The Boat Yard at Grand Marina

We had a seacock issue and we were nervous about ignoring it, as we had to leave town. The Boat Yard at Grand Marina hauled us on short notice and took care of our concerns as promised with quality work, a fair price and a quick turn-​around time. The owners, office and yard personnel here were all friendly, knowledgable and made us feel like they truly cared about our business. We have been hauling our boats in the area for 30 years and will definitely be returning to this boatyard. We highly recommend them and cannot thank them enough for a job well done!

The positive:
I found the office staff and yard workers to be friendly and efficient for the most part. Everybody was accommodating.
The owners seem to love boats, are knowledgeable (with a caveat below) and don’t encourage you to spend money that doesn’t need to be spent.
Billing was itemized and thorough.
The yard is close to two chandleries (if you consider West Marine a «chandlery»!) and several marine vendors, riggers, etc.
The negative:
I discovered some work being performed out of sequence (the right hand not knowing what the left hand was doing). In fact, communication was sometimes lacking in the office and yard.
IMO there are a couple of big egos at the top. This is only an issue because if they don’t know the answer, I found there is a tendency to give one anyway. When in doubt, get another opinion.

I have brought my current boat here 3 times and two prior boats I’ve owned to this yard. After being burned by another yard I tried out this yard and have never thought of going anywhere else but here. The quality of work is good the people are friendly and they offer good value. I don’t feel like I am being taken advantage of I feel like they genuinely care and appreciate your business. I will bring my boat back here again and again.

We have had three haul outs there. The most recent involved both bottom paint and new standing rigging. They get the work done without a lot of fuss and do a first class job. We recommend this yard to all of our sailing friends.

I dont Unilocal much but when I do it is warranted. I would not go anywhere else then Grand Marina Boat Yard GREAT work and also personnel.

Very nice and honest people!
Several years ago we messed up our prop and needed it replaced. We went to Grand Marina Boat Yard to see if they could do the job, and while they said they could, they also said we could save a lot of money by having a diver do the job. They gave us several names of reputable divers and the job was done without any problems. Now, we are getting ready to move our boat from the Bay to the Delta and needed to take our radar down. The hinge and bolts had become so corroded that there was no way we could get them out. We called Grand Marina Boat Yard to see if they could help and they said, «sure, bring it on over». They had the right tools and really, within a few minutes the bolts were removed and the radar down. The charge? $ 0.00.
«It only took a few minutes». We were able to tip the gentleman that helped us, but I don’t think you’ll find this type of service anywhere else. Thank You Grand Marina Boat Yard!

Treated me very fair. Great service and quick turn around. I challenge you to find a better value on the bay!

Best boatyard ever! Brought my 30′ sailboat there and it came back better than new — without breaking the bank. And the management team, Sarah, Shawn and Neil, is always there to help and, if needed, even getting their hands dirty. I’m very impressed after many disappointing boatyard experiences before — this is the place to go if you want good service and good value for money.

I have owned my Cal 31 for 35 years and have had countless experiences with boat yards. By far this time was the easiest and most pleasant I have experienced. Sean, Sarah, and Claudia were wonderful with lots of extra touches to make the experience special. From the photos of the bottom of the boat that were emailed after the service to the tote bags, the little touches were above and beyond. The job they did on the bottom paint was top quality and the polishing of the topsides made the boat look like new! When I got the final invoice there were no surprises. It was exactly what i was expecting from the day I called and asked Sean for an estimate.
Well done Team!

We have used this boat yard 5 times since 1991, when we bought our 1984 Ericson sailboat at NorCal and had her surveyed and serviced with Pete at Mariner Boat Yard. This yard is even better under the new owners, this being our second haul out with them. Neil, Shawn, Sarah, Deacon, Greg, and the whole gang are fabulous. It is nice to see familiar faces and experience the benefits of a consistent crew. Service has been prompt, efficient, professional, and cost effective. They just flat get it done. The bottom job this time is the best ever, and the hull polish really spiffed up the boat, even though we maintain her very well. Greg changed our cutlass bearing and prop. Having used several other boat yards around the Bay, and having done a lot of work ourselves in prior years on our Santana 30, I have to say that there isn’t anything this crew could have done to make this a better haul out experience. It’s been painless. I highly recommend them!

