Reputable boat yds: S Ga to N Fl

I'm considering offering on a bare bones 38 Chinese built Europa. Since I mostly single hand (cuz when my usual crew tags along, it's best that she help only in an emergency), this boat will need a thruster, remote powered windlass, some electronics, and maybe an inverter to power the galley. And bottom paint, and zincs, and .... Can you guys recommend a couple of yards - say, between Savannah and St Aug - that I can talk to up front to get some idea of what this will cost me? Of course, if you know already, I'm happy for you to chime in. thanksalot.

These are all fairly complex jobs , that are really easy to botch up , FOREVER.

I would ask the yard how many bow thrusters they have installed , and go rake a look at a couple of finished jobs.

An inverter for the galley might equal new (many more) batts , a second alternator , a SOC meter .

Again most of these decisions are far beyond the abilities of most boat yards.

Be very wary,do ALL the research on what the final outcome you desire is , and the most rational way to get there.

Some boat yards can R&R , but few can do a proper outfitting design workup..

EG if all you need is a small 1500w inverter for the microwave , blender ot TV , its nothing special, $200,

If you want to cook with electric or air cond the galley ,it could cost $5,000 more in hardware.

As far as the thrusters are concerned, I have very good luck with Florida Bow Thrusters. Very good proffesional installation for me. Thrusters are not cheap when you include the labor but these guys did it right for us on two boats. Agree with the comments above. I would suggest using shops that specialize in electrical installs for the inverter etc. not the boat yeard crews. At least that is my experience in our area. Good luck.

I'd call Huckins Yachts in JAX. Lately, they have been the cheapest in the area for bottom painting. They do have a good reputation on their quality of work but also of have a reputation of being expensive for refits.

The Hinckley yard in Thunderbolt has a good reputation.

Huckins in JAX has always had a good rep. Average Bow Thruster install. $ 14,000. by the time you are complete.

I used Thunderbolt Marine in Thunderbolt for a few. Really excellent work which they stand behind 100%+, as I learned directly, a great customer experience. They cater mostly to the superyacht market, people bring boats from all over to be worked on there. However, they gave us the same highly professional service, as they did a young couple in a small, older sailing catamaran, allowing both DIY and yard work.

I'd also highly recommend Florida Bow Thruster to come put in the thruster. I've seen their work, great, and they seem to have nothing but happy customers. More importantly, my old Hatteras came with an older Vetus "Bow Propellor", which dates it. I was having an issue, and called FBT, they being the US distributor for Vetus, with a large distribution center here in Morehead City, NC. I wanted to see if they had a local tech to have a look. Instead of sending a tech, they were extremely helpful and patient in helping me troubleshoot and fix the problem myself, literally walking me through the process on the phone. I think that is the type of thing that is really indicative of a truly customer-centric company.

I suggest that you look for a more expensive boat with this equipment already installed. Bare bones might be more expensive after you finish.

Camache Yacht Yard and Oasis Boatyard in St Augustine; Huckins, Sadler Point Marina, Holland Marine, St Johns Boat Company and Lambs Yacht Center in Jacksonville area; I have heard Brunswick Landing Marina is doing better under new management but don't know their techs.

As yacht broker guy says it is less expensive to buy the stuff a little depreciated than new...

thanks folks. i'll look into these suggestions, but it probably won't go anywhere. florida thrusters says that a bow thruster will run ~$12K, and a stern thruster ~$10K in the same trip. that's about 150% of what i hoped/expected.

i'll maintain almost everything, and am comfortable upgrading most of that. but for a major new install with lots of opportunity for disaster, i'll usually depend on the professionals. i think that these guys have priced themselves and me out of the market.

So why don't you tell us what you want to spend for all these projects? Shop around on that thruster (sized properly), let us know. Lucky for you, it is a "nice to have" rather than need to have item, so you can spend zero , which is probably your best plan rather than get an underpowered hack job.

Lambs Boat Yard IS the place to go for that stuff.

Give them a call,