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Posts: 726
Location: Eau Claire, WI | I'm trying to understand the difference between boat motor repair places and others like automotive. Hoping some of you with experience in the industry can help me understand "the way it is" with this type of business.
Your car breaks down, you can usually get in and out quickly. Your boat breaks down and it will be a month before anyone can look at it and then it takes forever to get any parts, etc. It shouldn't take a week or more to get a part from Fond du Lac to Chippewa Falls. Cripes I could ride a donkey over and back in that time.
This is the case most of the time in my neck of the woods, is it true everywhere?
Why is it this way? Shortage of mechanics? Lack of onsite parts inventories? Slow distribution channels?
I'm in a fun spot right now. Just took out my boat last night since having winterized last fall. Having temp gauge issues and I'm not sure whats going on. Next week, I have three days to fish with my 5 year old before some other issues take me off the water for some time into summer. no one can touch it until weeks from now so looks like I'm hosed.
Seems like there is a huge opportunity for someone who could offer quick reliable service but maybe there are constraints that won't allow that?
Thanks,
Jono
Edited by Jono 5/5/2011 11:22 AM
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Posts: 897
| where i live, the shops that get stuff done quickly are bigger and more expensive. the little mom and pop shops that only have one or two mechanics are notoriously slow everywhere. i've also had issues with the mom and pop shops not knowing what the hell they are doing, not fixing the right thing, then having to take it to the more expensive shop to get fixed anyway. i agree, though, it's frustrating stuff. |
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| I'd say you are taking your boat to the wrong place...? never an issue getting things done in Madison... maybe you need to call around ???? |
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Posts: 172
| I think it's varies on shopS. I took my boat to one shop in north branch, three trips in and out of shop and finally 4 weeks later and out of 900 bucks and they finally figures out what's wrong with it... It was cracked impeller the whole time. I know that place won't see me anymore. |
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Posts: 726
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Thanks for the input guys.
Ya BN, maybe I am going to the wrong place but I've tried all the "majors" in town over the years. They were all pretty slow. There is one here I haven't tried yet so maybe I should. The place I go now does great work and I trust them, just takes forever. I've had some bad experiences with the other shops both in attitude and quality of work. One shop even put broken parts back on my motor and tried to tell me it was fixed. That was a "major" shop with some major attitude and roundly panned by a lot of people in this area.
Maybe I should just move back to Madison!
Jono
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Posts: 80
| It's really hard to find a reasonable reputable mechanic these day's but when you do you have to treat him right. One man shops are the way to go if you want something done quickly and right as you can speak one-on-one with your mechanic and let him know exactly whats going on with your outboard. |
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Posts: 1060
Location: Palm Coast, FL | From what I have found marine repair is not a "full" time job like automobiles are. They have slow seasons (winter) and peak times (beginning of spring and fall). It is feast or famine. Hard to have good help when they are only working for part of the year. I have found a local place where I live and they get me in and out sometimes that very same day no matter what the time of year is. I won't go anywhere else because of this service! A big thanks to Clark's Marine in North Webster, IN. |
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Posts: 32885
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Right now it's a matter of timing, I'd wager. EVERYONE 'just got their boat out of storage', and it's opener tomorrow in WI and the next week in MN. Most shops are booked up rigging and delivering new boats and are pretty backed up on repairs this time of year.
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| Cripes! I say hook your boat to your donkey and drag that sucker down to Madtown. Cripes! |
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Posts: 726
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Cripes! Thanks for the laugh Guest. My donkey won't pull my rig anymore. I guess he learned something the last time I tried that. He didn't like the harness for the trailer brakes. : - )
I understand the variable demand/peak season stuff. You're right Steve now is a particularly bad time. I've had the same slow delays though in the middle of summer. Just seems to always be the way around here.
I'm glad I posted this though because I got a message from a shop with a good rep for service that they can get me in. I dropped the boat off this morning and with any kind of luck it will be back tomorrow.
Jono
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Posts: 2687
Location: Hayward, WI | Bad news to hear Jon. Hope that shop can get things taken care of for you. If you run into Dick you should let him know that the boat he sold me has been working great the last few years. I hesitate to say that, since opener is tomorrow and I have only run it in the driveway for a few minutes this spring.
