About Us

• Michael Horton Yacht Service was founded in 1989, following many years of apprenticeship and professional experience. Mike’s early training developed through maintenance of two family owned yachts: Ranger, a classic Fellows & Stewart designed fantail, and Holiday, built by Tacoma Shipbuilding and designed by Ed Monk Sr.
  
  Michael Horton Yacht Service focuses on professional maintenance, specializing in restoration of vessels of all types and sizes. Mike not only has a long history of maintaining wooden boats, but has the talent and skill for all types of jobs – wood, fiberglass, power or sail. He combines years of tradition and experience with modern-day techniques and practices to provide the best quality craftsmanship and service possible. The work performed by Mike is a testament to his skill and commitment to high quality standards.
  
  If you are looking for top quality yacht finishes, inspect Miriam, a 78 foot Ted Geary design; one of Mike’s restoration projects that exhibits the pride of craftsmanship and attention to detail he brings to all of his work.
  
  If you value a consistent standard of excellence, Michael Horton Yacht Service promises quality, detail, and customer satisfaction!
  
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  Services:
  
  Classic Yachts are a world unto themselves. The beauty of varnished topsides is an art form on the water. Topsides perform two harmonious tasks: protection and beauty. We provide an integrated answer to topsides maintenance: while providing value in maintaining the protection of your investment, we also provide the satisfaction of lasting beauty. If you have pride in your yacht and you are looking for top quality finishing and maintenance, you’ve come to the right place. MHYS (catchy, like a yacht club) . A brief introduction of services:
  
  Maintenance:
  Yachts live through cycles of constant exposure and renewal. Our expertise is in understanding where a yacht’s finishes are in the life cycle and what steps are needed to maintain surfaces in the highest order. This means retained value and beauty for the life of your yacht.
  
  Varnishing:
  Beautiful results with varnish have become an art form that has evolved over more then 100 years. There is nothing like the three dimensional look of perfected varnish. The key to successful varnishing is a knowing eye to the existing condition of the varnish, the required prep, and of course, detailed application and timing of coats. The art comes in knowing what you have when you begin: how much – or how little prep is need is essential. Factors such as build adherence, sun , moisture and temperature damage are critical. Prep by hand under a knowing eye can make all the difference. Choice of materials, and type of varnish is matched to bonding, exposure and several other factors, particularly color matching and depth.. Your investment in classic yachts deserves nothing less then the best.
  
  L.P. and Topsides
  LP is to topsides what varnish is to trim. LP comes from the name linear polyethylene. LP unlike varnish can be done two ways- the industrial method, or by hand. Our specialty is the hand lay-up of LP. LP is quite complex, for many of the same reasons as varnish- but with the added complication of being a multi-part paint. Mixtures are carefully considered based on surface, exposure, and an eye on long term beauty. As with varnish, surface prep is critical , and application timing also weigh in.
  
  Fiberglass
  Fiberglass is the inclusion of “woven glass” with a combination of resins or epoxies. Typically, fiberglass is replacing wood in providing structural strength. All fiberglass work must take into account structural integrity, as well as providing quality of finish and beauty. We carefully evaluate the existing structure and work within (or improve, where necessary) the original structure’s integrity, while maintaining the highest standard of fit and finish.