Desty Marine ----- how are they

[Sneaky Pete]

The boat was damaged during the storms a few weeks ago. Mostly cosmetic. Initial cost to repair is upwards of £15000. The insurers have asked for estimates to repair from Desty Marine. Does anyone have experience of using them or would recommend them. All I know is they are along the south coast. However this is one option if there is limited yard time here on the Clyde. Comments welcome.

 

[Stork_III]

The boat was damaged during the storms a few weeks ago. Mostly cosmetic. Initial cost to repair is upwards of £15000. The insurers have asked for estimates to repair from Desty Marine. Does anyone have experience of using them or would recommend them. All I know is they are along the south coast. However this is one option if there is limited yard time here on the Clyde. Comments welcome.

I had a boat that was repaired and resprayed by them in the year before I bought it. When sold 8 years later, still looked in perfect condition. They are at Hamble Point Marina, but may be elsewhere as well.

 

[Talulah]

I've used Destys as have others I know. First rate.
The last guy I know used them for £50k of repairs. He was almost in tears because he couldn't believe how good a job they had done.

 

[[2574]]

5 star outfit.

 

[BlueSkyNick]

They have a good reputation within the industry, too.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Did a beautiful respray on my Twister, and coppercoated the Arcona. I'd recommend them. However, they are in Hamble Point, which sounds a long way from your boat so the logisitcs are going to be costly/

 

[prv]

No idea why you're using them for a boat on the Clyde - though I know they do travel as they had to fit a job for us around half the team flying out to the South of France to work on a superyacht there.

Can only echo others' endorsements, they're a top-notch outfit. Our boat is in their shed at the moment, the second time we've used them, and my dad flatly refused to consider anyone else

Pete

 

[Sneaky Pete]

No idea why you're using them for a boat on the Clyde

Pete

The insurance company has sent them a survey report for an estimate of repair costs. I believe they are willing to cover the transport costs if repair time up here is into early spring. It would appear there are bigger yards on south coast than on Clyde coast. It is fine by me all I want is boat back to original condition for beginning of April.

Pete.

 

[sailorman]

The insurance company has sent them a survey report for an estimate of repair costs. I believe they are willing to cover the transport costs if repair time up here is into early spring. It would appear there are bigger yards on south coast than on Clyde coast. It is fine by me all I want is boat back to original condition for beginning of April.

Pete.

Where ever she goes make sure you keep up to speed on the repairer & lean on them to get her done on time, especially if down south where you might need a pair of eyes on progress

 

[SteveG]

Take care. Used them after storm damage myself some years ago. Insurance surveyor who recommended them turned out to be a relation. Odd coincidence here? Job not completed on time. original self draining toe rail not used, despite still being available. New toe rail screws not cut to length so side panels did not fit. Pulpit light cable cut and repaired with open chock block in the anchor locker. Special masthead cable blanking plug lost. They told me it was taped to the cable at the masthead - in my dreams! In the end I took the boat away and completed it myself. Absolute shower. Might have improved now but wouldn't touch them with a barge pole myself.

 

[djs]

Used Destys for a hull restoration, peel, dry and repaint. Excellent job and would recommend them. They are not the cheapest but they're always busy which says something.
Dave

 

[Sneaky Pete]

They are not the cheapest but they're always busy which says something.
Dave

I am not sure how costs are from yard to yard but theirs was eye watering. That said it's not like taking a couple of dents out of the wing of a car. There are hundreds of hours of work on this. Overall they appear to get good reviews and insurance wont pay until completely satisfied.

 

[vyv_cox]

I was asked to advise on the condition of a keel that had been refurbished and anti-fouled by Destys 12 months previously. It appeared to me that the job had not been done well, with the result that the primer had become detached from the metal of the keel. The advice was accepted and the job has been redone at their expense.

 

[Sneaky Pete]

I was asked to advise on the condition of a keel that had been refurbished and anti-fouled by Destys 12 months previously. It appeared to me that the job had not been done well, with the result that the primer had become detached from the metal of the keel. The advice was accepted and the job has been redone at their expense.

Good to know, their reputation was under scrutiny and they made good.

 

[itchenseadog]

Knowing the amount of work they currently have on their books, I would seek reassurances that they would be able to meet your April deadline. Also, if you are unable to keep an eye on progress, it would pay you to appoint a surveyor like Ed Sawyer to pop in occasionally to check all is OK as the repair contract will be with you as owner and not the insurer. However, my knowledge of Desty Marine is such that I am confident Neil and Rob will do you a first class job.

 

[BlueChip]

I bent the steering pedestal after a seriously unpleasant gybe in a squall, they replaced the pedestal but never finished the job properly, nothing major, but cosmetically the job was unfinished and as the boat was under a year old at that time I wanted it to be as it was before.
The insurance company paid up but I withheld a couple of hundred from the settlement until Desty completed the job, unfortunately they didn't so I never handed over the final payment, I guess that they calculated that it would cost them more than that to finish the job and moved on to some other mug.
If you do use them make sure the job is 100% finished before you pay.

 

[john_morris_uk]

I can understand why you might want your boat back by April, but sometimes aspirations have to be realistic? If a yard does good work, how likely is it that they will fit in the job in the next few months? Boats eat hours of yard time very easily.

Our boat is in Silvers at Rosneath (where they have a new manager) and they are very busy. No idea if they could get it done, but it might be worth asking? I wouldn't be holding my breath though!

 

[charles_reed]

Reading between the lines of the various posters I've come to the inescapable conclusion that Desty's subcontract work when they are really busy, and not always to subbies who achieve their standards.
Insisting on a deadline, from a company who know they cannot achieve it is a sure recipe for disappointment.

 

[itchenseadog]

Reading between the lines of the various posters I've come to the inescapable conclusion that Desty's subcontract work when they are really busy, and not always to subbies who achieve their standards.
Insisting on a deadline, from a company who know they cannot achieve it is a sure recipe for disappointment.

They very rarely use subbies, prefering to use their own skilled labour. On the odd occasion that subbies are used they work as part of a team thus ensuring control. All yards will use subbies at some point, some more than others, the art is keeping control over quality and using the right skillbase.
I am often called out of retirement to help out at various yards during busy periods - after 50 years in the industry, some of us subbies can give a lot of experience to a job, so the use of subbies is not all bad !