Tackling boat projects on Tortola

[Tspringer]

Our 1981 Stevens 47 is currently on the hard in Road Town, Tortola in the BVI.

I am planning on going down and spending a week (or more) tackling a bunch of boat projects sometime in late September or early to mid October. My plan is to fly into St. Thomas (I get dirt cheap standby airfare) and catch a ferry over to Tortola. I have no idea as yet where I will stay as I am still figuring this all out.

I need to replace several thru-hulls and seacocks, service the remaining seacocks, install a shower sump with pump and plumb it so the showers no longer drain to the bilge, fix some leaks in the forward shower compartment, replace 2 bilge pumps (or rebuild, I have the kits) and do some cleaning and painting in the engine room.

I am trying to find someone either on Tortola or in the VI who is qualified and can help me with these projects without it totally annihilating my meager cruising budget! Signing up for work at $90 an hour or so just isn't in the cards. I need someone who can help at a fair but more realistic rate. If this ideal individual also had a berth available for me to stay while tackling this work I would rather pay them than a hotel.

I may be crazy and this may be an absurd idea but I figured what the heck, its the intardnet after all so I may as well post and see what pops up.

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome.



Terry

[jbondy]

I would consider also checking the General Anarchy forum on the Sailing Anarchy site (Redirect to the Sailing Main Index). They seem to have participants from all over.

Good luck.

[imagine2frolic]

They can't take you out, and shoot you for asking, OR CAN THEY??????

[CalebD]

Q: Can't you stay aboard your boat overnight, on the hard?
I know it can be a bit warm down there but if you had power somewhere in the yard where your boat is you could run some extension cords to power a fan, some lights and even a radio. Still lots cheaper than a hotel but you would miss the usual rocking motion of the boat unless a hurricane was threatening!
I would offer to come down and help you but I suspect that my airfare would be more than you wanted to pay someone to help in the first place.
I was down there this past June for a day or 2 before heading out for Turks & Caicos. What a sailors heaven!

[Zanshin]

The Virgin Gorda yard would let you stay aboard while you do work, but the heat coupled with lack of wind in the BVI in the summer is opressing. Finding someone in the price category you are looking for might be tough, though.
I'm in water in Nanny Cay as I write this from the AC comfort of the cabin - cooling down after an hour working topsides (early in the morning before the suns does its dirty work). The lines are now secure and I'm about to get the genoa up.