Well, it's been a journey alright...

[LadyG]

1 hour ago, HenryFreeman said:

 

Sure there is, but in this instance the only interaction I had with both boat yards is "that's the colour I want" and "is it done yet?". Didn't query the prices once.

 

Either way, is there an excuse for the first boat yard taking 10 months to sandblast (and consequently fill my boat with sand) and put a single coat of paint on it, of which had to be removed entirely and started again by the second boat yard? I don't think there is. A shit job is a shit job and they did a shit job and took their time over it.

Its an absolute pain. How not to win customers.

I had a boatyard ask for payment when I got a contractor on site, there was no contract with the yard, and he did not offer any services., I think there was water!

He had already broken the masthead B&G fitting, when craning out, so I was out of pocket immediately.

I said he had not lost out, (it was sandblasting). He then asked for payment to remove the debris, which he hadn't.

Poor show, I'd known him for a  very long time, and when I put my boat in his marina, I was only the eleventh boat, so really I was a guinea pig. 

I only stayed one winter.

On 08/08/2023 at 16:01, Stilllearning said:

No they're not all that bad. You have been unlucky - twice. Lessons should have been learned, so that you avoid future contacts with useless wastes of space. 

Don't hurry with your choice of name, but do pick a good sign writer, many members here will be able to recommend painters when you know what you want.

You can t tell until the job is ended. I booked in to a yard, I advised them before I went what I wanted, essentially some labour , power wash, some wire brushing, some power sanding. We stood looking at the roof, he told me how a good job would be done, so I assumed (!) we had agreed on a good job. No, a boy came along and sanded for six hours, as I had agreed, then he left. The job was not done as discussed and was not inspected.

If i find another yard to get the job completed, I don't know how much more I can do to explain what I want, I had specified the tools required and estimated the time it would take. I did the hull painting myself so at least I was sure it got three coats. 

 

Edited August 12, 2023 by LadyG

[Quattrodave]

1 hour ago, HenryFreeman said:

Either way, is there an excuse for the first boat yard taking 10 months to sandblast (and consequently fill my boat with sand) and put a single coat of paint on it, of which had to be removed entirely and started again by the second boat yard? I don't think there is. A shit job is a shit job and they did a shit job and took their time over it.

 

Easy tiger! I will re iterate 'Not wishing to say anyone is right or wrong here, but there are 2 sides to every story.' 

Just to further that I can't and won't comment on your particular job because I don't know both sides and as thus it would be distinctly unfair of me to do so or draw any conclusions.  I'm not trying to say you are wrong, I'm not trying to argue with you, you are quite entitled to your opinion, just like everyone else is entitled to their opinion.

Edited August 12, 2023 by Quattrodave

[HenryFreeman]

3 minutes ago, Quattrodave said:

 

Easy tiger! I will re iterate 'Not wishing to say anyone is right or wrong here, but there are 2 sides to every story.' 

Just to further that I can't and won't comment on your particular job because I don't know both sides and as thus it would be distinctly unfair of me to do so or draw any conclusions.  I'm not trying to say you are wrong, I'm not trying to argue with you, you are quite entitled to your opinion, just like everyone else is entitled to their opinion.

 

Apologies if it came across as having a go! I wasn't at all. Badly formed words on my part. You're not wrong, just in this case I don't think there was anything I did to cause problems at the boat yard. Not arguing 👍

[Quattrodave]

23 minutes ago, HenryFreeman said:

 

Apologies if it came across as having a go! I wasn't at all. Badly formed words on my part. You're not wrong, just in this case I don't think there was anything I did to cause problems at the boat yard. Not arguing 👍

 

No it's absolutely fine, no need to apologise (although it is appreciated it's rather rare on forums 😁) I understand that tensions & frustrations may be running rather high to say the least! 👍

[Arthur Marshall]

On 08/08/2023 at 20:52, Sea Dog said:

Fixed that for you. If the job was done by a proper Engineer (in this case it would more likely be a mechanic), you'd have checked and found it had been done properly. Sadly, however, the professional bodies in the UK allow the term "engineer" and "technician" to be used willy-nilly so the terms are practically meaningless.

