Well, I'd like to thank you guys for taking the time to share insights here. For those of us who are getting back into boating after long layoffs it is a BIG HELP. I would disagree with anyone who poo poohs the relevance of OSO. Just Google any topic on high performance boating and see who pops up. If in doubt look up SEO and how that works next. Then ask yourself why a San Francisco private equity firm shelled out over 30m for this site's parent company and NOT ANY of this industry's leading magazines. Wound't touch them with a barge pole.

You guys make it happen, and while OK not all are in the league of Eddie Young or Ray et al it's all valuable. These stories are a cautionary tale for those of us getting all sweaty palmed about some "deal" on a 540 with a jimmy blower! yeah, we all remember our youth rebuilding Chevelles and such in the garage and get ahead of ourselves.

Lube makes a great point; so much goes into why an engine fails. How it's fed, cooled secured to the stringers with no steel engine bed. Certainly makes the case for paying professionals to do your rigging.

On last thing. I hate to see a company get its name dragged through the mud in these tough times. Ateco offers some value HP at a low price point for boaters, unlike say Mercury. Their 540 exchange is compelling. So, maybe they're bad guys who knows but I like that some of these "little guys" are at least trying to provide value for those of us who aren't millionaires.

So here's hoping we get the other side of the story, and that anyone who'se been wronged gets satisfaction. And thanks again ALL of you for taking the time to share your knowledge and experiences.

Thanks for stepping up Cig. We all had those first few posts.

I have actually talked to DonZ as a fellow Donzi owner. He is starting in a place where many of us started. His questions are honest and he is in the learning process. He kind of remind me of when I was agonizing over things like how many rams to use on my steering system and how much power will a stock B1 actually take.

I will let him discuss the details of the situation but I will say that he is sincere and does not come from anywhere NEAR Illinois or in the US for that matter.

Naturally. :)

Although I know that many times we get our one-hit wonders who come out of the box swinging with some hidden agenda or even a second-name purely for the sake of stirring sht, we can't treat every new member with disdain because of a few bad apples. My intuition tells me that DonZ is a good fella with legitimate concerns and issues....it wouldn't be the first time with this builder. If I do a search going back a couple years, I'd say that this builders track record is about 50/50. You either love him or hate him, it seems. I'd like to know more details about DonZ's problems, so we can help and not just banter back and forth idly while getting side-tracked. I wish him the best of luck and hope he gets satisfactory resolution (but not holding my breath).

Donz is from Malta Italy and was waiting on the engine from Ateco to clear things up. Im sure he will post soon explaining his situation and Ateco will probably post as well.

I know that.

Basically, his boat does not turn the numbers it should for the stated HP. Not close. There could be a number of factors ranging from hook to fat tune. The good news is that he has a good baseline before the new power and there is nothing wrong with the hull so we can eliminate a few of them.

He has not trashed the builder in any of my conversations with him. He just wants his stuff to run right.

I too have spoken to DonZ on a number of occasions and I do believe he is legit. He is from Malta and he has issues like a lot of us when doing a repower. I have asked him to post here in public because I think there are some really sharp people here that would help him. But his welcome here was a little strained with people not believing he was real. Our discussions are in PM mode and will stay that way out of respect to him. I know exactly how he feels. I had dealings with a OSO company we all know well and they could even be called an icon of their product. I got a price from them, sent them money, they cashed my check and sent me something other than what I bought. I would never post this in public here as hundreds would attack me with their positive experiences with this same company. I have never seen another negative post about them, so I assume my deal was isolated experience, but it involved a fair amount of money. This forum can be brutal on the one who stands alone. DonZ is ok for now and not the issue on this thread even though he started it. It is sad he will not post in public, but I assume he will if he wants the help that could be rendered. The real issue here is customer service, returned phone calls and warning others about a potential problem in our industry.

