Boatyards costs

[Zanshin]

I am still in shock regarding a bill I just received and want to know if my expectations regarding pricing of labour might be grossly out of line.

I have a genset that isn't working and contracted with a factory authorised company in the BVI to have them look at it to see what is wrong. They said that the best thing would be to remove the genset and take it to their shop to check.

The genset is under the sole, easily accessible and right underneath the companionway stairs. I just got an interim bill for over $2500 and about $2000 is for the removal of the genset, the rest for looking into the problem!!!
So, even without repairs, they will charge another $2000 to put it back - and somehow I have trouble understanding how this simple act can run to $4K. The $500 to look at the engine is skilled labour and I can understand that. The genset weighs 117kg (250lbs).
Perhaps I've led a sheltered life since I do all of my boat work myself, so before I contemplate whether I should take legal action, I'd like to ask around here to see if this cost order of magnitude is reasonable for boats.

[tommays]

Well

I would have gotten a price first BUT even at 100 dollars and hour i am not seeing 20 hours ?

At 117kg i do see parts of this involving 3 or 4 people and a crane

[Gene T]

Is this in Germany? Certainly sounds way too high. The breakdown would be nice to see. I suppose they used the travel lift to lift it out. I don't trust any yard to do something without an estimate. But I do most of it myself anyway, usually after hearing their estimate.

Gene

[Zanshin]

There is a $250 1-hour crane charge that I didn't include in the pricing, since that seemed fair (albeit high). I just included their labour charges. This is in the BVI.

Here is the bill with the names blanked out:

[75R20]

Since you do all your own work...why didn't you do this job, as described, and then take the unit to the shop yourself. 250 lbs. can easily be lifted by two people, or even one with a block and tackle or levers.
It boils down to the following;
Was the wok done in a professional manner?
Was the work done on a mutually agreed time schedule?
Were the decks/work area in general left as they were found?
Were all debris cleaned up, and everything left shipship both during, and after the crew was done each day.

And most importantly......Did you agree to, and sign an estimate BEFORE the work was started.

You get what you pay for, and when in the middle of a cruise.....you "Could" be at the mercy of others, if you can't do it yourself.
Best of luck
Kary
S/V Mariah
#49080

[tommays]

I fail to see any work being done (comp test) that could not have been done on board ?


As it looks like a 2500 dollar test that could have been done onoard

[kd3pc]

As an able technician for both diesel and electrical, I really don't understand the idea of removing the gen set from the boat...This removes several important possible causes and does nothing to troubleshoot the reported problem...

On a previous boat, my gen set failed to start and not being near the boat, I asked the yard to look at it..simply would not crank..They "looked" at it and after two hours at $80 an hour, decided that it too needed to be removed and -like yours to the tune of over $1K...I said thank you and paid the $160.

Went to the boat in the next few days with a new battery and some jumper cables....within a few minutes (hooked up battery and jumped across the start solenoid) found out that the gen set would start and run...Just that when you pushed the start switch...nothing happened.

I then went to the wiring diagram, saw which two wires across the start switch on the panel went to the gen set proper and jumpered them - and voila started and ran..

Called local westerbeke dealer, only to findout the push button could not be replaced, but I could get a new panel for $150...asked them to send it to me care of the yard. Left the old/non working panel laying under the lazzarette, and asked the yard how much to replace it when it came in..$240 or three hours.

Yard called when it arrived...and they could not install it in the three hours they had quoted..I said Huh? All they had to do was step aboard the boat, unplug broken panel, plug in new panel, attach panel to lower edge of lazzarette with two screws..

At this point I took the boat from the yard, anchored out, put in the panel, tested the gen set and went on my way...

BTW, the yard was an "authorized westerbeke" dealer. My gen set was a westerbeke...I would hate to see how a yard that was not their dealer would behave.

$2K to remove the set for testing is way off base both in labor as well as attempting to troubleshoot..i.e. - you have changed the fuel, fuel source, supply lines, electrical start supply, wiring to and fro...etc....etc...

All the best, but I think I would ask them to put all the parts in a bin and move to a more qualified yard

[Gene T]

"travel to boat"? How far were they from the boat?

Gene

[Zanshin]

The reason I didn't do this myself was because I'm not at the boat but wanted it finished before I returned for a couple of months cruising. I'd checked the engine with a technician (from another company and whose opinion I trust) and the assumption was that compression was a problem but that it might be the valves; so removing the engine isn't far off base and acceptable - unless replacing the valves or rings could be done in situ. The company is 2 miles from the boat, perhaps 3.
Sigh...

[ffiill]

Obvious really-British Virgin Islands-boat owners are rich and wealthy therefore rip them off!-If you walk around behaving as though you are rich-getting someone to do the work for you for example then perhaps you have to accept the consequences-a big bill!
If you can afford a boat a little under $350,000 then quite clearly they have seen you coming.