Hi all,

Most all of us have to deal, more or less regularly, with boatyards. This article refers to US yards and norms, but its advice will cross national boundaries. The following URLs will take you to a few articles which I believe to be so extremely thoughtful, useful and full of common sense that they just deserve to be widely distributed. The articles are by Steve D’Antonio, an independent marine consultant, and are pertinent, even innovative, to anyone anticipating interactions with a boatyard and wishing their interactions to go smoothly and successfully. Moreover, we can hope, that if enough owners follow Steve’s suggestions, the industry will have to shift its SOP’s (standard operating procedures) for executing work and interactions with owners for the better.

(http://stevedmarineconsulting.com/cracking-the-code-part-i/)
(http://stevedmarineconsulting.com/cracking-the-code-part-ii/)
(http://stevedmarineconsulting.com/october-2016-newsletter/)

The last URL has suggestions—last letter in the column-- by me for what owners can do to give the best chance for boatyard work to go smoothly.

His other articles (on his site) on a vast array of marine topics are well worth spending time with.

My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy

Vice Commodore, OCC