Boatyard Misery

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Mar 31, 2012
139
Nord Cantieri 38 St Marys
Our project (Deck Resurfacing) in the boat yard has become less interesting to the contractor we hired and as a result we are having problems getting him to finish. Any thoughts on lighting a fire under his rear?

Every excuse in the book has been used to explain away his sluggish pace. Now we are into the rainy season and now that is the excuse.

I am ready to call BoatUS Consumer Affaires.

Advise is welcome.
 
Oct 17, 2011
2,808
Ericson 29 Southport..
Have you paid him yet? Set him free, and hire another one. Around here, boat mechanics are plentiful..
 
Mar 31, 2012
139
Nord Cantieri 38 St Marys
He has been paid one half. He has done about one half of the work at a VERY leisurely pace.

What is your definition of "boat mechanics"?

Is it basically any guy who shows up and says "Yeah I have done that before"
 
Aug 2, 2005
1,155
Pearson 33-2 & Typhoon 18 Seneca Lake
It's not too late.............. Send him a bag of coal for Christmas!
 
Jan 10, 2009
590
PDQ 32 Deale, MD
Money is not the main reason many of us do our own work. It's about 4th on the list. Timeliness runs between 1st and 3rd, with quality, self-reliance an curiosity taking up the other slots. And we just like messing about in boats.
 
Dec 8, 2007
303
-mac 26M -26M tucson-san carlos mx
He has been paid one half. He has done about one half of the work at a VERY leisurely pace.

What is your definition of "boat mechanics"?

Is it basically any guy who shows up and says "Yeah I have done that before"
your correct, no credentials are required,anyone can advertise,it's buyer beware just like in most situations.Your free to fire him any time.
 

Sailm8

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Feb 21, 2008
1,746
Hunter 29.5 Punta Gorda
With about half done and half paid, I would think firing him would not be a problem. Perhaps a letter with a firm deadline or else date would do the trick.
 
Mar 31, 2012
139
Nord Cantieri 38 St Marys
" Money is not the main reason many of us do our own work."

Yes I understand that full well. The problem at hand is that I already have one and a half full time jobs. Otherwise I would LOVE to do my own work.
 
Dec 7, 2012
515
Kittiwake 23, Irwin 43 .. Indianapolis / indianatown, fl
give him a time limit to get it done, or fire him.... there are lots of poeple around wiht the experiance needed to finish the work, and some are in need of the work/pay... find a ship hand to finish the work
 
Jan 10, 2009
590
PDQ 32 Deale, MD
" Money is not the main reason many of us do our own work."

Yes I understand that full well. The problem at hand is that I already have one and a half full time jobs. Otherwise I would LOVE to do my own work.
Yup, I know where you are coming from. There is also an old saw the goes "we commonly have money or time but seldom both."

When I do use contractors (canvas work) I get opinions and will pay a few dollars more for those with a reputation for predictability. I also have the luxury of being in a town with many.
 
Dec 1, 1999
2,391
Hunter 28.5 Chesapeake Bay
My guess is that your contractor (1) has too many other more lucrative jobs, and/or (2) he has gotten to a point in his work for you that is beyond his capability. Either way, you are somewhat "lucky" that he has done half the work and you have only paid his half of the total for the job. Have a pleasant face-to-face with him to assess what your next steps should be. The goal is to come to a joint agreement. If it appears that he cannot or will not assure you that he will finish the job at a jointly agreed upon time, let him go and find someone else qualified (by you, by other boaters, by the yard, etc) to finish the job on time and at price. If you let him go, I would make sure to inform the yard of the situation -- and let the contractor know you are doing that. I know all this can be a real PITA (we've all been there....), but at least you've gotten some of the work done and have not been stiffed for the remainder. Good luck with all this....
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
Not that this has much to do with your contractor, but what process are you using to resurface your deck?
 

Nodak7

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Sep 28, 2008
1,249
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
Our project (Deck Resurfacing) in the boat yard has become less interesting to the contractor we hired and as a result we are having problems getting him to finish. Any thoughts on lighting a fire under his rear?

Every excuse in the book has been used to explain away his sluggish pace. Now we are into the rainy season and now that is the excuse.

