Refit budgets are usually overrun not by the difficulty of the work but by a handful of recurring mistakes. All of them can be seen coming, and most are prevented by a few lines written before work starts.
The seven most common mistakes
- Starting without a condition survey
- The budget rests on guesses; every panel opened brings a surprise.
- A vague specification
- Descriptions like "paint the boat"; each yard prices a different job, and the difference arrives later as extras.
- Unwritten extra work
- Every extra approved verbally becomes an argument at invoice time.
- No check points
- Finished work reopened; labour paid twice.
- Calendar-based payments
- Payments tied to dates keep running even when the work runs late.
- Ordering parts late
- The boat waits ashore; hardstanding and shed charges run on.
- Letting the wish list grow
- Non-essential jobs consume the budget for essential ones.
Prevention in short
- A current condition survey.
- A measurable specification, with quotes against it.
- A written extra-work procedure.
- Payments tied to check points.
- A contingency and a prioritised wish list.
Starting without a survey
The most expensive refit mistake is starting work without knowing the boat's real condition. A job list written without a condition survey grows fast with work found on opening, and the budget runs out of control. A survey reduces uncertainty before work begins.
Verbal extras
Every "while you're at it, look at this too" given verbally can become an unexpected line on the invoice. Every extra should be approved in writing, with its price and effect on time, before it starts. That protects owner and yard alike.
Late decisions
Late decisions on colour, materials or equipment leave tradesmen waiting and the schedule slipping. On hourly work, waiting is a direct cost; on fixed-price work, the cost of slippage appears elsewhere.
Scope creep
Jobs added mid-refit "since it's open anyway" each look sensible but together overrun the budget. Each new request goes on the wish list and is weighed with the budget; not everything has to fit this refit.
Wrong order of work
A cable remembered after the lining is closed, or a hole drilled after painting, means opening and closing the same area twice and paying twice. Thinking through the sequence once at the planning stage removes that cost.
Cheap materials
A cheap material unsuited to the marine environment soon needs replacing; the second round of labour costs more than the first saving.
Skipping acceptance
Paying in full before the sea trial and snag list removes the owner's leverage to get the last items finished.
Independent eyes
A party checking its own work is naturally limited. Having independent eyes at check points means mistakes are caught before linings close. Fixing a mistake before closing is always far cheaper than fixing it after, when the lining, paint or joinery above it must come out first.
A lack of regular, written communication with the yard turns small questions into large costs. A short weekly meeting or written status report, with decisions sent to both sides afterwards, keeps decisions on time and problems discussed early.
Most of these mistakes are prevented by a simple set-up before work starts: survey, specification, written approval and check points. None of them is costly; all of them save money.
Each is a small step on its own, and together they keep a refit on budget.
Skipping any one of them tends to cost more than doing all four.