Riverside Marina Fort Pierce Fliorida Fraud

[richardhc]

Originally Posted by roland stockham

Best practice when commissioning work is to give a written estimate with a caviat that is additions are discover when work starts that will cost more than 10% over the estimate then the yard will contact the owner before going ahead. I wold be dubious about letting anyone start work without this sort of quote in place. 3 or more times over quoted estimate is unacceptable and may be grounds for challenging the bill in court.

100% correct! New Zealand shipyards are famous for these kinds of scams. Quote cheap with nothing written down, then hammer the yachtie with impossible bills - pay or lose your yacht. Yes, the cost of repairs for something like an engine overhaul is difficult to estimate before actually doing it, and any kind of shipyard work might uncover other things that need done and will add to the cost. But the confidence game the yard plays is, "Sure, no problem, we can fix it right up. It will cost about $2500." And the boat owner feels relieved; it's expensive but doable. The yard's "policy" is - never give any estimate in writing. And if the owner asks for a written estimate the manager of the yard is an accomplished professional and almost always gets the job without a written quote. The $2500 estimate becomes $8,000 when the owner fronts up to get his yacht back. Pay up or the yard becomes the new owner of the yacht.

Fortunately I had heard about this game and when I needed to have our mast repainted I asked the painter what the hourly rate was and how long he thought it would take to spray the mast (it was already prepped). I got the painter to scrawl a note on a piece of paper with the cost of repainting. When I went to pay the manager handed me a bill that was 5 times what the painter quoted. I showed him the written estimate with the painter's signature and he said the painter had problems and it took him longer than expected. I said, "I was there. I watched him paint it and know exactly how long it took." He stormed off and I paid the secretary the quoted price. A short time later I overheard the manager screaming at the painter, "I told you. Never give a written estimate. Do it again and you're out!"

Shipyard scams are as old as shipyards. A written quote with notifications before exceeding the quoted price is good protection, but not 100% con-fidence proof. The original quote might be a fairy-tale to sucker you in. If it is a lot less than you expected, beware. When your yacht or engine is in pieces the notifications might start rolling in and you're in big trouble. Always best to get estimates from two different sources, if possible.

The very best way to avoid these issues is to do the work yourself or at least have someone on hand to oversee the actual work to be sure how long the workers are on YOUR job and to keep track of materials that are actually put into your work.

We normally do our own antifouling but were in Sydney where it was impossible to do the work yourself. We got a quote from a slipway including the cost of 20 liters of bottom paint. They did the job but didn't realize my wife's cousin was hanging around watching (we had to go elsewhere). When we got back the boat was painted and looked good. There were 5 empty 4 liter cans of bottom paint stacked next to the paint shed. But Freddy's cousin said he saw them actually paint on just over two cans and they emptied the last of one can - and the other 2 cans - into a 20 liter container inside the shop. At about $350 a 4 liter can that was a rip-off of nearly $1000 not to mention the time they didn't spend painting on the rest of it. So we wound up with only one coat of bottom paint. I managed to get back in the water with a deduction of $500 from the estimate but it was a close call and a lesson learned. DIY or keep a close eye on the work.

[Mickeyrouse]

Us sailing dudes don’t know much about power boats. Most blow boats need only one engine. I got quoted $29K for a re-power with a 44 hp engine- 19 years ago- admittedly, it was a high-profile yard. But the engine was quoted by a national re-seller at $6,900, so labor, engineering, incidental parts and supplies were 75%of the total quote. So 2 engines installed is less than the base cost of one ? Sounds like there was poor communication for sure, and someone just heard part of what was being offered. Like the old saw, if something sounds too good to be true......

[fireant]

No idea about boat repair laws .
I used to own an auto shop for 22 years. Sold about 11 years ago.
Every job must have an estimate signed by the client. Anything over 10% of estimate we had to call the client write down the time the phone # we called and the additional estimate cost. With emails it got very easy you print it out and add it to the file.
If everything was done perfect stayed within the estimate cost. But we didn't notice that the client didn't sign ( he knew what he was doing) we had to give the car back at no cost and full loss. If it same with boatyards get the, Bureau of consumer affairs involved.

[Juggerknot]

That place is a sh#tshow and always has been. With all the marinas in the area you picked the bottom of the barrel and got the expected results. btw, it is not terribly difficult to proceed pro se and initiate an action against the owners if you think you have proof, I'd liability proof myself first however as Ft. Pierce is a good ole boys town and everyone knows each other. Suerte

[Kaimana]

A free boat is only free on the day you get it.

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by contrail

My previous boat had that engine from 1980. "Repowering" with a very old, if still serviceable, engine will drive the price down by thousands and thousands!

Not in my case. Got the boat for $1,500 with as it turned out shod Universal 5411. Repowered with an old but good working Yanmar 2QM15. Added bimini top (brand new on c-list for $200), new prop (like new condition, 3 blade from a boat junk yard for under $150), etc. Re-did the mounts by myself in a day or two. Few years later the boat sold for $4K. Would have sold for more if I had a backyard to keep her over the winter (its realistic value was between $5K and $8K at the time). As it was, with a firesale price, I didn't make any money on it of course but did not lose a shirt either.

IMO the boat owners are their own worst enemies making excuses for paying exorbitant prices for parts and service, not to mention the boats themselves. To me it smacks of self-explaining one's membership in a cult. I understand why marine pros do that on forums like this one but why the regular boat owners follow along? I don't get that part.

[mvweebles]

Personally, as a guy who has been mostly DIY over the years and have been aboard 100s of boats as a full time delivery skipper, it's my opinion that DIY people are often their own worst enemy, often butchering boats with awkward and I'll conceived installations and modifications. There are those who are meticulous and extremely knowledgeable but they are a small minority. Unfortunately, vast majority of the DIYers do not know the difference - they simply do not know what good looks like.

I speak as a guy who is now paying professionals to redo the myriad of my work on my boat that I've owned for 20+ years. And I'm an above average mechanic

Peter

[apirate]

This yard is known for major issues. It’s been split into two separate businesses as the father gave it to his daughters, who absolutely hate each other. The sisters are constantly fighting and at times one sister will park her lift in front of the well so all haul/lift gets halted for the other side. It often stalls for weeks at a time.

While I’m told Sally represents the good side, she also is known for extreme billing discrepancies including charging for time on the hard which only happens because of her sisters blocking of the well.

We were planned to go in there this week until we learned of this from several locals. All unrelated to each other. Instead we are hauling out at Crackerboy Ft Pierce which we’re finding to be a very professional place.