164′ Delta marine M/V Helios 3 gets new marine exhaust shrouds

Dolfab Metal Fabricators and Metcalf Marine Exhaust recently collaborated on 164′ Delta marine M/V Helios 3 to conduct much needed repairs to the exhaust system. It was discovered the Helios 3 was suffering from leaks in the exhaust system. The exhaust system on a super yacht like this is truly an enormous, impressive thing. In … Continue reading “164′ Delta marine M/V Helios 3 gets new marine exhaust shrouds”

Dolfab Metal Fabricators and Metcalf Marine Exhaust recently collaborated on 164′ Delta marine M/V Helios 3 to conduct much needed repairs to the exhaust system.

Before
It was discovered the Helios 3 was suffering from leaks in the exhaust system. The exhaust system on a super yacht like this is truly an enormous, impressive thing. In order to be able to access it for diagnosis and conduct necessary repairs, we had to disassemble the system in stages: one whole day and a half was allocated to dismantling it and three days to put it back together.
Upon dismantling the system, the team from Metcalf Marine Exhaust was able to go in and remove the insulation within the exhaust. With the insulation gone, the Metcalf team then conducted several pressure tests in order to locate the leaks. Once the leaks were located, the Dolfab crew was able to go in and make the necessary repairs to the super yacht’s mufflers. After the repairs were complete, Metcalf reapplied insulation and then Dolfab reassembled the entire shroud system, repolishing all of the exterior components as needed to maintain yacht-quality #8 mirror finish. This stage took three days to complete.
After

The result is a like-new, polished marine exhaust that works and is befitting of the Helios 3. Truly a fantastic collaboration between marine repair professionals.

 

Dolfab Metal Fabricators is an expert in yacht repair, yacht refits, boat repairs, custom metal, Coast Guard certified custom fuel tank and fuel tank repair, T-Tops, RV repair, and an absolute expert professional with all metal fabrication. We are based out of Pompano Beach, Florida and service all of South Florida.

Project highlight: 55′ Cheoy Lee Maraya’s new custom metal window frames

  55′ Cheoy Lee sailboat Maraya is getting some new custom metal window frames by Dolfab Metal Fabricators Creating custom metal window frames for a 55′ sailboat is a great testament to the ingenuity of the Dolfab team, and it gives us a chance to show you some of our equipment in action. These custom- … Continue reading “Project highlight: 55′ Cheoy Lee Maraya’s new custom metal window frames”

 

55′ Cheoy Lee sailboat Maraya is getting some new custom metal window frames by Dolfab Metal Fabricators

Creating custom metal window frames for a 55′ sailboat is a great testament to the ingenuity of the Dolfab team, and it gives us a chance to show you some of our equipment in action. These custom- made window frames require the use of our Waterjet cutter and a special router table that was created and assembled by our team specifically for this purpose.

The table allows for the router to be held in place while the window frames are turned around it, instead of the other way around (normally, the metal fabricator would turn the router around the piece being worked on). The pieces of metal being turned were too thin for the traditional application, so we came up with this solution:

This isn’t the first time we get creative with projects, and we know that it won’t be the last. Every metal fabrication project, yacht refit, and repair or custom project is unique, and we see new situations all the time. We draw from our collective experience in metal fabrication, which is quite extensive, to come up with innovative solutions to each new challenge.

We’re scheduled to complete this project over the next couple of weeks and will be posting updates to our Facebook page.

See Waterjet Cutter in action:

Go to our YouTube channel to see all our videos and subscribe for project updates.

Are you in love with your yacht? When a yacht refit makes sense and how to choose a refitter

Yacht owners: If you’ve owned your yacht for any length of time you may find yourself at a crossroads of whether or not it’s time to start shopping for a new yacht or make necessary repairs to your existing vessel. It’s likely you have been on many memorable trips with friends and family that have … Continue reading “Are you in love with your yacht? When a yacht refit makes sense and how to choose a refitter”

Yacht owners: If you’ve owned your yacht for any length of time you may find yourself at a crossroads of whether or not it’s time to start shopping for a new yacht or make necessary repairs to your existing vessel. It’s likely you have been on many memorable trips with friends and family that have built lasting memories. When does it make sense to do a yacht refit? How do you go about choosing the right yacht refitter to do the job?