I don’t usually write reviews for Unilocal,but I was so impressed with the quality and fairness of the service that I felt compelled to say something.
It’s often difficult to find professionals you can trust in this industry, but the people at Grand Marina went above and beyond to make sure the job was done on time, and properly.
Our sailboat’s engine wouldn’t start after having been rebuilt by another mechanic. Nobody could figure out what the problem was. Finally we found this yard. They had space available at the work dock right away, so we had the boat towed in the following Monday. When we arrived we were promptly greeted and treated to coffee.
The mechanic met with us right away and quickly discovered fuel problems. He also noticed that we had at least two stuck valves. Over the course of the next week and a half, they discovered several more problems, and fixed each one. When we called for updates, we were always able to speak with someone knowledgeable right away, who was able to explain what was going on.
Now the motor runs great, at a fraction of what it would have cost to repower. We owe this yard a lot of thanks. The price was competitive with other yards in the area, but still not cheap. However, it was well worth it to have a running engine again.
I would highly recommend the Boat Yard at Grand Marina for any mechanical issues. This would be my first choice if we ever have any more problems.

I just had a bottom job and repair work done to the shaft and strut. Everything when just as discussed, job finished on time, and price was right.
I will be back,
Thanks guys

If you’re looking for a top notch office staff, this is your place. If you, re looking for honesty, integrity, fair dealing and value for your dollar on boat repairs, keep looking.
I had my 1988 Carver towed there for bottom painting and a massive oil leak caused by the incompetent mechanic and owner of Carver Marine in Alameda — avoid this clown at all costs, literally and figuratively, but that’s another story.
I got an estimate for the bottom painting job and a best guess on the oil leak. Once the boat was at their yard, and since the boat was rarely used over the past year, I was not surprised that a few other service issues surfaced. Hoses needed replacement, some serious corrosion was evident requiring engine replacement parts, etc. The expense estimate was more than I had planned on investing in the boat, but figured since the boat was already there… To make a long story short, I got written estimates that I authorized prior to the job being started. When the work was completed I got an invoice that nearly doubled the estimate and included supposed work that was never discussed with me at any time. In addition, they identified more work that was required. We negotiated a moderate reduction in the bill and I authorized the additional work they recommended. Same result, a bill that far exceeded the estimate and authorized work. Okay, one such occurrence might have been a mistake or oversight, but this occurred three times and I finally refused to negotiate any payment for work I did not authorize.
They claimed they did a test run and one of the engines overheated, so of course more work was required, but they couldn’t give me an estimate of the cost! So essentially they wanted a blank check. The initial $ 2,000 estimate had now cost me more than $ 13,000 and the boat still does not run! Final kicker, I go to pick up my boat to take it back to the marina. As I’m pulling out, hydraulic oil from the steering reservoir gushes everywhere, now I have no steering and near collisions with docked yachts. I can’t prove it, but I believe this was sabotage by the old guy mechanic who got chastised for making unauthorized repairs. How else could they have test run the boat a couple of days prior and such a serious steering issue not surface? By the way, they had my boat for nearly six months.
On the positive side, you won’t find friendlier and more accommodating office staff anywhere. Their professionalism and customer service were largely the reason that I didn’t bolt at the first sign of questionable business practice by the owners.
I caution you to beware and ever vigilant if you decide to let these people get their hands on your boat. If my experience is a predictor, it’ll cost you a heck of a lot more than you anticipated or was promised.

Excellent Boat Yard, they were very knowledgeable, besides bottom paint they fixed several problems we did not know about on the boat (explains the water in the bottom). Our 57′ Powerboat was there for several weeks, their pricing was fair, we will absolutely use their services again, I highly recommend them.

Great service — including the scheduling. Boat was lifted 5 minutes after I got there… Job was a little bigger than anticipated, but it was done in a day and the boat was waiting for me the next day, as scheduled.

Bottom job on my trawler. Nice job, new zincs and golden screws. On time
Fair prices

I’ll give them 4 stars for now. I spent way too much money here because they’re friendly and flexible. Based on a 37 point inspection after delivery I couldn’t find anything truly wrong. I’ll update the review if I do. Watch out though, they’ll talk you into spending more money than you need, and they were off a few hours on one of the jobs — since they had the boat for almost 2 months, they had the chance to estimate it correctly. However, a few hours on a set of large jobs is minor. The 3 surveyors I know recommend this yard over all the competition, tying them with KKMI in Richmond.

Fantastic people and great work.
Been here several times and work was always done on-​time and either on or under quoted price.
Will bring my boat here for all future work.

Neil, Sean and the crew have worked on both my Ericson sailboat and my CHB Trawler. Everything from a total re-​rig to replacing soggy decks to simple haul-​outs and inspections– oh yeah, they cleaned out an old outboard I stored on the wrong side too. Everything is done well and on time.