Boatyards doing work as promised

[Ewan123]

Having seen a few threads and comments recently, one could easily come to the conclusion that all boatyards are full of cowboys. Obviously the ones in question are rarely named (I can understand why), so perhaps we can all share some positive experiences and share names that have a good reputation? I hope this might be useful to others in future... I'll start:

 

• We got a new stern hatch fabricated and fitted, and Yale door locks fitted at Stanstead Abbots boatyard - good job done, on time and cost as quoted (also small added extra of straightening out some doors that had been bent).
• We got the boat blacked at Debdale Wharf (gritblast and two pack epoxy) - very good communication, they needed to move dates around and we got offered a discount in exchange for volunteering for a different date. Work done was transparent (in a good way!) as photos of all stages were provided after it was complete. Too early to say whether the job will last years yet but it appeared well done and so far so good.

 

It's probably too much to hope that sharing more good reports will encourage the wrong'uns to do better in the hope they get recommended, but one can hope.

[Tracy D'arth]

I can second Debdale Wharf doing a good job at a fair price without any drama.

[matty40s]

I do know of Debdale doing a shoddy job of putting a boat back together recently after the zinc/2 pack process, this wasnt discovered until the bow thruster was used(countersunk bolts lost, new standard hex bolts used and hatch not sealed) . Unfortunately, rather than take ownership, they tried to charge a call out fee to rectify. 

[Tim Lewis]

Had a lift out and welding carried out at P & S at Cassiobury a few years ago and couldn’t fault the service. Used them again last year on a charity trip boat I am involved in and had the same excellent service

[Ewan123]

16 minutes ago, matty40s said:

I do know of Debdale doing a shoddy job of putting a boat back together recently after the zinc/2 pack process, this wasnt discovered until the bow thruster was used(countersunk bolts lost, new standard hex bolts used and hatch not sealed) . Unfortunately, rather than take ownership, they tried to charge a call out fee to rectify. 

Oh dear, my dreams are already dashed! (Balanced reviews obviously important though). I can at least say that there appears to be no issue with our bow thruster after being at Debdale.

[matty40s]

1 hour ago, Ewan123 said:

Oh dear, my dreams are already dashed! (Balanced reviews obviously important though). I can at least say that there appears to be no issue with our bow thruster after being at Debdale.

The actual job at Debdale was done without query, it was the putting the boat back together job, which is quite suprising given the amount of boats they process. Something has gone wrong, the worrying thing is the high level person that is insisting on a call out charge to rectify rather than just getting it sorted.

[David Schweizer]

I always tended to use individual people to do work on Helvetia rather than boatyards, with most of them being based in Braunston, and I always got excellent work at a modest cost.  Yes I will name them:- Roger Farrington for Steelwork, Jonathan Hewitt for engine work, AJ Canopies for canories, Tim Hewitt for blacking, John Sanderson for complete boat re-paint, and Ron Hough, and later Dave Moore for decorating and signwork. Apart from Ron Hough, who is no longer with us, I would recommend any one of them.

 

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by David Schweizer

[ditchcrawler]

18 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

.

 

 

They were that good?

[matty40s]

15 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

They were that good?

No, they were better than that...

[David Schweizer]

10 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

They were that good?

 

Yes 🤣.  Original post deleted because of missing information, post now re-instated and repeated below:-

 

I always tended to use individual people to do work on Helvetia rather than boatyards, with most of them being based in Braunston, and I always got excellent work at a fair price.  Yes I will name them:- Roger Farrington for Steelwork, Jonathan Hewitt for engine work, AJ Canopies for canopies, Tim Hewitt for blacking, John Sanderson for complete boat re-paint, and Ron Hough, and later Dave Moore for decorating and signwork. Apart from Ron Hough, who is no longer with us, I would recommend any one of them.

 

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by David Schweizer

[Ewan123]

54 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

I always tended to use individual people to do work on Helvetia rather than boatyards, with most of them being based in Braunston, and I always got excellent work at a modest cost.  Yes I will name them:- Roger Farrington for Steelwork, Jonathan Hewitt for engine work, AJ Canopies for canories, Tim Hewitt for blacking, John Sanderson for complete boat re-paint, and Ron Hough, and later Dave Moore for decorating and signwork. Apart from Ron Hough, who is no longer with us, I would recommend any one of them.

 

 

AJ Canopies did a good quick job replacing a zip on our cratch earlier this year 👍

[Arthur Marshall]

Stoke Boats for a first rate resteeling job and for a quality repair after someone else's screw-up. The engineer at Heritage boats who tracked down and fixed an oil leak caused by the bloke who rebuilt my engine forgetting to use a gasket somewhere or other.

