Boat Detailer Seattle Area-gctid357544

[mmichellich]

Our 47 is located in Des Moines, Wa. Our boat detailer and best friend passed away this winter, so sad. I need to find a new company to detail my boat this spring. Basically just rub out the exterior fiberglass and apply wax, good for another year. Any suggestions of someone you have used, did a good job and was reasonably priced. I have seen some detail work that actually did more harm to the boat than improvement so want to be careful whom I hire. Boat has been under cover since new in 1996 and has been detailed every spring so as 1996 boats go it is in pretty good external condition. Recommendaitons?

[ksanders]

Noah over at North Harbor Diesel in Anacortes does great work.

I think its about $1200 for a basic rub and one coat of wax on a 4788

[Guest]

Natalie Sears at Deckhand Detailing does a great job for us.

[mmichellich]

Hope she does a good job, just hired her.

[Guest]

What was the quoted price?

Are you out of the water or in at the moment?

[mmichellich]

In the water.

[Guest]

mmichellich wrote:
Hope she does a good job, just hired her.

Damn, I should get a commission.

I'm sure you'll be happy with her and her crew.

[mmichellich]

Well they called and said they were done. My son inspected the boat today and they are not done. Hope it all works out. Called and emailed twice today with issues to be worked.

[mmichellich]

I inspected my boat today, after Deck Hand Detailing finished all their work. We just returned from the winter in Az. I would not recommend their work to anyone based on how they did on my boat. I am not new to detailing as this boat has been detailed every single year in the spring since got it new Dec 95, so I know what to expect. I would rate the overall job at a C+, Live and learn.

[Guest]

mmichellich wrote:
I inspected my boat today, after Deck Hand Detailing finished all their work. We just returned from the winter in Az. I would not recommend their work to anyone based on how they did on my boat. I am not new to detailing as this boat has been detailed every single year in the spring since got it new Dec 95, so I know what to expect. I would rate the overall job at a C+, Live and learn.

That's too bad. I feel badly since I recommended them.

Did you call the number and talk to Natalie directly? She needs to hear your experience.

[mmichellich]

rodell wrote:
That's too bad. I feel badly since I recommended them.

Did you call the number and talk to Natalie directly? She needs to hear your experience.

Did not call, she never seems to answer, so I sent her an email with the same information. She has my cell number if she wants to talk.

[Guest]

I'm the guy responsible for the wax job that received a C+.

I recall finding large patches of wax that had never been removed from a previous wax job before we got started.

We needed to mix a good amount of compound into the wax we used on the hull to remove oxidation and salt etching from the hull. The topsides weren't too bad except for the brow and radar arch so they received more attention. The brow was compounded completely and then waxed.

There was a garage sale worth of miscellaneous stuff in the flybridge that had to be rearranged so we could hit everything. There was no way to pit it back exactly as it was found.

We turned the boat to get at the bow and when finished called to ask if there was enough shore cable on-board to reach the outlet so we could leave it turned and not drain the batteries.

We tied two stern, two bow and two spring lines to the boat.

We use an interesting tie on the boat cleats to keep the line from resting on the freshly waxed gelcoat and putting rub marks on it. I do this on my boat as well.

I take offense at the idea that the waxing wasn't the best you could receive without a full two-step. As for any other reason you might not be happy, you have my number and we spoke many times before, during and the day we finished. You could always call me.

Bob, (smiles per hour) glad to have you as a customer and I'll make sure to do something extra on your boat when we get there.

Lee 206 225 - 7260

[mmichellich]

Plattus wrote:
I'm the guy responsible for the wax job that received a C+.

I recall finding large patches of wax that had never been removed from a previous wax job before we got started.

We needed to mix a good amount of compound into the wax we used on the hull to remove oxidation and salt etching from the hull. The topsides weren't too bad except for the brow and radar arch so they received more attention. The brow was compounded completely and then waxed.

There was a garage sale worth of miscellaneous stuff in the flybridge that had to be rearranged so we could hit everything. There was no way to pit it back exactly as it was found.

We turned the boat to get at the bow and when finished called to ask if there was enough shore cable on-board to reach the outlet so we could leave it turned and not drain the batteries.

We tied two stern, two bow and two spring lines to the boat.

We use an interesting tie on the boat cleats to keep the line from resting on the freshly waxed gelcoat and putting rub marks on it. I do this on my boat as well.

I take offense at the idea that the waxing wasn't the best you could receive without a full two-step. As for any other reason you might not be happy, you have my number and we spoke many times before, during and the day we finished. You could always call me.

Bob, (smiles per hour) glad to have you as a customer and I'll make sure to do something extra on your boat when we get there.

Lee 206 225 - 7260

Then just a FEW examples of problems I found, when I inspected the boat on Sat:

1. Canvas only partially reinstalled on bridge.

2. Power cord not plugged into shore power but into another 50 foot cord, making a 100 foot power cord to boat.

3. A couple of fenders that had been moved dragging in water.

4. Boat still bow in not rotated back like it was when process started. I checked with marina and dock workers and they said they would have been happy to help turn it back around-to avoid damage to other boats. As a result, we got bird droppings on that part hanging out of covered moorage. I already cleaned up the mess.

