southern boating

Most people agree that an annual checkup with their

primary care physician—making sure their body is operating

as it should—is an essential part of their healthcare. Likewise,

boat owners know that their boat’s annual haul out helps

to ensure its systems run at their full potential. But does

the boatyard that’s doing the work make that much of a

difference? If so, how does one choose the yard that will

provide the most accurate “diagnosis” and best end result?

Cost estimate

According to Issy Perera, president of Miami, Florida-

based Apex Marine Services, there are several key factors

in choosing a yard for your annual haul out. “[It’s important

to] have a clear understanding of what work will cost. Some

yards will quote fi xed price items and others strictly hourly

rates,” Issy explains.

But even though cost is what the majority of boat owners

are most concerned with, in order to get a true cost

estimate, according to Mike Ennis, service manager for Cable

Marine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, it’s essential to compare

apples to apples. An annual haul-out typically includes a

bottom job—pressure washing the bottom and paint—plus

a mechanical inspection of running gear, seals, trim tabs,

cutlass bearings, etc. “When you’re comparing prices, make

sure to compare a full-service yard versus a self-service yard,

which adds multiple extra fees such as garbage removal,

daily dock price, extra [charge] for the actual haul-out, daily

fees, electricity, rental of scaffolding and ladders, etc.,” Ennis

advises. “A full-service yard includes all that. Make sure to

include all the yard fees when comparing prices between

yards. There are a lot of people that don’t take that into

account.”

When you compare prices for just the bottom paint job,

even with the same exact paint, the price can differ from

yard to yard. Ennis says Cable Marine offers special pricing

for bottom paint, which brings them a lot of work, but they

give an exact price for just the actual painting. “[The pricing]

doesn’t include the prep work due to the range of issues

that could be present. Some boats take days, and some

boats take minutes. So we don’t include that in our set price

to paint the bottom,” says Ennis and adds that the bottom

prep for a 50-foot boat could take 10 or 40 hours to sand.

“Without being able to see the condition of the boat, we

can’t really nail that down.”

BOATYARD OPTIONS

2016 ANNUAL HAUL OUT GUIDE 56 • SOUTHERNBOATING.COM • MARCH 2016

Choose Wisely

Select the right boatyard for your annual haul-out.

JLAMBERT YACHT PHOTOGRAPHYJLAMBERT YACHT PHOTOGRAPHY