Be careful where you service your boat (RANT)

BigMac · **Joined:** Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:18 pm **Posts:** 1383

First off, I apologize if I offend anyone other than the business that this is aimed at...

I've been debating on sharing my story or not because i'm not usually one to make a big stink about service. I work in retail and get enough people that do that to me every single day. That said my situation is so sickening that I couldn't imagine letting this happen to anyone else, so here goes.

I recently bought a used boat of Kijiji. 2nd time we used it, it developed a small backfire and loud ticking sound when at high RPM. It also lost power and caused an audible alarm to go off. I limped 8 miles in from the Bonnett doing 7mph to not cause any further damage.

I had heard good things about Glenora Marina so a call was made and my boat was in their yard on Saturday July 6th.

I was told they would look at it in a couple days as they only had 2 jobs to finish and I was next in line. After not hearing anything I called on Wednesday to hear they hadn't looked at it yet. I wont get into how many times I had to call them while my boat was there because they only ever called me once...

I agreed to have some maintenance done on it while there as they said an oil change may fix it? I asked them to call me prior to doing any repairs with estimate as I wasn't sure what to expect. After a few more calls the boat was still unrepaired the following week. Now they have done oil change, spark plugs and sea water pump. Still no luck on fixing the issue. However they were having a mechanic come look at it for further help. (ummm a marina that services boats needs to bring an external mechanic in?) Then I finally get news. Its the rockers in the motor and at least 3 of them need to be replaced. This was on July 17th. They will call me once they have final price on replacing them and the rest of the work but rockers are $10 each from their supplier. The guy is coming once more just to confirm that this is the issue they say. So again with no call I called on the 19th. That's when it got good. I find out then from Jay the mechanic that the motor is shot. Its a camshaft issue and that this motor has been put to hell and back and beat up and abused etc and not worth fixing. He also tells me that the starter is not burnt out from testing the motor. They say to replace the starter the entire motor needs to come out and to do that the floor in the boat has to be cut open and they just don't have the facilities to do that job there.

I of course got angry as it went from a $30 part to thousands within 48 hrs after someone had already looked at it. Not to mention that they burnt the starter out and wouldn't do anything about it. Soooo then im told Larry (owner) will call me back that afternoon to discuss price. Never called...

Finally I call and get Larry on Monday morning. He goes on to tell me a song and dance about the motor and how abused it is and the same stuff Jay told me the week prior. So I ask the question how much am I owing you to get my boat back. He presents me with an $850 bill over the phone with no compensation for my starter since it was "old and tired" and it wasn't their fault. Imagine, an $850 bill for a boat that is now more broken than when it was dropped off. After negotiating with Larry he kindly drops the price to $700 (for an oil change, impellar, spark plugs and diagnostic) I then find out from him that they never pulled the valve cover off the motor until that Wednesday afternoon. So the boat sat there for almost 3 weeks without anyone looking at it properly and just nickel and diming me on BS chargers.

I paid, as I had no choice and immediately towed it to a real mechanic. This boat has a 1996 350 chevy in it. Who better to work on it than a mechanic at a garage.

Within 45mins of it being there he has the blown starter in his hand removed from the boat without taking the motor out. The next day he calls me and sends me pics of the camshaft taken out within 2 hours of working on it. Motor still in boat if you can imagine? Its shot. So new one is ordered and will be in this week. I asked him about condition of motor, he says everything looks original and other than cam and lifters, the motor is in great shape.

Glenora Marina told me several times this motor was cooked and that it had to be taken out to do any work on it including the starter they burnt out from over cranking. Take the boat to a non marine mechanic and all is well? Wait what? Shouldn't a marina be able to handle this job or atleast admit they cant and not ripoff a customer. Im a fairly young guy and this is only my 2nd boat.

