idiot mechanic , arrogant idiot ...

[petem]

This - he turned up, he did the job, the OP hasn't complained the work wasn't done properly, nor about the cost - that's four big wins in marine engineering terms. I'd complain about the cover not being put on, but not make a drama out of it or you risk losing an otherwise competent supplier.

Indeed, take the wins .

If you don't want annoying incidents like this then boating isn't the right hobby for you!.

 

[ari]

The time that it was uncovered is , in many ways, irrelevant. His failure to close the hatch was actually a failure of a few seconds. It could have been an hour or a year before it was noticed. he might , actually, be quite a good mechanic who just forgot to shut the hatch. Or he could be a total idiot who could not care less. one will never know.
How many owners have made simple "forgot" moments.? It happens.

I can say with absolute confidence that in almost half a century of boating, I have never forgotten to close the engine hatch, or come across any that have been left up accidentally. It's pretty basic stuff, a quick glance around as you leave to check all is tidy, no tools left, or old rags or other mess lying around. You'd notice an engine hatch up.

You've got to really REALLY not care to walk away and not even glance back.

 

[Grubble]

Hey I passed my 11 plus , ho are you to judge.

I thought you were Welsh?

 

[petem]

I can say with absolute confidence that in almost half a century of boating, I have never forgotten to close the engine hatch, or come across any that have been left up accidentally. It's pretty basic stuff, a quick glance around as you leave to check all is tidy, no tools left, or old rags or other mess lying around. You'd notice an engine hatch up.

You've got to really REALLY not care to walk away and not even glance back.

It does seem odd but perhaps he was with a colleague and thought the colleague was doing it? Or perhaps he was going to come back and do it but got distracted. There's a few explanations if you think about it.

 

[penberth3]

The time that it was uncovered is , in many ways, irrelevant. His failure to close the hatch was actually a failure of a few seconds. It could have been an hour or a year before it was noticed. he might , actually, be quite a good mechanic who just forgot to shut the hatch. Or he could be a total idiot who could not care less. one will never know....

Or someone else might have opened it? The OP is only assuming the mechanic left it open.

 

[Seastoke]

I thought you were Welsh?

I think my name gives it away , I take you did not pass yours.

 

[ducked]

The owner had spend "hpurs[sic] to shopvac and clean the enginebay".

Work that he wouldn't have had to do if the mechanic had done his job properly. It isn't too much to expect that an engine mechanic put the covers back on an engine after he's finished his work, is it?

He left the boat uncovered for 2 weeks after completing his work. That doesn't suggest to me that he was in any hurry to do what he should have done without needing to be told.

I'd be worried what else a man so careless hadn't done properly.

Sure, but if you were going worry about a job done carelessly, you'd do it yourself, and worry about screwing it up instead.

 

[ducked]

Is this thread about mechanics or prose?
I was Ok with the first part, about a mechanic making a simple mistake- don't we all? & the OP getting the hump-Miserable git
But after that I got a bit confused & I am never confused

"Arrogant" is a bit confusing. Doesn't seem to fit

 

[aerobat]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen !

Without quoting many indivudiaul posts i will try to update :

the mechanic , a one man company in local port , confirmed that it was him and he tried for deescalation afterwards. I also have choosen the path of deescalation since you indeed never know if you need him again .

I , like said , shopvacuumed any wet part of the bilge , dried the cockpit carpet , cleaned the cockpit , cleaned the leather upholstery and as long as there will be no further damage ( will launch tomorrow ) i will close the case with a beer .

Yesterday , i really was p**ed off since its 30 seconds to close the hatch and zip the persenning but several hours of my work to fix the mess and also thoughts if any damage is done to the engines. And i of course paid him for the work .

Last but not least : english is not my mother tongue but i give my best , its a great forum with a ton of useful help ! The post was in no way meant to be "cryptic"

Best regards

 

[penberth3]

.....Last but not least : english is not my mother tongue but i give my best , its a great forum with a ton of useful help ! The post was in no way meant to be "cryptic"

A bit of advice on English then, throwing in the words "idiot" and "arrogant" is not the best start to any conversation. But we got there, didn't we!

 

[KevinV]

Give the guy a break, I'm guessing my fluency and German etiquette may go a bit sideways if I'd just spent hours tidying up a mess someone made on my boat through thoughtlessness

 

[Irish Rover]

A bit of advice on English then, throwing in the words "idiot" and "arrogant" is not the best start to any conversation. But we got there, didn't we!

Yeah. I'd just have referred to him as a stupid careless bollox, but then again I'm Irish. Seriously, as a non native speaker of a foreign language, I wish my fluency was anywhere close to the OP's fluency in English. He was well entitled to be pissed, his explanation of the incident clear, and it beats me how anyone could describe it as cryptic.

