Hello fellow boaters. I just boat my first boat a 20ft larson bowrider dc 190 I paid 2500 for the boat and it is in perfect condition on the inside outside little faded but not bad. Engine runs great and starts every time and is very quit when running.
Being a new boat owner and like to take care of my stuff. I brought the boat to the marina to have the oils changed. When I was there I started talking to the guy told him I had just bought the bought and had no clue what was done to it before. He told me for 400 bucks he would change the oils, pumps, impeller and look everything over. Said the boat would be good for 4 years. So I figured great 100 bucks a year not bad. Guy had a nice shop gated area for the boat.
Got the boat back and put it in the water. Tried to start it up and nothing after a couple mins I knew the battery was dead so I pulled the boat back out of the water. And was on my way to get a new battery. When I was about to leave I noticed that the two tops bottles on the lower unit where so loose they where almost falling off. So I got a battery and tightened them up. Called the boat guy and he said there no way it should be like that and to bring it back he would look at it on Monday. I couldn't wait till Monday it was Friday and I had got a cabin by the lake and was going to bring the boat up. So I tightened them my self and was on my way. Took the boat out that day everything was great but steering was stiff like driving a car without power steering. But could still use boat with a little arm work.
Next day I was going to take the boat out and noticed under the lower united green/blue could looking oil on the ground about 6 inch round. At this point I was pissed but it was Saturday and no marina was open. So I didn't take the boat out cuz I didn't want to mess anything up. Figured it was better to wait the wreck the boat for the whole summer.
Brought the boat to the marina on Monday and showed the guy that and he said he would take care of it rechange the oil and take a oil stain out of the inside in the boat they left when changing the oil and some oilie foot print. And also rebate me a couple dollars.So I thought maybe this guy is going to make everything better and it was a honest mistake. Not sure bout the oil part just seems like careless boat mechanics to me. I also told him when I was there about the steering and I thought they looked everything over and he said they mainly just look at the engine and all other major things. So he said he would look at it and see why it was stiff. Called later that day and said it was a cable so I asked him how much it would be he said at max 450 and that was getting the part a cost to him plus like 20 bucks back so I said ok do it. Called me later today and said it a real pain and is seized up and it would be 520. At that point I said I thought you said max 450 and that was high so how come its even more then that with no other parts added just labor. And he was like well u know we didn't for see it being suized up by where the cable goes to the steering wheel. So I said ok what. What else can I do because I don't know anything about boat and if I said no then I would be getting my boat back with no steering at all and A half done cable job.
My question is, is this guy rapping me because IM a first time boat owner. Or does this seem normal. Too me I'm pissed and don't ever want to take my boat there again. But I don't know if IM over reacting. PLEASE HELP ME LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.
If so I'm going to write complaints about him on every boat fourm I see and post many complaints so when you Google his company the complaints will come up.
WOW. I am not sure the guy is going after you but as evidenced by the lack of quality of the work....it is a bit scarey. I am somewhat confused why they did not find these problems the first time and they did not exsist prior to his work.
Sadly this becomes a he said - she said battle. I would go the route of your local consumer affairs office.
Spend some time this coming "off season" reading up on maintenance and be sure to take a USGC boating course asap.
__________________ "When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a very bad place to be. Your critics are your ones telling you they still love you and care." Randy Pausch 1960-2008 The Last Lecture
a $2500 20' boat can't be "in perfect condition." Lots of mechanics won't work on old boats anymore due to situations like this: there's always something unpredictable. That's why you pay by the hour. If you insist on a flat fee thay have to double their best estimate to cover problems. I wouldn't go firing off complaints and ruin the guy's business over steering that obviously was a problem. The labor is almost always more than you expect but if you do any work on baots yourself, you know that the simple-looking 20 minute projects are always the worst.
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A man of constant boat tinkering.
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