How to Choose a Boatyard

Choosing a boatyard is not a minor decision. This is the team that will care for your most important investment for weeks — sometimes months.

On their competence rides whether your vessel returns to the water in good condition, on schedule and within budget. The word "boatyard" covers very different operations — full-service shipyards, contractor-based yards, in-water facilities — and going to the wrong one, even an excellent one in its specialty, costs time and money. The daily storage rate is only the tip of the iceberg: lay days, haul-out and pressure-wash fees, materials markup, and the repairs that surface only once the boat is on the hard all live below the waterline of the quote. This guide gives you the framework to evaluate any yard before you commit your vessel.

What's inside the guide

• The three yard types — full-service, contractor-based and in-water — and which one your project actually needs
• The 10 evaluation criteria of a good yard, from Travelift condition to communication culture
• Real pricing — storage, haul-out and lay-day fees by region, and how rates are calculated
• The five costs that always catch owners off guard, and when the yard is cheaper than going it alone
• The red flags, the seasonal windows for major work, and the +30-point pre-commitment checklist