Great weekend get away . Beautiful clean and quiet . Family atmosphere as well as it can be a couples atmosphere.

"JUST LOVE" I bought a 1985 Pearson 36-2 sailboat in Ventura, and I'm so glad I did because I discovered Ventura Harbor Boatyard. And now if I ever need major work done or a haul-out, I'm coming here even if I have to motor all the way from my home port, Long Beach. Why? Well, there's some obvious superficial reasons such as the fact lay days are less expensive, and the yard lets you DIY. For the last, not only do they LET you DIY, they ENCOURAGE it. From what I've heard and seen, every other yard in SoCal at the very least discourages it, while many simply don't let you do any of your own work blaming their insurance. But the REAL reason VHB is so great is the people: everyone I encountered that worked at the yard--and I was there, working and living aboard my boat, for about two and a half weeks--was helpful, professional and friendly. Here's the list: -Mike, head of customer service. -Dale, foreman of paint and fiberglass. -Jose, head mechanic on the big boat side. -Brad, head mechanic on the small boat side. -Karen, head office administrator -Dale, main lift operator -Harry, supply guy -Nico, mechanic -Andy, mechanic -Chris, paint and fiberglass -Ibo, paint and fiberglass Hope I didn't miss anyone. A couple of examples of how great the people are there-- -Mike, head of customer service, steered me away from GPU packing when I ran it by him that that's what I was going to use for repacking my stuffing box. Sure enough, I looked it up and the graphite can react with some metals in drive shafts causing electrolysis (a kind of dissimilar metal corrosion). His many years in the boat repair business saved me a potentially expensive and even dangerous mistake. Plus, his interpretation of lay days was always in my favor. Just an all around good dude. -Dale, the paint and fiberglass foreman gave me a masterclass on fiberglass and HELPED ME patch my built in water tank. I'm an English teacher and his clear instructions and patient manner had me taking notes on ways I could improve in the classroom. A masterclass by a master craftsman at no charge. And both Dale and Mike showed me around the yard, gave me a tour of the yard's boat that they completely restored (keeping the original name because the previous owner explained to them he'd named the boat after his mother), and told me a bit of the storied history of the yard (some of it involves restoring famous classic wooden boats as well as helping big time YouTubers refit). I got an education and an irreplaceable experience. Their motto on their t-shirt says it all, "Just Love." read more

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I have been hauling at that boat yard since the 80's. Every time I am incredibly surprised of the professionalism and the friendliness of all involved ever if people don't are nit directly involved. Incredible. read more

Great experience with Ventura Harbor Boatyard! We wanted to install a bow thruster on our Catalina sailboat for ease of docking in our tight cul-de-sac. Our broker, Bob Nahm, recommended Brad Hawes and Ventura Harbor Boatyard, knowing that Brad had at least 25+years of experience with bow thrusters. We were so impressed by Brad's knowledge, concern, professionalism and care in placing the bow thrusters. He and his team were very meticulous and walked us through each step, even letting us know when the bow thrusters arrived so that we can hold and inspect it and its motor before it got installed. They involved us through every step in the process. They also worked closely with both Catalina and SidePower to ensure a quality result. We appreciate their attention to detail to make sure the electrical and mechanical functions worked seamlessly. We also appreciate the workmanship of the fiberglass fairing they made to ensure the flow of water from the bow to the thrusters didn't disrupt the speed of the boat. Just as impressive is how they took care to keep the boat clean and damage-free during the work. An added plus is they washed the boat inside and out before they returned it to us. We will definitely go to Brad and Ventura Harbor Boatyard for all our boating repairs and will recommend them to our fellow boaters! Great workmanship, and fantastic value for money!!! read more

They were very easy to work with and they were able to do all the work with great skill and results Without a doubt I would recommend them read more

Great service, friendly, helpful staff. We were in a rush to meet deadlines and they were very efficient at getting us out, making the repair and back in the water quickly. read more

