Tony Laidlaw 2015
We have had our small 14’ runabout boat in our family for well over 50 years. During that time many great family boating memories have been made. When it was time to refinish it, we wanted to work with a company that would have not only the know how to do the job properly, but also understand the emotional attachment we have to the boat. Since I live in Boise, the most logical place to first check out was McCall Boat Works.
On our first visit to McCall Boat Works boat shop we were warmly greeted by some of the craftsmen who gladly showed us around the place. It was clear to us that they take pride in restoring and refinishing vintage boats. When I showed Don Hardy pictures of our boat, he was excited to want to work on it. He showed us some of the boats McCall Boat Works was working on as well as some that have recently been completed and won trophies at Lake Tahoe Boat Show.
Don’s experience with working on vintage boats is very evident when talking with him as he mentions screw spacing, authentic hardware, final finish requirements, etc. that are necessary to win juried boat shows. Whether we enter our boat into a show or not, that is the kind of attention to detail that we want for our boat. Don’s quest for quality was demonstrated to us when he mentioned that he personally was not satisfied with the paint job on the sides of the boat and repainted it himself in his own dime.
Satisfied with what we saw, we decided to go with McCall Boat Works. From the moment we dropped the boat off we knew we made the right choice. Don kept us informed every step of the way, promptly answering any questions we had and explaining any processes we had questions about. Periodically throughout the refinishing Don would send me pictures showing the progress just to make sure we were in the loop and to quell any concerns we may have had. His connections with experts in other trades like graphics, chrome plating, steering wheel refurbishing, and upholstery, to name a few, meant that we would have quality work done without having to look on our own and risk getting unacceptable results and having to do it over.
We got the boat back recently and are very pleased with the results. Deck has a mirror finish and the chrome gleams. A few days ago we had the boat parked in front of a shop and noticed a car pull up, the driver got out, took a picture of it and then drove off with a smile on his face. Due to the quality work McCall Boat Works did, absolute strangers are pulling up beside us and giving a thumbs up about how it looks.
Are we satisfied? Most definitely!
Tony Laidlaw
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