Well said Rich..
I like to see folks be able to afford to do something they love such as sailing. This is my only reason for sharing my earned and learned knowledge. I get no "personal benefit" from sharing my knowledge or experiences other than helping to keep the sport of sailing hopefully more affordable for others as I believe anyone with the smarts to own a boat, also has the smarts and capability to fix their boat, and save money in doing so. Some here have pointed out that I don't even use my "real" name. I can assure you it's not an ego thing as some others here seem to confuse it with and if I wanted a big ego I'd use my real name!The quote bellow is one of the reasons I try so hard to help others out, for free! With perhaps 80% or more of the boat yards out there you do NOT get what you pay for and 8 times out of 10 can do the job better, use higher quality parts, and save a ton of money for BEER!!Quote from a poster on Sailnet:"One of my gate valve thru-hulls was replaced Friday in Rock Hall, MD. I spoke with the maintenence supervisor who said they billed for four hours of labor ($ 75.00 and hour), the parts were about $ 125.00.After reading all the information on this HAD I DONE IT MYSELF I would have made fiberglass backing plates (they used raw plywood). I would have glassed in the plates and used the fitting with the screw holes and put the three bolts thru the hull, glassed them in and painted over them. I would have followed the best ideas at several sites that had the greatest agreement amoung the posters.I continue to learn that the experience of the sailing community (those who have done work themselves) can provide in-depth "how-to knowledge" and the ability to determine what your own standards are.My work was paid for by the PO as a condition of sale ($ 475.00). If I did it myself I would have taken longer...done it better...the money saved would have been a bonus. That raw plywood will always bother me."That quote is why I continue to offer my insight here free of charge! Take or leave it but do keep in mind that it's free!!! Our Sailing Web Site: http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising