Engine Repairs in the Med

[Dreamcatcher]

After two years of attempting to sort out my oil leak, I am getting slicker and broker, as the cost of oil never seems to come down, it is time for more competant hands to be employed.
I am looking for personal recommendations of good engine repair places.
We are in Tunisia, but will travel to find a reliable spanner man with reasonable charges.
Thanks for your assistance.
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[orizaba]

hi dreamcatcher,where in tunisia are you,might be able to help,we are in hammamet,i have a fair ability with engines and most tools,what engine is it

 

[LadyJessie]

Well, I know it is a bit of a sail for you from Tunisia but I have found that Turkey has the best repairmen I have seen anywhere in the world. This is a nation of engineers and they have been poor until just some years ago. That has instilled a notion of "fix it" instead of "throw away". In my experience they can repair anything here in Turkey. I just had a leaking waterpump in my generator; in western Europe it would have been thrown away and replaced with a new one for 400 euros. Here in Turkey they found out what the problem was and manufactured a new spare part, all for the charge of 40 euros. I am sure that the newly manufactured part is of better quality than the original.
I love Turkey. Please come here for the greatest cruising grounds but also for the best yacht maintenance I have experienced anywhere in the world.

 

[chrisgee]

We`re here!! took your advice and arrived in Fetihiye three weeks ago after a slighty eventful ( but quick run from Levkas).
Needed engineer on arrival - engineer arrived one day later on a Sunday and spent three hours cleaning the whole fuel system etc -- perfect job for £50.00 !!
Next had new windlass delivered within 24 hours. Guy spent three days fitting ( on and off due to the intense heat we just had) and also due to the fact that he had to rebuild the anchor well to take the Tigres indtead of the old MAXWELL rubbish.
He did a perfect job for the princelt sum of £90.00 -- un beleiveable.
We certainly gonna stay here a while. Where are you based?

 

[LadyJessie]

Very happy that you have discovered some of the pleasures of Turkey: very friendly and helpful people!

I am not really based anywhere; I cruise the coast from Samos (well that is actually Greece) in the north to Kekova Roads in the east. Many hundreds of miles of beautiful coastline. Presently at anchor in the very eastern end of Hisaruno Bay but heading for Marmaris.

Enjoy Skopea Limani outside Fethiye; it is one of the many stunning bays around this coastline.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Any country still employing considerable numbers of people in agriculture will have plenty of cheap, good diesel engineers around. Those tractors have got to keep going somehow! And if there are a lot of small fishing boats around, even better.

S Italy, Greece - larger islands and mainland, Turkey: all very good value for money diesel engineering.

Once you get lots of yachts around, prices double or treble . . . S France, S Spain, N Italy, Sardinia . . .

 

[LadyJessie]

Jim, I have a slightly different experience. I think Greece might have become a little too laid back with its recent fortunes. I cruised three years in Greece and had large problems getting any service at all once outside of the Saronic Gulf, and even there I found it iffy. I had engine service done in the Olympic Marina in Lavrion. It was good quality but cost a fortune even by western European standards (French Riviera is cheaper!) and was not delivered in anything that can be described as a friendly manner. From there on eastwards through the Cyclades I only encountered surly unhelpful harbour attendants. With one big exception: Kostas on Naxos was absolutely wonderful. Otherwise, trying to get some yacht service was like; forget it. This is self help territory to me. Kos has some limited service, but I was not really impressed with the skill set and motivation to provide any service.

So excuse me when I fell over backwards with bliss arriving in Turkey to find really skillful and pleasant people falling over themselves to help me. It really is a different culture. And it is not about that there are less yachts here; on the contrary. South western Turkey must have some of the highest concentration of cruising and charter yachts in the Med.

BTW, I would also like to question your experience of southern Italy. Mine is even worse than Greece but is only limited to two weeks so I should be careful to judge.

 

[jimbaerselman]

I was talking diesel engineering, per original post, not yacht service. And my point was that, once you go outside the 'yacht service' label, things become cheap and good in agriculturally based areas.

Diesel engineering is one aspect. Awning manufacture in acrylics is another (all those taverna and shop covers!). Supplies of material for anything useful for small fishing vessels (paints, antifouling, ropes, chain . . .)

