Okay, so you've heard the one about the two happiest days in a boat owner's life – the day you buy your boat, and the day you sell it. This story is about what may be the most frustrating days you'll spend between them – trying to find a good boatyard.

It's not that good boatyards are such a rarity. But finding a boatyard that suits you is a personal thing and, like locating a good auto mechanic, it isn't always easy. I've had experiences with some of the best and the worst, and I'd like to pass them on, along with a few tips (with the aid of a good boatyard's manager) to help avoid some of the pitfalls.

Dean Benham

First, the best. We'll save the worst for later, followed by the lessons learned from both experiences – and some tips on how to choose the right boatyard.

BEST CASE

For the past 12 years, I've been fortunate enough to have dealt with Dean Benham, owner of Peninsula Yacht Services in Arnold, Md. Dean left the business last month , so I can't be accused of using MadMariner.com to plug a particular company. And I'm not at all sure that the next boatyard owner I hire to maintain and repair my 29-foot sailboat will be nearly as good as Dean. If I had to bet on that right now, I'd say that prospect is unlikely.

During those years, I've spent tens of thousands of dollars to have Dean and his crew gradually bring my used boat up to snuff, maintain it and repair whatever has broken, and I've never regretted a penny of it. Their work has been impeccable, their prices (though not a bargain) have been fair and they've never missed a deadline. Just as important, I've never had to wonder what they did for the money; Dean's bills always accounted for every cent's worth of parts and labor – down to 75 cents for a terry cloth towel.

My relationship with Dean started slowly. Just after I bought my used 1983 cutter, he replaced a broken stopper on the mainsheet traveler track, changed the oil and got the engine running again. Later, whenever I reported that something had broken, he managed to fix it before the following weekend, so I could sail without interruption. Gradually, he developed a long-range work program that undid some of the sloppy work and mechanical problems that were evident when I bought the boat, and he installed proper replacements.

Take the time to look at the boat yards you are considering. Are they well maintained? Does the lift look capable? All present clues to the level of service you can expect on your boat.

At my request, Dean drew up spring and winter work lists each year spelling out things he thought needed to be done. Then he went over them with me item by item, pointing out what could be postponed if my budget wasn't up to it. He unfailingly provided detailed cost estimates, along with a clause guaranteeing that they wouldn't vary by more than 15 percent up or down. And when he couldn't do something himself – such as building a custom fuel tank to fit into a narrow space – he knew just where to farm it out for the best quality and a fair price.

Needless to say, Dean and I became friends as well as boatyard owner and customer. When Dean left my previous marina, I followed him to his new one – and never was sorry for it. He has talked me into doing some things for which I was grateful, and he has persuaded me that I'd be throwing money away by doing others. Although he continued sending me cost estimates right up until the day he left I haven't signed a work order for years; a simple "yes" to his office manager was all we needed. We'd built up a mutual trust.

WORST CASE

My worst-case scenario involves a friend's attempts to fix up a 38-foot powerboat. My friend – hereafter known as Al, and, no, I won't name the boatyard, either – had nothing but trouble during the two years that the yard had the boat. The company didn't meet its initial estimates, either on a mid-March delivery time or on the relatively modest price. The firm simply ignored many of the things that Al had requested, and it did a few others on its own that hadn't been on Al's list at all.

To top that off, the yard came in two years behind schedule and nine times its original cost estimate. After missing its early spring delivery date, it hardly touched the boat during the summer. And whenever Al asked when the boat would be ready to launch, the answer would always be "two weeks" – a cat-and-mouse game that continued through most of the year.

It isn't easy to pick up a 38-foot boat and take it elsewhere if you aren't satisfied. Maritime law enables a marina to take out a lien against your boat if you haven't paid what it says you owe. And once you've invested all that time and money, you're likely to be willing to hang on for another two weeks to "finish" the job.

Although Al paid the firm regularly – and then some – for the work it had done, the company had no credible records to document what it had spent in parts and labor. The vessel still isn't ready, and if it were launched today, neither Al nor the boatyard manager really knows whether it would float.

FINDING A YARD

How do these stories translate into tips about finding a good boatyard?

Don't stint on the research in choosing the boatyard you want to deal with. I lucked out in finding Dean; I picked the marina because of the location and the services it offered, and Peninsula just happened to be there. Al chose the other company because a couple of local watermen said they used it. In principle, both of us should have done more homework. Find some boat owners whose vessels look shipshape and well cared for, and ask where they take their boats. Ask people in the industry – your marine insurance agent, your marina owner or people in your local yacht club.