Flakey and unreliable. They agreed to do a repower for my sailboat but once I purchased the engine, they couldn't be bothered. Now I'm out $10k on an engine with no one to install it. Worse than useless. read more

We've used the Boat Yard for two major projects on our 41' ketch and have had excellent experience. We are not DIY though the Yard accommodates many such. The Yard provides a full spectrum of quality professional boat services and has always treated us in an open and fair partnership. They know how to do things right. If you want it done cheap go elsewhere. If you want it done right, or advice on how to do it right, this is your place. read more

So let's start with this fact: no boat owner leaves a boatyard feeling super-happy about the bill. This was certainly true when our Tayana 52 went to VHB with a Perkins that was apparently saltwater-soaked prior to purchase. With the myriad hose replacements and countless other projects that go with this project, I already knew a full bottom strip/repaint was long overdue. So, yes, there was pain. Jobs like this quickly run into a conversation between the boatyard and owner about what "should" be done and what "can" be done in a given budget... (and sudden ideas about the owner's DIY abilities ;) It is here where VHB reveals itself as the best boatyard on the central CA coast. In my initial meeting with Dale Morris, one of the key owners, I shared my concerns about the projects and my fear of being screwed. Dale promised me his quote would be fair and constantly updated in real time, and that he would walk me through each step of the process. In the two months that followed, he walked me through each project, the reasons for doing them and even the workers who did the work. The job was on time and under budget... everything was well done and focused on our long-term cruising goals. VHB is a family business driven by owners who care about their employees and the customers they serve. There is no cheap rotating labor here - there is a grumpy yard manager (sorry Tom) and lots of people who do the job right. It hurts but your money is well-spent here. Anything more will sound canned.... I'm not. I wrote checks here... good people. read more

I've had Ventura Boatyard do multiple jobs now on 2 different boats. They do fantastic work. Mike runs the yard and schedules the haul outs. The guys that I've talked to the most are Mike, Johnny, and Brad. All these guys are very professional and their work is superior to the other boatyards. They fixed a job that was done from another boatyard about 2 years ago on my first boat and most recently...(in the last two weeks), on my newest boat. My newest boat was bottom painted down south 6 months ago, and when I brought it up the coast, large portions of bottom paint came off. I took it to Ventura Boatyard and they prepped and painted it correctly. I also had a ton of other work done and it came out beautiful! If you appreciate great craftsmanship...then take you boat to Ventura Boatyard! I have recommended them on several boat forums I belong to! read more

If you are trying to decide where to take your boat...you can stop looking. The service was great, and honestly for as long as I was there, and for the work I had down the price wasn't that bad at all. I actually estimated way higher and they charged me less than what I had in my budget. Yippieeeeeee! My boat was in the yard for 3 weeks, I'm a live aboard, so I had to stay on her while she was in the air! All I have to say is I'm super glad I went to this boat yard! Every person that works there deserves to hear me say, "Thank You! You Guys Rock"!!! Especially Barb & Erin, I hope you enjoyed the brownies...Btw I ate 2 of them before I gave them to you guys...Lol! read more

Ventura Harbor Boatyard - Boat Repair Near Me - Ventura, California

I have been using Ventura Harbor Boatyard for about 20 years - first with my 40 year old, but much beloved and modified sailboat and now a much newer and equally loved trawler. This yard can do it all, with the attention to detail that you want and on a budget that you can afford. I had some extensive hull modifications done recently and they worked within my budget and did the work to my very exacting specifications as usual. They are the best. read more

Great place! Everyone was so friendly and accommodating! We 'inherited' a boat from a friend and needed the bottom cleaned and painted. They did a great job AND most importantly, accommodated us even though it was busy boating season for them. Barbara at the front office was so sweet and friendly! We will continue to bring our boat here for all our boating needs! read more