[cuthound]

In the 20 years that we had shareboats we experienced many boatyards with varying degrees of quality.

 

Norbury Wharf stood out. They resolved some long standing issues other boatyards were unable to permanently fix.

 

When I had my boat repainted 4 years ago I took it to Norbury, because they were one of the few places that were happy to flat off the sound but faded paintwork and apply the same manufacturer and colour paint over the top. Most yards wanted to take the boat back to bare steel before repainting  because " they couldn't guarantee that the paint would be compatible with that already on the boat" despite the manual detailing the manufacturer and colour of every type of paint used originally.

 

Four years on and it still looks as good as new.

[enigmatic]

For minor work recently I've been happy with a short notice T-stud weld from Jim at Red Hill Marina and zip repairs at Cover & Canvas at Venetian.

Scott Wragg near Wakefield did a good job diagnosing a minor electrical issue at a remarkably reasonable rate considering there aren't any other marine electricians locally.

 

Wish I could recommend the outfit that did my engine mounts, but after doing a tidy job on that they did manage to leave the alternator rather wobbly on a minor belt change they suggested doing at the same time...

[manxmike]

Venetian Marina did some excellent work for me (yes - really!) I always found them helpful and ready to listen and then explain.

The Marina at Wrenbury, on the Llangollen Canal, sorted out a problem with my battery bank - they spent over an hour and refused to charge me anything. I left some money so the guys could have a drink on me. They were helpful, explained what they were doing, why they were doing it and why it needed doing in the first place.

[Ewan123]

Thorn Marine just did a nice job of making me some new deck boards. Two boards, neither square in shape. I gave them the measurements and they sourced the boards and cut (exactly to spec) then treated the edges. Good value for money too.

[ditchcrawler]

4 minutes ago, Ewan123 said:

Thorn Marine just did a nice job of making me some new deck boards. Two boards, neither square in shape. I gave them the measurements and they sourced the boards and cut (exactly to spec) then treated the edges. Good value for money too.

Had my last two boat safety inspections done there 

[DShK]

Probably don't need to say this but Glascote Basin Boatyard has done very well by me for the work I've needed. The Chandlery there is also fantastic! They supply all sorts of rare stuff and will fettle and source many things for you!

[Sea Dog]

4 hours ago, DShK said:

Probably don't need to say this but Glascote Basin Boatyard...

Well that is kinda the point of the thread, so you probably should say it - as you did! My own boat is coming out there for a blast and 2 pack, so the more right you are in your opinion of Norton Canes work the better I sleep! 

[DShK]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

Well that is kinda the point of the thread, so you probably should say it - as you did! My own boat is coming out there for a blast and 2 pack, so the more right you are in your opinion of Norton Canes work the better I sleep! 

 

They will do a good job. CEDAR is being craned out and blasted/painted inside and out in the basin later in the year as well 🙂

[ditchcrawler]

On 12/09/2023 at 15:52, enigmatic said:

For minor work recently I've been happy with a short notice T-stud weld from Jim at Red Hill Marina and zip repairs at Cover & Canvas at Venetian.

Scott Wragg near Wakefield did a good job diagnosing a minor electrical issue at a remarkably reasonable rate considering there aren't any other marine electricians locally.

 

Wish I could recommend the outfit that did my engine mounts, but after doing a tidy job on that they did manage to leave the alternator rather wobbly on a minor belt change they suggested doing at the same time...

Why did the T stud need welding?

[Alan de Enfield]

32 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Why did the T stud need welding?

 

Good question and very relevant to todays boating pages

[enigmatic]

I believe it had an encounter with the overhanging footway attached to the gate on the last lock on the Aire and Calder*, so gently that neither I nor the other boat nor the volockie noticed, until I got to Keadby and a neat hole where the T-stud had originally been welded and a T-stud lying next to it

 

*I recommend not doing this  

[Alan de Enfield]

6 minutes ago, enigmatic said:

I believe it had an encounter with the overhanging footway attached to the gate on the last lock on the Aire and Calder*, so gently that neither I nor the other boat nor the volockie noticed, until I got to Keadby and a neat hole where the T-stud had originally been welded and a T-stud lying next to it

 

*I recommend not doing this  

 

 

So, it didn't require a huge impact to knock it off  -  a gentle 'tug' could have done it ?

[enigmatic]

36 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

So, it didn't require a huge impact to knock it off  -  a gentle 'tug' could have done it ?

Think it might have snagged on the way down rather than due to the impact, in which case it may even have been doing me a favour snapping off rather than holding up the bow.

 

Same T-stud held the boat on anchor in the middle of the Thames the year before, when I'd have been a bit sadder for it to snap off....