boatyard rates

[doc g]

Do boatyard rates work like a car dealer where they bill out based on some hour or fraction of an hour depending on what was done? Or is it based on how long the mechanic actually worked on it? I am looking at a yard bill and trying to figure out how it could have possibly taken so long to do some of these line items................Pat

[magnawake]

Every yard I have ever talked to has a basic hourly rate. Haul out, pressure washing, painting is all done $/ft. If any blisters are found, the hourly rate kicks in. Getting a honest boat yard that charges fair is the problem. 3 hours to change zinks (for example) would be stretching it and I would need to throw the BS flag.

[Pascal]

All the yards I ve dealt with quote a per foot rate for haul out, pressure wash, block, paint and launch. In Miami, the one I use charges $38 a ft

Any extra work is charged by the hour, some yard charge a lower rate for unskilled labor like scrubbing, etc... It depends.

Whenever I get yard work done, I try to be there most of the time and I keep track of the hours and the work done. I find that if you are there, the yard is less likely to "make billing mistakes" and if they do you have your notes to fall back on and discuss the matter.

Obviously, you get billed while the guy go get a part in the shop, or clean up or ... But that shouldn't amount to much... Problem is that hat it is very hard to know exactly how much time something will take... Pulling a prop for instance, can take 20' or 4 hours...

[doc g]

how about 22.75 hours to pull a stub shaft and prop and reinstall ? The prop was put on freshly 2 weeks prior also..........Pat

[bigbill]

doc, that sounds like a major "billing mistake" to me.

[GJH]

how about 22.75 hours to pull a stub shaft and prop and reinstall ? The prop was put on freshly 2 weeks prior also..........Pat

Personally i wouldn't know; I wasn't there. What issues there may have been with the muff coupling and getting the shaft aligned properly, don't know that. That's why like Pascal, I like to be there for major operations. Not just to "supervise", but also to learn. A really good yard will give a detailed estimate per task with the hourly rate of the trade involved (electrical, paint, common labor, etc) and call you if they run into an unexpected issue... no surprises. That's one of the reasons I tried to get as much work done as possible by Thunderbolt Marine, plus that they really stood behind their work with great integrity (and plus we could enjoy Savannah while we were there). And one of the reasons why, now that we are just local boaters in NC, I have withdrawn a fair amount of work from Jarrett Bay and gone to good independents like Bruce Morrison.

[rsmith]

How many men were on the job? It's a 2 man job with probably a couple hours for the third thrown in for good measure.

[Boatsb]

How many men were on the job? It's a 2 man job with probably a couple hours for the third thrown in for good measure.

Had to winch out a shaft on a 52 that took 4 people about 3 hours after unbolting everything. Sometimes things dont go as planned.

[rwappleton]

That is still 10 hours less than he was billed.....just saying.

I have had the yard I work with quote everything they do. Sure jobs do not always go as planned and when they do not there are adjustments made (in both directions). I ask them to tell me how long a job is going to take based on their experience after looking at the job. I have to add here if you did not ask for a quote then you left the door open. Always ask IMHO and get it in writing. Save bunches of heartburn later.

FWIW I also do this when I take my car or truck to the dealer and use the same process.

Before Scott jumps me here I expect anyone in the repair business to make a profit. That is not a dirty word. I am very happy with the yard I work with (Pierside Boat Works in Charleston, SC)and they are happy to have me as a customer.

[luckydave215]

EVERY trip top the yard costs more than you expected. It says so right in the owner's manual, maybe you didn't read that page.
If the yard you use is honest (props here to the yard I use, Shelter Island Boat Yard in San Diego), the higher-than-expected cost is due to the "surprise!" you always find when the travel lift revs up.
It may be blisters, it may be a loose cutlass bearing(s), it may be pink bronze, it may be corroding swim step bolts or a strainer that vanished "back there somewhere". There's always going to be something you don't expect. Get used to it.
If you don't like it, take up golf.