Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ's

What do you work on? Do you work on all engines? Do you do electronic installations? Do you do pre-purchase inspections? What marinas will you work at? Do you have an actual shop? Do you do battery installations? Do you do sailboat rigging or winch services? How do you bill and get paid? What is your labor rate? Why do you discourage appointments? Are you insured? What don't you do? What if the price is too high?? Any guarantees?? What do you work on? It is easier to answer what we DON'T do!... We DON'T do varnishing, detailing, washing, or go in the water. We try to avoid gas engines, although we do an occasional oil and fuel filter service. There is very little else we don't do, hence the slogan... "One call does it all". We WILL DO plumbing, engines, climb masts, electrical, gelcoat, pumps, wiring, electronics, head repair (including Vacuflush), etc. We prefer to work on boats larger than 30 feet long. We prefer sailboats and displacement power boats, diesel only. Back to Top Do you work on all engines? No gas! We like to work on diesel engines up to about 120hp in size,m although lately we seem to be doing a lot of larger engines also.. Yanmar, Universal, Perkins, Ford Lehman, Beta, Volvo etc. We do Not work on gas engines or Farryman engines. Back to Top Do you do electronic installations? Yes. We love to install radars, Gps's, autopilots etc. Also wind instruments, TV antennas, stereos, speakers, speed/depth, VHF radios and more. We are trusted to do installs on brand new yachts for a couple of new boat dealers, so that should speak for itself! Back to Top Do you do pre-purchase inspections? Yes. We usually do engine surveys only. The normal price for a complete inspection and a multiple page report and pictures is $175. Occasionally a customer who we have a relationship with will ask us to do a complete survey, and we will. But please note we are NOT a licensed marine surveyor. Back to Top What marinas will you work at? Most Harbor and Shelter Island marinas and yacht clubs and the Marriott Marina. We do NOT work Chula Vista or Coronado. (Its tough to be so popular that we don't have time to travel!) NEW, spring 2009!!! We go to Pier 32 in National City twice a month and Coronado once a month. Back to Top Do you have an actual shop? Yes we do, Our shop is located in the old Kettenburg yard at 2810 Carleton St. Suite H. We do not receive mail or packages there, as we are seldom there. Please use our PO Box for mail, call if you need UPS/FedEx delivery site. Back to Top Do you do battery installations? Yes. We are very competitive and sell only quality marine batteries. Don't even think of buying from West Marine or San Diego Marine Exchange. We are way cheaper. See the link for batteries in the "Standard Services" area of the web site for details, pricing etc. Back to Top Do you do sailboat rigging or winch services? Yes. We go up masts, tune rigs, inspect rigs, change the windex, change anchor lights or bulbs, etc. We love to do winch services also. See more about winch services in the link "Standard Services". Very reasonable set pricing for winch services. Back to Top How do you bill and get paid? We bill via a pdf file on the internet whenever possible. We try to detail exactly what was done and what parts were used. We accept Visa, Master Charge, Discover, PayPal, checks and of course cash. (cash with two forms of ID and a DNA test:) We try to bill within 24 hours of completion of job. Most smaller job are done first, then billed. Larger jobs may require a deposit. Electronic jobs always require a deposit. Back to Top What is your labor rate? Our labor rate is $60 per hour for most skilled jobs. Some jobs that require a second lower skilled tech may see a $48 hour rate for 2nd tech. Many jobs have set rates that are much lower than standard labor rates. Some of those are listed under the "Standard Services" page. Back to Top Why do you discourage appointments? We charge extra to be at a specific place at a specific time or day. We usually travel in teams and travel with lots of tools and supplies. It is very inefficient for us to have to pack up from a boat, clean up, and move to yours at a certain time. Maybe that job is not done. Sometimes yours will be a one man job and the second team member has nothing to do nearby. Other times we might have had two jobs going someplace else that we have to pack up both of us. Some times you do a job that you think might be a 2 hour job but it turns out to be an 8 hour job. Bottom line... It just does not work for us. We require a description of work needed and access to the boat. It will get done as promised and expected. Back to Top Are you insured? Yes, we are licensed and insured for $500,000 per occurrence. Back to Top What don't you do? We don't do woodwork, varnishing, washing, detailing, or go in the water. There is vary little else we do not do. Hence the slogan... "one call does it all" Back to Top What if the price is too high?? If you feel we were too high in our charge, unfair, or unreasonable, call. We will describe what we did, why it took the time, what was used, etc. Then he will finish by saying "You pay whatever is fair and we will accept it as payment in full" You can't lose your argument. Back to Top Any guarantees?? First of all, you are guaranteed to be happy. If we sell you a part that is bad at install or up to 60 days later, we will pay to remove it and reinstall it. If you are unhappy with the quality of work and notify us within 60 days, we will redo it. We have no enemies and like it that way. We are always fair, sometimes to the point where customers send us money when we say we will to it gratis, because they thing we went too far. We also receive more than we bill sometimes, again because the customer knows we went above and beyond. Back to Top