Salt Creek Marina Boatyard-St pete FL

[geoleo]

Have my boat in there for a bottom job. They moved the stand pads -then just painted these areas without sanding I'm sure they are not planning a second coat there. Then yesterday moved a powerboat next to my boat and sandblasted the running gear in a wind which left my boaty all covered with a blue (from their bottom paint)gritty dust. When I say covered I mean topsides and entire decks and cabins. This is second time the dusting happened- they are rather unconscious. They think sandblasting without any barrier containment is great sport. How can I politely handle this and still be effective- I'm not a good dibblematt.

[mocha]

sorry this had turned out to be a disaster for you!

Have you spoken to the yard manager about your disappointment, and issues with his work??? his workers, his responsibilities!

I believe this is a DIY Yard, and the workers on the Power Boat may not in fact work FOR the yard, but the overall responsibility will fall in the Yard Manager's lap.

Have you paid your entire bill yet for the bottom job? If you only gave him a deposit, and the balance due on completion, I would certainly hold back any additional payment, until you are 100% satisfied,

If complete bottom sanding was specified on your Work Order, than I would demand that service be 100% of the bottom surface, and re-do where the stand pads were placed.

I would certainly be in the face of the manager (respectfully as possible) and VOICE your concerns!

Cheers,
MOCHA

[danielamartindm]

Before I do business with a company here in the states, I generally Google their name + complaints, and I also check the Better Business Bureau to see if they are members and have complaints against them. At this point, all you can do is politely make your displeasure known to the yard manager and ask that he address your concerns. What happens from then on will depend upon his desire for good customer service and the referrals that it generates. The way they did your bottom work is disgraceful. Good luck.

[rognvald]

Geo,
It doesn't sound like I'll be bringing my boat to that yard. Sorry for your problem, however, the State Of Florida and the EPA have strict environmental restrictions when working in a yard involving sanding bottom paint. First, the entire area under the boat should be covered with a non-permeable tarp and secondly, whenever any grinding is involved, the workers are supposed to tent the area with tarps to avoid sanding dust in the air and around other boats. And, they should be using a sander with a vacuum adapter. We kept our boat in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and at Bahia Beach in Ruskin over a ten year period. We never had any problem with sanding dust or overspray and everything was always tarped. Perhaps you should have a talk with the marina manager and ask who is going to pay for the cleanup of your boat and why these environmental requirements were ignored. Perhaps he'll get the message and you get some results. Hope this helps. Good luck and safe sailing.

[TCL]

I had my boat at Salt Creek for a bottom job, replacement of two thru-hulls, and a forward-scan transducer fairing in March-April 2017. The work on my boat turned out fine, and I thought the folks there were professional and responsive. They sanded the areas where the stand pads were. It's not a DIY boat yard; my understanding is that the workers are employed by the yard, except for one of the mechanics, who is an independent contractor.

More importantly with respect to your question, I would just politely raise your concerns or problems with Tom, the owner. He's not always there, so you may have to talk to Anna, the office manager, but she'll let you know when Tom is available. Based on my experience, I don't think you'll have a problem talking with them.

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by TCL

I had my boat at Salt Creek for a bottom job, replacement of two thru-hulls, and a forward-scan transducer fairing in March-April 2017.

clip...

I would just politely raise your concerns or problems with Tom, the owner. He's not always there, so you may have to talk to Anna, the office manager, but she'll let you know when Tom is available. Based on my experience, I don't think you'll have a problem talking with them.

So, Joe Silverman finally got it sold, apparently?

[wunderluster]

I done a lot of business with Salt Creek Marina as have many of my fellow boaters. I've never known anyone with a serious problem or complaint.

Anna and Tom have been great to work with. Let one of them know of your complaints.

David

[19thol]

I haven't personally used them, but they have come highly recommended by serveral local sailors.

[geoleo]

I feel like a old fool (which I am) . They just were not finished and I posted this stupid thing! I jumped to conclusions-- they actually did a superb job under trying conditions. Even did not charge me while I and friends worked on boat for many days. It was high winds-on and off rain and tropical storm EMILY that blew the dust everywhere not the yard sandblasting--and the other stuff was me thinking the worst when they were not finished- I'm going to have to apologize to them. Salt Creek remains one of the very few boatyards where you can get great work done reasonably......and do it yourself stuff.

[danielamartindm]

Originally Posted by geoleo

I feel like a old fool (which I am) . They just were not finished and I posted this stupid thing! I jumped to conclusions-- they actually did a superb job under trying conditions. Even did not charge me while I and friends worked on boat for many days. It was high winds-on and off rain and tropical storm EMILY that blew the dust everywhere not the yard sandblasting--and the other stuff was me thinking the worst when they were not finished- I'm going to have to apologize to them. Salt Creek remains one of the very few boatyards where you can get great work done reasonably......and do it yourself stuff.

Glad to hear it, and that everything turned out well.

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by geoleo

I feel like a old fool (which I am) . They just were not finished and I posted this stupid thing! I jumped to conclusions-- they actually did a superb job under trying conditions. Even did not charge me while I and friends worked on boat for many days. It was high winds-on and off rain and tropical storm EMILY that blew the dust everywhere not the yard sandblasting--and the other stuff was me thinking the worst when they were not finished- I'm going to have to apologize to them. Salt Creek remains one of the very few boatyards where you can get great work done reasonably......and do it yourself stuff.

So, Geo,
Why did they not tarp the area where they were doing the sanding to prevent other boats from being affected? The wind seems irrelevant since they continued to work without a cover. Whenever I sand my bottom/outdrive in a yard, I run a tarp from my toerail to attachment points on the ground. I have never trashed another person's boat in over 40 years of boat ownership. This is certainly a confusing message since I am considering this yard as a possibility this Winter. Best, Rognvald

[CruiseEasy]

Sounds like they may need to change the name from Salt Creek to Copper Creek....just sayin'

[rhubstuff]

My favorite boatyard (Whitehall Marine, in Michigan) specified in their contract that if your sanding dust ended up on someone else's boat(s), they would clean all affected boats and send you the yard bill.