope all is going well there in cold and miserable Thailand....or was that here in Sweden....

We've been really busy, especially now we have a launch date, but fear not! Video update covering our YEAR anniversary in the yard will be published this Sunday. It's a biggie too, including some footage of us on a Thai squid fishing boat, which was a rather nice break for the night. An education too. Here's a little snap of our catch:

 

[wazza]

It was a good video... Thanks

 

[nimbusgb]

In my experience the Asian work ethic is to get the job done. If they run in to a problem and you are not there to give directions they will come up with their own answer and keep going. It may not be what you wanted but once the job is done you can't complain with the amount of effort expended.

You need to be there, don't micro manage but you absolutely need to be available.

Rude of the original enquirer to not even acknowledge your response but par for the course these days.

 

[demonboy]

Rude of the original enquirer to not even acknowledge your response but par for the course these days.

To their credit they did in the end and sent an appreciative email. They've been tapping me for a few opinions and ideas since then.