Sail4beer
Usual suspect
Resale shop of Texas is on par with that type of chandlery.
Chasing Elegua
- Thread starter Ajax
- Start date
There's a big place like this about a 20 minute drive from me. Going down there this afternoon, as a matter of fact.
It can be a bit overwhelming if you don't know exactly what you are looking for.
www.themarineconnection.com
It can be a bit overwhelming if you don't know exactly what you are looking for.
Marine Connection Liquidators
Elegua
Generalissimo
Falmouth has an impressive skyline
If I needed some yard work. What’s the best place in the Caribbean to get it?
If I needed some yard work. What’s the best place in the Caribbean to get it?
slug zitski
Banned
- Banned
- #384
Gee
Right in Falmouth is a sophisticated marine industry
And you must identify what “ yard work “. Means
Typically you do big jobs in St Martin
Elegua
Generalissimo
Add some hand-holds. Re-bed some things I don’t have the confidence for. I did the chain plate, but these port lights with the sex bolts….fridge work. Maybe a furler for the staysail
Good = quality of work, not super yacht prices, but not cheep.
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Elegua
Generalissimo
TheDragon
Super Anarchist
I have debated long and hard about adding a furler on my staysail. I currently have it on very robust hanks and I think I prefer that. It is foolproof, plus my staysail has the option to reef it to a stormsail, although the conditions that would require that would be pretty rough. And of course if it was on a furler I could partially furl it from the cockpit. I even have a spare staysail ready to go on a furler, and in Fiji acquired another used ProFurl identical to the one my jib is on. But still vaccillating on setting it up.
slug zitski
Banned
- Banned
- #389
Hank on has much lower windage than a rolled staysail
This is significant at anchor and when docking
Beer fueled Mayhem
Anarchist
I rebedded my port lights on my Wauquiez. I believe you have the same ports. It was pretty easy to do. My only problem was, for a couple of the "sex-bolts", salt water corrosion of the aluminum "sex-bolts". For replacing them, I had to find some in Mexico. Which was painful. Turns out they had them and were used for securing bathroom stalls. They do have the safety head on them so removing them will be ugly but...
I used butyl tape to seal against water BTW. Hasn't leaked it years and we have done some serious ocean miles with them.
Beer fueled Mayhem
Anarchist
As to handholds in the cabin, I wonder if your ceiling is like mine? Do you have the drop down panels that run the length of the cabin with plastic battens in-between? That is how mine are. They are held up with small screws. On my boat, you can see when the ceiling panel is removed, Wauquiez fiberglassed these standoff beams that the panels screw to. I bought teak handrails and thru-bolted them to these beams on either side of the main hatch. I can do pullups on them.
Of course, my 6'3" kid can hit his head on these. When they were younger, these handrails became monkeybars for them!
Here they are varnished.
Here you can see the beams Wauquiez glassed in. I just screwed the handrails right into them. Very solid.
Of course, my 6'3" kid can hit his head on these. When they were younger, these handrails became monkeybars for them!
Here they are varnished.
Here you can see the beams Wauquiez glassed in. I just screwed the handrails right into them. Very solid.
Elegua
Generalissimo
I have lots of butyl tape
Elegua
Generalissimo
Mine are built into the liner. I’m looking to add a stripper pole or two. We’re short and Ted was tall.
Jud - s/v Sputnik
Super Anarchist
I’ve just set up my staysail (which is hanked on so that it’s raise-able from the cockpit). My set up:
-staysail bagged and hanked on stay; bag lashed to a stout stainless steel rail that is on the centreline of the foredeck
-my jacklines run on the centreline of the boat; I have a Dyneema workstation tether at a strong point at the staysail stay (inner foresray)
-staysail halyard runs aft to cockpit
Raising staysail does require going forward briefly, just to unbag (pull lashings and bag off), then return to cockpit). Halyard in clutch in cockpit. Sort of a hybrid between a furler and having to raise the sail at the mast (which I wanted to avoid).
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Russell Brown
Super Anarchist
No, thank you for the coolest photo!
Sail4beer
Usual suspect
Agreed
sculpin
Super Anarchist
A bull rail! Oh the horror!!!
