Finally Leaving the Boat Yard
It’s been six weeks and Kokomo is finally leaving Seaview Boat Yard. As a new boater, we have gotten lots of advice and tips from fellow boaters. Hopefully this story will help others too.
Before we selected Seaview, we asked for recommendations in the Seattle area and there were just a few that would work for us. With our broken prop, we had no choice but to go to Seaview, as they were the closest to our marina. As you might remember, we met them at the Seattle Boat Show and they had a great haul out deal of 50% off the haul out and 20% off labor with any bottom paint package. The staff at the boat yard was very friendly, but they don’t move too fast. Luckily for us, the weather was horrible for the past month, so it didn’t impact us too much.
As I mentioned in our last blog, the boat yard had finished painting the bottom and the engines two weeks ago and my nephew and his dad waxed it for us last week. This saved us significant money. We paid Spencer $800 and the boat yard wanted $1700! He and his dad, did a fantastic job!
Sterndrives look new!
Our sterndrives were painted too and they look amazing compared to before. They installed our new Bravo II props last week and compared to the props they pulled off, wow!
There was a boat next to us in the yard and check out the mussels growing on his engine and trim tabs!
So what does all this cost in the end?
What’s funny about boat maintenance is everyone loves to say that BOAT stands for “bring on another thousand”. But if you are a boater, you know that and expect it. So did we have any surprises this time? A few. Here’s the final breakdown of all of the work. I will say that the boat yard, originally charged us for 24 hours to paint the stern drives and we questioned it. They adjusted the bill to 18 hours.
- Bottom Paint Package, including parts & labor $806
- Bottom Paint Seahawk Sharkskin Black 1.25 gallons $235
- Replace Anodes incl labor $336
- Prep & Paint Sterndrives $1805
- 10 point inspection (see below for what that incl) $121
- Pull & install new props $1315
- Boat Show Discount <$605>
- Misc fees & taxes $594
Seaview Boat Yard Total $4608
We also hired a Mercruiser mechanic to inspect the engines and also tune them up. His cost was about $800.
So overall, the entire haul out cost us $6200 and we had estimated about $5000. Not ever having done this before, our estimate wasn’t that far off.
Communicating with the boat yard
Our biggest issue with Seaview was their lack of communication. We had to call almost every day to find out what the status was. Then finally last Thursday, they called to say the props were on and they were scheduling the haul out for 1pm the next day. I was shocked, because we were still waiting on the 10 pt inspection and the trim tab work. On top of that, there was a small craft advisory for Friday afternoon and neither of us were able to move it on short notice anyways.
Then they called back an hour later saying the inspection was done and that they would put it in a slip for us to pick up over the weekend. Scott and I went down to the boat yard on Friday evening to pay our final bill and confirm everything. The weather was horrible and now we just prayed it would be nice over the weekend.
What does the 10 pt inspection include?
Since we have never had one done, we only know what Seaview includes. It was a quick checklist that they gave back to us.
- Check Bottom Paint, zincs, shaft, thru hulls, knot meter/depth sounder condition, grounding damage, thruster/trim tabs
- Paint/Scratches, gel coat punctures, boot stripe condition
- Interior thru hulls/valve condition, galley, head, electronics, hose clamps, linkage/cable condition, bilge area
What were their findings?
- Stiff steering
- Head pick up valve is stiff
- Port trim tab in operable – possible relay
So nothing too major to worry about this time.
Finally leaving the boat yard
Scott and I looked at the forecast and we had a small weather window on Sunday, April 15th. While many of you might be thinking, “what’s the big deal? It’s Springtime in the PNW and the weather is fine”. Not so much!
According to the NW Weather Service, with the first two weeks of April, this month is now the fourth wettest April in 120 years! Read more here.
Luckily, Sunday morning arrived with sunny, blue skies and calm waters. I dropped Scott and Kurt off at Seaview and then drove back to Elliott Bay Marina to meet them. I guess the boat was hauling, as they beat me back to the marina!
We docked stern first, so we can clean the dinghy and also the top of the starboard side of the boat. Next Sunday is supposed to be sunny, so Scott and I will head down to clean the boats, inside and out.
We still have no update on our house or our move, so stay tuned for that. Until then, thank you for following us! Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Cheers! Scott & Ally
#KokomoSeattle #BoatingJourney