I tell you one thing, I will never set foot on their property again, they are crooks and don't know a motor from the inside of their Ass. Also over the 3 weeks it was there, myself and friends had been in and out of my boat 3x getting stuff for fishing etc during non business hours and they had no idea. This includes taking my special mate and 3 rods from the cuddy so if your boat is there now better make sure there is nothing valuable in it because it likely will be stolen and they would have no idea and probably not care either.

Looking around their yard and they had at least 10 boats sitting there. All I could think was, those poor bastards, I hope they don't get screwed like I did.

Please don't take your boat there. Its just not worth it.

Signed

One very unhappy former Glenora Marina client
(Sure would have been nice if they would have taken some responsibility for their actions and not ripped me off)

BigMac · **Joined:** Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:18 pm **Posts:** 1383

Look at the bs charges on here....

biff · **Joined:** Sat Sep 10, 2011 6:30 pm **Posts:** 451

Well that sucks, but at the same time, it sounds like the kind of service you get at a few places. I have been d!cked by Bay Marine more than once, sales are good, service not so good. I shelled out lot$ of money in repairs over the years until i found Stevenson's Marina, awesome there.

sorry for your luck, when i was searching for a good place to take my boat, i couldn't find many reviews, your review helps other anglers narrow it down and word travels fast.

BigMac · **Joined:** Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:18 pm **Posts:** 1383

Agreed biff. I couldn't find much either.

BigMac · **Joined:** Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:18 pm **Posts:** 1383

Whether it was intentional or not, yes I agree I got screwed by previous owner.

It will be a good boat once its fixed and for what I will have into it all said and done after repairs its still worth it and the motor will be rock solid.

pickerel killer · **Joined:** Wed Oct 24, 2012 6:28 pm **Posts:** 648

There boat launch is also disgusting there! You really risk damaging your vehicle there putting your boat in and out. The ramp consists of hunks of concrete, bolders, and 3' holes! This lovely service they offer, also costs an arm and a leg to use! I launched once there last year and will never go back! I couldn't believe they actually charged to use the ramp! I hope you get your boat back fishing soon!!!

buckflash · **Posted:** Wed Aug 07, 2013 10:21 am

for an old worn out engine those comp test numbers r impressive im guessing the lobes on the cam were wron none the less still good numbers

westlakecharlie · **Joined:** Sun May 31, 2009 7:43 pm **Posts:** 203

pickerel killer wrote:

There boat launch is also disgusting there! You really risk damaging your vehicle there putting your boat in and out. The ramp consists of hunks of concrete, bolders, and 3' holes! This lovely service they offer, also costs an arm and a leg to use! I launched once there last year and will never go back! I couldn't believe they actually charged to use the ramp! I hope you get your boat back fishing soon!!!

I agree! don't use that ramp.
Had a terrible experience in the fall there a few years back.
Trailer tires would catch on the boulders at the end.
Had to take such a run at it that boat bounced and was
cockeyed on the rollers.
Ended up driving down the highway to another ramp
just so I could back in and straighten the boat on the trailer.

BigMac · **Joined:** Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:18 pm **Posts:** 1383

buckflash wrote:

for an old worn out engine those comp test numbers r impressive im guessing the lobes on the cam were wron none the less still good numbers

Yup cam was in bad shape. 4 or 5 lobes were worn down.

adventure · **Posted:** Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:42 am

I always thought it was the 305 engines that had the soft cams, not the 350's, for trucks anyway, It sounds like it is different cams for marine engines. Either way, hope it all works out in the end for you.

