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fstbttms · 30-04-2013, 17:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssanzone

i am sure most local's know that nelson's marine is closing may 1st.

there are a bunch of us with months left on our projects who are looking for new dry dock options.

Just heard that the Feds came and seized Nelson's travelift this afternoon. So if you aren't in the water already, good luck getting there.

CPseudonym · 30-04-2013, 18:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Just heard that the Feds came and seized Nelson's travelift this afternoon. So if you aren't in the water already, good luck getting there.

Local crane service will make some cash. Stinks for those still on the hard.

Ladd's in Stockton allows DIY with a couple minor restrictions, but that's a long tow. Worth a call if not picky about the drive.

Bash · 30-04-2013, 20:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Just heard that the Feds came and seized Nelson's travelift this afternoon. So if you aren't in the water already, good luck getting there.

Nelsons! Good riddance. When the City of Alameda forecloses on you, you know you're in trouble.

What a shame. Fifteen years ago Nelsons was a fine yard. Then, all of the sudden, the seemed bent on driving customers away.

ssanzone · 10-05-2013, 12:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by sww914

Dude! Your boat was supposed to be finished by now! Sorry to hear that Nelson's is closing, where's Stu going to live?

i switched boats mid project because the 1st one was just not the right blue water boat to get me home (boston) from san fran.

dear ole stu (the most cheerful positive guy around) is frantically working to get launched b4 the city locks the gate for good.

sww914 · 10-05-2013, 19:26

Tamiko says that you're one of the rare people smart enough to figure that out in time!
Give Stu hugs from all 3 of us!

ssanzone · 10-05-2013, 21:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Just heard that the Feds came and seized Nelson's travelift this afternoon. So if you aren't in the water already, good luck getting there.

yeah and ATF came a swept the parking lot while the Pope showed up to bless the padlock...

it would be helpful if people were not providing information that is not at all true.

the gate is locked until monday while the attorney and city manager determine what the insurance requirements are for individuals.

the expectation is that monday the requirements will be defined and people meeting those standards will, after agreeing to not sue the city, be able to continue working for 15 days.

the travel lift and crane and forklift are still on the property and are available for use.

-steve

**roverhi** · 10-05-2013, 21:45

Unfortunately, fstbttms is correct for most of the yards on the Bay. Svensons recently quit allowing you to sand your bottom in their yard. Don't know if they'll let you do your own bottom paint.

jeremiason · 11-05-2013, 05:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by roverhi

Unfortunately, fstbttms is correct for most of the yards on the Bay. Svensons recently quit allowing you to sand your bottom in their yard. Don't know if they'll let you do your own bottom paint.

This is because of the various California government agencies cracking down over the last 5-10 years.

It is going to get harder and harder to do your own bottom in the Bay Area. Boatyards are being threatened with huge fines and even criminal prosecution over contaminates going into the Bay. Many of them have had to spend big dollars to upgrade their yards to comply.

Also liability insurance is going sky high, especially on yards that allow DIY work.

It is a wonder that they remain in business at all...

fstbttms · 11-05-2013, 09:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssanzone

it would be helpful if people were not providing information that is not at all true.

Hey, just repeating what a respected Alameda harbormaster told me as he was in the middle of towing one of the refugees from Nelson's to the Park Street Marina.

fstbttms · 11-05-2013, 10:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeremiason

It is going to get harder and harder to do your own bottom in the Bay Area. Boatyards are being threatened with huge fines and even criminal prosecution over contaminates going into the Bay. Many of them have had to spend big dollars to upgrade their yards to comply.

Yes, but they are not being threatened by the government. They are being threatened (successfully) by environmental watchdog groups, some legitimate, some just fronts for lawyers seeing an opportunity to make some easy money.

jeremiason · 11-05-2013, 10:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by fstbttms

Yes, but they are not being threatened by the government. They are being threatened (successfully) by environmental watchdog groups, some legitimate, some just fronts for lawyers seeing an opportunity to make some easy money.

Wrong at one point the City of Berkeley had attempted to file criminal environmental charges against Berkeley Marine Center through the Alameda County DA . This was after the City accused BMC of polluting the ground under the Boatyard...

A historical note is the City of Berkeley had a garbage dump there for over 50 years and the pollution stems from it. This includes heavy metals and just about anything you can think off that would have been deposited in a dump without environmental controls. The dump was never properly capped and still leaches contaminants.

Berkeley Marine complied with everything the City had demanded, which included a new $150k water catchment device, but the City Inspector decided that wasn't enough and went to the District Attorney of Alameda County.

Of course calmer heads prevailed once the DA Office got it and dropped the case.

This is the kind of silliness that occurs and what is putting boatyards out of business in California.

fstbttms · 11-05-2013, 10:52

Not wrong. Who do you think forced Svendsen's and The Boatyard at Grand Marina to settle for hundreds of thousands and revamp their drainage and filtration systems? Who do you think threatened British Marine with a lawsuit and now they are no longer doing bottom jobs. Who do you think is after both KKMI yards right now? It ain't the government.

sww914 · 19-05-2013, 10:37

There's some Bay Area environmental group that successfully sued Nelson's years ago and that loss was the beginning of the end for Nelson's. He had saved up about $100,000.00 for property improvements and lost almost all of it in the settlement and then still had to spend more to assure that no water that hit the ground at the yard (even rain water) ever ended up in the bay. He kind of gave up after that.
That group does one thing. They sue small business owners.

fstbttms · 19-05-2013, 11:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by sww914

...and then still had to spend more to assure that no water that hit the ground at the yard (even rain water) ever ended up in the bay.

Not quite true. Federal law requires that runoff from boatyard operations go through a certain amount of filtration and settling before it can be released into the waterways. This includes the first inch of water from a rain event. But stating that no water from the boatyard can go into the Bay is simply erroneous.

Maybe if Nelson's had spent the money to upgrade their systems and come into compliance with the law before they were sued over it, they'd still be in business.