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My expensive lesson at Lake Cumberland Marina

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My expensive lesson at Lake Cumberland Marina

Old 05-26-2007, 10:36 AM
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Default My expensive lesson at Lake Cumberland Marina

First, let me say thanks to all on here as I've been lurking for several months and have learned so much from all who participate in the forums. This is an awesome community, so thanks.

Having just arrived from a long and frustating trip to Somerset Kentucky, I felt the need to share a very poor experience with the hopes that others may avoid something similar happening to them in the future. In hindsight I should have known better... My trip to KY was to pick up a 38 Top Gun from Cumberland Marina listed in the classified section:

http://www.offshoreonlyclassifieds.c...o13031-en.html

After negotiating with them a deal with a trade-in and a price based upon the description in their ad and confirmed to me by the salesman and even the owner of Cumberland Marina as a boat with rebuilt, dyno time only engines, I rented a truck and a trailer and drove to KY all the way from S. Florida on Thursday to complete the deal. You can imagine my surprise when upon arrival I opened the engine hatch and found the following:

The rear of the port engine was covered in oil including the distributor and wiring down to the bilge, the starboard engine was seeping oil from the front of the intake manifold as well as the rear blower housing seal. There was an active fuel leak from the carbs and long term type fuel stains coming from the base of the carbs where they mount on the blowers. Overall, the paint was discolored and flaking off the blocks in places - even the flame arrestors had a good layer of soot on them. Considering my 25 years in the automotive world including performing many complete engine rebuilds it was very clear to me that these engines have been run for far more than a dyno tune. Furthermore, the engines that were originally represented to me as Zul motors, then Bulldogs, are now supposedly based upon HP500s.

The response I got from the owner of Lake Cumberland was simply "we were told by the guy that traded this in to us that they were only run on the dyno and then once in the water and we believe him", "if you want, we'll have the gaskets replaced that are leaking and we'll touch up the paint ".

Funny thing to be done on dyno time engines only huh?

So there I was in KY, 1000 miles from home with my trade-in boat on a trailer trying to work something out... We discussed a compromise to conclude the deal at the full original price but to have a local S. Florida engine guy disassemble and inspect the engines and re-seal them if ok. The only catch, I'd have to pay $3,000 more to have this done! So, realizing at this point that they had no intention of honoring their representation, I asked them to just cover my expenses of renting the truck and trailer to come out and do the trade. They flat out refused. So, I hopped in the truck and drove all the way home incuring $2,000 of hard costs.

As I said in the beginning, I really should have known better than to trust and just go do the deal. But honestly, I never imagined that it would have turned out the way it did because of who I was dealing with. It was an expensive lesson learned.

Tony Gomez
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Old 05-26-2007, 10:51 AM
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WOW, that really sucks! I would have paid a couple of hundred bucks on a local surveyor near the boat and have them check it out, but that's just me.

Sorry to hear about your experience.


Walt
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Old 05-26-2007, 11:00 AM
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That does suck
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Old 05-26-2007, 11:03 AM
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Sorry to hear....I have bought a number of boats (5 cruisers in the 30 ft range) sight unseen and arranged for several to be delivered to me instead of picking them up myself. I always had a mechanic and surveyor go over the boats with instructions if it's a piece of crap.......call it quits!
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Old 05-26-2007, 11:05 AM
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Wow. What a total bummer. Either the folks at Cumberland are flat out idiots, or they believe that their customers (you and anyone else who sees their classifieds here on OSO) are the idiots....I assume the latter. They can't honestly expect anyone to believe that they never cracked the engine hatch or have anyone believe that they could be fooled into actually thinking the engines were genuinely recently rebuilt.

Nice move, Cumberland.

Since they advertise with us, I'd like to hear their point of view. If this post lasts until then, that is.
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Old 05-26-2007, 11:05 AM
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Good for you! I would have flown up to see it first.
I called on a 47 and left 2 messeges with a woman but never got a call back.

Last edited by Back4More; 05-26-2007 at 11:10 AM.
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Old 05-26-2007, 03:00 PM
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I feel your pain. Before OSO I flew down to Miami to look at a 42 Fountain. Come to find out it was a US Customs retired boat.
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Old 05-26-2007, 03:14 PM
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Plane tickets are cheap. I feel your pain. Mine blew an engine the second week I had it home. Fresh rebuilds my azz. I am losing faith in the boat sales comunity.

Last edited by jeff1000man; 05-26-2007 at 04:22 PM. Reason: Blind
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Old 05-26-2007, 03:29 PM
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Originally Posted by jeff1000man
Post the link to the boat so that we don't accidentally call on it ourselves.
check post #1
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Old 05-26-2007, 04:23 PM
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Pics of engines look good. Wonder how long it was on the lot? Maybe it has had a lot of sea trials.
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