Haul out Caribbean

[kateb]

Where are the best haul out facilities for do it yourselfers in N. Carib?

[Cats Eye]

Compass point marina in STT. Nanny Cay in Tortola. Those are just a couple! Both have a nice size yard for you to work in.

[Zanshin]

What sort of a boat (mono or cat) and what weight? I've used Nanny Cay(BVI), Virgin Gorda(BVI) and Jolly Harbour (Antigua) which all can take quite large and heavy boats.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, kateb.

[Zanshin]

I should have added that the BVI is not a great place for doing extensive work as parts can be quite pricey.

There are various boatyards on St. Martin and that would be my top choice if I were to do work on my boat - they allow it, allow liveaboards, and you can dinghy to the big chandleries (Budget Marine, Island Water World) and numerous other specialty companies.

[osirissail]

I would second Zanshin - St Martin/Sint Maarten is the best place for parts and supplies and specialized help.

[sobriyah]

If you want to do all the work yourself without having to pay any yard labour or any yard commissions, the only place I can think of that is left is Tyrrel Bay Haul Out in Carriacou. They have a 30 tonne travel lift, and can handle a 50 foot monohull with ease, provided your draft is no more than 8 feet.

Parts are sent up daily from Budget Marine and Island Waterworld in Grenada, usually without extra charge.

It may be a bit further south than you would like, but everyone there is on a tight budget.

[osirissail]

There are D-I-Y yards all the way from Puerto Rico to Trinidad. However, the costs of hauling and blocking, etc. varies quite a bit. Unrestricted access to local laborers also varies. I use local laborers to do the "muscle" work under my direct supervision and participation. Which is better than my trying to physically do the "hard" stuff myself like sanding or rolling on paint.
- - Travelift sizes also varies considerably. The older yards have "monohull" sized travelifts and cannot handle large catamarans. Also there are very few yards that can haul large ketch sailboats due to having only "short" travelifts.
- - Some great yards only have "cranes" or railway systems to get your boat out of the water. I am not a big fan of lifting a large boat with a crane although many French yards do that.
- - So the search for Caribbean boatyards has a lot to do first with the size/type of your boat along with access to materials and supplies. Location is probably the next major factor as sailing for weeks to get to a more economical yard can quickly zero out any cost savings. Lastly, how and who you want to do the work and how much assistance you want plays a role. Access, quality and reputation of specialized trades is also a factor.
- - So you need to set down all your requirements before you can say that this yard or that yard is good, best, cheapest, etc. If you cannot get what you want done, then that place is a waste of time and money. All boatyards are not created equal as the expression goes. . .