Bimini Installer problems - Need Advice

[Tidas]

I am having a new bimini canopy made at the moment on a second hand boat.

Today when I went to have a look at its progress I found that the original press studs on the windscreen had not been replaced, rather they had been snipped off with cutters of some sort, and new ones installed beside the old hole. The remaing portion of the old pot rivets remain in place and stick out slightly beyond the alluminium frame and are quite sharp.

This looks terrible as the old press studs have been there for quite some time and the windscreen frame had begun to corrode underneath. The only way to hide it would have been to put the new press studs in exactly the same location which is what he said would do.

He tells me he did this cause the rivets used were stainless steel and he couldn't get them out with his drill. But I didn't get a phone call to ask if he could do what he's done and to my eye he's ruined the top part of the frame of my windscreen, two panels of which are curved.

Any ideas what I should do ?

What do you guys think of this in general ?

I am worried because if I am able to match the shape of the alluminum U channel (which I seriously doubt) I expect it will be quite expensive and this guy will be expecting to be paid tomorrow.

[Braddles]

Dont be pushed over.

I am sick and tired of shonky workmanship. That is garbage the story he gave you. At the very least - he should have called and explained what plan B was going to be.

Dont foresake your reasonable needs / expectations because your too polite.

I feel for you. Not to take away from your predicament... but I just had a similar problem.

I just had a twit fit custom security screens to my house after a few break and enters in the area. Meant to be welded at each contact with the frame (standard is every 3 or 4), and non drillable rivets etc.....

$8500.00 worth of security screens, he has drilled funny head screws through my powder coated aluminum window frames and gone into the sliding windows locking them shut.... and I can see through to the garden in some of the gaps. on several of them, he has missed with his drill with bit / rivet insitu and gouged the powder coating away, leaving spiral scratches into the powder coating back to metal.

He tried to tell me my windows are out of square and this is why there are gaps... Now the window track lips would hide a certain margin of error, but I am not a ###### and if my windows were 8mm out - they wouldnt have opened (not that they do now)...

He has destroyed window fames now with random holes - and he told me that they would act as drain holes!

I asked him to replace the kitchen window screen, which I could pass a post it note under the screen where it had so much play in the frame I could almost lift it out. Clearly he had mismeasured. He grunted and slammed his tap measure down in a little tantrum!

IN the end - I got the job fixed (he used liqued paper pen to touch up the scratces lol) to a passable standard.... and then he got paid.

let us know how you get on mate.

Best of luck!

Brad :-)

[Tidas]

Hi Brad,

Thanks for the quick response.

You've nailed it in one, it made me feel sick when I saw what he'd done but I also feel bad about making him fix it, I will try not to be a push over.

I wish he had just called me, I would have told him to leave the clears for the moment and I would have gotten them out myself.

I realise that he like everyone is just out trying to make a living and this will suck any money he was going to make out of the job, that said I would never do something like that to someone elses property.

But at the end of the day as much as I wish him well the repair bill will either have to come out of his pocket or mine and it was his doing.

I will let you guys know if he sees it that way !

Mate that is horrible to hear about your security screens, really you should report him to the Dept of Fair Trading, he doesn't sound like he had a clue what he was doing, how many other people has and will he do that to ? It makes my windscreen problem pale into insignificance.

Cheers,

Paul

[finga]

If they could cut the old studs off hen they could drill the old studs out.
That, to me, sounds like a pure case of laziness.
Argue the toss with them.
This usually happens because they're too lazy to measure where to put the female part of the sud in the covering.

Leaving the sharp bits sticking out is again pure laziness.
Who are they??

If all else fails run your arm along the sharp bits whilst the boats in their yard and sue the pants off them

I would not accept the job or the reasons why they could not do what they said they could do.

If they get all sooty and demand money then pay them in 5c pieces.

[Braddles]

Your welcome Tidas..

Try to take someone with you for moral support too if you can.

Keep us updated.

Brad.

[Dirtysanchez]

Nah, nowhere near good enough.. As Finga said, if he can cut the old studs off, he could drill them, they aren't that hard. Tell him to write to Santa and ask for some new drill bits for Christmas, what a load of bollocks.

If it were me, I would demand he replace the entire aluminium strip now and site safety reasons.. ie say the kids often climb on the boat in the yard or at Anchor and they may end up cutting their hands.

You could also mention to him you have posted this dilemma on Ausfish and that you'd be only too happy to name him on the forum if he doesn't improve his workmanship

[EDNA]

Hi Tidas,

I would have expected better too. Recently we had to replace our top. The boys in Rowland St did a great job. We got a new style top with a removable front clear and they reused all the old fixings, so nothing was left untidy.

John

[FNQCairns]

If they could cut the old studs off hen they could drill the old studs out.
That, to me, sounds like a pure case of laziness.
Argue the toss with them.
This usually happens because they're too lazy to measure where to put the female part of the sud in the covering.

Leaving the sharp bits sticking out is again pure laziness.
Who are they??

If all else fails run your arm along the sharp bits whilst the boats in their yard and sue the pants off them

I would not accept the job or the reasons why they could not do what they said they could do.

If they get all sooty and demand money then pay them in 5c pieces.

Finga nailed it, nothing to do with drilling stainless, purely pathetic workmanship/person.

cheers fnq

[sheridan]

I had a Quote from Rowland st a couple of years ago on my pongrass husky for a new bimini they told me they would have to grind the old fixings off the screen because he couldn't get those clips anymore for the bimini they were going to put new ones beside where the old ones were i guess it was because when you tried to remove the old studs they broke off as steel is harder than alloy the drill bit would just run off making more of a mess but they should have told you before they started . I ended up doing mine myself cost $75.oo got the clips and material from Whitworths, sewing machine from recycle centre and it turned out pretty good.

Geoff

[Grand_Marlin]

Stainless rivets are very hard (nearly impossible) to drill out of an aluminium windscreen surround, and if you can get them out you end up with a larger hole through drillbits and corrosion.

In saying that, leaving the old rivets protruding is just lazy.

What I have done in the past is take the old ones out if possible, or punch them flat.
Then put the new press stud ot stayput clip over the old hole.

Sometimes this isn't possible due to the windscreen surround being old and corroded.
If that were the case I would tell the client first and give them options on what to do.

Cheers

Pete

[Tidas]

Well I put my point to him, he eventually accepted that it was a problem and we agreed on a price that covers the cost of buying replacement top rails from CruiseCraft.

I have now have another problem to fix but atleast I won't be too much out of pocket.

And credit to him for taking it onboard and being professional when I picked the boat up, he showed me around his work like nothing had been said.

He has done a nice job on the covers too it really improves the look of the boat.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who offered their opinions, it was very helpful.

Cheers,

Paul

[Donny Boy]

Good to see a win for the little people......................

[Braddles]

YAY - glad to hear a happy ending too :-)

[sheridan]

Yea good stuff Paul

Geoff