The owners of a yacht repaired at Safe Harbor City Boatyard in South Carolina have filed a lawsuit against Safe Harbor Marinas and the shipyard. They claim the yard engaged in deceptive billing practices, overcharging through improper extra costs.
Filed on June 6, the complaint is a class action lawsuit that so far has just one plaintiff. Specifically, the plaintiff is Miami Yacht Charter, which owns the 76-foot (23-meter) Vasiliki. The lawsuit indicates that in late October 2024, the yacht experienced serious engine problems near Charleston. Vasiliki headed to Safe Harbor City Boatyard. There, the owner agreed to a work order for approximately $218,500. On April 9, 2025, two days before sea trials, the yard wanted the full remaining balance. It stated that the yacht couldn’t depart the facilities otherwise. Miami Yacht Charter claims the work order presented at that time had increased, to upwards of $248,750, with unauthorized amounts. However, wanting the yacht back after delays, Miami Yacht Charter agreed to wire the balance.
Then, upon planning final departure on May 9, the company claims it received “a ‘final’ work order demanding even more ‘add-on’ fees and charges that were not authorized by the initial work order or timely disclosed.” According to the complaint, the new total was nearly $313,000. Miami Yacht Charter indicates the sum included 10-percent surcharges for work by third parties that it hired and paid directly. Furthermore, it claims the total included “fictitious charges unrelated to actual services.” The total additionally reflected “deceptively labeled ‘environmental charges’ unrelated to any actual environmental expenditures documented.”
The legal team representing the owner of Vasiliki says the lawsuit against Safe Harbor Marinas, not just the boartyard, reflects a central corporate policy. “We believe there are many more yacht owners who have been victims of this same overbilling scheme who will be entitled to relief through this lawsuit,” explains Cristina M. Peirson, a partner at Kelley/Uustal.
We reached out to Safe Harbor Marinas for comment. A spokesperson says, “The allegations are patently untrue, and we look forward to vigorously defending ourselves..”
Patrick Flynn
I live next to SH Charleston city boat yard and know a lot of the employees who have told me of their doings They just recently had lawyers write a letter telling me to get my boat out of the yard by 15 November and that I can no longer come on the yard as of 15 December it’s vengeance for the neighborhood going against them because they continue to add more w/o city approval and when we went before the city and hand their expansion of 76 more drystack spaces shot down they are taking it out on us Ck out a boat called Liquid Motion