We anchored in Satun to clear in. The clear in process went fine, but we did get stuck in the mud in the river. The western shore is a very gradual slope, and I’d recommend boat anchor in the middle of the river, despite the traffic of local boats. The ferries don’t go far into the river, so ferry wake wasn’t a problem.

We hauled out at PSS. In advance, we told the staff (Julie, via email) that we were hauling out for three days only, and had some fibreglass work that needed to be done above the waterline. Julie said no problem.

The haul out is via a rail system, which is very jerky. There was a lot of banging down below us, but we couldn’t see what was going on. When I got down off the boat, I pointed out to the yard staff that they were damaging our bottom paint. Untold me it would be no problem because they’d fix it when they did our bottom job. I told him we weren’t doing a bottom job. Un then had all the supports redone with padding to protect the bottom.

We got our project done in time and when we started asking about the launch, the staff told us they couldn’t launch us for another week (10 days total) because of the tide. News to us! PSS has a very limited window for hauling and launching the boats, not only because of the rail but also because the river shallows at the mouth and boats get stuck trying to come and go.

Julie was very apologetic to us and set us up in a hotel. She coordinated a car or ride for us to get to and from the yard and kept in touch with recommendations for the area.

We never did get the fibreglass repair done, as they eventually told us they didn’t have the proper gel coat to do it. While we had time twiddling our thumbs, we did get the yard to apply Propspeed for us.

Most of the boats hauled out are local commercial boats – fishermen or tours. There are a handful of cruisers there, most of them for long term work – months spent at PSS. The yard is bare bones – the first three nights we stayed in the yard we were the only ones sleeping onboard. Everyone else rents a room across the way.

Be sure to clear out with the Harbourmaster in Satun before you head north.

I would like to endorse what hvVega said about PSS at Chebilang, Satun. I have brought my boat (Sade) here for two biennial haul outs and one other visit – which involved fabrication and installation of SS davits for my RIB – and I will keep coming back because I believe PSS is excellent value for money.

Sure, it can be dirty and dusty with servicing the fishing fleet (its bread and butter work) but I can put up with that. Yes, Jia and Julie’s absence has been a blow, but it is also great to see Un and Michael step up to fill that huge hole.

I have just had Sade hauled out for a bottom clean, topside polishing, upgrades to two aft cabins and some mechanical and electrical repairs. The work was carried out and completed ahead of the 10 days (4/1/18 – 14/1/18) that I told Un and Michael that I had to spare.

Things are much quieter here compared to the same time two years ago. The benefit, of course, is that I had access to the best trades and there was zero waiting time. I am disappointed to hear some negative comments from various sources but thought I would share my most recent experience so you can all make a better-informed decision where you go for your next haul out.

Make sure you obtain a letter of confirmation of your boat being at PSS for repairs from the office before you clear in with Customs, to avoid an 800B fee from Customs. Hang on to a copy as Customs will try the same at Clearing Out and do avoid going in during weekends and public hols, as they charge a hefty 1000B compared to 200B.
Happy and safe sailing,
Ed

Posted on behalf of SY Kiwi Blue:

We were in PSS Shipyard from late January until mid-May 2017 for a sandblasting job that should take a maximum period of 6 weeks. We were there for 3.5 months.
Work was promised but always delayed and every morning you had to compete with other yachties to get people working on your yacht.

The management situation in the yard has changed dramatically since Jia had a stroke. There is hardly any qualified labour available so quite a few jobs had to be done twice which adds to the length of stay in the yard. The commercial fishing boats have priority and they bring their own maintenance crew. We were on a side track for 3 weeks without any work done because of the priority of the fishing boats.

When you come in for a small antifoul job, you might be OK, but for sandblasting or another big job we would not recommend this yard.

Gert and Mies Harbers
Kiwi Blue

Koh Lipe: New Clearance charges for yachts
Reported 26 November 2016

Latest charges being imposed at Ko Lipe – closest island to Langkawi Malaysia.
Check-in: 1000 Baht
Check-out and port clearance: 2500 Baht
Visa on arrival: 2000 Baht per person
Service charge: 500 Baht per person
Photo service: 200 Baht per person
Thai currency only – non-refundable

Charges listed are about 10 times the normal fee as charged at check-in at Phuket.

Update 30 November 2016
Last weekend we did hear someone had been arrested for excessive charging as an illegal agent, working in conjunction with immigration. Apparently, Immigration was sending yachties to an agent before they would check them in. Anyway, friends arrived, got sent to an agent by Immigration, who tried to charge huge fees plus a fine as they said he took too long to arrive from Langkawi. The skipper refused after an argument and he lodged a complaint with the Police. However, Immigration then refused to stamp him in or out (but did say if you come back early tomorrow we will check you in for half price).

They said there was a new rule with Malaysia, the Captain does not need a stamp in his Passport. Such crazy stuff.

Fortunately, when they came back to Langkawi, the Malaysian Immigration stamped him back in and said they have no contact or dealings with the Ko Lipe officials.

Good news – the most recent contact who sailed over to Ko Lipe was checked incorrectly – no fees. Apparently, there were 3 people pretending to be agents in cahoots with Immigration. Speed boat tour operators. The Police did tell our friends they would deal with the man concerned.

A group of us are heading that way in about a week, so will let you know what transpires.