I despair of some work by yards !!

[Refueler]

The Conq 38 I bought in Sweden - some may already recall there is a wiring mess to sort .. wind displays that fail to work correctly .... self tacker needs re-rigging etc.

After sailing her home - we noted that water was seeping very slowly into the keel space .. we later found when lifted out that the blanking plates covering the keel bolt ends were badly done. Water was seeping out via those once on shore. We initially expected it to be keel joint - but that has proven to be sound.

The bilge pump placed in the keel space had a solid state detector strapped to its side to kick the pump into operation once water touched the two sensors ... that died of course and it was a small job each month to just manually pump the couple of litres ...
I decided that I would replace pump with a single self contained auto pump ... Seaflow type with the lower section being the float switch.

Pump in hand - of to the boat ...

Lift out old pump .. this is where it gets silly ..

Pump has a screw on connector for the discharge pipe. They must have nearly melted the pipe to get the connector into the pipe. While trying to separate the connector from pipe .. the pipe came off other end from a fixed metal pipe that runs to the sink overboard. Problem being - that connection is under fixed floor directly under bunk edge - you cannot see it !! The pipe has 4 - yes 4 parts to get it reduced down the metal pipe size .. and they are just push on ..

It gets better ... the new pump has an ID of 3/4" for the discharge pipe ... the pipe on board is just under 19mm OD. Therefore no way can the screw on connector be used - pump has no threaded section anyway. Pump also has a horizontal dsicharge and I need a vertical ... the pipe on board is too stiff to bend ..

Of to Hardware store and find pipe that can bend but not collapse ... can be a force fit inside the discharge pipe of pump - so I can still connect to metal pipe ...
Decent length bought ... pipe tight fit into pump outlet and then taped up. Other end fittings pressed in and then by feel - push pipe onto metal pipe.

All done - now I have auto + switched over-ride on pump ..

Above is temporary while I sort out a better solution.

 

[Wansworth]

The yard owner wants to show a profit ……cannot afford trained craftsmen who have right work ethic..Foremantells his staff fix this this morning or whatever.Worker bodges job to get it done…….orowners want a job done but don’t understand why the price given is so much forgetting all that has to be done to fix the problem……even getting a ladder to get onthe boat and rigging up electric etc etc etc… so the yard cut corners…real example. Owner wants batteries he he’d by the yard…….first the laddersettingupthen taking the winter over off partially accessing the batteries and testing and so forth……put cover back take ladder back. 75 euros,ownercrossyard doesn’t understand asbilled at yard rate!

 

[LittleSister]

I can't really afford to use a boatyard for work, but do so occasionally for things that are beyond my skills, capabilities, limited tools and lack of a workshop, or for things they should be able to knock out no time, but which would take me numerous journeys to and from the boat and the weeks going past.

I have sometimes been very impressed by boatyard staff's skills (and also their ability to just keep at it when seized parts or whatever halt progress and I would have become disheartened and grind to a halt), but often have been disappointed by their workmanship and care shown, and failure to follow explicit instructions.

Then again, I am often disappointed with the quality of jobs I've completed myself! (Not to mention the ridiculous amounts of time it takes me and the aggravation involved - I have come to loathe boat maintenance.)

So one huge advantage of using boatyards for me is, much as the mess that a yard has made of a job will irk me forever more, at least I can blame them for it and not have to beat myself up every time I see/use/think about whatever it is!

 

[Wansworth]

I

I can't really afford to use a boatyard for work, but do so occasionally for things that are beyond my skills, capabilities, limited tools and lack of a workshop, or for things they should be able to knock out no time, but which would take me numerous journeys to and from the boat and the weeks going past.

I have sometimes been very impressed by boatyard staff's skills (and also their ability to just keep at it when seized parts or whatever halt progress and I would have become disheartened and grind to a halt), but often have been disappointed by their workmanship and care shown, and failure to follow explicit instructions.

Then again, I am often disappointed with the quality of jobs I've completed myself! (Not to mention the ridiculous amounts of time it takes me and the aggravation involved - I have come to loathe boat maintenance.)

So one huge advantage of using boatyards for me is, much as the mess that a yard has made of a job will irk me forever more, at least I can blame them for it and not have to beat myself up every time I see/use/think about whatever it is!

I have called on mainly self employed people for mainly mechanical problems and have been pleased with the confidence and professionalism shown

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Is the OP sure that the bilge pump and piping were not an owners bodge rather than a boatyard bodge.

 

[Daydream believer]

What is wrong with preformed bends in pipe from a hydraulic specialist. Silicone tube etc. We have a local dealer ( well about 15 miles away)who would supply all the correct materials to fit perfectly. Even making sure that the clamps were correct for imperial & metric pipe.
I expect that you have one somewhere if you look.

 

[LittleSister]

I

I have called on mainly self employed people for mainly mechanical problems and have been pleased with the confidence and professionalism shown

I have also done that at times, but not always practicable - e.g. yards that charge a premium price to allow others to work own their land.

