The most expensive mistake in a refit is reopening finished work. Site inspection means seeing each job at the right moment, before it is closed: wiring before linings go back, preparation before paint, through-hulls before launch.
Typical check points
- After opening up
- When stripping is complete, hidden damage shows; extra work scope is set here.
- Before closing
- Cables, hoses and pipework are seen and photographed before linings close.
- Lamination
- Preparation of the repair area, ply count and cure.
- Paint
- Surface preparation and conditions; before each coat.
- Installation
- Engine beds, alignment, through-hulls and sealing.
- Before launch
- Seacocks, stern gland and every new through-hull.
How it works
- List written up front. Which stages are inspected, stated in the contract.
- Yard gives notice. At a check point work pauses and the inspector is called.
- Record. Photos, readings and notes; a defect list if needed.
- Sign-off. Written approval once defects are closed; the stage payment depends on it.
Why check points?
In a refit, some work can never be seen again once complete: wiring behind linings, preparation under laminate, the surface under paint. To see that it was done right, points are set where work stops before closing. At a check point work halts; it does not continue until the owner or their representative has seen it.
Inspection sequence
- Baseline after strip-out: existing condition, photos and readings.
- In structural repair, cut-out and scarf before laminating.
- In plumbing and electrics, cable and hose runs before linings close.
- In painting, surface preparation before the first coat.
- In engine installation, alignment after launch.
- Sea trial and acceptance.
Records
At each check point, photos, readings and a short note are taken. The record supports payment and, if a problem arises later, shows how the work was done.
If the owner is away
Check points can be followed through photo reports even if the owner is not on site. What matters is notice before work stops and a check within a reasonable time; otherwise the check point holds up the work more than necessary.
In the contract
Check points are listed in the contract; opening an area closed without inspection is at the contractor's cost.
Independent eyes
An independent inspector at check points brings consistency: the same questions, the same measurements, the same record, whichever tradesman did the work.
Notice
The yard gives a day or two's notice before reaching a check point, so the inspection is planned and work does not wait needlessly. Notice and inspection dates are recorded too, so where delays came from is never a later argument.
Outcome
Each check point ends one of three ways: accepted, accepted after correction, or not accepted. Where correction is needed, it is inspected again afterwards before work continues.
The number of check points is set by the size of the job: two or three for a small repair, one for each main work item in a thorough refit. The aim is not to slow the work, but to make sure everything that will be hidden is seen once before it is closed up.
Well planned, check points make the yard's job easier too, because it knows from the start what will be seen when and can organise the work around it. That openness builds trust on both sides.
All records go into the handover file, which stays with the boat.
That file answers questions for years, long after the tradesmen have moved on.