Archive for the ‘All Reviews’ Category


Posted on November 2, 2015 - by

Barnacle Busters — A Disappointment

 

 

 

We’ve been using Barnacle Buster Palm Beach for a couple of years and yes they’re kind of pricey, but going with, “you get what you pay for” logic I never questioned their price or their work. The young fellow who had dived on Istaboa seemed competent and he always showed up like clockwork; once a month.

I did mentally question the frequency of zinc replacements, but not going under myself in murky water, I couldn’t dispute it.

Then while cruising the Exumas I took advantage of the crystal clear water and took a look at the bottom with my own eyes. The job Barnacle Busters had done wasn’t perfect but not bad either. You could tell where they stopped cleaning as well as they should; below the level one could see from above the water. The running gear was okay, not as good as I’ve seen before, but adequate so I thought I would mention these things to the diver the next time they cleaned.

I had a Bahamian friend do a proper cleaning and afterwards I dove down to inspect. The bottom looked very good and I decided to wait another 6 months before painting. The Zincs were adequate and didn’t need replacing.

Then we came back to the States… before I could tell Barnacle Busters to not do a cleaning, they were under the boat. So, I thought this would be a good time to test Barnacle Busters’ integrity so I let the cleaning continue.

When I got the bill, after it was charged to my credit card on file, I was shocked to see that their opinion on the bottom condition was so different than what I had seen with my own eyes —  just 4 days earlier.

 

What I had seen just a few days before:  the hull was pristine, the running gear was very good, and the waterline was clean.

I contacted Barnacle Busters via email and they never replied. I called and spoke with someone who disagreed with my opinion, but said he would ask the diver and get back to me. He never did and to add insult to injury, they came back, without asking, cleaned the bottom again and charged me. When I called to dispute, I was told that I had not contacted them and because I was on a monthly schedule and didn’t give notice, the charges would remain. I begrudgingly allowed it to stay on my credit card without dispute.

So, needless to say, my opinion of Barnacle Busters is not a good one. We will not be using their services anymore and not only will we not recommend them, we’ll advise against using their services.

Also, they’re no longer allowed to charge to the credit card in their files.


Posted on April 20, 2014 - by

Rialto Marina Is No More

We’re sorry to say that one of our favorite hideaways has decided to hang it up. Rumor is, the owner is retiring.

It’s such a pretty spot, maybe someday…

Here’s to safe and happy cruises,

Bob


Posted on April 20, 2014 - by

Marina Jack’s, Sarasota, FL

We’ve never been to Sarasota before, we always passed it by while heading south as fast a possible, but we’d always heard good things about Sarasota. We came to Marina Jack’s for business and were pleasantly surprised by what we found.

This is a world class marina that’s located adjacent to the downtown sector of a world class city.

Management and staff at Marina Jack’s are some of the most professional and friendly folks we’ve ever ran across at a marina. They operate Marina Jack’s like a fine hotel — Think upscale hospitality.  The restaurants onsite are very good and the sunset views are killer. It’s location, in the shadow of and just a short walk from downtown Sarasota, makes this marina a day, week, or long term destination. Within a couple of blocks you have a Whole Foods and on the way down Main St. you’ll pass some more great restaurants, barber shop, spas, hair salons, and everything else one would imagine a world class downtown has to offer.

Marina Jack’s offer’s everything a boater would need; from divers for under the waterline to marine electronics above it, all onsite.

The WiFi is, in my biased opinion because my company installed it, is the absolute best marina wifi I have ever experienced. I’m not making this up… it’s really good.

onSpot wifi has just finished installing the most technologically advanced WiFi hotspot to be found in Florida or anywhere else on the east coast of the USA.

We stayed at Marina Jack for almost 2 weeks and it is on the top of our list of the most fun and interesting marinas and cities we’ve been to.

Our opinion of Marina Jack’s is an excellent one.  If you haven’t been, you should go there, I promise you’ll enjoy it too.

Here’s to safe and happy cruising,

Bob


Posted on August 20, 2013 - by

A bad report regarding Green Cove Springs Marina

Dave from Driftaway endured a bad experience with these guys. I’ll repost his comments:

Green Cove Springs Marina WARNING!

In preparation for our departure north, we needed to find a good place to leave Drift Away for the many months we’d be gone.  Cost was an issue and we eliminated all the expensive marinas.  We didn’t care about amenities since we wouldn’t be there anyway.  We also wanted a do-it-yourself yard to perform some needed maintenance,  like painting.  We narrowed our list down to a few.  Green Cove Springs Marina looked good, relatively close by to Brunswick Georgia where we were docked, just south of Jacksonville.

I gave them a call to make sure they could accommodate us.  They asked the size, weight, and beam, and then confirmed that they could easily haul Drift Away.  Pam and I even took a road trip there to talk to the staff in person.

We arrived at Green Cove Springs Marina on May 10th, tying up to their wall.