TheDragon
Super Anarchist
Jud, have you sailed much with it? I bag mine when at anchor, just as I cover the mainsail. But when sailing I almost always have the staysail set, no matter the angle of sail or the conditions, so before raising anchor or leaving a mooring or slip I simply open the bag just as I would uncover the main, so no need to go forward if conditions worsen and you need to furl the jib and use the staysail, it is ready, and in my case already raised and working. I would however need to go forward to attach the second set of sheets at the reef point if I ever needed it as a stormsail, and that would not be fun, so the furler option is appealing if I think I will ever need that option. So far I have not.
Lat21
Member
If you find someone to do the work, North Sound Marina in Antigua is the nicest yard. Massive concrete work area with bullet proof tie-downs and a fair amount of covered space. But the labor pool can be hit and miss. Fujin was rebuilt there after the 2018 capsize and came back better than ever. But we had skilled management on site most of the time and found our own skilled labor. Falmouth is attractive and usually full of a spectacular assortment of sailboats. But I don't know much about the boat yards.
I've had work down in St Maarten several times but the boat yards are dusty gravel yards. They do have a reasonable pool of skilled labor if you look around. If you plan on painting, you might have to wait for a weather window. When it's raining or the wind is up, it can be challenging.
CapDave
Anarchist
I've spent 2.5 of the last 3 years in the Caribbean, and have done a lot of boat projects. Sint Maarten is the place to go for granular technical work or work that needs a lot of parts. I recently paid $60-$90/hr for very skilled and efficient workers during a rig survey and refit. Machining custom parts was $95, welding was $85. FKG is far and away the best rigger in the Caribbean. Tradesmen in Sint Maarten are used to the demands of the megayachts, it's quite competitive, and in my experience they are quick and careful. Getting parts is easy, Fedex in 2 days, no screwing around with duties blah blah. The chandleries are well stocked as are the main service providers, and many, not all, parts prices are similar to the US. The haulout yards are dirty and dusty, but in Cole Bay super convenient to parts and services.
Antigua is pretty good for cosmetic maintenance. North Sound is a nice clean boatyard, but it's the other end of the island from the main labor/resources pool around Falmouth/English Harbors, this is an issue. Jolly Harbor is more geared towards owner/operator boats than Falmouth/English, but skills/resources seem a bit hit or miss there. It's a fairly clean boatyard to haul. In Falmouth Chippy is famous for woodwork, Woodstock has broad skills and have done a fair number of minor composite projects, paint repairs, and other things for me, MPS does good metal and mechanical work, Antigua Rigging is reasonably good, but I don't like the attitude they come with....A&A is nicer to work with but has fewer resources. Workers in Antigua need a little more micromanaging than SXM, especially around protecting the boat from damage/wear & tear during projects. Labor rates in Antigua are a little lower than SXM, but the productivity is lower too. The chandleries aren't too bad on stock, but parts prices are much higher than US/SXM, and getting parts is slower and more $$$. Usually takes a week to get something, and customs, and local delivery and blah blah. If you needed to haul in Antigua I would also look at Sammi's in the NE corner of Falmouth, you might be able to fit in there and it's cheap.
Grenada is the place to go for labor intensive jobs, bottom jobs, etc. Labor rates run $20-$40/hour for a big range of skills, though higher for technical skills - I paid up to $80/hr for those. Productivity is lower than up north, and there is no tradition of megayachts really, you have to be very involved and engaged to drive projects forward and to make sure they protect the boat and don't do more damage than they fix while doing projects!! I've hauled at Clarke's Court twice, the price is very very good. The yard is pretty dirty, careful where they put you if you want to paint, and watch out for overspray from others painting. I can't get into Spice Island (beam), but I hear they're pretty good and the chandlery is right there. Grenada Marine has a decent rep over in St. David's parish, but it's a one-company operation, far from town and other resources. Parts and supplies in Grenada are generally double the US price, though you can usually bring your own (we did) and nobody complains. Getting parts shipped in is slow and expensive. Driftwood at Clarke's Court is well regarded and has done some really good work for me, but recently they have been a victim of their success and are drowned in work.
For your projects, seeing you're in Falmouth, I'd call Woodstock for help. And they'll tell you who to call for the refrigeration. For the furler, you could try pricing it with Antigua Rigging and see if you like them....but.......really I'd sail back to SXM and give the job to FKG. If you wanted to do everything in SXM, I'd let the FKG guys give you references, everybody they sent me to for stuff they don't do was top notch.
I could keep going, but will stop there. Hope this helps.
