unfortunately, never believe your broker.

skipperdude said:

Did the guy you hired do the work or did he farm the job out to someone else?

Point being this fellow came recommended. by someone you trusted.

Seen this kind of stuff happen before. You get good at what you do and everyone wants your services till you can't take anymore. So it gets farmed out.
Just thinking out loud.

SD

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Him and his crew did the work.

Time for a new crew,

SD

A few connections using butt connectors not shrink fittings.

It's been my experience that many places don't use shrink fitting unless expected to get wet or underwater....unless specified in the work order you will be hard pressed to demand wiring with normal butts be redone...unless the guy is a really good guy.

psneeld said:

It's been my experience that many places don't use shrink fitting unless expected to get wet or underwater....unless specified in the work order you will be hard pressed to demand wiring with normal butts be redone...unless the guy is a really good guy.

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Incorrect. Any electrical connection in the marine environment needs to be sealed due to the high rate of humidity which will corrode the connection causing a short.

This is the way I was taught and this was conveyed to him.

Anything in the bilge must be sealed. This isn't a galley cabinet connection.

beachbum29 said:

Incorrect. Any electrical connection in the marine environment needs to be sealed due to the high rate of humidity which will corrode the connection causing a short.

This is the way I was taught and this was conveyed to him.

Anything in the bilge must be sealed. This isn't a galley cabinet connection.

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OK...so the last 4 marine places I worked didn't ever use plain old butts without sealing them and they haven't been working just fine for the last decade either....

What you were taught and what happens at many places doesn't happen every place.

Think what you like...good luck...I hope you have it in writing.

psneeld said:

OK...so the last 4 marine places I worked didn't ever use plain old butts without sealing them and they haven't been working just fine for the last decade either....

What you were taught and what happens at many places doesn't happen every place.

Think what you like...good luck...I hope you have it in writing.

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This is minor compared to charging for parts never installed.

Please reread thread.

I'm not going to spend a lot of money on this. My time is too precious.

beachbum29 said:

This is minor compared to charging for parts never installed.

Please reread thread.

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I would be upset too based on your posts...just saying there is no real industry standard for many things to hold the guy to if it isn't in writing.

Sure missing parts, work not performed...etc.. etc...just like good mechanics always leave the old parts out for inspection....but not all do.

Easier to hold him to and anything else that is in writing.

psneeld said:

I would be upset too based on your posts...just saying there is no real industry standard for many things to hold the guy to if it isn't in writing.

Sure missing parts, work not performed...etc.. etc

Easier to hold him to and anything else that is in writing.

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I'm still holding $1,300 of his bill.

I've been a contractor way too long not too...

Who was overseeing the work? That is who is responsible! I cannot believe a small businessman would let you leave without paying in full, if your vessel is documented, watch out for a lien!

Tingum said:

Who was overseeing the work? That is who is responsible! I cannot believe a small businessman would let you leave without paying in full, if your vessel is documented, watch out for a lien!

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Quite correct. The last thing you want is a Federal Marshall walking down the dock, and stringing yellow tape impounding the boat. Large impoundment placards pasted on the windows are not very complimentary to the boat. The guys in Lauderdale and Stuart will file very quickly. Sometimes it's just best to chalk it up to experience.

If the guy offers to work it out with you, he is probably better than some.

Edit:

I think some of the boat service people look for people who are moving o n right after they work. You may have noticed they will put off the work until the last minute not giving time for a proper shakedown. It happened to a friend of mine leaving Destin with a new boat purchase for Bradenton. Entering Tampa Bay he lost a turbo because it was not connected properly. Expensive lesson learned.

Tingum said:

Who was overseeing the work? That is who is responsible! I cannot believe a small businessman would let you leave without paying in full, if your vessel is documented, watch out for a lien!

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We are. It will be taken care of.

BTW, we wrote a personal check when we bought our boat.

Joe Hamilton of Advantage Yacht sales is a great broker in Stuart. He may be able to help you with this situation, or at least send you to a good mechanic.

If a lien shows up, bond it and file lawsuit. If you have work order and can prove work was not done that was billed, get sworn statements from licensed mechanic/ photos and get an attorney.

Scum bags that bill for work not done or done wrong need to get burned. To many good guys working hard for a buck losing work to them.

Also go after them for fraudulent lien, it's criminal.

Tingum said:

Who was overseeing the work? That is who is responsible! I cannot believe a small businessman would let you leave without paying in full, if your vessel is documented, watch out for a lien!

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Seriously? The guy you contact oversees the work except for "you" the owner. The contractor leaves for the night and you leave with your boat...yard doesn't care if it's an independent.

You can sail away anytime...and as far as a lien...maybe the contractor wants the paperwork nightmare, maybe not...if he knows he did a lousy job...not being paid in full may just be part of the game.

Let's see...a layer is gonna be well over $2000 probably just to get to the negotiating table and the rest of the bill is $1300...plus your time...not sure about the cost/benefit numbers...but it's starting to sound lose/lose if the guy files a lien.

Over here, a lien means retaining possession of the boat until paid, I`m getting the boat is back with beachbum.That sounds more like a Court ordered arrest.
With $1300 retained, the mechanic has an interest in resolution.
Putting things in writing might help hold him to account,doesn`t always help getting work done right. Despite clear written insts,renewing an engine FW cooling system manifold air bleed valve became a (leaking) fuel/air bleed valve fitted to a primary fuel filter housing, it leaked fuel into the bilge, which.... He got sacked.

Dougcole said:

Joe Hamilton of Advantage Yacht sales is a great broker in Stuart. He may be able to help you with this situation, or at least send you to a good mechanic.

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I concur completely. We are still searching, but on our last trip to FL Joe showed us a couple of boats and spent a LOT of time with us and still stays in touch. Knowledgable, honest, and very very helpful.

Coming down Core Creek into Morehead City I encountered a 48' Hatteras motor yacht on a shoal. They asked for assistance getting off. They sent a line over, and I tried to no avail. They then called the USCG at Ft. Macon. Coast Guard pulled them off on a rising tide. They came limping into the MC Yacht Basin. Later that night a Federal Marshall came down, ordered them off the boat, and impounded it. A yard in Ft. Lauderdale had filed a lien for work on the boat. The USCG had placed the boat on their watch list. When the call came in it was reported to the authorities. The boat sat at MCYB incurring slip charges for weeks until the issue was settled. There were no happy faces around that boat. The owner was not even allowed aboard, nor could they remove anything.

BruceK said:

That sounds more like a Court ordered arrest.

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Bruce, that is exactly what it appears to be. The lien goes against the boat, and in effect it is arrested. It stays in limbo until the lien is satisfied one way or another. I have not looked into bonding off a lien, but if a surety is involved it would take some time.

Ouch! That hurts.

It is amazing the amount of power someone can wield with a government form. I hope the facility was correct in the action they took.

An acquittance of mine, also a G.C. was building a seven story medical center and after applying for a rather large draw they were told that there was a lien on the property holding up payment. Turns out the lien was from an HVAC company that did no work on the building and had misfiled the lien on the wrong property. When contacted he was uninterested in putting off his fishing trip for three days to clear up the matter and suggested they call the other contractor and help him get his money.

His insurance company was not happy nor were his attorney, it cost him a bunch, somewhat north of $35k for a lien of less then $2,500.

The sward cuts both ways.

SCOTTEDAVIS said:

It is amazing the amount of power someone can wield with a government form. I hope the facility was correct in the action they took.

An acquittance of mine, also a G.C. was building a seven story medical center and after applying for a rather large draw they were told that there was a lien on the property holding up payment. Turns out the lien was from an HVAC company that did no work on the building and had misfiled the lien on the wrong property. When contacted he was uninterested in putting off his fishing trip for three days to clear up the matter and suggested they call the other contractor and help him get his money.

His insurance company was not happy nor were his attorney, it cost him a bunch, somewhat north of $35k for a lien of less then $2,500.

The sward cuts both ways.

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Yep, I'm a GC and have dealt with this stuff for 40 years. An excavation sub-contractor rented a piece of equipment on another job. When the rental company found it it was loaded on his truck on my job. The rental company filed a lien on my multi-million dollar project shutting it down until I could bond off and settle the lien. Cash is not accepted as a bond. So my surety made a bond for the required double amount of lien. That cost money even though the lien was cleared off with no money owed. That was handled locally. A federal lien is much worse to deal with.

the marine lien is veryeasy on a boat if it is doucumenet it makes it even better for the mechanic be carefull it is not the same as the real world. just saying that's all

A little bit of misinformation regarding Maritime liens here. A supplier of "necessaries", which includes repairs, can obtain a lien by virtue of the Maritime Lien Act. the maritime lien is a completely different animal than civil law based liens. A creditor must file a complaint in Federal Court. The Complaint is against the vessel, not the owner, a bit of a legal oddity. That is, the legal action is against the vessel itself, not the owner. If the lien is granted, and it usually is as no notice to the debtor of the action is required at this point, the Court issues as "Order of Arrest" and the US Marshall goes out and "arrests" the vessel. A lien seeker is required to post with the court a cash deposit in the amount of the Marshall's cost and the cost of the Marshall's cost of possessing the boat. This amount is set by each Federal District Court. In the Seattle area, the cash amount is $10,000 (if it has not changed recently).

Once the vessel is "arrested", the owner can gain release of the vessel by (1) paying the amount of the lien with associated costs, (2) if the debtor wants to challenge the lien in the court, the court will require him to post a like amount with the court, in cash, a bond, or a letter of guarantee.

As to costs of the vessel while arrested, those become part of the final costs of the action. If the lienholder wins, the vessel or its owner bears all the costs; if the debtor wins, the lienholder will bear all the costs, including dockage, etc. during the action.

For the amounts BB seems to be dealing with, the mechanic filing a lien would seem unlikely.

Lawyer's disclaimer (we have to do this you know!)-since I am not licensed to practice in BB's jurisdiction, this is not legal advice, just a a short explanation of maritime liens.

The mechanic has already been paid almost $5K on the bill.

THD. Thank you, very informative and you are right very different then what us GC's were talking about. Kinda like the maritime way better it can bite both ways easier.

SCOTTEDAVIS said:

THD. Thank you, very informative and you are right very different then what us GC's were talking about. Kinda like the maritime way better it can bite both ways easier.

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I don't like the idea that the owner is not noticed of what's happening until they seize the boat.

BB-a defendant is not usually notified of any pending action until a complaint have been filed. So, not any different than usual civil actions. Also, the action is not against the owner, but against to vessel. The original theory being that boats were movable, so the first action had to be to grab the boat!

THD said:

BB-a defendant is not usually notified of any pending action until a complaint have been filed. So, not any different than usual civil actions. Also, the action is not against the owner, but against to vessel. The original theory being that boats were movable, so the first action had to be to grab the boat!

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So they can come in and take the boat without any type of notice?

beachbum29 said:

So they can come in and take the boat without any type of notice?

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yep...happens a lot more than you think....