regalman4925

i am in no way implieing that latham parts are bad, they are very good parts. with that said i am a budget builder when it comes to my projects, boats included. i am always piecing stuff together and doing anything i can do to save some cash. i am not sure if you guys have noticed or not but performance boating is not exactly a cheap hobby but i am addicted to it and i make it work. i purchased a latham hydraulic steering ram off of ebay some time back, that was the start of my steering upgrade. i purchased a pair of transom brackets and a helm valve off of the forum, i picked up a wingplate and helm post off of ebay later on. so i am getting excited now, i have all of the parts i needed minus plumbing parts and the studs to mount the wingplate to the drive. so i call latham up, as soon as they figured out that i did not have a account with them they got this attitude like they did not want to deal with me, i tell them that i needed mounting hardware for the wingplate, i knew it wasnt going to be cheap figuring on the high end im looking at 100 bucks or so... i was shocked when he told me it was around 225 for the studs and spacers i needed, keep in mind the wingplate it self was bought for 125. the imco drive cap with all of the hardware i believe is around 175 new. i tried multiple times to get information about what was so special about these studs so i could look for a cheaper alternative. i then asked if they took credit cards and they told me that they would take only check, money order or c.o.d...... what year is it again??? what industry are you in?? most people dont have 5k cash to drop on a steering setup so how much business are they missing out on there not selling to people that need a complete setup? during this time i picked up some other parts that included a imco transom bracket brand spanking new off of the forum, i originally intended to cut the bulkheads off of it to use with the latham setup. one day i was searching around on ebay and ran across a imco ram and drive cap with the outside hoses. the ram needed to be rebuilt due to leaking but looked new but i ended up getting a great deal on it so now i ended up with a complete imco setup. so i call imco up, i tell them i needed a seal kit and a few other minor parts. i dont recall the guys name anymore but he was MORE than helpful and said they deal with guys like me all the time that are putting together their own stuff. i asked the guy how to take the steering ram apart for rebuild expecting him to tell me to send it in for a overhaul, much to my surprise he explained to me exactly how to do it and gave me some tips to make it easier. when it came time to pay, guess what they took? my credit card! the moral to my story is companies like latham do not understand the importance of customer service and support for their products after the sale. imco by far has my business from here on out. if i were to ever buy a new boat i would go out of my way to make sure i do not recieve latham parts on my boat. i will also give some love to livorsi, they have been very helpful to me also!

by the way i love my imco steering, it is night and day difference from the brand new cable steering i had on my boat the first few years i had the boat together. another note is i was able to put together my steering setup from helm to drive for 1200 bucks

cp5899

iTrader: (1)

Pm sent

cigboat1

You get what you pay for !!!! Ken and the guys at latham are good at what they do---------- and that is making boats steer properly ,straight and true......... Imco may make fine products but ask yourself a few questions ,Who is going to service their products in the mid west and the east coast ----Hard to find someone that takes care of their products and knows much about them. Besides most of the bigger boats put out in the last twenty years have been put together with latham products... If you have a hot rod boat and have to ask how much it costs maybe you should be looking at other forms of propulsion .
The best is never too much to drive something safely



Jim

WILDMAN

I love Ron an the guys at IMCO. Its the only steering I rig my ne boats with. Prices ae way more affordable and as good or better than any one elses.

Griff

I have ordered stuff direct from Latham before. They were more than helpful, but like you said would only ship COD. Not really a big problem, but the cost of COD shipping is high. My $35 trim switch cost $65 with shipping.
If someone want to use a CC on a purchase, they have the option of ordering from Latham dealer iwth an account. I could have done that, but it was just easier to have it shipped direct to me.

If you wanna play, you gotta pay.

Back4More

Don't take it personally.
Latham is more boat builder oriented...
Where as IMCO is more boat owner.

offshoredrillin

you can feel that way if you want, but Latham is one of the best for a reason, with all due respect to your budget. I'm nearly 100% positive they treated you just like anyone else. as far as COD, with all the scam artists and credit card misuse and fees it makes perfect sense. just because a companies business plan doesn't make it easy for you, that doesn't mean it is wrong. by going COD all orders are paid for cuts down on receivables. as griff said you could have gone to one of their distributors and used a cc. I love my Latham controls and strainers so much i bought them for my 20 cig.

Double Rigged

iTrader: (1)

You are entitled to your opinion. Bob is a great guy and has done a lot for this industry and still builds the best stuff out there bar none! There stuff is expensive but you will not find better quality. You will be able to get support from them if needed. Slamming a company like them is not a good thing especially a company with their reputation. Performance boats are not cheap and me personally having quality steering is very important.

marylandmark

Let me get this right?

So you feel you should be able to call and pick their brain just so you can undercut them buying some place else?

You say the above, yet you said:

Sure sounds like they were willing to sell you what you needed, just not at the freebie price you wanted to pay for it?

Thankfully you won't be buying from them again, that way they will still be able to provide me the excellent products and service that they have in the past.

TOASTY

Nice,

And steering on a hi po boat is not something you want to do 2nd hand... ergo buy off forums and e bay...