Is This a Shoddy Repair Job???

[The Real Flipper]

Supposedly these guys were paid two grand for this work by seller.
And I'm no expert in metal repair but on first impression I'm not pleased at all!

Before:






After:




Untouched final to see better:

1. There is clear rust under the new plate which shows they didn't bother to clean it up, let alone paint it, before just slapping a new plate on top.
2. The pole was supposed to be replaced. Yet photos they show have the pole cover on and you can see a clear seam. And the rust was higher than that seam (see first Before pic).
3. The new metal plates are painted. And the paint is already broken off in several places of the lower plate.
4. Probably not the biggest priority, I don't know, but the bilge actually looks worse than before. Much worse. And there are little not so very unimportant things called Keel Bolts down there. Geez way to make me nervous about a repair guys!

So what do you guys think? Should I accept this? Won't that rust that was clearly not cleaned up spread to the new plate that's sitting right on top of it? I was told numerous times about the quality of this shop's work. But after my two week wait estimate turned into two and a half months (!) and my summer disappeared, I can't help but feel I'm not their highest priority or getting their professional best.
Not to mention they left metal bits all around to grind into my wood floor. Didn't even bother a basic cleanup. Wow.

Two grand for a day's work. Am I being picky here to be so disappointed???
I don't know what's normal on boats. I mean it's a 40 year old boat, not a Mercedes or something fancy but...

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Not sure what they have done but I wouldn't pay £2K for it and I doubt anyone has. If I remember correctly your completion of purchase was conditional on a satisfactory repair if that's the case then walk away now if you have already bought the boat you are stuck with a bodge cover up job that will need redoing properly, at a guess it's the original mast support pole.

 

[dankilb]

I mean - it's 'repaired'.... The weld looks fine. Can't you remove that cover at all to inspect further?

I agree that it doesn't represent particular value for money, but it sounds like you are learning the hard way that this is a feature of the leisure marine industry at the moment.

 

[savageseadog]

Shouldn't the metal be stainless steel?

 

[UK-WOOZY]

looks repaired with mild steel

 

[Millenniumsteve]

Totally crap and bodged repair job on the face of it. How on earth did the previous owner let it get into this state in the first place. A few 10's of pounds spent a few years ago maintaining it and it would still be in pristine condition.

 

[Wansworth]

It takes a good while to find people todo good work,looking around or going by recomendation .You can improve your chance of getting a good job if they know what your talking about and or you prepare the area and specifying detail what you want,it does look rather a bodge

 

[Wansworth]

If you still want the boat get it back to your local area and give it a good refit to your spec ,find time to get honest workmen who care.Imightby a boat and making contact with a reliable mechanic will be paramount

 

[Tranona]

Supposedly these guys were paid two grand for this work by seller.
And I'm no expert in metal repair but on first impression I'm not pleased at all!

Before:
View attachment 139123

View attachment 139124

View attachment 139125

After:
View attachment 139127

View attachment 139130

Untouched final to see better:
View attachment 139131
1. There is clear rust under the new plate which shows they didn't bother to clean it up, let alone paint it, before just slapping a new plate on top.
2. The pole was supposed to be replaced. Yet photos they show have the pole cover on and you can see a clear seam. And the rust was higher than that seam (see first Before pic).
3. The new metal plates are painted. And the paint is already broken off in several places of the lower plate.
4. Probably not the biggest priority, I don't know, but the bilge actually looks worse than before. Much worse. And there are little not so very unimportant things called Keel Bolts down there. Geez way to make me nervous about a repair guys!

So what do you guys think? Should I accept this? Won't that rust that was clearly not cleaned up spread to the new plate that's sitting right on top of it? I was told numerous times about the quality of this shop's work. But after my two week wait estimate turned into two and a half months (!) and my summer disappeared, I can't help but feel I'm not their highest priority or getting their professional best.
Not to mention they left metal bits all around to grind into my wood floor. Didn't even bother a basic cleanup. Wow.