 

[oldgit]

Let he who is without Sin.........................?
Least said soonest mended, if you have never committed any of the crimes mentioned in that orignal post, you simply have not been boating long enough.......... yet.
Never forgotton to shut a hatch after opening to let some air into the boat , never forgotton the close all the hull windows prior to some unexpectantly boisterous voyage , only to discover a rather wet bed and in one instance recently recover a bucket full of salty water in the bilge under the bed.
Having wedged yourself on the fly, no way you were going below to find out.

 

[Seastoke]

Ye we left all the side windows open one day , and marina guy did a great job of cleaning seagull shit off the jetties, to my demise.

 

[Mister E]

Shall we bugger it up ourselves or pay a professional to do it for us.

 

[petem]

Thanks for the replies gentlemen !

Without quoting many indivudiaul posts i will try to update :

the mechanic , a one man company in local port , confirmed that it was him and he tried for deescalation afterwards. I also have choosen the path of deescalation since you indeed never know if you need him again .

I , like said , shopvacuumed any wet part of the bilge , dried the cockpit carpet , cleaned the cockpit , cleaned the leather upholstery and as long as there will be no further damage ( will launch tomorrow ) i will close the case with a beer .

Yesterday , i really was p**ed off since its 30 seconds to close the hatch and zip the persenning but several hours of my work to fix the mess and also thoughts if any damage is done to the engines. And i of course paid him for the work .

Last but not least : english is not my mother tongue but i give my best , its a great forum with a ton of useful help ! The post was in no way meant to be "cryptic"

Best regards

Well done.

Your English is perfectly understandable! You might want to use the word "covers" instead of "persenning" in the future.

 

[ari]

I , like said , shopvacuumed any wet part of the bilge , dried the cockpit carpet , cleaned the cockpit , cleaned the leather upholstery and as long as there will be no further damage ( will launch tomorrow ) i will close the case with a beer .

Yesterday , i really was p**ed off since its 30 seconds to close the hatch and zip the persenning but several hours of my work to fix the mess and also thoughts if any damage is done to the engines. And i of course paid him for the work .

He left the engine hatch up AND he left the covers undone!? Honestly, I would be absolutely furious as well if that were my boat, there's no excuse for that (although people do seem very keen to excuse incredibly sloppy behaviour these days - the times we live in I suppose).

Hope there is no longer term harm.

 

[benjenbav]

He left the engine hatch up AND he left the covers undone!? Honestly, I would be absolutely furious as well if that were my boat, there's no excuse for that (although people do seem very keen to excuse incredibly sloppy behaviour these days - the times we live in I suppose).

Hope there is no longer term harm.

I think what may have thrown monoglot EN speakers (like me) was the word “persenning”, which is not a word I’d come across - every day’s a school day, and I’m delighted to know a new term for a canvas cockpit cover.

Armed with that knowledge I understood both what had happened and why the OP was cross.

Hopefully, the engines and electronics won’t have suffered at all and any soft furnishings can be dried out without any harm done.

Very annoying, though.

Perhaps the only positive was that the errant technician acknowledged fault and didn’t try to pin the blame on events and persons unknown.

 

[petem]

He left the engine hatch up AND he left the covers undone!? Honestly, I would be absolutely furious as well if that were my boat, there's no excuse for that (although people do seem very keen to excuse incredibly sloppy behaviour these days - the times we live in I suppose).

Hope there is no longer term harm.

When you discover at 5:30pm that your engines won't start, and you've family / friends due the following day (all expecting a trip out on the boat), who is the mechanic going to help? The bloke who had a massive fit about the covers being left open or the one who cut him some slack?

Of course, if he does it repeatedly, then it's time to find a new mechanic.

 

[petem]

I think what may have thrown monoglot EN speakers (like me) was the word “persenning”, which is not a word I’d come across - every day’s a school day, and I’m delighted to know a new term for a canvas cockpit cover.

Armed with that knowledge I understood both what had happened and why the OP was cross.

Hopefully, the engines and electronics won’t have suffered at all and any soft furnishings can be dried out without any harm done.

Very annoying, though.

Perhaps the only positive was that the errant technician acknowledged fault and didn’t try to pin the blame on events and persons unknown.

I believe the OP has an open top sports cruiser. They're designed to withstand the occasional bit of rain (including the instruments).

Incidentally, I'd also be a bit pissed off with the marina. They should know the boats that are often unattended and a 2 min email or phone call to say "Do you realise your covers are open?" isn't much to ask. but as Ari says, that's modern society, nobody gives a sh1t.