Did have an issue with it running poorly a couple years ago right away in the spring. There was some gunk in the carbs, but luckily I have a pretty handy uncle who got it back in shape for me in less than a week. Good luck getting the boat fixed and good luck fishing.
Tucker |
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Posts: 116
| lol, i'm wondering just where you would plug in that wire- or which part you would wrap the cable around for the brakes... |
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Posts: 619
| i agree. its brutal. i just bought a new boat in stock. all they are doing is putting on a few rod holders and earliest pick up date was 10 days from the date of purchase???what , okay. much better off trying to find a buddy that does the stuff on the side, save some money and have it done within hours...the only bad part is there is no warranty w/ a buddy.
Edited by Slow Rollin 5/6/2011 5:22 PM
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Posts: 159
| Last year my outboard needed work on the second day of the big trip---
Needless to say---basically the whole trip was ruined waiting for the boat----8 days and about 900$ later got the boat back.
Put it the water---the alarms start going off again---Get the mechanic down to the water---boat runs like a champ---next day the alarms go off again.
This season---Going to work really hard to get everything right before the big trip.
I do agree with your post---Good outboard shops/mechanics are really hard to find. |
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Posts: 74
Location: Brainerd, MN 56401 | Only one solution....learn to fix it yourself. |
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| Maybe I just got lucky but I have a shade tree mechanic that does great work for dirt cheap. I got my 48hp evinrude from him for $450 and I haven't had to visit him in over a year. Couldn't be happier |
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Posts: 546
Location: MN | bn - 5/5/2011 11:49 AM
I'd say you are taking your boat to the wrong place...? never an issue getting things done in Madison... maybe you need to call around ????
BN, where do you go in the Madison area, and what model of engines do they work on? |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | I couldn't agree more with the original poster....it is absolutely ridiculous the time it takes to get simple work done. I have now been to 4 different places in the Chicago area, anything less then 2-3 weeks to complete simple tasks is a pipe dream. The prices are also outrageous as well. There just aren't enough places to meet the demands it seems |
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Posts: 726
Location: Eau Claire, WI | Kris Gottwald at Crystal Pierz in Rice Lake, WI is a great guy to deal with. Since I've posted this, I've had a few things up to him. The work and turn around is fantastic. I have another place closer to home that I trust but they take forever. Its worth the two hour round trip up to Kris when my alternatives closer to home will want an appointment two to three weeks in advance and then take another two to three to fix the problem. Unacceptable.
Kris is on this board as "kjgmh".
I understand that unlike auto, its tough to stock parts so it can take time, etc but when you order a part at a time then pool the order to save on shipping charges, etc. its just dumb. I have a merc for god's sake the parts are over in fond du lac I could take a riding lawn mower over there and still beat the time it takes for a part to be ordered and delivered to my local wrench.
To Brian's comments about the demand, I think up here being a marine mechanic is tough because you don't have steady work year 'round. That creates a problem, not really attractive to be up this way unless you have other work you can fall back on.
Anyone who can do great service with quick turnaround should be able to clean up. Lots of opportunity to rise to the top.
Jono
Edited by Jono 4/30/2012 3:59 PM
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Location: Contrarian Island | mtcook,,,a great place for trailer work and smaller outboards is Gervasi Marine, for my 175 suzi i take it to the Boat House, and have had pretty good luck with Pharo marine in the past as well...no issues with turnaround from anyone..Joe Jr at Gervasi is good to work with tho his secretary can be a bit "challenging" at times .... ; o) |
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Posts: 440
| Turn around time here is usually 4-6 weeks and it usually doesn't matter what time of year. I have found a couple smaller shops that are faster but still. |
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Posts: 1184
Location: Iowa Great Lakes | I took mine in back in March for a rebuild, still waiting for it and walleye season opens in 5 days and I missed 1 muskie tourney already.... |
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Posts: 121
Location: Plymouth IA | Their are at least 50 auto repair places to every boat repair shop and that is in lake country down here in Iowa looking in the phone book it is more than 100 to 1. That is why the car gets fixed faster than the boat.
A few things you can do to tip the speed of boat repair in your favor, put the good boat mechanic on your Christmas giving list, if their is ever something you can do to help them out / get on their good side, do it. When you find a good place to service your boat take care of them and when you send business there way make sure they know it was from you. In general treat them like you would want to be treated. |
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