How to be Successful in a Shipyard, Splash Down of Angelique… #26

When you chose to put your boat in a Shipyard, it is stressful and expensive! Sometimes you don’t have a choice, something goes wrong and you have to get it in for some work. A few tip on “How to be successful in a Boatyard” even if it is in a foreign country.

Things to pay attention to:

1. List of items you want/need fixed?
   • Keep track of what you want done
   • Get good solid bids
   • Understand yard cost for haul out and the skills of contractors by seeing prior work and quotes. Look for discounts
   • Track what else they find while doing the required work
   • Will the yard allow you to work on stuff DIY? (some yards don’t)
2. Plan for additional time and cost in yard
   • They will find other items and you will have to make a decision
   • Plan for 25 – 50% more, depending on age of your boat
   • Choices to make, Do you fix now or later?
   • Can you fix yourself?
3. Haul-out Cost Money & Time
   • Having your boat leak or break costs more money than preventive work
   • You will have to pay again later if you wait and it fails

Ways to Help Them Help YOU:

1. Be on-site every day
   • This helps you monitor what they are doing
   • You can review what they find, right then and there
   • Keeps them honest and actively working
   • Do you have to rent a place nearby? Do it
2. Reduce your cost
   • Make sure you have a project manager overseeing everything, all contractors, his workers and others.
   • Can you stay on board? Most shipyards allow for this with afterhours water usage
   • Can you do work yourself, are there any restrictions?
   • Bring your buddies to help you out
   • If it can wait, and be done in the water, wait.
3. Have a good relationship with workers and Project Manager
   • US or Mexico, you get more done with sugar than vinegar!
   • Try and understand both sides of a story
   • Mexicans are much more relationship based than US
   • Be nice and grateful for their hard work
   • Mexicans work 6 or 7 days a week
   • They only make 1000-1500 pesos a day = to $5.00 to $7.50 a day
   • They work hard and have great skills

Recap of Our Mexican Boat Haul-out Event:

• 8 different suppliers working on our yacht
• 60 Days on hard
• 82 Overhaul days (22 in water)
• 8 New pieces of “Boat jewelry”, e.g.; shiny expensive metal parts for boat
• 3 Non -boat Adventure days while being overhauled
• 5 days off for Dan/Angela
• 250  1+ mile Bike rides (rode bicycles everywhere)
• 9 Repeat restaurants
• 51 breakfasts at shipyard “yacht club” restaurant. It was great!
•  2 Restaurants with 5-star quality
• 7 Ice cream store visits
• 5 Malecon vendor buys
• 240 dirty/grey ankles, washing needed (ours)
• 2 pair of destroyed shoes (1 each)
• 20 lbs of cardboard floor covering
• 3 bottles of bug spray
• 2 bottles of sunscreen
• 2 tired boat owners
• 1 shiny gorgeous boat

Review of work done @ A SHIPYARD STORY ….#24

FYI – Video of boatyard lift and splash, may take a bit to load. Also few more photos below!

Next Up…. more adventures on the water, with our pretty new boat!