 

[vyv_cox]

It isn't always straightforward incompetence This is a situation I am aware of in a large boatyard. Electricians with 12 volt/boat experience are rare. This yard recruits people with 230 volt/household experience and enrols them in a training programme. As soon as they 'qualify' they move to another yard that pays extra for 12 volt experience.

 

[Refueler]

Is the OP sure that the bilge pump and piping were not an owners bodge rather than a boatyard bodge.

The previous owner told me and yard when I spoke to them confirmed - he never did any work on the boat - all work / preparing boat was Yard ...

So far : (All jobs requested of Yard by previous owner)

Flexible water tank added under port main seating .. plumbed in to SEAWATER line !!

Garmin 92cv UHD fitted replacing the previous Garmin plotter ... all old wiring left in place as well as the 'mushroom' antenna. Now its a rats nest to try identify which wire is which.

Switch panel - half not working after Yard were required to rewire.

5 transducers - no info or data to show which is in use or not - all wiring combines into the above rats nest !

 

[Fr J Hackett]

The previous owner told me and yard when I spoke to them confirmed - he never did any work on the boat - all work / preparing boat was Yard ...

So far : (All jobs requested of Yard by previous owner)

Flexible water tank added under port main seating .. plumbed in to SEAWATER line !!

Garmin 92cv UHD fitted replacing the previous Garmin plotter ... all old wiring left in place as well as the 'mushroom' antenna. Now its a rats nest to try identify which wire is which.

Switch panel - half not working after Yard were required to rewire.

5 transducers - no info or data to show which is in use or not - all wiring combines into the above rats nest !

Well you bought it cheap now you know why.

 

[Refueler]

I can't really afford to use a boatyard for work, but do so occasionally for things that are beyond my skills, capabilities, limited tools and lack of a workshop, or for things they should be able to knock out no time, but which would take me numerous journeys to and from the boat and the weeks going past.

I have sometimes been very impressed by boatyard staff's skills (and also their ability to just keep at it when seized parts or whatever halt progress and I would have become disheartened and grind to a halt), but often have been disappointed by their workmanship and care shown, and failure to follow explicit instructions.

Then again, I am often disappointed with the quality of jobs I've completed myself! (Not to mention the ridiculous amounts of time it takes me and the aggravation involved - I have come to loathe boat maintenance.)

So one huge advantage of using boatyards for me is, much as the mess that a yard has made of a job will irk me forever more, at least I can blame them for it and not have to beat myself up every time I see/use/think about whatever it is!

I don't have the time or energy to do the work myself anymore .. so I get the yard to do the serious stuff. Luckily - Yard and I get on well ... I live only 10mins by car from the yard which means I can keep an eye on work.

 

[Refueler]

Well you bought it cheap now you know why.

Did I say otherwise?

My point is that I find it hard to accept that a Yard contracted to maintain and work on the boat - has done such shoddy work.

The price I paid was actually low because seller was under pressure from his wife to sell - with the children grown up - he was literally on his own to sail the boat. Of course I was aware of obvious stuff .. and at the price was willing to take the gamble.

Would I still buy knowing what I know now ? Yes absolutely.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Did I say otherwise?

My point is that I find it hard to accept that a Yard contracted to maintain and work on the boat - has done such shoddy work.

The price I paid was actually low because seller was under pressure from his wife to sell - with the children grown up - he was literally on his own to sail the boat. Of course I was aware of obvious stuff .. and at the price was willing to take the gamble.

Would I still buy knowing what I know now ? Yes absolutely.

Like you I think the work is deplorable and I would be questioning what kind of yard it was as an analogy it's like the sort of work you get from a one man back street garage. I would also be looking at what other nightmares lie in wait for me. What you describe aren't even bodges they are just downright incompetence.

 

[Refueler]

Like you I think the work is deplorable and I would be questioning what kind of yard it was as an analogy it's like the sort of work you get from a one man back street garage. I would also be looking at what other nightmares lie in wait for me. What you describe aren't even bodges they are just downright incompetence.

The strange thing is : The boat suffered flooding in 2022 ... previous owner made insurance claim ... the same yard completed the insurance work :

Remove / strip / rebuild / refit the Yanmar 2GM. That work has been completed to high standard.

But in same claim - was the rewire and re-commission of the LPG cabin heating system. That work ? LPG system is inoperable. Re-wire is a rats nest.

The yard could do good work when required !

 

[Fr J Hackett]

The strange thing is : The boat suffered flooding in 2022 ... previous owner made insurance claim ... the same yard completed the insurance work :

Remove / strip / rebuild / refit the Yanmar 2GM. That work has been completed to high standard.

But in same claim - was the rewire and re-commission of the LPG cabin heating system. That work ? LPG system is inoperable. Re-wire is a rats nest.

The yard could do good work when required !

Maybe there was some collusion between owner and yard to not do some work and either do something else or split the money. Who knows.

 

[Refueler]

Maybe there was some collusion between owner and yard to not do some work and either do something else or split the money. Who knows.

Who knows ..

But previous owner and his Wife are not poor ... they own a very successful pre-fab cabin construction co.