For us the major accomplishment of 2016 was getting our sweet old Soggy Paws, our CSY 44, fixed up and sold in a matter of months. Once we settled all the bills with the marina, we couldn't believe how little it cost us to do all that work, and how good the outcome was. Here is the list of things that we had the marina do for us on the CSY:
- Prep and varnish all interior floors
- Rebuild V-berth woodwork
- Rebuild Aft cabin bunk woodwork
- Repair damaged woodwork at Nav Station
- Repair woodwork on the port settee
- Replace shelving in the engine room
- Repaired part of the caprail
- Repaired damaged toerail (cyclone damage from 2011)
- Removed stern rail and replaced damaged sections of stainless steel
- Varnish approx. 50% of interior woodwork
- Paint all white spaces on boat, including in the bilge, engine room, walls, ceiling, inside all lockers, etc
- Varnish the cockpit teak
- Prep and paint toerail
- Recover all cushions on the boat (mattresses & salon area)
- Fiberglass work to repair/rebuild leaky closed chocks
- Prep, tape off, and paint deck (without having to remove all the deck hardware)
- Prep and paint sides
- Prep and paint bottom
- 4 days of a cleaning lady to clean up interior after work completed
Since the yard management was in flux while we were having the work done, and we were in a hurry to get things done, we pretty much had to be on site almost every day overseeing the work being done, and making sure the yard workers had the supplies they needed to keep working. So there is a lot of our supervisory time that is not included in the billing. We did MOST of the procurement for paint and supplies, with once a week trips into Davao. (Some supplies the yard already had, but most we sourced ourselves, including paint, epoxy, tape, paintbrushes, and cloth for the cushions). We were able to source mostly Philippine-made supplies that were equivalent in every way to the "name" US marine brands, at a lot lower price.
Here is what we spent to get all that work done:
1. Labor: $1,965 USD
2. Materials: $1,640 USD
3. Yard Fees (4 months) & Launching: $1,612
This was at the then current exchange rate of 44 pesos to the dollar. Now the rate is 49 pesos to the dollar, so everything is even 10% cheaper. The current labor rate at the marina is $10 USD per DAY. That includes work for skilled carpenters, skilled painters, welders, fiberglassers, etc.
We dropped off an alternator at an alternator shop in Davao, and had it repaired for $12. And you can find almost any service a yachtsman would need, including liferaft repacking, in Davao. What you can't find in Davao, you can find elsewhere in the Philippines. With very cheap shipping rates, it's easy to ship stuff in from Manila, or ship something to Manila or elsewhere for repair. There is a sailmaker in Cebu who can repair sails or make new sails.
There are several mechanics available--at least one cruiser came in to the marina with a dead engine and had the engine removed, taken to Davao, and completely overhauled. Others are available to do minor repairs or servicing at the marina.
There is at least one whiz marine electronics guy, but he's hard to get scheduled, as he is much in demand for repairs for all the big ships that frequent Davao's harbor. But we have taken small electronics into Davao and gotten repairs done for very reasonable prices. I had the USB/charger socket on my Samsung phone replaced, while I waited, at a repair shop in downtown Davao, for $10. That included the part, which they had in stock.
Davao has numerous modern malls with multi-screen movie theaters (in English), large grocery stores, hardware stores, etc. And the Davao airport is literally only 10 minutes from the ferry dock, with connections to the world through Singapore and Manila.
This marina has a nice environment, with a concrete slab in the hardstand area, solid docks, and a good electrical system. When variable power was interrupting work (and pleasure) in the marina, the marina installed two huge generators which are sized to run the entire marina and workyard. This was invaluable when power to the entire island was out for 3 weeks during our refurb.
The marina clubhouse is open 24x7, with clean hot-water showers and an "honor bar". The marina furnishes a bar-b-que and charcoal for the Friday night pot luck. Plus there are two freezers available for cruisers to keep frozen food if they need to shut down their refrigeration.
The marina is theft-free. We have been in and out of here for 2 1/2 years, and have never heard of an incident of cruiser stuff going missing... in spite of the fact that everyone leaves their "stuff" all over. I would worry more about leaving tools around underneath our boat at a first world yard.
After the kidnapping incident in September 2015, the marina had a security expert come in and do a full security review. They have substantially increased security. They added two guard-houses out on the outer seawall, added a lower gate, doubled their security guards at the front and lower gates, and invited the local militia to man one of the breakwater guard houses with 2 guards 24x7. Plus they offered the Davao Coast Guard free dockage for their off-duty Coast Guard boat. They replaced all of the security cameras with higher quality cameras, as the cameras that they had in place were a little too grainy to accurately identify the perpetrators after the kidnapping. They also put pressure on the cell phone companies to increase cell coverage in our area, so we had more reliable communications in case of an emergency.
Finally, we really love the Philippines and the Filipino people. I am sure there are some nasty fellows around, but so far, thankfully, we haven't met them. The people we meet on the street are nice and friendly and helpful, and happy that we are visiting their country.
No matter how cheap it is to get work done here, we wouldn't be here if we didn't feel welcome, and fairly safe. In light of the sad incidents making world news, from as far away as Germany and as close to home as Ft. Lauderdale, we feel as safe here as we would anywhere else in the Philippines, and in the rest of the "civilized" world.
Though we do take advantage of the twice a month marina van, that takes us on provisioning runs, we do most of our shopping in Davao on our own. Most cruisers use the EXTREMELY cheap public transportation, called "jeepneys". It costs 12 pesos (25 cents) to go all the way across town, and they run constantly. Since the jeepneys go a little slower (because they are frequently stopping to pick up passengers) and aren't air conditioned, we often opt to take an air conditioned taxi, which costs us about $4 to go all the way across town.
So, that's why we're here, again. Getting work done on the new boat, and gearing up for our next adventure.
