thelog.com Dock Lines With Capt. Nicole


Considering boatyards


Story and photo by Capt. Nicole Sours Larson This year, when the Sunroad Boat


Show sailed into our marina in January and we again needed to vacate our slip, Arv and I opted to tend to pesky maintenance issues requiring a boatyard visit, including an overdue haulout and fresh bottom paint.


This experience dredged up sever- al disconnected observations about the greater environmental sensitivity of west coast boatyards, plus the crit- ical importance of clear communica- tions in dealing with boatyard staff. I’ve always enjoyed spending time in boat- yards, talking to peo- ple, looking at work underway and watch- ing boats moving in and out of the water. In past years we’ve combined an Ensenada mini-vaca- tion with a visit to Baja Naval Boatyard, but this year, because of the unpredictability of El Niño storms and required advance scheduling, we chose to stay local and use a nearby Shelter Island yard. As I’ve explored yards in San


Diego and Ensenada, I’ve chuckled at the contrast in environmental practices with the small, rural boat- yards we used to use on the Chesapeake Bay. At San Diego and Ensenada yards — all impressive in their profession- alism and environmental care — contaminated water is collected via a catchment system, discarded zincs are recycled and boats undergoing painting are carefully screened off. At our Chesapeake Bay boatyard, not so much. There, after the power washing following our haulout, the creek ran indigo from washed-off old bottom paint. Removed zincs were dropped and left to molder in the creek. Unscreened paint spray flew through the air. Although I had glimpses of larger,


well-run boatyards in the mid- Atlantic region, I didn’t fully appreci- ate professionally run boatyards or environmental concerns until mov- ing west. One thing remains common at


boatyards, wherever located: people like to complain.


Fortunately, we’ve had solid, pleasant experiences at every boat- yard we’ve patronized, whether the dinky two-boat capacity yard at our old Maryland marina or the four larger, efficient yards we’ve used in San Diego and Ensenada. We’ve also readily resolved any work-related concerns.


I long ago realized it’s no accident


Burgundyrests in the slings of Shelter Island Boatyard’s 75-ton lift ready to splash for her return to the water.


we’ve had mostly positive boatyard experiences while many others leave unhappy. It’s usually a matter of communi- cation and regular interaction with boatyard personnel — or lack there- of. Now, when I hear boatyard complaints, I ask what instructions the owner gave the yard. Usually I discover the instructions were fairly vague — such as, “fix it!” — mostly ver- bal and rarely written, nor was an estimated cost discussed. Often the owner didn’t really understand what the issue(s) might be and felt ripped off when the yard discovered related or underlying problems necessitat-


ing more work, which, of course, increased the bill. The owner may not be available for consultation when the yard staff needs to discuss extra work, resulting in completion delays or charges for unanticipated but essential work. In contrast, before entering the


yard, Arv, a professional engineer and licensed captain who does most of our maintenance, always discuss- es any work with the yard manager. We deliver the boat to the yard with a written, detailed work list. And — critically — one of us is always avail- able, by phone or in person, to mon- itor progress and discuss any needed additional work the yard may identi- fy. We sense boatyard staff appreci- ate our availability and involvement. To achieve a positive outcome at the boatyard, check out and choose your boatyard carefully, enquiring about any discounts or special deals, and understand what work needs to be done. Prepare a written list, visit and inspect the work in progress reg- ularly and make yourself available to the boatyard whenever needed. Clear communications and inter-


action are key to a successful boat- yard experience.


The Log • Feb. 26 - Mar. 10, 2016 • 17


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