An encounter with an unfriendly dock, resulted in a breach in the hull of our sailboat. Dale Morris of Ventura Boatyard checked it out. Gave me a price and did the work in superhero time. Excellent workmanship and communication. Highly recommended. Jim Cary read more

My Wife and I had lunch today at the boatyard. My Wife had fish and chips and I had Shrimp and chips. My mralvwas GREAT and my Wife told me her meal was VERY GOOD also. If you go to the boatyard be sure to have their fish and shrimp. With chips. Two GREAT meals. read more

My Captain and I took our kelp-cutter to ventura for an emergency haulout.The entire crew at the yard were friendly,helpful and professional.We had them do our more complicated boatwork and im glad we did.They left no stone unturned and were very thurough in all thier work.Next time we run into some rough weather,im gonna breath easy knowing they did it "right" at the boatyard.Thanks Dale,Otto and all the great people we had the pleasure of doing business with during our stay.They're gonna put us back in the water on monday.Woohoo! read more

We've come full circle - the Ventura Harbor Boatyard helped us splash on Monday! They were so helpful during our extended stay in the yard - not intrusive but always there when we needed something. Thanks, VHB! (Can't wait to wear my spiffy boatyard t-shirt, too!) read more

I'll update my reviews as we come back here for more work. Good: They can haul a cruising catamaran; beyond San Diego, there aren't many boat yards on the west coast who can do that. Very friendly people, up for spending extra time with us explaining things about our boat that they didn't need to. I've learned a lot while being here. Very accommodating with time and space, even as space is a premium. Very helpful staff overall and not a sour face in sight. The quality of the work looks good - mind you, we are still in the boat yard and have yet to test the everyday longevity and utility of the generator installed. Needs improvement: Project management and financial planning. This is a biggie and leaves me with a blotch on the experience. We were quoted $4,000 for the install, and we are paying $15,500. There is no signed work order for the project - we filled out boat and contact information before sailing in, and knew the price of hauling out ($1000). There were no incremental price updates. If I hadn't asked halfway through, I wouldn't know we had jumped to $10,000. The project was supposed to take 7-10 days but is finished at close to 3 weeks. Overall: We will probably return. The people are nice and the work is good. But if we do, no one is picking up a wrench before I have a signed quote and work order and no changes without approval and pricing. read more

This is an excellent place to haul your boat. The work is quality and within reason. The mechanics take pride in there work. Mike is great for scheduling a haul and launch. Don't even think twice about your other options. Thanks read more

Our 36 ft sloop has been hauled at VHBY several times in the last 15+ years for paint and repairs, and we've been very happy with the results. Our most recent job was the biggest: the entire hull was re-painted. The result is fantastic, she looks better than new! It took longer than expected mainly due to more frequent rain than usual, but the yard kept us informed so we weren't surprised. One of the great things about VHBY is that they are very friendly and flexible. For example, reasonable DIY is allowed and supported, and in our case we saved money by doing most of the topside prep - a lot of sanding! We chose to not be involved with the bottom paint, and that was no problem. read more

As the lucky owner of an almost twenty year old Hunt Yachts vessel who always wants the boat to look and operate like original-boat-builder new, this is the yard that provides me with that kind of great work and attention to detail. The people there have always been fun to work with too, no matter the challenge. The vendors they associate with provide terrific, specialized service as well. I'm a satisfied, high expectation customer of the yard for over twenty years. read more

Have used this yard 3 times in the last year...each time the estimate was fair, the work performed was not just timely but of the highest quality, and the original estimate was met or slightly beat...I could not have been happier. Simply put, there is absolutely no reason for me to shop around...THIS is where I will take my boat. read more

We took our boat out to have some new transducers installed and a new underwater light installed. At the same time we decided to paint the boot strip and bottom to a different color. We had more employees coming over and asking us if we needed anything, showed us how to do things a lot easier. It's the best boatyard around! Everyone is so helpful. Thanks Otto, Dale, Tom, Kim, Brenda, Erin and Al. Would highly recommend them!!!!! read more