What do you think of these repair prices?

[Happydays66]

Hi

I recently posted topics on compression testing and boat painting. Well, great news! I managed to get a further reduction on the boat price and have bought the boat!! I can now use the savings to carry out repairs. There is a lot to repair so I'm being careful with my spend. What is your view on these quotes I have received for the initial round of repairs please?

 

Replace Lister SR2 exhaust system and raise outlet at least 10 inches above waterline £400

 

Secure external solenoid and replace undersized cable from battery to the domestic alternator (min size 25mm) £100

 

Install auto/manual bilge pump ( ie auto bilge pump with switch) £275

 

The surveyor has advised the engine and stern gland bilges are not separated, and so a small fixed metallic sump will have to be fitted below stern seal for the pump to be housed in. The boatyard have said the best thing they can do with the stern tube drip tray is to secure a steel biscuit tin, or sweet tin under the stern tube, then fit the pump in to that, the best way would be to weld a plate at the back but it is very difficult to do as there is no room to clean the steel and get a good weld. Are there any better containers I can get than a biscuit tin which will look a bit of a bodge. What do you think of the boatyards response regarding not being able to weld a plate?

[ditchcrawler]

Hi

I recently posted topics on compression testing and boat painting. Well, great news! I managed to get a further reduction on the boat price and have bought the boat!! I can now use the savings to carry out repairs. There is a lot to repair so I'm being careful with my spend. What is your view on these quotes I have received for the initial round of repairs please?

 

Replace Lister SR2 exhaust system and raise outlet at least 10 inches above waterline £400

 

Secure external solenoid and replace undersized cable from battery to the domestic alternator (min size 25mm) £100

 

Install auto/manual bilge pump ( ie auto bilge pump with switch) £275

 

The surveyor has advised the engine and stern gland bilges are not separated, and so a small fixed metallic sump will have to be fitted below stern seal for the pump to be housed in. The boatyard have said the best thing they can do with the stern tube drip tray is to secure a steel biscuit tin, or sweet tin under the stern tube, then fit the pump in to that, the best way would be to weld a plate at the back but it is very difficult to do as there is no room to clean the steel and get a good weld. Are there any better containers I can get than a biscuit tin which will look a bit of a bodge. What do you think of the boatyards response regarding not being able to weld a plate?

You could go the other way and have a drip tray under the engine to catch any oil spills

[Boat&Bikes]

I would look at maybe oil drain pan for housing the bilge pump. Does it have to be metal? On the subject of the pump, why do some auto types also have a manual switch?

 

Ian.

[dmr]

I would look at maybe oil drain pan for housing the bilge pump. Does it have to be metal? On the subject of the pump, why do some auto types also have a manual switch?

 

Ian.

 

If there is no water in the bilge for a long time then the manual switch is an easy way to test that the pump still runs.

With any motor its a good idea to run it every few weeks. Anything that stays in one place for too long will eventually become stuck!

Even more important it provides a quick way to turn the pump on if the auto switch fails.

 

.......................Dave

[alan_fincher]

Nobody has actually commented on the original question of pricing, have they?

 

Hard to say for things like the exhaust change, without seeing it, but given trhe fairly low cost of a bilge pump and float switch, the quote for adding that bsounds quite high to me, even if it includes providing a new skin fitting to the hull.

 

Mind you an engineer in a marina local to us prices labour at £50 per hour plus VAT, (so actually employ a marina based engineer a large facility and large overheads costs can quickly mount up.

[Athy]

Providing the bilge pump is at least 9 carat gold plated, the prices look reasonable.

[mayalld]

Hi

I recently posted topics on compression testing and boat painting. Well, great news! I managed to get a further reduction on the boat price and have bought the boat!! I can now use the savings to carry out repairs. There is a lot to repair so I'm being careful with my spend. What is your view on these quotes I have received for the initial round of repairs please?

