boatyard rates

[rsmith]

What's the yards justification for the billed hours? It should have gone back together easier than it cam apart. Something isn't adding up.

Seriously??? People who have never done the work don't know what's involved. Slap it all back together and wonder why the muff coupling cracked or it vibrates more than dildo in a lesbian porn movie then tell me how it goes back together so easy.

 

[saltshaker]

Seriously??? People who have never done the work don't know what's involved. Slap it all back together and wonder why the muff coupling cracked or it vibrates more than dildo in a lesbian porn movie then tell me how it goes back together so easy.

I have done it and didn't have any issues afterwards. If you read my previous post you'll see where I commented on how a bent shaft or strut alignment would greatly affect the amount of time involved. The original poster replied that everything came apart quickly and with one man working. There was no mention of a strut needing to be dropped and shimmed or the engines being realigned. The concept behind using stub shafts is the ease of changing them out if the boat is run aground or hits something.

 

[rsmith]

I have done it and didn't have any issues afterwards. If you read my previous post you'll see where I commented on how a bent shaft or strut alignment would greatly affect the amount of time involved. The original poster replied that everything came apart quickly and with one man working. There was no mention of a strut needing to be dropped and shimmed or the engines being realigned. The concept behind using stub shafts is the ease of changing them out if the boat is run aground or hits something.

Then you should know that the muff coupling mating surfaces need to be immaculately clean and the bolts need to be torqued in sequence. This all takes time and is not a one man job to get the muff properly seated. I've done both and IMHO it's quicker to pull one piece shafts than to screw around with stub shafts.
I'm not saying the hours are correct Doc should go back to the yard for an explanation

 

[saltshaker]

Then you should know that the muff coupling mating surfaces need to be immaculately clean and the bolts need to be torqued in sequence. This all takes time and is not a one man job to get the muff properly seated. I've done both and IMHO it's quicker to pull one piece shafts than to screw around with stub shafts.
I'm not saying the hours are correct Doc should go back to the yard for an explanation

I agree, the biggest pain was getting the muff couplings clean and I'm not saying the yard bill is right or wrong. It does seem like a lot of hours to me but I do know how a 1 hour job can turn into an all day project when dealing with a boat. I would think the yard would explain why so many hours instead of just handing him a bill.

 

[Boatsb]

I agree, the biggest pain was getting the muff couplings clean and I'm not saying the yard bill is right or wrong. It does seem like a lot of hours to me but I do know how a 1 hour job can turn into an all day project when dealing with a boat. I would think the yard would explain why so many hours instead of just handing him a bill.

Sometimes explaining just wont work. Telling someone about the issues helps but some owners dont listen nor care to hear about the extra work. If you ignore it you don't have to pay for it.

I had a boat with a strut where the cutlass bearing shot and the hole odd sized. Tapered and egged out. The owner had a "custom" tool for removing it that didn't work. I had to drop the strut. Press out the old bearing on a 20 ton press. Bore the hole and re size it before I could put in a new bearing and align it. The owner said it should not be more than $400. That's the price yards quoted to change out a 1 3/8 cutlass. He still thinks the extra work didn't cost anything. My bill at the machine shop was more than that.

 

[MikeP]

IMO, any issue of this sort is directly related to how it is handled by the mechanic/shop. Sure, a job that everyone thought was going to be 500 bucks could end up costing a lot more for whatever reason. But the first thing that should happen is the person performing the work should be talking to the owner to explain what's going on and what to expect. Not doing so is totally unprofessional and can't help leaving an impression that there is some sort of padding going on.

 

[rsmith]

IMO, any issue of this sort is directly related to how it is handled by the mechanic/shop. Sure, a job that everyone thought was going to be 500 bucks could end up costing a lot more for whatever reason. But the first thing that should happen is the person performing the work should be talking to the owner to explain what's going on and what to expect. Not doing so is totally unprofessional and can't help leaving an impression that there is some sort of padding going on.

I'd like to see the bil,l Doc should post it with names blocked out. I have a feeling there is labor in there for other stuff that was done

 

[lumina]

IMO, any issue of this sort is directly related to how it is handled by the mechanic/shop. Sure, a job that everyone thought was going to be 500 bucks could end up costing a lot more for whatever reason. But the first thing that should happen is the person performing the work should be talking to the owner to explain what's going on and what to expect. Not doing so is totally unprofessional and can't help leaving an impression that there is some sort of padding going on.

Hi All,

Mike explained my point much more succinctly than I did. Be it software development or house construction a good faith estimate is essential up front and the yard and the owner need to stay in touch as things progress. There should be no surprises.

To one of Genesis points, it shouldn't be brain surgery to account for billable hours, parts, outside service costs etc, but in real life it is, it takes superior service and parts managers etc to orchestrate it all and get out accurate bills, resolve discrepancies etc.