Irwin 52 in Philippines

[Yurlungur]

New to the community, a quick hello to all cruisers. My wife and I have purchased an Irwin 52 Cutter Rigged ketch. She is currently in Puerto Galera. I fly there tomorrow to lay eyes on her for the first time. Yes crazy but I have leapt into this sight unseen after lengthy back and forth Via email and phone the price is so low its worth taking the risk. My last Vessel was a 1988 Beneteau and I had most of the work done in the USA. Left a pretty sizeable chunk of savings chewed up in labour costs alone, that was before redoing the electrics. My Question is in relation to having works done in PI, can anyone share their experiences with interior refit/s. We're hoping to leave the boat in the Philippines for a year or so getting as much done there before doing some cruising. We are in no hurry and as I have already learnt I have changed my expectations on a strict timeline to complete works. I welcome any feedback and or suggestions as I have not had any experience in the Philippines. Many Thanks in Advance.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Yurlungur.
Congratulations, on your new (2U) boat.

[daletournier]

Puerto Galera has a good yacht club, with some really decent people. They will be able to direct you in regards to all services. Im assuming you'll probably have to take the boat to Subic for a majority of the work, Subic isn't far away.

Many get work done down at Port Carmen, but it's further away.

There's a couple of members here that live in the PI and know it well, they'll most likely offer more specific advice.

[grahamb]

spent some time in Oceanview Marina...….Samal Island........Mindanao......the yard was run by a European …….using local tradesmen and services......and who had his own yacht there......quite a few overseas yachts......and unfortunately this marina was attacked by rebels......and several people kidnapped and beheaded...…..a few years ago......but maybe ok now......builds yachts too...…..out of the main typhoon areas of the northern Phillipines…..jet connections to Manila....and to?...…..believe its quite important to have on site European supervision...….labour was very cheap indeed......but took longer to complete a job...….so don't expect big savings......Cebu is also worthy of consideration.....

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Yurlungur

My Question is in relation to having works done in PI, can anyone share their experiences with interior refit/s. We're hoping to leave the boat in the Philippines for a year or so getting as much done there before doing some cruising. We are in no hurry and as I have already learnt I have changed my expectations on a strict timeline to complete works. I welcome any feedback and or suggestions as I have not had any experience in the Philippines. Many Thanks in Advance.[emoji2]

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Welcome to CF and to your new adventure.

I lived in Puerto Galera and kept my 65' boat there for 7 years before moving to Subic to do a refit.
PG is impossible to do any serious work there, No skills, no tools, no water or power on the moorings.

Unfortunately, Subic is not much better, if you were hoping to find a reliable local contractor that can follow your instructions unsupervised.

Hardware stores generally carry the cheapest Chinese knockoffs for local consumption and the one chandler who does supply marine parts adds a very large markup, because there is no competition.

One HAULOUT facility that is a mud bath during the rainy season

There are a couple of expats who do small boat refits, but they face all the same challenges of parts and unskilled labor.

As they do not have much work to justify building their own infrastructure.....you will find no savings there or assurance of quality without massive delays and rework.

I love the Philippines and it is my home, so i managed and physicalyl worked with the guys on my boat daily. Labor rates are very cheap, but you get what you pay for and even less, if you are not prepared to show them exactly what you want with all the components and tools already there.

If you are not committed to staying in the Philippines My advice would be to use the boat as is for a while ....then take her to the Phuket area, where many small yards and workers are there with supporting infrastructure.

In hindsight, wish that was what I had done.

[Bill O]

Congratulations on your new purchase. A bit off the your question in this thread, but if you want to know as much as possible about Irwin yachts and their build, you need to contact Gene Gammon.

For example, the best way to check the chain plates is by taking xrays of the plates since they were built in/fiber glassed in. If you need to replace the chain plates, do external.

Anyway, the guy was a wealth of knowledge about Irwins.


Bill O.