The service element in Greece is thin (as you say, DIY) excepting Saronic, Ionian (around Levkada), Kalamata and Syros. And - correct - Lavrion (and Zea) have to be some of the more expensive and poor value locations for anything in Greece - but one doesn't have to use them.

I seem to remember Turkey has a few very expensive and crowded marinas too . . . though generally you do get very good facilities for that money.

However, I have a bias. I do prefer areas thin on marinas, strong on anchoring and DIY. A more primitive form of cruising, more satisfying for us.

 

[LadyJessie]

Sorry I did not know about the Lavrion cost factor before I got there. You learn a lot while cruising....

I have only found one very expensive maintenance area in Turkey; Gocek (C&N has a marina there and they seem to be setting British prices as opposed to Turkish) and one very crowded; Marmaris. For the rest, Turkey is just full of beautiful bays to drop your anchor in. As you say; very satisfying cruising style.

 

[charles_reed]

If Turkey is too far for you

Try Malta.

Major advantage they speak a sort-of English.

I've found Manoel Island Yacht Yard reasonably reliable - talk to Davis Church on +356 79592412.

There are several others on the island.

 

[Dreamcatcher]

Re: If Turkey is too far for you

Thanks for your info.

I have heard good reports of boat services/marinas in Turkey, with the only first hand experince I had heard of as being a bit of a bodge, until recitified later by a Competant spanner man.

It would be inaccurate to say cost is not an issue, but competance and ability far out weigh this in the equation.

I will follow up the lead to Malta, did you have or do you know of anyone who has had their engine repaired there.

Once more thanks for the info.

 

[andrewwilson31]

Re: If Turkey is too far for you

I am Marketing Manager at Manoel Island Yacht Yard in Malta and can help you out if you need repairs in Malta. E-mail me on awilson@yachtyard-malta.com or phone on 00356 79326961. Look forward to meeting you soon

 

[Sea Devil]

Re: If Turkey is too far for you

for what its worth I have had excellent experiences in Manoel Island Yacht Yard in Malta. Excellent work for reasonable prices...

Tunisia has also been good for engineering repairs to engines. Greece is very expensive and not too reliable. The only problem with Turkey which is the most lovely cruising country, is that most services revolve around the main marinas and tend to be western European in their charges unlike Malta and Tunisia..

Michael

 

[jimbaerselman]

Re: If Turkey is too far for you

[ QUOTE ]
Greece is very expensive and not too reliable.

[/ QUOTE ] Around Athens, yes, it's a motor yacht oriented area.

But Kalamata, a good diesel engineer (Yanni, speaks English with a strong American twang) charges about €8 an hour. Similar prices from the resident engineer in the fish harbour at Ermoupolis, Syros.

Yanni took out, rebuilt and re-fitted a Perkins 4.108 for €3,000 two years ago. Included sleeves and a re-ground crankshaft. Not really expensive. He was the resident senior Perkins/Sabre engineer in the USA for some ten years or so - has the same unofficial standing in Greece now . . . but handles all types of engines.

It does take a bit of hunting to find these guys, but as I said earlier, in an agriculturally driven country, diesel engineering is cheap and good.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Is your engine a Perkins 4236 by any chance?

 

[richardwatson]

If you are considering going to Malta, give Johan Huy at Whitesails a call. His workshop is opposite the office at Msida Creek Marina. Tel: +356 2133 1604 Mobile: +356 9943 1237 E: info@whitesails.co.uk (but they are not so good at replying to emails). Yanmar agents. They did a good job on my Perkins engine and gearbox last year, were very thorough and relatively inexpensive, compared to the yard.

 

[Dreamcatcher]

Good info, and thanks

Chris, it is a 4.108, which makes the post about Yanni rather interesting, it gives me a price point reference.

Once more thank you to everyone on the forum for providing assistance.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Yanni Barkas/John Varkas, Kalamata, speaks good English with an American twang and a strong sense of humuor. Has a chandlery as well as his engineering practice.

tel: +30 27210 91942,
mob: +30 6932 662481