Click for a list of boat services: Marine Surveyors Marine Salvage Captains

You know what is as important as finding the right boat to meet your needs?.... finding the right folks than can service and maintain your boat. While all boats depreciate, boats that are not well maintained in the harsh marine environment deteriorate and depreciate at an alarming rate. When you buy a boat new or used you must factor in the realistic cost of ownership. You know the old saying about boats being a hole in water that you throw money into. Well it's not that bad, but boats are not cheap either, and depending on size, most yachts are right up there with private planes, and in some cases, in line with a home purchase. One thing is for sure... it never pays to let boat maintenance slide. You're best to keep on top of it, do the things you can do yourself and let the experts take care of the rest.

It not just a matter of waxing and oil changes, there are many things that can and do go wrong on a boat. Even a moisture meter on the hull is a necessary evil every once in a while, to insure water is not breaching vent seals, through bolts or fiberglass blisters. If you wait until the balsa core or a stringer gets rotten it's going to cost you dearly. The tough part is finding the right people to work on your boat who are fair and reliable. The best way to ascertain this is to talk to other boaters and find out their recommendations and experiences.

Make sure that you get quotes before the work begins and be sure you know what you are paying for exactly with the service, so there are no unexpected shortcuts or lower quality repairs. In many marinas they want your service business and rightfully so. In most cases, in-water marinas could not survive without some control over what work goes on in their marina. They need their fair share of repair business as well. Be sure to understand what is allowable in terms of offsite services coming in to work on your boat before you book your dock slip. You should also be aware that some marinas frown on owners doing any kind of extensive work on their own and the boat owner may find themselves in an uncomfortable situation where they are not wanted back or are low on priority list for winter inside storage by example. Don't guess! Ask around. Talk to the marina owner and lay any concerns you have out on the table. Compare standard services like haul out, power washing, blocking and reconcile that with packaged prices.

It's not that the marina is trying to rip you off, they have overhead to pay and want to be in business for the long run so the boat owner has to find the right match in marina services for his/her needs. Some marinas are do-it-yourself orientated and some are full service orientated. You will also note that many marinas do have outside services come in but they have preferred companies they like to partner with. The smart marinas have efficient competitive service shops and sub contract partners that offer quality expert work at fair prices. The bad ones... well word gets around.

On last thing - in good economic times most good marinas are filled to capacity. In bad economic times, when lots of docking is available there will also be more flexibility on service and maintenance work costs. If you have some sort of big boat or yacht overhaul, do it when business is slow, not when service staff can't keep up.

Marine Surveyors

Adam Bishop	Bishop Marine Service Ltd.	416-346-5003
John Bond	John Bond Marine Surveyor	905-885-6486
R.F. David Buchanan	Buchanan Marine Appraisal Services Ltd.	705-327-7870 705-323-7183 Cell
Ian G. Campbell	Campbell Insurance Surveys Inc.	613-542-7464
Douglas R. Cowie	Douglas Cowie Marine Survey Inc.	613-546-0411
Barry Goodyear	Ra Kon Marine Surveyors & Appraisers	877-777-2566 905-853-8100 Cell
Michel Goudeseune		613-475-5405
Wallace Gouk	Port Credit Marine Surveys	416-526-3845
Garry Kelsey	Kelsey's Marine Surveying	613-498-1648
Stephen W. Leake	SWL Consultants	613-258-9958
John G. Mackay		519-832-5557 519-832-7555 Cell
Dan McDonald	McDonald Marine Surveys Inc.	416-670-1160
Peter H. McGuire	Fastnet Yacht Services Ltd.	416-239-5782 416-809-2186 Cell
Nicole McLoughlin	McLoughlin Marine Survey	613-544-4532 613-583-7789 Cell
Craig D. Morley	AquaFacts Yacht Surveyors	519-786-3438 519-933-3205 Cell
C. David Sandford	DS Marine Surveys	905-449-2176
Joe Trudeau & Jason Trudeau	McLarens Canada	877-664-6070 705-533-4545
John Vander Perk	Vander Perk Marine Service Inc.	905-468-2814 905-327-9482 Cell
David H. Wells		705-652-0180 705-741-9765 Cell
Ian M. White		613-483-0398 Cell
Julian Whittaker		519-583-3602 519-771-3854 Cell
Murray Willits	Murray's Marine Surveying & Consulting	519-670-0183

Marine Salvage

Roy Marine:	705-529-2826
Ontario Boating League:	705-549-6500
Boyle Marine:	705-368-2239

Captains

Cosmos:		905-715-8795
North Star Yacht Deliveries:		386-937-9885
Great Lakes Yacht Deliveries:		989-684-7943
Blue Peter Marine Services:		613-476-9631
Glad Tiding Tours:		705-529-8479
Global Delivery Service:		832-541-7569
Exploration Sailing Charters:		519-362-2497
Georgian Bay Vacations:		519-301-3526
Captain Chris Bowman:	www.chrisbowmancaptain.ca	705-326-7991
Grassroots Sailing School:		866-895-8254