I am ready to call BoatUS Consumer Affaires.

Advise is welcome.
Sail, You do not say whether you had a written contract with him but I assume you do not. You need to have a face to face leveling talk with him. Give him your opinion of the quality of his work to date (whether good or bad). Tell him that you thought he would be further along by this time. Give him your expectations (make them reasonable). Tell him why those are your expectations then ask if he can meet them. If he say he cannot then ask him when he expects to complete the work. If they are not acceptable to you then release him and thank him for his service. Go find another contractor. If they are acceptable then put them in writing. Good luck
 
Oct 26, 2005
2,057
- - Satellite Beach, FL.
We recently had to hire a leak detection service and a plumber to fix what we thought was a leak under our slab.
The plumber had great reviews on Angie's List and lived up to those reviews. The detection service did not find the leak but said they did. When I called the service and explained the situation the response was "what do you want me to do about it?"
After I explained that if they didn't send the check back immediately I'd give them a negative on Angie's the lady got very cooperative and I had the check back the next day. I didn't have to threaten small claims.
I'd look on Angie's there for recommendations. It can also be your club to smite an unsatisfactory contractor.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,043
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
How do you know you don't have a leak right where they say? I don't know if it's feasible to know 100% one way or the other without cutting the slab open. Leak detection is very tricky. Without being invasive, these services generally use sound equipment to attempt to identify the location of leaks. The equipment is an overhead expense and it requires job revenue to pay for it.

I think when there is a leak at the main, it's usually very easy to identify ... water is usually bubbling up from the ground (sometimes right next to a valve cover) but people don't generally call for a detection service unless they suspect the source is under the slab or inside the foundation at a location they can't investigate very easily. Identifying the source and pin-pointing the location isn't always that easy. If the leak was outside the house, why did you call for somebody to investigate inside the house?

It still sounds like you took advantage of their time and equipment and squirmed out of the payment.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,043
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
And maybe they heard your argument and they realized they screwed up and decided to eat the expense. Merlinuxo, you're right, we don't know all the circumstances. I'm just saying that disputes aren't often black and white and your case may not have involved a dishonest contractor.
 
Mar 31, 2012
139
Nord Cantieri 38 St Marys
I know one thing, it is getting increasingly HARD to find anyone in the trades who can TRULY TROUBLESHOOT and analyze issues for a COMPLETE resolution. Im talking mechanics especially. They all seem to be "Parts Changers" who want to TRY this and TRY that.

And if they don't fix anything, they STILL WANT TO GET PAID.

I manage a small fleet of vehicles including our boat and I am getting less and less willing to pay people for incomplete work that does not meet my standards of completion.
 
Oct 26, 2005
2,057
- - Satellite Beach, FL.
And maybe they heard your argument and they realized they screwed up and decided to eat the expense. Merlinuxo, you're right, we don't know all the circumstances. I'm just saying that disputes aren't often black and white and your case may not have involved a dishonest contractor.

Me thinks you complain too much Scott, like maybe you're one of these guys who halfasses a job and still expects to get paid?
You sure are quick to call someone a liar and thief without knowing what you're talking about.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,043
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
It's not my complaint ...

I never said you are a liar and thief. I do believe that sailors, in general, believe that the wind is free and because of that fact, they believe everything else should be, too! :D (that's a joke)

As a matter of fact, payment for my professional services is usually a fixed fee or hourly rate. I don't always have happy clients and sometimes they don't want to pay the amount that would be required to get to the bottom of every issue. We don't provide one-size-fits-all solutions. Some investigations cost more than others and sometimes it isn't clear immediately how extensive an investigation needs to be. The owners of the company I work for don't want me to work for free, and if I made a habit of it by allowing clients to take advantage of me, I would be unemployed. If I was half-assed, clients would complain about the bills and start disputes. They can start disputes even when I've provided everything they need or want. I've never been perfect and never claimed I was.

I just reacted to your little story, and it's not my problem that you left out the details that might explain your position more thoroughly. I think there are always 2 sides to a dispute and not every dispute is resolved in favor of the injured or righteous party. If you are in the right, then there is no need to be defensive.
 
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