5. Rust still around some of the rail stanchion bases.

7. Several dock lines hanging in the water

8. Hatch to bridge not reinstalled

9. One mans garage sale is another's fishing tackle mostly

10. I have not yet inspected the glass detailing as I spent all my time Sat putting stuff away and putting boat in slip properly and putting lines and fenders on boat properly. Will inspect actual fiberglass detailing tomorrow. Remember I just arrived from 1500 miles away late last Thur.

11. Approximately 2/3 of hull was buffed and waxed, one pass by boat yard when hauled and painted in late Sept 2011, so hull could not have been as bad as indicated. It looked great in Sept and undercover since. Remainder did not need buff and wax in Sept 2011.

12. It does not surprise me that two small areas (brow and radar arch) needed buffing on a 12 plus year old boat, even tho it had been detailed every spring since new and kept under cover except when in use since new. That would seem quite minimal work. When I contacted for the work, I was clear that these areas had been problems in the past and Natalie said she would call if they found excess work was needed-no call. In terms of percentage, those are quite small compared to total boat fiberglass surfaces on a 47 Bayliner-remember you were contracted to do the entire boat bow to stern-all fiberglass including back deck, bridge, etc.

13. You called to ask about turning boat around in slip to do the hull bow area and I asked if you were going to keep power on while turned around and suggested you get an extra power cord from the bridge (since normal cord runs through dock roof rafters)and plug it into a second outlet on power station that was empty. I never expected boat to not be turned back around.

14. Where were these large patches of wax that had never been removed from a year ago, as I never saw them in a summer of use? How many, how large, where?

etc, etc, etc.

Part of the issues here started when you called me to tell me the job was complete. I had my son inspect the boat the next weekend and he found it was not done at all. I called Natalie at that point and she said the boat was no way done and only the waxing was complete but the boat still needed completely cleaned, bridge seats cleaned/detailed and everything put back to normal which would start the following Monday and Tuesday. Had several conversations with Natailie on how the crew could acquire help to turn the boat back around in the slip from the marina workers which did not happen even tho the fuel dock is only 75 yards away and the workers are there constantly fueling boats. .

It appears one big disconnect is that you as the glass detailer takes stuff from storage, removes canvas, etc. and you depend on someone else to put it back in proper order which did not happen. You have my phone number, so if you want to continue this discussion, then call me. In my recent email to the owner of the business-Natalie, I asked for nothing except to send me the bill and expressed my displeasure.

When a contractor does a good job I am the first to commend them-you can check many posts on this forum to that effect. When a contractor does not do a first rate job, I try to tell it like it is, especially because I hired you folks based on recommendations from this forum. .

[Guest]

We didn't turn the boat around because there was a breeze. Dock workers migh be able to help us but we didn't see any. They are nice at Des Moines and have given us access to the docks. We called you to let you know we wouldn't be turning it back in the weather we had that day. You ok'd us plugging in the boat with the extra cable. I took a photograph of your boat plugged in with the breaker on.

I also explained to you that I nor the three guys I brought down for two days, clean the boat when we're done. You seemed to understand that another crew was coming down to do that. We talked about protecting the vinyl seats and how I didn't know what products they used.

I agree about fishing tackle being left out of order but we couldn't remember where everything was laying prior to us moving it, I don't know how we could have.

We actually used a rust stain remover on your swimstep and stations when we did your stainless, it had no effect. The stain is really deep in your gelcoat.

The wax we found was around the doir to your pilot house and at each stainless join to your boat along the hand rail surrounding your rear flybridge.

We absolutely had to wax your hull and I'm sure if you look hard, you can find remnants of the gritty wax mix we used in cracks and crevices between the rub rail anx the gelcoat.

I can't say we made sure that all the lines were out of the water but I tied each one and always try to keep them out of salt water if I can. Perhaps an otter was marking cleats as was the case when we arrived. (quite smelly critters)

I had two fairly new guys working with me on your boat, another reason I didn't want to risk turning your boat in a narrow slip. They come from car detailing backgrounds and so I took special care to show them how to tie lines and ensure the boat gets plugged in properly. I can't wax a car and I've been doing boats for more years than I care to think about. They can't wax boats and I see this with car guys who apply each year. This was their fourth boat and I checked everything they did.

I regret that we didn't snap your canvas properly. Sometimes it isn't easy to know how to do everything on every boat. I'm also sorry we were looking at two separate procedures in all this. I thought you understood our policy and clearly it wasn't explained well enough.

I would have called but I thought it fair to defend our services in a public forum.

We're not perfect but I can promise that we try to be the best at what we do and if there's a problem we enjoy getting to the root of it and fixing it.

I lost your number and would have to get it from Natalie.

[Guest]

Sorry. I don't know what else to say. We normally do try to go above and beyond and for the life of me I can't say we could have done much better in the work but perhaps in the communication department we could have improved.

I was Google searching Deckhanddetailing.com and found your post.

I contract out to them for all their waxing. I'm in Alaska now doing a fleet of nordic tugs.

I hope if you ever do find tge time to look at the actual work we did, you like it.

Here's the kind of thing we get done normally :

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