Any Recommendations for a boat yard on the Chesapeake?

[Wayfarer]

Greetings boatnerds,

Now that I've sold the dirt house, I'd like to do a bit of a refit on the ol' girl. I've got a list of projects and improvements as long as LeBron James' legs, and here are the ones I'd like to tackle:

Install Garmin Radar/Chartplotter, AIS, and Fogmate (from scratch)

Remove one vacuflush system/head and replace with Nature's Head

Install marine A/C, probably three units, not sure what make or model yet. Ducts, cooling water plumbing, and electrical will all need to be installed from scratch, as there's no existing system in place. I'll also likely need to upgrade to a 50 amp, or possibly add a second 30.

Canvas work - I'd like to have a canvas hardtop built over the aft deck, and some shades for the windows, and some covers for miscellaneous bits around the boat. I may also go for some weather cloths around the back porch.

I'd like to find somewhere that I can leave the boat while I go back to work, and have these things done while I'm away. I've had some work done at Annapolis, and though it was on the pricey side, they did good work, and I'm not opposed to working with them again.

The other option I'm considering is Atlantic Yacht Basin. It's not my favorite place to stay, but they seem to have a sterling reputation as a yard.

Where would you go for this sort of mission? Any standouts? Thanks!

 

[psneeld]

I would suggest contacting Ted (OC Diver) and use his suggestions....

Or get near Annapolis and use the best recommended in each category.

Guys like Ted have been around the block. Others may or may not have. The guy who bought his first, second or third big boat.... I am not sure is the best for recommendations.

 

[DavidM]

A general boat yard that lets any contractor (with proper insurance) work there like the Bert Jabins yard in Annapolis lets you pick the right contractor for the job. But it does take a lot of hands on supervision to get it right.

For a drop it off and come back later to a perfect job then the Zimmerman yards throughout the Chesapeake and NC get good marks.

David

 

[bnoft]

I'll second the Zimmerman recommendation. we used them every off season for 7 years on our old GB and 1 year on the Ocean Alexander. Not cheap but good work.

 

[Woodland Hills]

You might want to look into Campbell’s Boatyard in Oxford on the Eastern Shore. We have used them for an inverter install, generator repair and other issues and have been very happy. The prices are also lower on that side of the Bay IMHO.

 

[caltexflanc]

I had a lot of work done at Anchor Bay East yard and marina in Dundalk, MD, (essentially Baltimore) after I bought my old Hatteras, to get it outfitted to our liking for the type of cruising we were embarking on. Then subsequently when we were passing by that way to and fro. Art Cox is the proprietor, who gave me some very sage and honest advice that saved us a lot of unnecessary expenditures as semi-newbies to owning a boat of that scope. Reasonable pricing and we liked hanging out there.

We learned of it from the PO, who though he kept the boat at Calvert Marina in Solomons (where there are some well known yards), would take the boat up to Anchor Bay to have it worked on.

Atlantic Yacht Basin is outstanding too. I am not sure why you don't like the location; it's right in the middle of a large metro area, in addition to being walking distance to stores and eateries. To be sure, it's not a good location if you are going to take breaks from fixing up the boat to go for a one or two day cruise somewhere, something Anchor Bay is well situated for.

 

[ranger58sb]

Dave, since those are separate projects, different skills/tools/supplies, etc... I'd follow DavidM's thoughts... someplace where independent specialists can each come in and do their specialty jobs right.

Jabins' is one of the few Annapolis marinas we've not tried, but they certainly have a good rep.

If there's someplace on the other (west) side of Back Creek, so an easy walk to town, that'd maybe be even better. For example, Eastport Yacht Center (although I dunno if they specifically allow outside contractors.)

Active Captain or their websites might answer questions about independent contractors access.

My second choice might be Herrington Harbour North further south in Deale, and then Zimmermans or some of the other various contractors that live there for the actual work. Very nice marina, one of our favorites, not near much of anything at all (Deale is fairly tiny.)

When I did our large electronics install back in 2009, I started with an on-line "market survey" to get recommendations for best local/semi-local retailers/installers. One of those that bubbled to the top was from right in Annapolis, and another was from Kent Island/Bay Bridge Marina... so I'll rummage around to see if I can find out which those were. (After discussions, we actually used a third candidate, in Cambridge, for various reasons.... but the other two talked a very good game and had great reps.)

If you're nearby, I'll buy the first beverage sometime.



-Chris

 

[Bkay]

Zimmerman's in Deltaville is running slow. Took me several weeks just to get on the schedule and I don't know how long it will take to get the work done. I'm assuming this is a COVID related issue because they have always been timely in the past. I don't know how backed up Zimmerman's yard in Matthew's is. They too have been good in the past and I'd go back to them.

They have always been top notch and I recommend them. But give them time to fix my windows before you bring your boat in!

 

[Wayfarer]

Thanks gang! I appreciate the input. I'll keep digging around on AC, and will likely break it up and tackle the list a little more piecemeal than I was originally thinking. Nothing on the list is critical, so I can afford to take my time.

 

[Comodave]

We bought a boat at White Point Marina in Kinsale. It is a small family run marina. They give exceptional support. There was a hurricane that was possibly going to come close. They worked with all the staff for 4 days moving boats, taking down canvas, etc in case the hurricane came close. It didn’t but they undid everything after it had gone. I asked about what they would charge the boat owners and they said nothing because they were customers. I was astounded but that was their attitude about everything. Don’t know if they do all the work you are looking for but I would absolutely give them a call and ask. Also their rates were very reasonable. Ask for Rob, he is the owner. Tell him I said hi.