 

There are many things to take into consideration. Most newer yachts are loaded with new technology and systems. While these are great selling points, are these new systems in your best interests? The answer is not so simple. Most of the time a yacht owner or crew members know every inch of you vessel. When presented with a new yacht with new technologies they will find new issues will not be as easily rectified because of lack of knowledge, which can be costly and can certainly rack up lay days at the shipyard while your crew and or contractors learn on your dollar. This is where keeping and refitting you older vessel will be more cost effective in the long run.

 

When weighing the pros and cons of purchasing a new vessel or moving forward with a refit you’ll have to do the math. Here is an outline to help you get started.

 

1. Cost: Is your vessel beyond repair? If not, can you afford a refit? A yacht refit can consist of many different variables that may be hidden beneath the superstructure of your yacht.

There may be things happening below the surface that may be missed or will pop up while in the middle of a large refit, so it’s important to choose the right refitter. That leads to part two…

2. Estimates:  When choosing the right yacht refitter, it doesn’t hurt to scour the internet looking for reviews of contractors. But your search will not end there! It’s important to get several estimates. The best estimate is not always the cheapest or most cost-effective. A bad refit can certainly cost more in the long run.

3. Planning: Choose a company that can build an estimate by planning the refit from prior refits along with experience. This is a crucial step in the process.

4. Skills:  The right yacht refitter will specialize in what they do. Many refit yards hire different sub-contractors that bid on the job, and not to anyone’s surprise the job will go to the lowest bidder. That being said, YOU as the owner of you vessel should have some influence on who is performing your yacht refit. You should be able to feel comfortable with the refitter and not wonder about the final outcome.

5. Job Timeline: Having a good estimated timeline of when your refit will be finished is a good indicator of the quality of the contractor you’re hired. if your contractor cannot give you a timeline, this might be an indicator that they are not the right contractor for the job.

Choosing a company such as Dolfab will ensure that all the steps above are covered. We will walk you through your job from the very inception and do our very best to ensure all issues (obvious and hidden) will be taken into consideration.  From the very beginning, we can even video document the entire refit job so there will be no questions that cannot be answered at the time of Commissioning.

Since 1984 Dolfab, Inc.  has provided quality work held to the highest standards ensuring your beloved yacht will continue to make memories for you and your family.

AJAO Hull Restoration: Yacht Refitting

DolFab Metal Fabricators recently completed extensive repairs on the hull of Ajao, a beautiful 80’ Baglietto yacht. Ajao suffered from major corrosion to its hull due to an issue with the external exhaust system. The yacht almost sank due to this corrosion and demanded an array of extensive refinements.   Dolfab was hired to perform … Continue reading “AJAO Hull Restoration: Yacht Refitting”

DolFab Metal Fabricators recently completed extensive repairs on the hull of Ajao, a beautiful 80’ Baglietto yacht. Ajao suffered from major corrosion to its hull due to an issue with the external exhaust system. The yacht almost sank due to this corrosion and demanded an array of extensive refinements.

 

Dolfab was hired to perform repairs on the hull, fuel tanks, and bow. The process of repairing the Ajao was quite an undertaking. The scope of the project involved emptying the fuel tanks and removing corroded sections there, removing large sections of the yacht’s hull, replacing all the missing sections with customized new panels which were then welded into place, and finally pressure-testing the structure to ensure its seaworthiness.

 

The Dolfab crew found other issues on the yacht. The damaged hull created too much pressure and had caused the teak flooring on the bow to burst open. The team repaired and reinforced the structure of the bow, going through the forward bulkheads to ensure the yacht is seaworthy after all repairs are finished.

 

Ajao passed the pressure testing procedures and was scheduled for fiberglass repair and paint before it was relaunched earlier this month. Ajao has now been restored to its former glory!

 

DolFab has been working since 1984 in the commercial and private marine market to deliver custom metal fabrication and yacht finishing solutions in the Fort Lauderdale area.