Good value Boatyards in the Ionian

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Janet-Mick Marguerite

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We are in Marina di Ragusa till April. Does anyone have experience of a good boatyard where you can work on your own boat? We need to have our Westerly Discus out for a week. Somewhere in Sicily, S Italy or Greece/Corfu mainland?? Thanks
 
Plenty of choice in the Ionian. Gouvia on Corfu has the best facilities but is the most expensive. The two yards in Preveza also have good facilities and are cheaper.
 
I would plumb for Aktio yard in Prevesa. They let anyone into the yard without charges. What work do you need doing? There is a good range of people, especially good English and Irish guys around Lefkas. I am still weary of handing over work to a greek yard to do, from one lucky escape at Messolonghi.

I can get you some contacts if you need them of good tradesmen.

I think the Prevesa yard next door charges a work fee for external workers, and Cleopatra only uses their own people. I think therefore the overall package in Aktio is better. The guy in charge is wonderful and so are his staff.
 
jimbaerselman said:
Agree with Tranona. Greece gives good value for money, and there are hards around Preveza and Levkas. See links on http://jimbsail.info/mediterranean/greece/north-ionian and /inland-ionian

If you've got strong nerves, pull out by old wooden sleds along greased planks is the cheapest! See the picture on the home page of the site!
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Jim - the greasy plank job in Vliho bay (Maria's Yard) cost approx double Aktio's quote! Horrid attitude too - take or leave it - I left it....
 
Also agree with Aktio, good place to do the work, would suggest you purchase whatever you need for the work before going there as it can be time consuming getting across to Preveza. Also stock up on Groceries first, makes it easier.
 
Chris_Robb said:
Jim - the greasy plank job in Vliho bay (Maria's Yard) cost approx double Aktio's quote! Horrid attitude too - take or leave it - I left it....
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Chris I think you are giving an in accurate picture.There are several yards in Vlikho - but "Maria's Yard" (not the one pictured on Jim's website) you refer to has been using a hydraulic lift (which you understandably have reservations about given your experiences in Messolongi) for several years now. I have found them to be cheaper than the Actio yards but they are full during the autumn/winter/spring so for short term haul out may not be competitive on price.
I am more than happy with them ("Marias Yard") and are in my third winter with them.
 
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nickf said:
Chris I think you are giving an in accurate picture.There are several yards in Vlikho - but "Maria's Yard" (not the one pictured on Jim's website) you refer to has been using a hydraulic lift (which you understandably have reservations about given your experiences in Messolongi) for several years now. I have found them to be cheaper than the Actio yards but they are full during the autumn/winter/spring so for short term haul out may not be competitive on price.
I am more than happy with them ("Marias Yard") and are in my third winter with them.
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Nick, sorry if I got that wrong - I thought it came out on a sledge - I did not know about the horrid underlift trailer! Still - their attitude was so arrogant that I would not go near the place again. €700 for a slip to antifoul and relaunch.
 
Chris_Robb said:
Nick, sorry if I got that wrong - I thought it came out on a sledge - I did not know about the horrid underlift trailer! Still - their attitude was so arrogant that I would not go near the place again. €700 for a slip to antifoul and relaunch.
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My guess is they did't want your business paticularly if it was in spring /early summer when they would be launching over a hundred boats including those of a major charter company. Still no reason to be rude to you.
 
Janet-Mick Marguerite said:
We are in Marina di Ragusa till April. Does anyone have experience of a good boatyard where you can work on your own boat? We need to have our Westerly Discus out for a week. Somewhere in Sicily, S Italy or Greece/Corfu mainland?? Thanks
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Our boat is in Margarona boatyard in Preveza. Very relaxed and a few people living on boats in the yard long term. Our boat has been there for about 20 years. We plan to bring her back to UK this summer.
 
BR34 said:
Our boat is in Margarona boatyard in Preveza. Very relaxed and a few people living on boats in the yard long term. Our boat has been there for about 20 years. We plan to bring her back to UK this summer.
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Where is this boatyard - I only new of the 3 across the water - Aktio, Prevesa, and Cleopatra - so a new one on me!
 
Chris_Robb said:
Where is this boatyard - I only new of the 3 across the water - Aktio, Prevesa, and Cleopatra - so a new one on me!
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Margarona Boatyard is within walking distance of Preveza town in the inlet just past the hospital. Boats are charged the same price as the three big yards on the other side of the Preveza channel. Btw they are now called Actio, Ionion Marine, and Cleopatra. Preveza Marine is the name of the Marina in Preveza town a few hundred yards from the town quay. It is now operated as a 10 euro a night Marina by Cleopatra who have the "franchise" to charge marina fees in exchange for supplying electricity and water.

Actio also use an underlift contraption pulled by the noisiest diesel tractor on the planet. Ionion Marine and Cleopatra use a travel lift. I have no idea what Margarona uses, probably sledge and crane.

The toilet and showers in Margarona are crude to say the least. I defy anybody who is not a dwarf to use the the facilities without banging their heads on the tiny doorway. I reckon the doorway is about 5 foot clearance. Still liveaboards love it because they like living in primitive conditions to save a Euro in bus fare.
 
