Marine Repair - Costs by Country

[Bluefielder]

Hello,
-Longtime reader. First time poster-

I have just bought a Jeanneau SunKiss 45 that is in Amsterdam.
I will be traveling to the Netherlands in 2 weeks to begin upgrades and some repairs. (The boat was well maintained by friends who lived aboard.)

I am contemplating having the hull and deck repainted in Amsterdam.
But ... I am wondering if I should hold off and have work done elsewhere.
My plan is to sail South -- The Med/ Adriatic. I am in no hurry and was wondering if there are more cost and practical efficient countries, along my way, that would be a better choice. Haul out, painting, hardware refitting, new sails ... (I'll probably order the sails now and have them ready in time to set sail South).

I am taking 2+ years off to sail ... where ever the wind and my curiosity take me. I might head to Madagascar or do the transatlantic (ARC) in the Fall and then the Pacific. So, I will be stopping off in many countries. I could even hold off much of the work until I reach the Caribbean .... but I am keen to get the boat in top shape. (I can be persuaded to hold-off)

So my question is this: Where would you have work done on your boat? What country or region? .... I would guess, that time of year matters also.

Thank you.

Cameron

[Bluefielder]

A few people at my local yacht club have suggest to look into having hull and rigging work done in Portugal , Morocco or Algiers They commented that having work done in Northern Europe is almost twice as expensive .... but they qualified their remarks with : "From what we heard from friends..."

Would be much appreciated to hear from anyone here with any knowledge other than 'hearsay'.

~Cameron

[Teknishn]

Can't really help you on where to go, but I can tell you one place not to even consider if you're in the Med.....Egypt. Just forget it. Doesn't matter whether you are in the Med or the Red Sea.

I'll justify that by saying that I've lived and worked in the boat and yacht repair industry here for most of the past 20 years (only 19 DTG before departing this sandbox for good!). Why I've stayed here so long is worthy of a short novel in and of itself, but that's for another time.

Boat repairs by Egyptians is suspect as best. Repair parts used here are either made in China of which the quality is not good enough to be sold in Europe or the U.S., predominantly electrical components. Mechanical repair parts are usually recycled from various places and are of unknown condition. While one can get quality parts and equipment, they will most likely have to be imported and taxed to death as very few suppliers keep the "good stuff" in stock (example: Gel and AGM batteries...3-month lead time, 2-3 weeks in customs, taxed at 115% of value).

I earn my living here by only working on foreign flagged boats with non-Egyptian owners. Egyptian owners don't want to spend money on their boats to maintain them or pay for quality services. I always provide a guarantee on my work, which is another thing you won't find here in the marine repair industry ("Look Mister, it's working! Pay me now!" Customer: "But for how long?" Response: "Insha-Allah, God willing, forever! Pay me now!").

Additionally, qualified technicians are a rare, almost unknown breed here. There are exceptions, but most boat electricians are nothing more than slightly over-qualified housing electricians, a "Boat Engineer" is nothing more than a diesel mechanic that has a State-issued license which does not cover anything electrical (battery issue? Not my job, call an electrician....). Standing rigging issues...only 3 companies that I am aware stock rigging supplies and have the equipment to conduct repairs. Cost is approximately 3 times what it would cost in Turkey or Greece due to Customs fees on their imported stock.

Many have heard the stories of corruption while transiting the Suez Canal (Fatty Goodlander has some good stories on this). While I have not personally experienced this as I have only ever transited the Suez on U.S. Naval vessels, I can believe the stories as it occurs nearly anywhere in this country where a government body is involved (example: had to make a 10K Egyptian Pound "donation", about $800 at the time, to have my marriage certificate to an Egyptian issued in Arabic and then another "donation" for the certificate to be issued in English for the US Embassy....2-months after the wedding!)

So no, not Egypt. Great country to visit, lots to see and do, people are generally open and friendly. But just don't have boat repairs done here, just don't....

[Bluefielder]

Thank you Teknishn for responding. Yes .... I too have had experience with Egypt . (eGypped). Certainly an entertaining travelog .... but , I agree. Not a place to do business.

