how to approach a bad thru-hull job by boat yard

[cdarwincole]

I bought a 1987 boat last year and for the winter brought it to a yard I had not used before but about which my friends spoke highly. I wanted to upgrade the electronics, which meant a larger thru-hull for the new transducer. I've installed thru-hull fittings before, and I had ideas about how to enlarge the existing hole without a guide bit for the hole saw. But it is a special boat, and I did not want to chance causing damage, so decided it would be better left to a pro.

I asked the yard if they had a good fiberglass guy whom I could trust to do the job and they said they did.

Last week I saw the installation for the first time. Whoever did it botched it. The flange is recessed into the glass on one side with the gelcoat gone in the crater next to it on that side and the glass fibers exposed. I would have done a better job.

So now what? I asked the yard owner what happened and he acted like it was no big deal. I need to get them to fix this.

 

[Rich Stidger]

Tell them you aren't going to pay their bill until it is reworked to your satisfaction. And specify exactly what you see is wrong with their work.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Hopefully you took pictures and if so can you post them so we can see how bad

 

[dmax]

Amazing when the "professionals" are worse than the DIY'ers. The yard should really glass over the hole and start over. For future reference, I needed to enlarge a through hull opening last year: I drew a circle on the outside of the hull centered over the old hole and used a dremel tool with a cylindrical sanding bit to enlarge the hole to the new size. Took 5 minutes and was super easy to do. Seemed much easier than trying to use a hole saw with a template.

 

[shemandr]

If they don't admit it's sub par you may have to get a surveyor to inspect it and give you a written report. Or maybe your insurance company can find an adjustor to do an inspection. But you'll need some professional to buttress your position.

 

[cdarwincole]

Thank you, Rich, Dave, dmax and shemandr. Yes, I should have done it myself, in retrospect. I'll be at the yard today and take a couple of pictures. Didn't bother before because I expected more of a helpful response from the yard owner and had already lingered too long at the yard... plus it sometimes takes me a while to get my dander up.

 

[Mark Maulden]

You’re at a disadvantage here. No pay - no launch. Then they can start charging laydays while it’s being resolved...

 

[dlochner]

While it is infuriating, getting angry at them won't help. They'll just dig their heels in and since you can't move the boat without them, you are not in a strong negotiating position. Stay calm and work your way up the chain of command. Look for other leverage to convince them to see it your way.

 

[BigEasy]

While it is infuriating, getting angry at them won't help. They'll just dig their heels in and since you can't move the boat without them, you are not in a strong negotiating position. Stay calm and work your way up the chain of command. Look for other leverage to convince them to see it your way.

Dave has a good point; however, keep calm & dig YOUR heels in. You are going to have to convince them that the work is unacceptable as
is and that you expect it to be corrected to your satisfaction. Always hate to go to this extent; however, your ace card ( if they don't make things right) is to tell them that you are going to have to hire a surveyor and attorney (if necessary) to have the job completed satisfactorily.

 

[Justin_NSA]

This also leads to a bad reputation they probably don't want.

 

[rgranger]

I would include the "safety" variable. A botched job is a weak point in the boat.

 

[dlochner]

Once ace you might have up your sleeve is small claims court. In some states, NY is one of them, if you take an LLC to court the LLC must be represented by an attorney. The plaintiff, you, does not need an attorney. You may not get a lot of financial relief for the poor work, but the yard will be paying hundreds of dollars for their attorney.

I sued a contractor in small claims court a few years ago. I won but was not made whole. On the other hand we spent a couple of hours in court and waiting so the contractor was shelling out about $250 an hour for somewhere between 5 and 10 hours of work.

 

[dmax]

Just find the boss man, show him and ask him if that's acceptable quality.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Just find the boss man, show him and ask him if that's acceptable quality.

@cdarwincole

It might be helpful to have a photograph of what constitutes a PROPER job compared to the botched work. Maine Sail has great photos on his website of how proper work should look. Download a few to show the yard boss. Then it becomes less of a "your word - his word" because you have a REPUTABLE REFERENCE SOURCE. Good luck.

 

[NYSail]

The yard may have brought an outside glass guy in and they may not have seen his work. They might be equally as pissed as you are. Communication is important then go from there...... take many pictures inside and out.

good luck!

 

[garymalmgren]

I have to agree with Mark
You’re at a disadvantage here. No pay - no launch. Then they can start charging laydays while it’s being resolved...

The yard WILL WIN financially.
So, get out the grinder and West Systems and fix it yourself.
Get out of there as quickly as you can and let everyone know the name of the yard.

I know this is not what you want to hear, but think about it.
How many people actually come out ahead in this type of situation?

Gary

 

[berner73]

Tough spot and I don't envy you. This is a little like sending your meal back at a restaurant - are you sure you want to eat it when they bring it back? Unless you can secure financial restitution and have the job performed by a different yard/individual (better yet yourself), I don't know that having this yard correct the work is a sound strategy.

 

[cdarwincole]

Thanks to all who replied.

Today I met with the guy who did the work. He explained that the smaller 1 5/8" plastic thru-hull that he removed had been pushed inside the remains of a 2" plastic thru-hull that had been recessed to be flush with the hull. He did not discover this until he bored the new hole and the old plastic flange pushed out: the old sealant had hidden the seam. He insists that he did not cut below the gel coat. The crater was already there. He did the best he could to bring the new bronze thru hull flush and fill and seal around it. I got a good vibe from him and believe he was being honest. Anway, as some of you pointed out, even if I thought he was telling a fiction, it's a pretty good story, and so taking this further would not be worth the time, money, aggravation and friction.

So this one is on me. I will do what I can to finish sealing the area and prevent osmosis. I am pretty sure I can make it work. The installation seem solid enough aside from the exposed layer or two of glass. The hull is quite thick at that spot.

Thanks again to all.

 

[dlochner]

Some gelcoat or barrier coat on the raw edge will probably be sufficient. Although there are probably better ways to deal with the problem.

Last spring I replaced a through hull and damaged the gelcoat and a little glass in the process. To repair it, I ground down a larger area, perhaps one layer of glass deep, laid up 3 layers of glass and epoxy and then faired it into the hull and coated with Interlux 2000. Once everything cured, I took a hole saw and cut a new hole from for the through hull from the inside out, using the the old hole as a guide. I did not fill the original hole, just covered so I would have a guide. This of course took a lot more time and effort which your guy may not have had the ability to do. If the yard was charging a flat rate, they would want the repair done as cheaply and safely as possible, which it appears the yard did. If you were paying by the hour, he should have done a better job.

In the meantime, your boat won't sink and you sail and contemplate your options this summer socially distancing on the water.

 

[cdarwincole]

Thanks, Dave!