Gofirstclass
Well-Known Member
I frequently see members on here asking for a mechanic in a certain area or maybe a place that can do canvas. Often they're in a hurry, at times wanting to fix a broken whateveritis.
I'd like to offer a suggestion to them that I've learned over the many years of boating. That is: Find your sources before you need them, then take good care of them.
As an example: I have a great boat mechanic. Jim owns a marina and boat repair yard and is busy all the time. My boat is the only boat he will make "house calls" on. For everyone else, they have to deliver it to him on a trailer or cruise it to his dock for him to work on it. He's also the only person I will allow to drive the boat without me being on board. He has driven it from my slip to his dock when he replaced the genset last fall.
So why is my boat so special? Well he does like the boat. A lot, but I think the biggest reason is that Jim and I are friends. I take very good care of him and the guys in his shop. About once a month I take in a dozen donuts or a cake. Two or three times in the colder months when they have some spare time on their hands I take them a Mexican meal for lunch.
Is it worth it? I think so. When we had a breakdown on about a month ago on our way to Seattle. I called Jim from where we were on the Columbia trying to sort things out. Almost the first words out of his mouth were "Well get it back here and I'll meet you down at the dock tomorrow morning." None of this "well I'm pretty busy but I think I can get to it next week."
That's the kind of response we all would like to hear, but you don't get that unless you cultivate the relationship. True to his word Jim called me early the next morning and we agreed to meet at the boat at 10:00 a.m. Oh, did I mention that Jim has a key to my boat?
This cultivation costs me about a hundred bucks a year, or maybe a bit more. Is it worth it? Absofreakinlutely. So start looking now for a good mechanic, a good fiberglass guy, a good canvas guy, a diver, a surveyor, or whoever you think you might need. When you find them, get to know them, then take care of them.
I'd like to offer a suggestion to them that I've learned over the many years of boating. That is: Find your sources before you need them, then take good care of them.
As an example: I have a great boat mechanic. Jim owns a marina and boat repair yard and is busy all the time. My boat is the only boat he will make "house calls" on. For everyone else, they have to deliver it to him on a trailer or cruise it to his dock for him to work on it. He's also the only person I will allow to drive the boat without me being on board. He has driven it from my slip to his dock when he replaced the genset last fall.
So why is my boat so special? Well he does like the boat. A lot, but I think the biggest reason is that Jim and I are friends. I take very good care of him and the guys in his shop. About once a month I take in a dozen donuts or a cake. Two or three times in the colder months when they have some spare time on their hands I take them a Mexican meal for lunch.
Is it worth it? I think so. When we had a breakdown on about a month ago on our way to Seattle. I called Jim from where we were on the Columbia trying to sort things out. Almost the first words out of his mouth were "Well get it back here and I'll meet you down at the dock tomorrow morning." None of this "well I'm pretty busy but I think I can get to it next week."
That's the kind of response we all would like to hear, but you don't get that unless you cultivate the relationship. True to his word Jim called me early the next morning and we agreed to meet at the boat at 10:00 a.m. Oh, did I mention that Jim has a key to my boat?
This cultivation costs me about a hundred bucks a year, or maybe a bit more. Is it worth it? Absofreakinlutely. So start looking now for a good mechanic, a good fiberglass guy, a good canvas guy, a diver, a surveyor, or whoever you think you might need. When you find them, get to know them, then take care of them.