Thursday 26 August 2010

The long and winding road..........

.......That leads somewhere at last.

All these months, all the grief, lies, subdifuge and time wasted, and now I know what it was all about. Martin has had a lot of personal 'stuff' to deal with. He also claims that my boat has been under priced by £8k, and I have seen his reluctance to build it. On Tuesday afternoon he commented that the boat has turned out a lot better than he thought it would. When I pressed him for an explaination, he said he had doubts about being able to get the hull shape right and the overall look. That probably hasnt helped him feel enthusiastic about building it.

This week has seen a mad rush, thanks to Clive, the new guy at the yard, who had his own business building and fitting out boats but sold out due to the hardships in the industry at the moment.
His experience and muscle has helped push the job forward and so on Monday this week it was decided that completion is possible by tomorrow, Friday. The cabin sides went up in a day, then the ribs to support the roof and finally the roof sheets themselves.
The only fly in the ointment is Badger, the crane driver who will load and unload. He is off on 10 days break this weekend and if the boat isnt ready to load by 0700 Saturday, it will be stuck in the yard for another 10 days.

So, Ive had to make the final ballance payment this week to ensure funds are cleared. The final invoice included some extras such as the engine cradle, but it came to £500 more than it should have. When I pointed this out to Martin, my suspicions were confirmed.
He tried to say that the original quoted price was too low and the real price is almost a £1000 more. He started punching out numbers on his calculator to justify his claim but I told him he was talking crap and moving the posts. We had an argument during which he said the boat was mis priced by £8000 and that he would never have agreed to build it for the original quoted price. I had all my receipts and paperwork to hand and showed him.

I laughed at that contradictory statment. Why give me a written quote if it was knowingly the wrong price? Which ever way he tried, I had the answers and stood my ground. He finally decided to accept I am correct but said he wouldnt be paying for the craneage and haulage.

I was only too happy to agree with him as that was always to be my cost anyway, and I have already arranged both and agreed a price with Badger for the crane and A&P for the truck.

It aint over till the fat Lady sings, but im fingers crossed that Saturday will be my last involvment with M&D Boatbuilders. What more can I say?. Ive debated how much I should say about the whole fiasco here in a public blog as I have a few people advising me of legal pitfalls. Everything Ive documented is true, has been said, has happened.
Im finally looking forward to achieving my original intention to enjoy building this project.

7 comments:

  1. Project is proceeding - Am looking forward to seeing what it looks like at present - good luck - john

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  2. Wow! So what stage have you reached? It still looks very bare in the photos.

    - MintysPilot

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  3. I stopped taking pix because I cannot get far enough away from the boat to fit it all in and the shed is so dark inside, the quality is poor.

    Patience please, not long to wait now then all shall be revealed.

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  4. So what's next after you get the boat out of that shop Amy? Are you going to fit it out yourself?

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  5. After the boat is complete (or live aboard complete) are you planning on making it your home?--- john

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  6. That's great news, Amy. Looking forward to seeing the finished hull when she's out in the open.

    Well done you for sticking with it.

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  7. Yup
    I shall be commencing the fitout just as soon as I can because the days are getting shorter and winter is on its way. I originally hoped to be in by the end of October but I have to revise that and Christmas is the latest deadline.

    I cant see it being carpets and curtains by then but as long as its warm and dry.

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