Boat Forum / Building / February 2007

I started to write this to a sailnet list member who'd recommended
them,
citing, in particular, and repetitively, during our conversation,
their
honesty, but then I thought it might be better distributed to
appropriate
lists and groups - places which were following our odyssey - as fair
warning
to others.  You probably know that we were taken to Keys Boat Works
when
Flying Pig was salvaged.  Here's what I was going to send to my
contact:

They may be honest, but they sure aren't straightforward.  Literally
everyone (albeit a small sample, but well over one, and including a
contractor who rented space) Lydia, the inveterate yard-walker/chatter-
upper
has spoken with, when told what we are being charged to sit here while
they
took their sweet time (over a week) to look at the boat (70+/day), and
every
day forward, i. e. effectively $500 a week, said that was impossible -
they
were paying more like 300-400/month. The contractor, e.g., in addition
to
the liveaboards she's chatted up, pointed to a boat next to ours,
observing
that it paid $300 a month.  Yet, their liveaboard charges (supplement
included in the 70+/day) alone amount to close to 500 a month, with
no
ground rent, for us.

On confrontation today, we learned it was because it was an insurance
job,
and, even if we were to take on the project ourselves, the rate would
not
change. As it will no doubt be totaled, and every penny for the yard
will
come out of our pocket, effectively, they are knowingly raping us, as
they
are fully aware of the circumstances, and will make no adjustment to
assist
us, despite Sharon saying to Lydia, at the time, "You know, we have a
lot of
latitude in that."  As you can guess, this is giving me an attitude,
pardon
the pun...

Until we can remove it - at best, some time off - the charges will
remain
the same. In the event we were to use them for any repairs whatsoever,
it
will be at $100 per hour.  Mike was candid to say that the daily price
being
charged was to force decisions, as they only want boats on which they
can
make those ground rents and if not, $100/hour whenever they touch it
- if
the boat won't be on their work schedule, effectively, they don't want
it
here, and the sooner the better it leaves, for them.

And lest you think this an anomaly, today we learned in conversation
with
another prior customer of theirs that they charged him the same lay
days
while they hunted for parts for his boat (which he had brought to them
to
work on).  It wasn't until he forced the issue (at some length of
argument,
and the possibility that he could do some reputation damage due to
the
nature of the work he does in the area) that they backed out the lay
day
charges for the time they'd been looking for the parts (and charging
him
appropriately - 100/hour - on receipt of them, after that time).

Our only recourse is to leave.  If on a truck, there is significant
work
which must be done to prepare it for transport (read: more lay day
charges,
plus their local labor for things which we can't do ourselves), and
an
as-yet unknown cost associated with the transport. If behind another
boat,
some work is needed to keep the water out, still requiring some
additional
days here.  See other postings on that subject.

We're stuck between the classical rock and a hard place...

More adventures, to be sure, but the financial parts are getting very
wearying, as there's no way out of this one; every day bleeds more of
the
little we have - and we don't yet know what the disposition of the
insurance
company will be.  We could well be homeless (no boat, regardless of
condition, if the insurance company takes it, less paid as settlement
every
day it sits), as well.

Pictures of the adventure are now up on the web in our first gallery -
click
the link below to go to the main gallery and click on the upper left
thumbnail.

Stay tuned...

L8R

Skip

Morgan 461 #2     Disaster link: http://ipphotos.com/FlyingPig.asp
SV Flying Pig  KI4MPC
See our galleries at www.justpickone.org/skip/gallery!
Follow us at http://groups.google.com/group/flyingpiglog and/or
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheFlyingPigLog

"And then again, when you sit at the helm of your little ship on a
clear
night, and gaze at the countless stars overhead, and realize that you
are
quite alone on a great, wide sea, it is apt to occur to you that in
the
general scheme of things you are merely an insignificant speck on the
surface of the ocean; and are not nearly so important or as self-
sufficient
as you thought you were.  Which is an exceedingly wholesome thought,
and one
that may effect a permanent change in your deportment that will be
greatly
appreciated by your friends."- James S. Pitkin