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How Far Would You Drive For Quality Boat Service

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View Poll Results: How Far Would You Go For Quality Boat Service
less that 100 miles
16
28.57%
100 to 200 miles
15
26.79%
I'll do the work myself
12
21.43%
Nowhere is too far for my baby
13
23.21%
Voters: 56. You may not vote on this poll

How Far Would You Drive For Quality Boat Service

Old 05-13-2004, 11:27 AM
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Anything other than internal outdrive repairs, I do myself. It's really tough to find a reputable and reasonable repair shop. Most just don't care enough, they leave the cover off, they slop all over with muddy shoes, greasy hand prints everywhere, shoddy work with no attention to detail. Plus, it's usually pretty unsettling to see the actual mechanic thats going to work on my boat,,,,,, it's either a rivet-faced punk or some old coot that says "thats one nice lookin' cigar boat".

Nope, not me! If I can't fix it, I'm pissed,,,,,,,,, pissed that I HAVE to take it to some shmuck !!!!!!


Most of my experiences with boat yards has been negative, so I learn and do it myself.

I'm reading and learning outdrive internals too. Can't be that tough, it's just a bunch of bearings, shafts and gears. Soon I won't need those slugs for anything.
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Old 05-13-2004, 11:58 AM
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Originally posted by Too Old
For a big job, I'd drive as far as Indiana and wouldn't think twice about it.

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Old 05-13-2004, 12:01 PM
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Thank god I have Doller Offshore and TNT Custom Marine within minutes from me.
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Old 05-13-2004, 12:06 PM
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So, trying to see who would be willing to drive to STS for work done huh??

Im willing to go where I need to go to get top notch work done. Granted, this doesnt mean just for an oil change or something stupid. But a new motor or complete High Performance rebuild. Its worth it to me to go somewhere that does great work up front. Might be a big expense up front but its worth it in the long run.
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Old 05-13-2004, 12:33 PM
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Originally posted by RollWithIt
So, trying to see who would be willing to drive to STS for work done huh??

Im willing to go where I need to go to get top notch work done. Granted, this doesnt mean just for an oil change or something stupid. But a new motor or complete High Performance rebuild. Its worth it to me to go somewhere that does great work up front. Might be a big expense up front but its worth it in the long run.
Are you implying that I have ulterior motive for this thread??????? That would be like suggesting that I make a habit of doing shameless plugs

No really I am just trying to see what the general public's feeling is on this. Purely curiosity. A well informed company is a good company
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Old 05-13-2004, 12:34 PM
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Personally I think its a good move. Like I said, if the quality is there, I would take my boat to get the work done. In my opinion, its worth it.
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Old 05-13-2004, 12:39 PM
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I think it boils down to what percent of the total project cost is going to be involved in the shipping. When I talked with Sean about possible work for the 33 Apache CC (before it turned out to be a disaster) the cost to bring the boat there was going to be about $1k more than just bringing it direct to MD, which wasn't a stopper for the approx $10k or so of work we were talking about. The same travel costs for a muc smaller job would make it harder to justify, so would require a really strong reason to choose one shop over another.

-Greg
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Old 05-13-2004, 01:39 PM
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The person that worked on my boat before I straightened it out is only 25 miles away... He "beats his drum" louder and harder than anyone I have ever seen... but the work coming out of his shop is deplorable. Some people think he is the "undisputed authority" when it comes to anything about boats.....
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Old 05-13-2004, 01:47 PM
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Well not that I am plugging STS. But I am proud to say that as far as our communication level and honesty, Sean and I both have the same philosophy about running a business, which we pass on to employees and just people in general.

If you don't know the answer to a questions....then just say you don't know, and then find someone who does. We try to be as honest as we can about the quotes we give customers, and if we see a problem that will take extra time or money, we contact the customer immediately.

Sean inspects parts before they go on the boat and then asks himself if he would want it on his boat, and if the quality isn't up to the standard that he would want for himself then it doesn't go on our customer's boat.

And not only do we have Sean who knows more than his fair share about boats and has been in the business for a quarter of a century, we also have a Mercury Certified mechanic on staff.

And in the customer service department, Sean or I handle all the vendors and customers ourselves to make sure that we are aware of any problems that arise. And I call each customer after the delivery of the boat myself to make sure everything is in order. If anyone needs us not only is our shop number all over, but the voice mail at the shop also has our home number on it so customers can get ahold of us 24/7.

Now do I have all my bases covered or is there something a customer would like to see out of a company that I didn't mention.

Just trying to get some feedback to make our company the best for you. Thanks
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Old 05-13-2004, 02:49 PM
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I have been doing all my work myself . I have even done some warranty work for myself at a local dealer ship.


I wish I could find a shop to take it to to get good work.I don't mind driving.i don't have much time to work on them anymore.
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