+1

Interesting enough, DonZ asked a question. Like I did in another thread. A question was raised. Looking for some opinions and input assumingly to resolve an issue. I don't understand all the personal attacks from some of the "key board commandos", and taking a thread or an issue on the personal level. I agree with ElimiNordic.. this is about >> The real issue here is customer service, returned phone calls and warning others about a potential problem in our industry.<< Just as my CMI issues.
I had some issues with Cobra, (Randy) eventually we sort of made up and now we can have cocktails together at an event. I had some issues with (formally) Lightning Bay when they were rigging my boat, some quality/workmanship stuff. I was so pi$$ed one time I took the boat out of their yard. Later I got a call; they said, “yes, we did some things wrong, let us make it right”
The boat was back the next day and now Mike and I have frequently socialize, have cocktails and friendly conversations. (Good luck to you Mike at Statement)
Don’t know much about ATECO, but a friend of mine has her motor there for rebuild. It’s been there for over a year, due to: CMI header problems, salt in the cylinders, etc. Don’t know all the details, but Bill is trying to help the customer with the CMI issue. The customer (my friend, did not complain about ATECO) In this performance environment, no shop or supplier can please every one all the time, things will happen at times. Things will go wrong for whatever reasons. The problem is not that some one is unhappy or have a complaint, motors are fried, drive are blown. Etc. but how is the “PROBLEM’ handled, approached and eventually resolved by both parties. I been having headaches with one of my motor for a year. Nothing major, (some RPM loss) Not once I was ignored, mistreated, blown off, swept under the carpet. Never did my phone call or questions been ignored. We discussed the problem, made some wrong guesses, tried this and that. Not once I heard that it’s “not our problem” or “it’s your fault”. All I hear is “we don’t know, if it’s ours will fix it, if it’s not we figure something out to make you happy.” We still don’t know the exact reason for the loss of RPM’s on one, and both motors tops/heads were redone. Dino run came out great. May be it’s $25 sensor.? But Innovation and I are working with in a very friendly environment. (unlike CMI)
This is the attitude I would like to see from all shops and suppliers. I don’t think it’s a hard thing to do to cooperate and have a good relationship even when things go wrong. Some time ago, I had some work done on one of my older boat. Things didn’t go as we thought. The shops owner said. “Peter. I am sorry… I just don’t have the $ and the means to help” I shook his hand and I said it’s ok, thanks for your honesty, I will take care of it.
We need to remember, while boating for most of us is our passions, these are toys. We are just old (well some of us) and big boys with our toys and we all cry when we brake it. , (I have to laugh here, since Gino is about 3 times as big as I am. Hope your ticker is good Gino!)
But when our toys are broke or we do brake them the last thing we want is being ignored.
Not much to ask… is it??/ Service and integrity is pretty much everything. $’s come way down the road.

MasterCraft
"Notice none of the big players start this up lubejobs, blume, dolla, animalhouse, pblams, and slw388 just to name a few. I dont know how you guys have the time to ramble on about something that has zero bearing on your life."

When I see a fellow boater broken down with his engine hatch up, it "has zero bearing on my life", but I ALWAYS swing around to see if I can help. When I see a stranded person on the interstate, it "has zero bearing on my life" but I am going to stop and call for help if needed. If someone needs my help on a project that "has zero bearing on my life," I will offer assistance if I am able. I am not sure what a "big player" here is, but I know I am not one. But I am happy being a "small player" who can be counted on to help when needed. That is my only motivation here as my time is my most valuable commodity. You may find it silly to stand up against a possible wrong and speak out for the downtrodden, but if there is such a thing as a "big player" here on OSO, I would hope that is how they roll also. I do not mean to anger you or anyone else here, because as you point out, I am new here, so everyone to me has no postion in the pecking order. You are all equal and I try and be cordial and polite to all, even the much hated PokerRun. But that is just how I roll. Dan

Assuming the price for the 540 actually stayed at that price. Once your engine is there and they take it apart blah blah blah... its there....its opened and they're gonna get every dime out of you they can (not ateco specifically, but engine builders in general). I dont think many people can say they've gotten a quote and payed that dollar amount.

Also, I take it you haven't been here too long either. Most of what you read here is bull poopie. Vew few know very much..... and they don't post often. Most questions are asked, and some bozo goes on about his personal situation that has nothing to do with the original question asked. Someone will ask about a 27 fountain cc and you'll have spectre owners say look at the spectre 26, carrera owners saying look at the carrera cc, sonic owners saying look at the sonic cc meanwhile none of the guys has ever put a hand on a CC and all the dude wants is some info on a 27 fountain cc. You'll figure it out sooner than later. I'm not being pessimistic.... it is how it is.
Dan,
I appreciate your willingness to help, though you missed one big differentiating factor in your analogy. In one circumstance, your "lone boater", is stranded. By you stopping and lending a hand, you're making a difference. You either help him fix his engine or you may have enough booze to get him drunk and forget about his screwed up hunk of junk. Regardless, your a difference maker. On the other hand, what you're doing here actually makes no difference. I'm not telling you not to write them, you're free to do whatever you want. I'm simply baffled by the amount of effort your put into this with the little to no return that you get. And of course, that your aforementioned analogy.... is flawed.:coolcowboy: