Trinidad Cruisers Exploring the Island

Marine Services Available in Chaguaramas

Chaguaramas is a commercial port and has a long history of supporting the yachting community. There are a wide range of services available for the cruising sailor. A lot resides in the yacht yards, but there is also a community of highly skilled contractors and businesses providing marine supplies.

Due to Covid-19, Some contractors and businesses have closed others are operating with reduced stock.

Marine Services

There is almost no limit to the services available in Chaguaramas or elsewhere in Trinidad. Skilled workers can be found in almost any trade. Many are associated with a particular yard/marina, while others work independently. The problem is often finding a spot on their always busy schedule. The link below lead to a list of workers by location and trade.

Marine Businesses sorted by Yacht Yard or by Specialty - On this page is a list from the database that can be used to display businesses by the services they provide and/or by the yacht yard they are located. Businesses not affiliated with a yacht yard are listed independently.

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Powerboats Yard
Powerboats Yard

Featured Marine Contractors

There is no limit to the availability of Marine Contractors in Chaguaramas or in the greater Trinidad and Tobago area. However a few contractors, from my personal experience, stand out. These contractors are featured here.

Perfect Finishes

Perfect Finishes provides a wide range of services. These include: Painting, Gel Coating, Osmosis Repairs, Woodworking, Hatch Repairs, Antifouling, General Yacht maintenance, and related services

Progressive Rentals - Provides Car Rentals.

AVI'S Marine Electrical

Avi provides a full range of electrical services.

Maxwill Inflatable Works

Jonathan's Outboard Shop

Raymond Marine Mechanical Ltd.


For a complete list see A Table of Contractors

Chandleries

Chaguaramas has a number of excellent full service Chandleries. Their stocks are often different, so if you cannot find it in one place it can be found in another. There are also a number of specialty Chandleries that have a good selection concentrated within the area./p>

Budget Marine

Budget Marine is Likelythe best known and most popular Chandlerie. It is located just outside of Skinner's Yard and not too far from Power Boats. They have a full selection of parts.

Peake Chandler

Located in the main building, straight ahead as you come in the main gate. They also have a wide selection of parts and often have a much different selection than Budget Marine.

Other Chandleries

  • Power Boats
  • Crew's Inn - Dockyard Electrics Ltd
  • Coral Cove - Majestic Coatings and Supplies Ltd.
  • Tardieu Marine - Marine Warehouse
  • Glencoe - LP Marine

For more details, see the Table on the services table page.

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Budget Marine
Budget Marine

Getting Work Done

For many cruisers arriving in Trinidad from the US or Europe for the first time with work to be done, the process can be daunting. The first step in selecting a contractor is to ask the yard and/or fellow cruisers for recommendations. Take the very bad (or very good) recommendations with a grain of salt.

The second step is to decide exactly what you would like done. The more specific the task is defined the better. Here a written plan is good.

Then sit down with one or more contractors and go over the work. You should come away from this meeting with a firm statement what they think the work entails, a price, a schedule, what is not included in the estimate, and any issues that may make problems in completing the work. In many complex tasks, they will not be able to provide answers as they will not know the issues until a certain amount of work is done. Here you will need to determine whether the contractor is not familiar with the work proposed or they are being cautious due to long experience.

Finally, let the selected worker proceed. On major work, some sort of a written contract is suggested. Some Yards require one.

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Bottom Paint and a Wax
Bottom Paint and a Wax

Importing Parts

While a large range of parts are available in Trinidad, there are always some that are not. There are two basic options for getting parts shipped in: by sea in a container or by air freight. Marine Warehouse located in Tardieu Marine has a container coming down about once every two or three weeks depending on needs. Also some marine freight compainies can be contacted directly (i.e. Tropical Shipping). If you choose to go the route of organizing shipment directly with a marine freight company, you will need to organize customs clearence and delivery. A customs agent can facilitate the clearence.

Package delivery involves either one of the major carriers (FedEx, DHL, or others) or one of the several smaller firms that Specializein internet shopping for locals. E-zone is one that is freqently mentioned, but there are others. A Google search will provide other firms. Check with other cruisers for their first hand experiences.

In either case, make sure that the package is marked "Yacht in Transit". You will have to deal with the hassle of Customs. See the entry under customs for further information.

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Customs in Chaguaramas
Customs in Chaguaramas