A mobile shop working Upper Keys vessels since 1977. Restoration, teak decks, structural carpentry, and fiberglass, handled at your dock or slip.
Send the vessel make and length, where she sits, and what you are seeing. You get a real assessment of the work from the shop that will carry it out, not a call center.
Restoration and repair estimates carry a reserve for what opening the job reveals, and nothing that changes the scope happens without your say-so.
Six specialties covering the structural work that decides whether a vessel holds her value, handled by one shop so wood and fiberglass are never someone else's problem.
Full restoration for vessels worth bringing back properly, from structure and hull through finished brightwork.
View Yacht Restoration →
New teak decks, replacement, and repair, laid and sealed to hold up to Keys sun, salt, and standing water.
View Teak Decking →
Structural carpentry, consoles, hatches, and rebuilt framing, cut and fitted to the vessel rather than ordered from a catalog.
View Custom Marine Carpentry →
Structural and cosmetic fiberglass, gelcoat, and core work, from delamination to full hull-side rebuilds.
View Fiberglass Repairs →
Galley, head, and salon cabinetry and built-in furniture, built for the space and the weight the vessel allows.
View Cabinetry & Furniture →
Teak and holly soles and marine-grade flooring, built to live with Keys humidity instead of fighting it.
View Interior Flooring →Ongoing upkeep between projects: varnish and oil brightwork refinishing for trim, rails, transoms, and interior wood.
Sun, salt, and humidity work into fastener holes and seams long before anything shows on the surface. By the time a Keys vessel looks like she has a problem, the problem is usually in the structure.
A soft spot underfoot on a deck that looks perfectly sound from above
Water staining or a musty smell in a locker or berth after hard rain
Fasteners weeping rust lines down a hull side or through the cabin sole
Deck seams opening up, or teak lifting at the plank ends
Gelcoat cracks at a corner that keep returning after cosmetic repairs
A survey flagging moisture in the core ahead of a sale or insurance renewal
The foredeck on this 53' Blackwell looked serviceable from above. Opening it up showed rot through the deck structure and into the stem.
This vessel came back four separate times over the years for bow, bridge deck, bridge combing, and starboard hull work. That is the kind of structural repair a boat needs when the damage is real, and the kind of relationship it takes to keep an expensive vessel in service.
The Upper Keys are home water, and Ocean Reef Club is a short run up the shoreline. Most work happens at your dock, slip, or marina.
A call or a few photos through the estimate form is enough to start. Vessel make, length, and what you are seeing.
Most work is quoted after seeing the vessel in person at your dock or marina, because photographs rarely show how far damage has traveled.
On restoration and repair work the number includes room for what opening the job reveals. Rot, wet core, and failed fasteners hide under sound-looking surfaces, and anything that changes scope is discussed with you before the work goes ahead.
Every project is built, fitted, and finished under the master craftsman who quoted it, and it is not finished until you have looked it over.
Bob Vonnegut, the master craftsman on every Keys Marine Carpentry project, has been building and repairing vessels in the Upper Keys since 1977. Wooden hulls, structural rebuilds, teak decks, and interior joinery have all come across the bench in that time.
He runs each project directly, from the assessment through the final coat, with a crew he trusts on the larger jobs.
“Our yacht suffered damage after a storm. We hired Keys Marine Carpentry to care for our boat. They quickly repaired our yacht and solved the problem, and now our boat is ready for the seas again. I appreciate the hard work that was involved with the repairs.”
Victoria R., storm damage repair
“We've owned our boat for over 30 years. It still runs and looks great, but we thought it could use an interior upgrade. Keys Marine Carpentry helped us pick out designs that would give the boat a contemporary look, and installed the new cabinets quickly. I'm impressed with the results.”
Patrick W., interior cabinetry
“I've been slowly restoring my parents' boat and needed help installing a new deck. Keys Marine Carpentry helped me choose and install teak decking that looks amazing and will last for years. It improved the look and style of the boat once installed.”
Derrick C., teak deck installation
The Upper Keys are home water: Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo, Tavernier, Islamorada, and Marathon all get regular on-site work. Vessels near Big Pine, Key West, or Miami can be taken on for larger projects, but they normally need to come up to the Upper Keys for service.
This is a mobile shop. Most work happens at your dock, marina, or slip, including at Ocean Reef Club. A shop visit only comes up when a component genuinely needs to be built or finished off the vessel.
Yes. Wood and fiberglass are handled together, which matters on Keys vessels because rot and wet core usually sit behind fiberglass that still looks sound. Structural fiberglass, gelcoat, and core replacement are all part of the work.
It gets opened up, shown to you, and repaired properly instead of covered over. A quick fix on rotten wood or a compromised core almost always costs more later, so the honest answer up front is usually the harder one.
Every vessel and every job is different, so work is quoted per project after the vessel is seen. On restoration and repair work that estimate carries a reserve, because damage is often worse or different than what shows on the surface. Anything that changes the scope is discussed with you before it is done, never billed after the fact.
Sport fishermen, motor yachts, sailboats, trawlers, and classic wooden boats, from small skiffs to vessels over eighty feet. The material and the nature of the job matter more than the hull type.
Matching grain, species, and finish to existing joinery is a normal part of the job. Past work has used teak, sapele, mahogany, zebrawood, holly, and ash, chosen for the piece being built and how it has to wear.
As early as you can, even before the timeline is firm. Restorations and full deck jobs are planned around work already on the calendar, so earlier contact usually means a better window.
Send the details and get an honest assessment of what the work involves, what it will take, and what could change once the job is open.