 

Replace Lister SR2 exhaust system and raise outlet at least 10 inches above waterline £400

 

Secure external solenoid and replace undersized cable from battery to the domestic alternator (min size 25mm) £100

 

Install auto/manual bilge pump ( ie auto bilge pump with switch) £275

 

The surveyor has advised the engine and stern gland bilges are not separated, and so a small fixed metallic sump will have to be fitted below stern seal for the pump to be housed in. The boatyard have said the best thing they can do with the stern tube drip tray is to secure a steel biscuit tin, or sweet tin under the stern tube, then fit the pump in to that, the best way would be to weld a plate at the back but it is very difficult to do as there is no room to clean the steel and get a good weld. Are there any better containers I can get than a biscuit tin which will look a bit of a bodge. What do you think of the boatyards response regarding not being able to weld a plate?

 

Exhaust - probably reasonable

 

Solenoid and cable - Not too bad, but you could almost certainly sort this yourself.

 

Bilge pump - Sounds WAY too much.Biscuit tin is a good solution, and if you paint it so it doesn't look like a biscuit tin won't look like a bodge. You should be able to do this yourself.

[nebulae]

We had to weld in a small" bulkhead" behind the engine bearers to separate bilge water from the area under the engine, My son did the welding and it was a bit difficult. However,for the sort of price you have been quoted,it should be possible to do it properly. When I mentioned to my son that £50 was achievable as a marine engineer, he thought he might give up agricultural engineering? Bilge pumps vary widely in price. For the price you have been quoted,you should expect a decent pump .Check out chandlers for a good spec.and price.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

Install auto/manual bilge pump ( ie auto bilge pump with switch) £275

 

The surveyor has advised the engine and stern gland bilges are not separated, and so a small fixed metallic sump will have to be fitted below stern seal for the pump to be housed in. The boatyard have said the best thing they can do with the stern tube drip tray is to secure a steel biscuit tin, or sweet tin under the stern tube, then fit the pump in to that, the best way would be to weld a plate at the back but it is very difficult to do as there is no room to clean the steel and get a good weld. Are there any better containers I can get than a biscuit tin which will look a bit of a bodge. What do you think of the boatyards response regarding not being able to weld a plate?

 

If the £275 is inclusive of VAT (£220'ish exc VAT) then its probably not too bad IF it includes the welding / making of a separate bilge, drilling the hull, provision of skin fitting, bilge pump, piping, auto switch, manual switch, fuses and wiring up and running cables to the 'dashboard'/instrument panel.

 

Personally (if it is perceived that a 'biscuit tin is acceptable) I would DIY for only the cost of components. Araldite the tin in place, fix pump into tin with 'mastic' stuff, wire up etc etc.

 

If cutting the hole is a problem, get theyard to do that when moving the exhaust

[dmr]

Fitting the bilge pump may involve a new hole and skin fitting in the side of the boat, finding a place to install the switch panel, and running in new wiring. £275 sounds a bit expensive but then thats only 4 hours labour at £50/hour.

The exhaust stuff sounds very reasonable, maybe your man is just not very happy about working with electricity????

 

................Dave

[Señor Chris]

 

Personally (if it is perceived that a 'biscuit tin is acceptable) I would DIY for only the cost of components. Araldite the tin in place, fix pump into tin with 'mastic' stuff, wire up etc etc.

 

 

I use a plastic washing-up bowl for this purpose. It wedges in the corner so no need to glue it down and the pump + hose make a snug fit inside.

[FadeToScarlet]

I think I need to charge more, I charged the last people I fitted a bilge pump for £10 and a packet of chocolate HobNobs

[alan_fincher]

I think I need to charge more, I charged the last people I fitted a bilge pump for £10 and a packet of chocolate HobNobs

 

Yes but there were some comments about whether it was really suitable!.......

 

[Paul C]

You can buy a lot of nappies for £275!

[Bloomsberry]

According to the BSS, if the engine & stern gland bilges are not seperated then one option is to fit a 5 micron filter in the bilge pump outlet.

 

You need to provide evidence that the filter is 5 micron,

 

I fitted a filter to my bilge outlet to get my boat through a recent BSS exam and that had no seperation between the engine & stern bilges.

 

Filter housing - Screwfix £20

5 micron filter - Amazon £10

 

I don't think the above prices were even that much. I had to glue a lump of wood on the side of the boat to house the filter and get a length of hose to extend the existing layout but that was it.