Two grand for a day's work. Am I being picky here to be so disappointed???
I don't know what's normal on boats. I mean it's a 40 year old boat, not a Mercedes or something fancy but...

What does your surveyor say? I assume you engaged a surveyor when you agreed to buy the boat and that he would supervise the repairs that were a condition of the purchase.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

What does your surveyor say? I assume you engaged a surveyor when you agreed to buy the boat and that he would supervise the repairs that were a condition of the purchase.

I doubt it

 

[garymalmgren]

Nice paint.
Wonder what it will look like next week.

 

[scrambledegg]

If the original rusty pad is still there it is going to continue to rust and as it does so it expands. This will make the (mast support) pole move gradually upwards with consequences for your cabin roof and rig.

 

[The Real Flipper]

Thanks for skipping threads felluhs-
But I guess I'm learning that's at least some of what sailboats are all about, constantly adjusting to new priorities ;-)

I mean - it's 'repaired'.... The weld looks fine. Can't you remove that cover at all to inspect further?

I agree that it doesn't represent particular value for money, but it sounds like you are learning the hard way that this is a feature of the leisure marine industry at the moment.

I'm 4 hours away so I asked the shop (on site at marina with vendor BTW) to send photos. Had to nag him over a week after completion to get the photos. BTW, the boat is literally right next to his shop, on the hard, so a two minute walk. Anyway. They say they're busy and short handed which in The Netherlands this time of year is actually believable. Then again I waited two and a half months for this repair that vendor promised would take two weeks. Hard to feel I was exactly high on the priority list. I said I wouldn't put another dime or hour into this boat until this repair was done, as I was feeling nervous if they could even do it. Why delay so long?! Also remember I already put time and money into sanding and antifouling the hull while they were repeatedly putting this job off...

Shouldn't the metal be stainless steel?

One would think so! After all it's not unheard of for water to come down the mast. Tracy Edwards lost the circumnavigation race because she stopped thinking she was taking on water. It was just coming down the mast to interior. No real drama. They say.

Anyway I would think stainless steel would be appropriate. But apparently not on the original build.

Totally crap and bodged repair job on the face of it. How on earth did the previous owner let it get into this state in the first place. A few 10's of pounds spent a few years ago maintaining it and it would still be in pristine condition.

Yeah. Painful to admit at this point. It does look like quite the crap job doesn't it!

The prior owner died during the pandemic. And his wife. Tragic story really. Son who has no interest in sailing is selling the boat. It sat two years in the water. No attention whatsoever. And it is actually shocking how much a sailboat deteriorates without basic care in that time.

I had actually hoped to honor them by fixing the boat up proper. They were much liked locally. And sailed around the UK together which I think is really really cool. Now I'm just torn what to do. It's not like I'll get another deal like this. This is an unaffordable dream that dropped in my lap, suddenly affordable.

Always wanted to sail the North Sea to Norway. Round the Island of England. And eventually to Australia. And this is a boat that could do it. In working order of course!

If you still want the boat get it back to your local area and give it a good refit to your spec ,find time to get honest workmen who care.Imightby a boat and making contact with a reliable mechanic will be paramount

Yeah. I'm thinking about this. I'm just wondering how long this repair will last. If there is still rust under and it settles, will the mast destabilize? And how much will it cost in the future to do this again and properly? Fr J Hackett is probably right they likely didn't spend the full two grand on this job.

What does your surveyor say? I assume you engaged a surveyor when you agreed to buy the boat and that he would supervise the repairs that were a condition of the purchase.

Interesting story. I actually did take a surveyor. Recommended by the vendor. Paid cash. And his survey was written in Dutch, given to the vendor to translate, and immediately lost. Main thing I paid him for was to find if there was osmosis. He and the vendor assured none. Despite a German couple previously backing out of the deal as they claimed they'd found osmosis. I found the osmosis myself when sanding and anti-fouling the boat. To be fair, there were only a half dozen or so bubbles and they were shallow, difficult to find if you didn't actually work on the hull. But anyway. I have no survey, a copy of which I've asked for a few times.

