Marina Surcharge

I would like peoples opinion on the following:

I currently have my trawler on the hard at a local marina. I signed no contract with them and I was not given any kind of rules. Each month they bill my credit card for the storage.

I lost a 32" piece of teak gunnel off of my trawler during a hurricane last year. I asked the marina about cutting a new piece of teak for me. They gave me a ridiculous quote of $3400.00. I went and bought the piece of teak at a local exotic wood shop for $90.00. I found a local craftsman that quoted me $600.00 to cut and shape it to fit.

I told the local craftsman where the boat was and he said it was no problem with him doing the work because he was friends with the marina owner.

He then send me a picture where he installed the new wood and said that was part of the $600.00 price. He now does not want me to pay him but the marina will bill me.

I explained that the two of us had a deal between us. He said he does 50K worth of business there and does not want to piss the owner off so don't pay him and he returned my deposit

I now receive a bill from the marina for the $600.00 plus a 40% surcharge.

What would you do? Pay it or dispute it with the credit card company?

Keep in mind I bought the wood and someone not even associated with the marina fixed it. They have no signs up or issue paperwork stating you can not hire from the outside.

Pay it ($600 + $240) and leave the marina. Not worth the fight over $240.

Ted

What is the name of the marina?

Pay it and get out of the marina before you squabble over it. With no contract it's a bad situation and they can make getting your boat out of there very difficult if they choose to. If you want your money back, just take them to small claims after you are out, I'm sure you will win since you signed no contract and you have no legal obligation to pay them any surcharges.

I'm in a situation personally where parts of my boat were cut off with a power saw by the boat yard owner, and it was blocked incorrectly which damaged the boat further. It's going to be a big mess but I'm waiting until I can leave the yard to hold them accountable. A lot more than $240 is at stake.

Sounds like a good ole boy network at work!

+1 on what Ted says.

Especially if you ever want to use either the marina or the craftsman again.

Jim

JLD said:

+1 on what Ted says.

Especially if you ever want to use either the marina or the craftsman again.

Jim

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Doesn't sound like either are doing good business and would not be a loss. So far my experiences with boat yards and marinas and many boat repair 'professionals' has been extremely negative. Maybe it's just my area.

Sounds VERY familiar....and normal...outside contractors either pay the marina or the marina bills you a surcharge.


Not having a contract with the marina sounds unusual.....maybe a red flag?


Usually one goes to the office and asks about service work, outside contractors, lay days, etc.....usually that's when the talk of contracts come up. All but a rare few don't get that all settled up front.


If not interested in giving the name out, what region of the country are you in may I ask....Deltaville as in your profile? That would be very strange in my mind to not be under any contract in that area.

Take this experience with a grain of salt. Get away from the marina as soon as possible then decide if its worth the effort to fight it.
Too many reputable marinas out there that would love your business.

In the boatyard I use, if I bring in an outside contractor I pay $10/hr to the yard for his/her time. Been that way for years.

Dispute the bill. Then ask them to launch your boat.

Would ask them nicelyto drop the surarge and if they do, great. If they don’t leave asap.

Curious about the name of the marina too. Very near there I was billed an exorbitant price for a some work that involved an outside contractor. I could use only their's, very high price for the service onto which they tacked a surcharge.

Everyone says "just leave", like that's so easy. Lol. Why are you the hard? When are you getting in the water again?

I would just pay it.

That is pretty typical. Yards here that allow outside contractors generally charge a fee for an outside contractor to come in. I even know one yard that requires you to have a yard employ accompany you if you want to go onto your boat on the hard. Yes, you have to pay the going rate for that employees time. Just pay the bill and next time ask ahead to see if the marina charges a fee for outside contractors.

I doubt/surprised if they will put the boat in the water until everything has been paid.

When you get your car worked on, they add "shop fees". That $240 could be "shop fees and EPA disposal etc fees."
Ask them to explain it to you, pay the bill, launch the boat and leave, if you wish.
In the course of a boat's life, $240 is basically nothing.

Come to think of it, each time I go to the yard, I too pay a 'yard fee'. How they arrive at the amount of the 'yard fee' I have no idea.

$240 IS something....mostly something that should be understood by all parties BEFORE anything happens.

psneeld said:

$240 IS something....mostly something that should be understood by all parties BEFORE anything happens.

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Well then, when you next go to a marina for a bottom job, make sure you ask for the yard fees before.

I trust the yard I have used..... they aren't out to screw me. They charge what I consider a fair price.... a bit over $360 per for each coat of bottom paint, I had 3 coats applied and a 4th coat to the water line. I instructed them to replace all zincs, they did. They serviced all my hull valves without asking permission.... I have no reason to object.
If you wish, I will hunt up the itemized yard bill, telling you all I had done and the total price. Maybe they separated the yard fees, I would have to look.

Pay it - you have nothing in writing.
Hopefully your total bill for going back into the water will not contain any additional surprises.

OldDan1943 said:

Well then, when you next go to a marina for a bottom job, make sure you ask for the yard fees before.

