Re: Repair shop NIGHTMARE!
What did you originally take the boat to him for? Was it to replace the transom wood core or to fix a leak?
What brand outboard do you have? What type of controls? It may be something pretty simple.
I can't imagine what he could have done to make it not start or not shut down simply by removing the motor. On most motors its just a matter of unplugging the harness and unbolting the motor.
He most likely didn't have to touch the controls.
Where is it leaking water from? If it leaked before, and leaks now and there's no visible holes in the outer transom panel then its most likely either the two lower motor bolts or the rub rail. Both are common places to take on water. I'd expect that even the dumbest idiot would seal at least the lower motor bolts, if not, just do remove the bolts and do it. I'd find where it's leaking first. Put the boat in the water and look under the splashwell at the lower bolts, see if their leaking, also look at the bilge drain, make sure its not leaking. It would be pretty embarrassing to go screaming at this guy only to find out your drain plug leaks.
Its also an old boat, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised just the same if the wiring harness isn't brittle or falling apart just from age or corrosion. I've seen plenty that didn't survive removal after so many years. Take a close look at the control harness connection, make sure its clean and not corroded. If your motor runs a magneto, it very well may just be a bad connection that needs cleaning.
While I agree the shop was far from professional, there's only so much I'd expect from a $1000 transom job.
If he did indeed replace the transom wood and all the glass work was done properly you more than got what you paid for.
A real shop would have charged far more to do the job from start to finish.
As someone who on occasion will take on a side project to make extra money, I can tell you there's not a chance of getting a transom rebuilt for that kind of money here, I value my time far more than that guy does. I'd also insist that every loose item be removed from the boat and out of my way. I don't have room to store loose items like rafts, tubes, lifejackets, etc. while the boat is apart.
I would most likely at least wash down the boat when I was done but there's not a lot you can do about dust getting all over the boat since grinding fiberglass and sanding is messy, it gets everywhere. Anything short of taping up the whole interior would be useless.
Its just dust, it will blow away with a simple shot from the air gun, and the rest will vacuum up or wash off. Not a big deal.
As far as your decision to dump $1000 into a 1978 trihull, that's on you. Boats these days are plentiful, and there's plenty out there for cheap often in good condition. I have to assume you really like the trihull design and that's why you wanted to save that hull?
There's no way I'd go back to that shop. Besides, it sounds like more of a body shop or fiberglass shop than an outboard repair shop. If so, its highly likely they know little to nothing about motors. One of the best paint shops I deal with probably couldn't change a spark plug. And the same goes for most outboard repair guys, most won't touch fiberglass work or paint. To me its sort of like hiring a roofer to replace the shingles and wondering why your basement windows still leak.
I'd find the water leak first, then check the motor connections.
What year and brand is the motor? What type of controls?
Got any pics of the transom?
