Rip-off or fair deal?

SiggiJo

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Jun 4, 2005
Messages
82
Still being new to boats, I would very much value your opinion on the following:

I just finished rebuilding a 14' boat - all wiring, batteries, gauges, fuel lines and tanks all completed and hooked up - I bought the engine - a 1978 Evinrude 70hp on ebay complete with controls and tilt/trim. Engine had an overhauled powerhead and the mechanic said it started on first attampt. Engine was loosely bolted onto the transom and engine cables and controls routed into the splashwell and just needed to be connected.

Anyway, I thought was not sure of rigging up the engine to the boat and also it needed servicing. I just picked it up and was presented with a bill for 9 hrs of labor - itemized as follows:
" Remove engine from transom - grease & install steering cable - bolt engine to the transom & connect steering arm, connect battery cables & telltale pipework - re-wire trim & tilt motor - remake connections as required. Test run engine on slush muffs - change g/box oil"

They did not even check/change the impeller or drop the lower unit - all they did was to change the oil.
How many man-hours does it typically take to service this kind of engine? It had a rebuilt powerhead, so they did not even have to change the sparkplugs! Just about the only material listed for this work was a bolt for the steering connector - which they charged me $10 for. The total comes to about the equivelent of $750.00 I did not question this at the timwe, as the Marina owner was not there, and being new to boats, I was not sure if this was normal.

But upon bringing the boat home and actually starting to look at what they had really done, I feel like a complete fool to accept this. I built this boat from the shell up and I work on airplanes for living, so I have a fair idea of similar work. The trim & tilt could have taken them a couple of hours (although the trim/tilt gauge does not work) they had connected the send wire and the hot wire to the same terminal on the gauge - I have fixed this, but it still does not work.

What do you think? Is this a real Highway robbery in your opinion or should I just let it go? I'm not a kind of guy who is always complaining about life, but I just feel that I have been had this time, and no one likes that...

If you think this is unreasonable, please let me know and I can use that as ammunition on this guy (owner) when he returns from his holiday next week.

Many thanks, SJ
 

tmcalavy

Rear Admiral
Joined
Aug 29, 2001
Messages
4,005
Re: Rip-off or fair deal?

I'd go back for an adjustment if you made it real clear what you wanted done from the start. Nothing to lose right? If they won't budge, pay it and don't go back...lesson learned. If they make an adjustment maybe you found an outfit that is worth dealing with.
 

imported_lorin

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 23, 2006
Messages
199
Re: Rip-off or fair deal?

If all they did is what you listed then it's unreasonable. I guess they removed the engine from the transom so they could install the steering cable. Doing this and connecting the steering arm and battery cables does not take much time-maybe a couple of hours. What trim tilt wires did they install. It seems like 4 or 5 hours at the most would be more reasonable.
 
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