This thread will be very interesting to me as I am in the Anacortes area (La Conner) as well, and at some point will need someone to do professional work. I intend to do whatever I can myself at La Conner Maritime's self service yard, but will be paying close attention to what our TF alum have to say. When others are recommending yards in other ports I recognize that for a founded boat in good condition even a day's travel for a yard is extremely little cost compared to a day's labor in the yard.
If you are looking for any self service yard at all close to Anacortes, La Conner Maritime is it. My past experience with them is good, but the work I've asked them to do was relatively minor (help with pulling props, sending them out for work, putting them back on before going back in the water) while we handled bottom paint, wax, and a transducer on the transom in the yard. Working with them in that way was very smooth. I got my work done during the week after work and on the weekends, and they launched the boat one day while I was at work, and it was waiting for me at their dock when I got off work so I could take it back to the slip with the shiny new props on it. This was probably 10 years ago now, but my understanding is they are still operating in the same way.
I'm a North Harbor customer. While not cheap I've used their mechanical services and found the quality of work to be good. The crew who hauls may not be representative. I'm not trying to make excuses but the lauch crew is often pretty harried during the busy period, they're not the people who work on the boats.
Without having had work done by NHD, I have a similar impression of their launch crew from one 1 (ONE) time in and out of their long term storage. Without having used their shop or yard for having work done, I have heard from others good things about their mechanics in the past.
[/QUOTE]have you considered running over to Sidney BC? Over the past few years I've had both South Island Marine, and Vector Marine do some repairs. Last summer we had an emergency generator repair at South Island. I found the labor cost to be quite reasonable due to the exchange rates. Also Philbrooks has a good reputation, I just haven't used them myself, though my father did with good results.[/QUOTE]
This is very interesting. A PO of my boat in the 90's or early 2000's took it up to Canada for new shafts (or was there when he needed them?) The boat ended up with metric shafts, but it would be interesting to hear how parts labor comes out in the end for US boaters who go up there for getting work done. Is Sidney cheaper than Vancouver?