Fr J Hackett's memory is correct. Said surveyor was supposed to check this repair once done before I signed off on buying the boat. Then again he was supposed to check it in the water. Which of course it can't be in (to properly inspect the engine for example! Probably the biggest selling point of this boat!) without me putting more money into the boat first.

What a catch 22. I'm in quite a bind here.
Ship her home for me to perform refit myself, and just trust this mast repair, and just trust the engine is good until I finally get her in the water.

Or dump money into her for prop shaft seal leak fix, only to have surveyor find problems with engine and/or mast support. And have to back out of the purchase having invested even more time and money. I'm already about 6 days time, 3 days work, and over a thousand Euros invested. Would be hard to back out especially after I put more money in.

Despite it all, she's still a dream boat LOL

 

[Wansworth]

What class is it ?

 

[jamie N]

Everyone here has great intentions, but perhaps less 'expert knowledge' than Vyv Cox who's life's work was metal, I believe and is usually available here.
Apologies to anyone if I've overlooked them through my own ignorance.
I've an old boat, and your pics look worse than anything that I've got.
As an aside, it appears to me that the keel bolts are stainless, mixed in with mild steel stuff, which to my non expert eyes, might be an issue on their own.
The paint that they've put on does look like something that they 'found' lying about, doesn't it.

 

[The Real Flipper]

What class is it ?

Offshore class? Not sure if it's a '1'.
But Westerly boats are known to be overbuilt and strong.
It's basically an evolution of the Fulmar. Slightly larger all around, slightly more powerful, with a very similar hull, and (most likely) the same keel. Different interior and cockpit layout with aft heads, and a cockpit 'shelter' spot under the dodger which looked quite appealing to a novice solo sailor ;-)

Allegedly it was designed for 'extended force 8 use'.

 

[Wansworth]

Offshore class? Not sure if it's a '1'.
But Westerly boats are known to be overbuilt and strong.
It's basically an evolution of the Fulmar. Slightly larger all around, slightly more powerful, with a very similar hull, and (most likely) the same keel. Different interior and cockpit layout with aft heads, and a cockpit 'shelter' spot under the dodger which looked quite appealing to a novice solo sailor ;-)

Allegedly it was designed for 'extended force 8 use'.

Join the westerly owners association

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Thanks for skipping threads felluhs-
But I guess I'm learning that's at least some of what sailboats are all about, constantly adjusting to new priorities ;-)



I'm 4 hours away so I asked the shop (on site at marina with vendor BTW) to send photos. Had to nag him over a week after completion to get the photos. BTW, the boat is literally right next to his shop, on the hard, so a two minute walk. Anyway. They say they're busy and short handed which in The Netherlands this time of year is actually believable. Then again I waited two and a half months for this repair that vendor promised would take two weeks. Hard to feel I was exactly high on the priority list. I said I wouldn't put another dime or hour into this boat until this repair was done, as I was feeling nervous if they could even do it. Why delay so long?! Also remember I already put time and money into sanding and antifouling the hull while they were repeatedly putting this job off...




One would think so! After all it's not unheard of for water to come down the mast. Tracy Edwards lost the circumnavigation race because she stopped thinking she was taking on water. It was just coming down the mast to interior. No real drama. They say.

Anyway I would think stainless steel would be appropriate. But apparently not on the original build.



Yeah. Painful to admit at this point. It does look like quite the crap job doesn't it!

The prior owner died during the pandemic. And his wife. Tragic story really. Son who has no interest in sailing is selling the boat. It sat two years in the water. No attention whatsoever. And it is actually shocking how much a sailboat deteriorates without basic care in that time.

I had actually hoped to honor them by fixing the boat up proper. They were much liked locally. And sailed around the UK together which I think is really really cool. Now I'm just torn what to do. It's not like I'll get another deal like this. This is an unaffordable dream that dropped in my lap, suddenly affordable.