Yes ... Someday ... you should pen the story of why you stayed in that 'sandbox' for so long. I can tell you stories of my 2 short visits that would make you spit the sand out your nose. ... or maybe not.

[Paul L]

Just a thought, getting the boat in top sailing shape before you leave is a good thing. Once you are full time cruising the boat becomes a work boat, with lots of daily wear and abuse. Which will quickly take its toll on any new paint. Why not hold off on the painting till you plan on returning and keeping her in a marina or selling.

[Teknishn]

Originally Posted by Bluefielder

Yes ... Someday ... you should pen the story of why you stayed in that 'sandbox' for so long. I can tell you stories of my 2 short visits that would make you spit the sand out your nose. ... or maybe not.

Cameron, my story has already been penned (Now just have to pare down 20-years of daily and weekly diary entries!) Oh the days of working on the US AID project teaching and training the Egyptian Navy on former US Navy warships. And the diving...oh the diving, and opening the first PADI certified dive center on the North Coast. Being unemployed for a couple of years, building a couple of yachts, living in the desert for nearly a year, living with bedouins, working with archaeologists for a few years in the Eastern Desert on Roman remains, crossing the Great Sand Sea (the eastern Sahara) alone into Libya and back a couple of times, restoring a historic yacht previously owned by Hermann Goering. Oh...the stories I can tell about life in Egypt.

All well and good, it's been fun. Just skip Egypt as a boat repair destination (Row if you have too!)

[barnakiel]

In the Canary Islands:

A day on dry starts from about EUR20 upwards plus lift-out and -down (about EUR10 per meter of LOA), hp water (about EUR/hour) and the moves (about EUR100 a move). Hourly is EUR25 from good for nothings and upwards from people who can. EUR50 per hour is about the upper limit a pro can charge.

A 45' two weeks in boatyard and the basic haulout (antifoul, etc) is normally 5 to 10k, depending on how much you do vs. how much the boatyard does. Many boatyards do NOT let you employ strangers and many limit what the owner can do as well.

Anything basic can be done here but one should avoid any jobs where parts have to be sourced ordered and imported - the islands are not part of EU customs common zone and so all imports take extra long and go thru all the customs checks / fees and whatever. AVOID.

Cheers,
b.

[Bluefielder]

Teknishn ... you sound like someone I would enjoy swapping tales with .... and/or have along to help navigate through a bar fight.
Thank you for your replies and a glimpse into 'your world'.

[Bluefielder]

B, Thank you very much for your information. I would have assumed that would be true.
I had friends traveling through the Azores who would put off any work on their boat until they were on continental shores. They also commented on the costs in the Canary Islands : High

[Bluefielder]

Originally Posted by Teknishn

...restoring a historic yacht previously owned by Hermann Goering.

Hermann was a sailor? I would not have guessed. Seemed to be more of a 'trains and trucks' guy.

[belizesailor]

You might consider getting the important stuff (rigging, sails, motor, electrical...) done, in preparatiin for crossing the pond, in European countries. Then crossing the pond and getting cosmetic work done somewhere far more cost effective.

[Teknishn]

Originally Posted by Bluefielder

Herman was a sailor? I would not have guessed. Seemed to be more of a 'trains and trucks' guy.

We're heading a bit off-topic here on your original post, but I will tell you that, No, Hermann was not a sailor....but he was given a yacht as a gift. Google "Carin II". This is where I currently work as an electrician, mechanic, pipefitter, welder, hydraulic's guy, sometime carpenter. One thing that I will say in a positive light concerning boat construction/repair is that there are some really talented carpenters here in Egypt.

Please be aware that most of the information that you will find on the Google search is only about 60-70% accurate (I've read most of the available boat logs which have been translated so far).

A link to get you started: Hitler's Diary & Hermann Goering'sÂ*Yacht - FRONT PAGE - flotsam & jetsam from the wordwide web

[Karafox8]

You have Poland and Latvia near. Why not to try there?