Fellas, I just want to give a shout out to two good guys in the marine industry (and unfortunately, warn of a bad one....)...

I blew a motor (Merc HP500) in my Scarab last August. Broke a valve, grenaded a piston, damaged the head, etc. The motor wasn't in good shape. I decided to go with Dave Wesselsyke at Wesco Racing Engines in Jenison, MI for the rebuilds because of many factors, but mostly because of his stellar reviews through friends and on OSO. That was exactly right! Brought him my motors shortly after I toasted one, and even though I don't have a whole lot of mechanical knowledge, he walked through every step of the process with me. I stopped by his shop about once a week through the offseason, and once assembly time came, I was in there about every other day. He would always stop and chat, telling me exactly where he was at. I asked loads of stupid questions, but he never once was too busy to enlighten me. We ended up boring them out to 540ci, kicking out around 575hp. They are mean and ultra-reliable machines. They were dyno'd and in the boat before June - right on time. If you want to build yourself a cheap, thrown-together POS, don't go to Dave. If you want loads of transparency, undeniable honesty, and industry-leading knowledge and expertise, he's your man!

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Also good: I blew a drive a week-and-a-half ago Thursday. I had a spare drive that turned out to be total junk (more below), so I ended up scrambling to rebuild my dead drive with only FOUR DAYS before Boyne Thunder. I was running, had a bunch of guys going with me, and had already invested serious cash into the weekend, so I needed that drive to be done. I found All American Drive Service out of Bronson, MI, and like Wesco, couldn't find any bad reviews. I called George, the owner, and he pretty much bent over backwards to get my drive done in time. That includes picking up my dead drive in his airplane because I live a few hours away (seriously, who does that?), tearing it apart the same day, developing a game plan, and having his guys work late to get it done. He didn't even charge me extra, and the drive comes with a two year warranty. I received the drive less than 12 hours before the run, flipped it on, and ran it. Worked flawlessly. I'd highly recommend him to anyone.

Unfortunately, I have a bad experience to share too. After I broke that drive last week, I put a spare on that I had purchased last winter from Bandit Performance Marine in Brick, NJ. After I installed it, I dropped the boat in the water and immediately could barely get it out of reverse after backing it out of the launch. I drove around the channel but was worried that I'd blow that one too, so I turned around and put it back on the trailer. When I got home, I pulled the upper magnet and found loads of metal chunks. Not dust, but chunks. Keep in mind that this was the first time I had used the drive. I will share right off the bat that this drive was not new. Bandit sold it as a good, solid used drive with very low hours. They had assured me that they had meticulously checked the gears and other internals and that everything looked perfect. So, I understand that I took a risk by buying a used drive as a backup. But, my point is this: either 1) Bandit was lying to me and they knew the drive was crap, or 2) they never actually looked the drive over before they sold it. Either is unacceptable to me. I tried calling their shop on Monday, July 5, Tuesday, July 6, and Wednesday, July 7, but nobody answered any of the 20+ times I called. I wanted to give them a chance to make this right, but that has gone and passed.....

Sorry for the book, but because the marine industry is full of shady businesses, questionable business practices need to be shared so others don't have the same experience. But more importantly, businesses like Wesco Racing Engines and All American Drive need to receive accolades on sites like this so guys check them out the next time they need work done. Kudos, Dave and George!

Engine guy has to be better than good to consistantly stop in the middle of a build and bs with ya ,.seriously , i lock the door at building time and take pictures for documentation if there is anything interesting involved

Dave is 1 of the best and is a hands on builder/shop owner that you do not get from the big name builders in the industry.

Thanks for sharing. George must be truly passionate about his work!

I build and remodel homes, I stop at the drop of a hat if a client comes over and has questions, an involved client is a happy client. Less chance for call backs or questions during the critical punch list phase and after you're gone.

Ive heard NOTHING BUT GOOD about Dave.....and that's from Connecticut! Good news travels fast I guess.

Dave W is a great guy. You can't go wrong with him. Don't know All American but it sounds like they went above and beyond. It's great to hear about the good guys once in a while.

.......spoken by another one of the good ones, or so I've heard!

Good to hear these kinds of reports! I have been saving money to have a bravo rebuit, and have reserched AADS, and so for they will be my choice when I get the cash.

Thanks for the Input Chris21...

Agreed...being a landscape contractor, always being available to speak with your clients is imperative. Any business owner that won't take the time to listen to their clients thoughts, desires and needs should not be in the service business.... Great story Chris21. Thanks for sharing.