I trust the yard I have used..... they aren't out to screw me. They charge what I consider a fair price.... a bit over $360 per for each coat of bottom paint, I had 3 coats applied and a 4th coat to the water line. I instructed them to replace all zincs, they did. They serviced all my hull valves without asking permission.... I have no reason to object.
If you wish, I will hunt up the itemized yard bill, telling you all I had done and the total price. Maybe they separated the yard fees, I would have to look.

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Really? Not my point at all...if you re willing to pay anything...then sure, don't check prices and policies or get a contract. Using a yard you have done business with before...well that starts the slippery slope but things might go well for awhile.



My point with even marinas I trust....things still go awry and you could be on the hook to pay anything they demand.


Believe me I am the trusting sort...and I have paid dearly for it through life as a handshake is no longer the bond it once was. I am starting to double check everything.

Enough was enough in a more simple time. The crops were in, firewood stacked, hayloft full and you were done for the year. You came in from the cold and spent time by the woodstove with the ones you loved.

Add addiction to money into the picture and there's never enough. It's never over. Now we are bunch of money-grubbing aholes. Boatyards do it, as do airlines, hotels, carlots, etc, etc. Don't get me started on what wallstreeet has done to healthcare, Walcare and McHealth.

Pay and learn.

psneeld said:

Really? Not my point at all...if you re willing to pay anything...then sure, don't check prices and policies or get a contract. Using a yard you have done business with before...well that starts the slippery slope but things might go well for awhile.



My point with even marinas I trust....things still go awry and you could be on the hook to pay anything they demand.


Believe me I am the trusting sort...and I have paid dearly for it through life as a handshake is no longer the bond it once was. I am starting to double check everything.

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Agreed with psneeld - about a dozen of the marinas around here were sold over the winter last year - a real eye opener for those without a clear agreement.
A handshake followed up by a clear agreement before either side committing is a great plan.

Here’s the way I look at it.

You are on the hard, in someones boatyard that sells boat repair services for a living.

The only reason their boatyard probably exists is to sell those services.

You, hired an external contractor who has a working relationship with the boatyard, and is comfortable billing through the boatyard for his services.

My only issue is that the contractor should have quoted you any pricing including the “marina” or “boatyard” surcharge or markup. The fact that the boatyard makes a profit on services is not a challenge.

The reality is that the contractor quoted you wholesale prices, and the marina bills retail.

I would pay, and be happy.

Another way to look at it:
If the craftsman had said it's $840, would you have been happy and had him do it (as opposed to the marina at $3,400)?

Ted

This whole situation would be avoided if the yard had posted their fees and provided a written contract for storage that spells out fees and yard rules. I would avoid any yard that doesn't insist on a contract to be reviewed and signed prior to use of services.

The contractor was in the wrong also for quoting outside the yard if he had an arrangement with them and the right thing for him to to do to correct his mistake would have been to reduce his charge by the amount of the yard's fee and eat that himself since he went around them on the sly in the first place.

psneeld said:

Really? Not my point at all...if you re willing to pay anything...then sure, don't check prices and policies or get a contract. Using a yard you have done business with before...well that starts the slippery slope but things might go well for awhile.



My point with even marinas I trust....things still go awry and you could be on the hook to pay anything they demand.


Believe me I am the trusting sort...and I have paid dearly for it through life as a handshake is no longer the bond it once was. I am starting to double check everything.

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They will not launch your boat until you pay the total amount.

I am not rich by any means and I do not throw away money, but I can spend $240 on one new tire for my truck. Chump change in BoatWorld. Heck, I spent that much for one new canvas panel last season.

OldDan1943 said:

I doubt/surprised if they will put the boat in the water until everything has been paid.

When you get your car worked on, they add "shop fees". That $240 could be "shop fees and EPA disposal etc fees."
Ask them to explain it to you, pay the bill, launch the boat and leave, if you wish.
In the course of a boat's life, $240 is basically nothing.

Come to think of it, each time I go to the yard, I too pay a 'yard fee'. How they arrive at the amount of the 'yard fee' I have no idea.

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Okay, I dug out the invoice for my March 2019 visit to the yard. Allow me to correct a few things.... I had 3 coats of bottom paint @ $864 each. This included pressure wash, sanding and application of 3 coats and a 4th at the water line.

I did have a mess of other items accomplished while in the yard..... If you want an itemized list of those items, I will be happy to supply it too. I had total bill of $7425.11. That included "environmental surcharge, ship-prepairer's liability, and shop supplies of $238.03.

Everyone can tell me I paid too much. Or, 'I only paid.....'

Divide that total amount by 2- 3 years and it is not that bad at all."

OldDan1943 said:

Okay, I dug out the invoice for my March 2019 visit to the yard. Allow me to correct a few things.... I had 3 coats of bottom paint @ $864 each. This included pressure wash, sanding and application of 3 coats and a 4th at the water line.

I did have a mess of other items accomplished while in the yard..... If you want an itemized list of those items, I will be happy to supply it too. I had total bill of $7425.11. That included "environmental surcharge, ship-prepairer's liability, and shop supplies of $238.03.
Now, divide that by 2- 3 years and it is not that bad at all."

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Remind me not to use your boatyard.

Ted

O C Diver said:

Remind me not to use your boatyard.

Ted

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Ted, dont use my boat yard. LOL SMIRK