Always wanted to sail the North Sea to Norway. Round the Island of England. And eventually to Australia. And this is a boat that could do it. In working order of course!



Yeah. I'm thinking about this. I'm just wondering how long this repair will last. If there is still rust under and it settles, will the mast destabilize? And how much will it cost in the future to do this again and properly? Fr J Hackett is probably right they likely didn't spend the full two grand on this job.



Interesting story. I actually did take a surveyor. Recommended by the vendor. Paid cash. And his survey was written in Dutch, given to the vendor to translate, and immediately lost. Main thing I paid him for was to find if there was osmosis. He and the vendor assured none. Despite a German couple previously backing out of the deal as they claimed they'd found osmosis. I found the osmosis myself when sanding and anti-fouling the boat. To be fair, there were only a half dozen or so bubbles and they were shallow, difficult to find if you didn't actually work on the hull. But anyway. I have no survey, a copy of which I've asked for a few times.

Fr J Hackett's memory is correct. Said surveyor was supposed to check this repair once done before I signed off on buying the boat. Then again he was supposed to check it in the water. Which of course it can't be in (to properly inspect the engine for example! Probably the biggest selling point of this boat!) without me putting more money into the boat first.

What a catch 22. I'm in quite a bind here.
Ship her home for me to perform refit myself, and just trust this mast repair, and just trust the engine is good until I finally get her in the water.

Or dump money into her for prop shaft seal leak fix, only to have surveyor find problems with engine and/or mast support.

Despite it all, she's still a dream boat LOL

OK you are set on the boat I can't remember which Westerly she is but she will be sound but need some TLC and the chainplates have been mentioned. I wouldn't take a word of what the surveyor has supposedly said as true or worth the paper it was written on.
The engine is new I think you said and it looks like it I very much doubt that it has frozen in a winter so it should be good with standard maintenance prior to leaving, you could get away with engine oil, impeller fuel filters and check the fuel ( carry spares of all those things)
The mast bodge will be OK for the journey my main concern would be the standing rigging there is no indication of its age or condition.
Providing the basic electrics and lights work and you sort the shaft seal you should be good to go.
Now am I right that the boat is in Zeebrugge and you intend to move it to Amsterdam? If this is correct then it can be done virtually all the way by the standing mast canal route which means that you don't have to go to sea. a couple or 3 easy days.
I suspect both you and the owners son have been taken for a ride by the company doing the work as neither of you have any real idea of the problems, they may even have charged the guy €2K but I doubt it perhaps they have told him they will do a cheap job and he has been happy to go along with it.
Would I buy it as is? No not unless it was 50% cheaper than a comparable poorly maintained example of the same boat, you needed your own surveyor with a report you could understand and talk over with him.
My advice is get more off the price to allow you to appoint a surveyor of your own and spend at least €2K on it or walk away and treat it as a learning experience before you find yourself in a money pit.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Offshore class? Not sure if it's a '1'.
But Westerly boats are known to be overbuilt and strong.
It's basically an evolution of the Fulmar. Slightly larger all around, slightly more powerful, with a very similar hull, and (most likely) the same keel. Different interior and cockpit layout with aft heads, and a cockpit 'shelter' spot under the dodger which looked quite appealing to a novice solo sailor ;-)

Allegedly it was designed for 'extended force 8 use'.

Is it a storm? if so is it the cruising version.

 

[The Real Flipper]

Everyone here has great intentions, but perhaps less 'expert knowledge' than Vyv Cox who's life's work was metal, I believe. Apologies to anyone if I've overlooked them through my own ignorance.
I've an old boat, and your pics look worse than anything that I've got.
As an aside, it appears to me that the keel bolts are stainless, mixed in with mild steel stuff, which to my non expert eyes, might be an issue on their own.
The paint that they've put on does look like something that they 'found' lying about, doesn't it.

Sorry, Vyv Cox? Not looking to Dox anybody, but are you referring to a particular post?

Yeah the paint looks suspicious. For not even surviving the installation.
And (when zooming in) appearing tarnished under the paint already.