The rudder and cables have all been installed and adjusted which was another tough job to do. Working under the cockpit sole with no room to move was something I really don’t want to do again. I still have to install an autopilot rudder angle indicator in the same area so I’ll be there again.

     Tomorrow is launch day and I really should be burnishing this bottom much more than I have but I have no energy left so its going in the way it is. I think I can be a little more fussy with the quality of the bottom next year. This project has taken so much time and money that all I want to do now is go sailing. The keel is on and more solid than it ever has been. I am confident that we have done all we possibly could do to make this boat right. New keel bolts, West System Epoxy glasswork, new backing plates for the bilge and 5 coats of interprotect 2000. This entire job cost approximately 15K. Although the boatyard told me that I would pay no penalty for their mistake I feel that I did pay extra because of the goop pad operation failure. There also were other charges that I feel were inappropriate. Boatyards have the ability to set the rates and hand you the bill there really isn’t to much that you can do about it.  3500$ of the bill was for new bolts to be installed in the keel I felt that was a very reasonable price. I probably spent 400-500$ on paint, epoxy, stainless steel plate as well as other supplies. The boat yard charged me almost 1k to load the keel on a truck and unload it when it was returned with the new keel bolts in it. This left 11k worth of yard work consisting of removing the keel and putting it on ( 2 times! ) grinding, along with significant glasswork, all time and materials at 77.00 per hour. The total labor was 112 hours x 77 = 8624.00 labor.

Parts charges were aprox 1100.00.  There were also many charges for moving things around. Whenever a forklift was needed I had to pay rent for it at 250$ per hour (min. 1 hr charge). Whenever the travel lift was used rent had to be paid and because the work was done in the winter they had to move the boat in and out of the shed several times and I was of course charged for every move. If I had to do this job again I would choose another yard to do the work for I think I was overcharged several times. In the final analysis there was nothing that I could do about it and they knew that and used it to their advantage. I would never do business with NEB New England Boatworks again as I was not satisfied with their performance or their billing practices.

   I had to pay to have the boat taken out of the water in August and the plan was to have the job done in a few months after which we would re-launch and I would sail home that fall. When the job became more complicated we had no choice but to store the boat at NEB for the winter. I was charged the winter storage rate which included a haul, storage and a launch. I had already paid for a haul out and asked for credit for that haul out. I was told no I would have to pay the full rate which meant I had paid for the same haul out TWO times. “Yard policy sorry!!

   After the keel was attached and the glasswork was done I checked the torque and it was nowhere near spec. I retorqued the bolts and told the yard that I would set the torque which I did re checking it several times over the next few weeks until I was satisfied that this part of the job was done correctly. When I received the final bill I was charged for the keel bolt torque, which I had done.

   When the mast was put on the boat I was told that a new windex had been installed because “it needed to be done”.  I was charged much more than it would have cost me to just buy one and put it on. I did not ask for nor did I want one but at this point I was just tired of arguing and wanted only to get out before being charged anything else. I asked that the boat be launched the next day. I asked only that they wait for me, as I would arrive by 9:00 am.  When I arrived at the yard at 9:00 the boat had been launched and I was told the stuffing box was leaking so they had to tighten it to stem the leak. I was charged 100$. These are just a few of the incidents that I was subjected to there were many many more,  to numerous to document.

   I would caution others about using New England Boatworks for service. I feel that they are untrustworthy.  I am however convinced that the boat has been fully repaired and in spite of the frustrations and delays it is now happily swinging on my mooring and extremely seaworthy. I am sitting at my desk extremely broke!!  : >) The following pictures were taken the day before launching May 2, 2010.