Fred Fisher · **Posted:** Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:14 am

Well I don't know were to even start on this one. First off I would have to say that these so called mechanics need to go back to school. I don't see any mention of a leak down test being done and that is were I would have started as it tells me pretty much everything I need to know about the health of your engine. If there compression check is correct I would have to say that the 185lb readings are due to worn valve seals leaking oil down the valve stem onto the piston so I would be replacing them for sure as you are replacing a soft cam shaft. A leak down would also tell me if the valves need service as well as piston ring condition "blow bye". 155lb compression is good but I would recommend a good quality oil be used and changed regularly. As far as that bill I see many BS charges on there that I would never charge for like the Oil Disposal fee that I never agree with as you are charged an environmental disposal fee at the time you buy it. Sounds like the mechanic you have now is on his game and I hope it all works out good.... Fred....

outkast · **Posted:** Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:02 pm

How many times are they going to charge for checking batteries and connections? That's almost the cost of a new battery! They also charged for rocker inspection. You would think they they would crank it over to watch the rocker movement. worn out cam wouldn't move those rockers so well. never mind the extra valve lash. Being a shop owner,this sort of thing is what gives us technicians a bad rap.
By the way, someone pays them to get rid of their used oil.And to charge you $10 aswell? They make more money on old oil than new.

apmikel · **Joined:** Tue Mar 29, 2011 5:07 pm **Posts:** 232

Biggest thing to remember about a lot of places is that the work is so seasonal that they have a hard time getting anyone that knows anything to work there. No excuse to rip people off but it is something to think about when choosing a place to get work done. My rant is when I bought a brand new lund tyee with a 135 Honda and a 9.9 power trim Honda kicker. Once argeed on the price I said ok as long as all the work i.e. set up of the boat, was done 100%. Well the head aches began, and this was with a brand new boat!! They tried to put an after market throttle on for the kicker, you know the one that sticks out about 5 inches ( I said no I want the matching Honda flush mount) next they brought one fuel line through the "lund supplied fuel valve / mount" and wanted to tee it and screw it down to the rear casting deck just behind the seat where you can step on it, i said no. Then the mounted the transom saver with two self tapping screws which blew out and destroyed mount leaving parking lot, the tach was never set properly for a Honda motor. Durning the process I stopped in with to check out how it was going that is how I was able to stop some of this mess they were going to try and get away with. The boat was brand new and they had it full of dirt and metal shavings along with trailer steps, I said to the guy working on it "boats a bit dirt and trailer too, scratching things a bit" his response was "oh they get scratched" I was polite until this and I said "ya well for $40,000 I want to be the +++++ one to scratch it!" So after a couple little things I was told it was ready. So I take it home, (install the new transom mount they gave me with 2 stainless bolts properly). I decide to inspect all no factor work that was done. So I pull the floor up to look at gas tank. Well on the top of the fuel cell lund provides three connection points main, kicker and reserve. There was only one fuel line attached, to main. So what they had done was just put that tee behind the wall and made it look like they used the lund provided main / reserve valve and spot for kicker at the rear. So back again we went to have the three lines run properly. The way the had it should I had one fuel problem I would have an alternative (like use kicker) to get to shore.
No mentioning names but let just say it was at one of the Honda/lund dealers between Trenton and Belleville. I don't want to really bad talk anyone this storey is more of a, keep an eye on people that work on your stuff" kind of lesson. I would still deal there but will be careful. They were sorry for there mistakes and winterized the motors for me in the fall for free. But next time when I trade in I think I will set it up myself. It just that when you spending that kind of money on something brand new you get really excited over the experience and it stuff like that that spoils it. Maybe I am picky but if I was selling someone a brand new boat big or small it would be perfect or better.

demoman · **Joined:** Mon Nov 15, 2004 7:58 pm **Posts:** 138

Big Mac sorry to hear about your luck. I have nothing but good thinks to say about Glenora. I have had work done there over the past 10 years and they treat me fine. Larry and the rest of the staff are great people.As far as there ramp well maybe there is a reason its like that.....Yes I too bought a $ 300000 boat off a local dealer and to get an simple oil change you drop it off and they get to it when they can a wait of 3 to 4 weeks....for a simple oil change ...duhhhh. Again sorry about the luck but I am standin up for Larry and the guys on this one.

BigMac · **Joined:** Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:18 pm **Posts:** 1383

Demoman, I'm glad you have had good experiences with them. That said please tell me, based on what you have read, how they have done well for service in this instance.

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Be careful where you service your boat (RANT)

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