 

BSS -

 

Fixed bilge pumps and bilge suction pipes must not draw from an engine tray or oil-tight area, unless the:
discharge is through a bilge water filter capable of a 5 parts per million
discharge performance level, as verified by markings on the filter or an
appropriate declaration from the manufacturer or supplier.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Bloomsberry

[Alenafour]

 

Yes but there were some comments about whether it was really suitable!.......

 

 

Oooh. I've got one of those, discovered it the other day. Looks like it was last used for pumping an oil spillage so I didn't look too closely. Interesting the frame though, it doesn't have that.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Alenafour

[ditchcrawler]

 

 

BSS -

 

Fixed bilge pumps and bilge suction pipes must not draw from an engine tray or oil-tight area, unless the:

discharge is through a bilge water filter capable of a 5 parts per million

discharge performance level, as verified by markings on the filter or an

appropriate declaration from the manufacturer or supplier.

That is why I said a tray under the engine so leaks don't go into the bilge. I wonder how many tons of grease get pumped out through stern tubes every year

[Emerald Fox]

Bilge pump 30 quid, float switch 30 quid, couple of wires from pump to battery 1 quid, rubber pipe to outlet drainage hole 5 quid.

I've just save you 209 squids. Plus 3 quid for the pint you can buy me

[mayalld]

Bilge pump 30 quid, float switch 30 quid, couple of wires from pump to battery 1 quid, rubber pipe to outlet drainage hole 5 quid.

I've just save you 209 squids. Plus 3 quid for the pint you can buy me

 

Now, be fair!

 

Holesaw to cut hole for outlet

skin fitting

[Laurie Booth]

 

Bilge pump - Sounds WAY too much.Biscuit tin is a good solution, and if you paint it so it doesn't look like a biscuit tin won't look like a bodge. You should be able to do this yourself.

I use a washing up bowl from the 99p shop.

[MtB]

All three prices strike me as about right.

 

Regarding the negative comments about the bilge pump, some people seem to think that because wires are easy to understand, they should be cheap to fit. Three hours installing and wiring up a bilge pump at £60 an hour plus the pump, switch, cable, clips etc sounds about right to me.

P.S. Forgot to mention, a bilge pump also requires a skin fitting to be cut, and pipe to be installed.

[Tuscan]

In my view it's not the price it's the competence of the fitter that's more important

[mayalld]

All three prices strike me as about right.

 

Regarding the negative comments about the bilge pump, some people seem to think that because wires are easy to understand, they should be cheap to fit. Three hours installing and wiring up a bilge pump at £60 an hour plus the pump, switch, cable, clips etc sounds about right to me.

P.S. Forgot to mention, a bilge pump also requires a skin fitting to be cut, and pipe to be installed.

 

I suppose that the question of "a reasonable price" tends to be coloured by "how easy is it to do a competent DIY job".

 

If the task is one that I could do myself (even if it takes me all day), then £180 of labour doesn't LOOK like good value.

[alan_fincher]

 

I suppose that the question of "a reasonable price" tends to be coloured by "how easy is it to do a competent DIY job".

 

If the task is one that I could do myself (even if it takes me all day), then £180 of labour doesn't LOOK like good value.

 

Quite:

 

If I have to pay someone £60 an hour for something I can't do, then, of course I will.

 

If I feel fully competent to do something myself, I am pretty unlikely to pay that kind of rate to somebody else to do it for me.

 

But I'm retired - if I were in employment in work paying over £60 an hour, I might view things differently!

[Athy]

All three prices strike me as about right.

Regarding the negative comments about the bilge pump, some people seem to think that because wires are easy to understand, they should be cheap to fit. Three hours installing and wiring up a bilge pump at £60 an hour plus the pump, switch, cable, clips etc sounds about right to me.

P.S. Forgot to mention, a bilge pump also requires a skin fitting to be cut, and pipe to be installed.

Ah, I think we have found a cross-purpose here. Some of us (self included) were assuming that this was a new bilge pump fitted in an existing installation, i.e. pertinent wires, 'oles etc. were already there. You're talking about installing one from scratch in a boat which did not previously have one. If that's the case in the OP's boat, that does suddenly look much more reasonable.