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BlueTwo said:
Margarona Boatyard is within walking distance of Preveza town in the inlet just past the hospital. Boats are charged the same price as the three big yards on the other side of the Preveza channel. Btw they are now called Actio, Ionion Marine, and Cleopatra. Preveza Marine is the name of the Marina in Preveza town a few hundred yards from the town quay. It is now operated as a 10 euro a night Marina by Cleopatra who have the "franchise" to charge marina fees in exchange for supplying electricity and water.

Actio also use an underlift contraption pulled by the noisiest diesel tractor on the planet. Ionion Marine and Cleopatra use a travel lift. I have no idea what Margarona uses, probably sledge and crane.

The toilet and showers in Margarona are crude to say the least. I defy anybody who is not a dwarf to use the the facilities without banging their heads on the tiny doorway. I reckon the doorway is about 5 foot clearance. Still liveaboards love it because they like living in primitive conditions to save a Euro in bus fare.
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Thanks for that. By the way the underlift trailer they use at Aktio is a monster with 6 sets of huge pads, which distribute the weight fairly over the bottom of the boat - he handles the rig with the accuracy of a surgeons scalpel - unlike Messolonghi:eek:
 
BlueTwo said:
Margarona Boatyard is within walking distance of Preveza town in the inlet just past the hospital. Boats are charged the same price as the three big yards on the other side of the Preveza channel. Btw they are now called Actio, Ionion Marine, and Cleopatra. Preveza Marine is the name of the Marina in Preveza town a few hundred yards from the town quay. It is now operated as a 10 euro a night Marina by Cleopatra who have the "franchise" to charge marina fees in exchange for supplying electricity and water.

Actio also use an underlift contraption pulled by the noisiest diesel tractor on the planet. Ionion Marine and Cleopatra use a travel lift. I have no idea what Margarona uses, probably sledge and crane.

The toilet and showers in Margarona are crude to say the least. I defy anybody who is not a dwarf to use the the facilities without banging their heads on the tiny doorway. I reckon the doorway is about 5 foot clearance. Still liveaboards love it because they like living in primitive conditions to save a Euro in bus fare.
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Ha! that made me smile, very true.
There seems to be a long "death row" of boats there too.
 
ioannis with the Aktio lift trailer in action ( one of two currently in the yard, this is the older one, there is a brand new one with a few modifications - more pads and rams )


I've watched him launch boats, both power and sail up to around 55'
 
Chris_Robb said:
Thanks for that. By the way the underlift trailer they use at Aktio is a monster with 6 sets of huge pads, which distribute the weight fairly over the bottom of the boat - he handles the rig with the accuracy of a surgeons scalpel - unlike Messolonghi:eek:
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Yes, after initial reservations about the process, I was very impressed with the tractor driver, I found it much less stress than a cradle left. When we got pulled out it was so windy they stopped using the lift at Cleopatra, no problem for the tractor.
 
jordanbasset said:
Yes, after initial reservations about the process, I was very impressed with the tractor driver, I found it much less stress than a cradle left. When we got pulled out it was so windy they stopped using the lift at Cleopatra, no problem for the tractor.
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I find that difficult to believe. The Cleopatra travel lift bay is completely enclosed inside their marina breakwaters. Smooth water always. Ionion marine travel lift bay gets some (actually only a little) protection from Cleopatras' Marina, but Aktio is wide open to the prevailing west winds and the combers curl into their Haul out and launching bay which is a slipway basically. I have no doubt that once a boat was on the tractor pads and lifted clear of the waves it would be OK but getting a leaping boat positioned on those pads would be dodgy no matter how surgically the tractor driver drove the pads under the boat.

Give me a travel lift with soft slings in a protected bay anytime. Perhaps the Cleopatra breakwaters were not built on the day of your observation. They are rather new.

Aktio must use a lift contraption because their bay is not suitable for a travel lift. Don't make a virtue out of a necessity caused by a poor flimsy lift-out bay designed originally for wooden sledges.
 
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To each their own bluetwo.

Nothing stopping a travelift being used at Aktio! Two concrete jetties, level and strong enough for a lift. I have never seen a boat 'leaping about' between the jetties at Aktio.

Frankly I rather prefer the weight of my vessel to be distributed over 6 well spaced pads than two narrow straps where a single failure will dump my boat.

In case you weren't aware, when the earthquake hit Preveza in 2003 Aktio was the only marina to NOT have any boats fall over. They have designed the best cradles by far ( copied rather poorly now by the two other yards - across in the somewhat 'rustic' Margarona yard they still use wooden props ) . BTW There was a 4.8 quake at Preveza (7km) just 2 months ago.

During the autumn the yard crew go round doubling up on props and cross chains. When I get to the yard at the beginning of the season there's a veritable forest of steel under my boat. I know I'd rather have peace of mind when I'm not there!
 
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BlueTwo said:
I find that difficult to believe. .
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Well it was the case, I think the problem was the swinging of the boat when being lifted, but don't know for sure. All I do know was that I was told by a person whose boat was due to be lifted out the same day that mine was that he was told it was cancelled because of the wind. We had put our boat between the two concrete quays at Aktio the night before and as the wind was coming from the side we were fine inside the slipway between the two concrete piers.
 
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