Maybe, but the guy who left the few bolts he bothered to put back into the coupling loose apparently has about thirty years experience of servicing the engines of boats supplying the oil rigs. So probably an engineer, as the word is defined as someone who builds or maintains engines. Unfortunately, you can't just define an engineer as someone who does a job properly. I can count the number of jobs finished competently on my old tub over the last thirty years on the fingers of one hand. Not including the thumb. Two blokes have been excellent. The rest have cost me more money putting their errors right (couldn't do anything about the selfdraining deck except fit a better bilge pump) . I just got used to it and factored the extra cost into my personal estimate.

The comment in another post as to using hire fleet engineers/mechanics is true too. They probably get more experience of all sorts of repairs and if they mess up it costs them money and probably their job.

The problem is that you really can't tell if anyone's any good until it's too late. And often, because of where you are, you've no choice anyway.

[HenryFreeman]

It's all over! Boat has left the boat yard. Got as far as one of the locks just before Stanley Ferry in Wakefield only to discover it's out of order and there were a number of boats that were turning round and heading back. So that was an abrupt end to my cruise. Still, I've not entirely forgotten how to operate a narrowboat and the thing is still working so all good.

 

[Sea Dog]

19 hours ago, Arthur Marshall said:

Maybe, but the guy who left the few bolts he bothered to put back into the coupling loose apparently has about thirty years experience of servicing the engines of boats supplying the oil rigs. So probably an engineer, as the word is defined as someone who builds or maintains engines. Unfortunately, you can't just define an engineer as someone who does a job properly. I can count the number of jobs finished competently on my old tub over the last thirty years on the fingers of one hand. Not including the thumb. Two blokes have been excellent. The rest have cost me more money putting their errors right (couldn't do anything about the selfdraining deck except fit a better bilge pump) . I just got used to it and factored the extra cost into my personal estimate.

The comment in another post as to using hire fleet engineers/mechanics is true too. They probably get more experience of all sorts of repairs and if they mess up it costs them money and probably their job.

The problem is that you really can't tell if anyone's any good until it's too late. And often, because of where you are, you've no choice anyway.

Whilst you appear the be disagreeing with my post, I  think you illustrate my point very well. If you were to ask me what evidence I have to support my claim to be an Engineer, I could point you to my Charter which was hard earned and granted not only based upon my academic qualifications (which don't always prove much in the real world) or my long experience (which many people do not really learn much from) but also having evidentially proven success in my field, underwriting my ability to apply my knowledge and experience. The same thing goes for other levels in engineering, but if our professional bodies do not defend their profession, and allow anyone to call themselves an engineer, technician, mechanic, or whatever, then you're back to pot luck. The medical profession, as a key example, don't allow it.

[MtB]

3 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

The same thing goes for other levels in engineering, but if our professional bodies do not defend their profession, and allow anyone to call themselves an engineer, technician, mechanic, or whatever, then you're back to pot luck. The medical profession, as a key example, don't allow it.

 

Well I refer to myself as a technician. I had no idea it was a formally defined qualification but I'll probably continue to use it, if only because I think it most closely describes what I do. But in addition, I most strongly object to Gas Safe Register calling all it's members "Gas Engineers", when most of us are patently nothing of the sort. 

 

My dear old departed Dad was a Chartered Engineer and very proud of his achievement too. Rightly so, and it really irks me to see my peers, many of whom can barely add up, spell or string a coherent sentence together, being encouraged to call themselves 'engineers'.

 

Blimey that was a bit of a rant, wasn't it?! 

 

 

And don't even get me onto the subject of 'washing machine engineers' or 'coffee machine engineers'...

 

 

[BEngo]

7 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

. The same thing goes for other levels in engineering, but if our professional bodies do not defend their profession, and allow anyone to call themselves an engineer, technician, mechanic, or whatever, then you're back to pot luck. The medical profession, as a key example, don't allow it.

Nor do the Architects.  The Engineers professional bodies did try, in the 1920's I believe, but were firmly knocked back by the Government of the day and told not to bother trying again.

 

The cynic in me thinks that there is no support from the major engineering employers because it would probably cost them money.

 

The Europeans have Eur Ing.

 

N  (CEng)

[ditchcrawler]

The GPO (remember them) had hundreds of telephone engineers. I have never classed myself as an Electrical Engineer because I am not clever enough to achieve that position, but I have met Engineers I wouldn't trust with a screwdriver

[Rob-M]

I did a 4 year apprenticeship in electronic engineering, then did a 2 year programming course in software engineering but I wouldn't class myself as an engineer.

Edited August 13, 2023 by Rob-M

[MtB]

Mind you, in the USA an engineer is the person driving the railway locomotive.