Not the prettiest marina we’ve been at, but the cleats were adequate.
We were there for a few days and made arrangements to rent a U-Haul for our trip north.  The marina owner and office manager came by in a golf cart and we chatted a bit.  They both seemed like nice folks.
I prepped the boat for long term storage, putting loose things in the Whaler and covering it with a tarp.  I turned off everything on the boat, both 110V and 12V.   The shore power didn’t work on the dock and so we ran our generator to keep our food cold and water hot, but no big deal.  The only things running would be the bilge pumps, so I hooked both batteries together with booster cables to double the battery capacity for the pumps.  I couldn’t just turn the battery switches to “all” because the engines won’t start that way.
On the day of our departure, I stopped by the office to check out.  I paid for hauling, bottom cleaning, pump out, blocking, and three months storage in advance.  I asked that our boat be hauled as soon as possible.  I didn’t like leaving a 33 year old boat in the water without someone reliable to watch it and check on it.  I was told that it would be hauled within a few days.
A couple of days passed and Pam and I were almost in North Carolina when the cell phone rang.   It was the marina.
“We can’t haul your boat.”
“WHAT?  Why not??”
“It’s too big.  We can’t do it.”
“When I called, you assured me that you could!”
“Well, we can’t.  It’s too tall.”
“So now what do we do?  We’re on our way north towing a U-Haul and almost in North Carolina.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.  I’ll have it hauled by Holland Marine and then stored at Reynold’s Park Yacht Center right next to us.  They charge more than we do, though.”
“When can you do this?”
“I’ll make the arrangements right away and get it over there.”
“OK, do it.”
After I hung up the phone, I was extremely aggravated.  I found it incredibly unprofessional that they didn’t take a few minutes to size up Drift Away in the few days I was there.  Plus, it would cost me half again as much as I planned on.  If I knew there was a problem hauling Drift Away at Green Cove Springs, I would have taken it someplace else.
Days passed and I heard nothing.  I called.  Drift Away was still in the water.
“I just have to get on Holland Marine’s hauling schedule.  I’ll get it out in a few days.”
A few days turned into a few weeks.   Another call.
“Your broker said to leave your boat in the water because it shows better.”
“What?  No way.  Look, it’s MY boat and I want it hauled.  Why would you take instructions from a boat broker?”
And then a couple of months went by.  Finally, on the 12th of July, I had a call from Holland that Drift Away was hauled and at Reynold’s.
I called Green Cove Springs and asked about refunding what I paid them.  I spoke to Crystal, the manager.
“I’ll talk to Bob, the owner.”
“Fine,” said I.  “I’ll pay for the few days we were there on the boat, and I’ll pay for the pump out you did, but I don’t expect to be charged for the two months my boat sat tied up to your wall.”
“I’ll have to talk to Bob about that.”
Several telephone calls and emails went unanswered over the next few weeks. It was apparent to me that they had no intentions of refunding me anything.  I guess they figured they could continue to play games since I’m in New York and they’re in Florida.  They were wrong.
I filled out paperwork and sent it to my bank to have my debit card charged back the full amount I paid them, $773.
Now the tables are turned and it’s their turn to wait.
A word to the wise.  Always put major expenditures on a charge or debit card.  You can always have the card charged back if goods or services are not delivered.
Avoid Green Cove Springs Marina.

Posted on June 26, 2013 - by

The Bluffs Marina — Jupiter, Fla.

Over the years we’ve pulled into The Bluffs several times. Last year we found shelter here during hurricane season and The Bluffs offers excellent wind protection from almost any direction.

It’s a quiet marina and mostly used as a place to store your boat until you’re ready for the next trip. There are folks who live aboard and it’s a nice facility for that. It’s close to the beach, grocery store, great restaurants, and all else Jupiter has to offer. The staff’s a nice bunch, but they’re not a full service marina and you might have to tie up your own boat when you come in.

They offer the fastest *internet hotspot of any marina we’ve found in Florida and they give it away. No limitations. Power is reliable, but if you stay long you’ll have to sign up with FPL and pay for it directly.

Deep drafted boats may have difficulty during extraordinarily low tides, we do, but dredging is supposed to begin soon to deepen the whole marina.

Very dog friendly with plenty of areas to walk your pets and the beach, just 1/2 mile away, is a dog friendly beach so take the pups for a swim.

*onSpot wifi is a company I’m personally involved in. onSpot was the installer of the Internet Hotspot at The Bluffs and we did install very high quality equipment. The speed is due to the marina’s decision to subscribe to a very high-speed business grade connection, onSpot wifi is responsible for it’s reliability.

The Bluffs Marina (Ask for Jaci)

1320 Tidal Pointe Blvd

Jupiter, FL 33477

(561) 627-6688

Posted on December 22, 2012 - by

Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage

Passing on a review from Jan at Commutercruiser.com

We hauled a few days ago at Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage, in Placida Florida (just north of Charlotte Harbor/Ft Myers). We’re having the bottom redone (including a small blister problem) doing a bit of work ourselves, repacking the stuffing boxes, replacing a depth transducer & speed transducer, maintenance etc. This place is like landing at home — great facilities, great contacts for everything from soda-blasting (needed for our blistered bottom), fixing a 2001 Tohatsu outboard — anything we ask, they have quality recommendations. THANKS CHBS! Plus nice extras for liveaboards – showers, screened picnic table deck with lots of microwaves, washer/dryer, washing dishes area, TV & wifi. We will be back — hopefully after we splash again and get some more cruising in!

:) Cheers! Jan,

commutercruiser.com

Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage, Inc.
 13101 Appleton Blvd – Placida, Florida 33946
(941) 828-0216


Posted on December 22, 2012 - by

A New Marine Review Site… Check it out

Boaterrated.com

This is not a review of a review site, this is just to let you know it’s out there and another resource for researching the Marine Services you need and what others think about them. It’s a very professional looking site that someone has put a lot of time and effort into.

You must join before you can write a review or even read one and they solicit the marine services companies to participate by joining up. Not sure if they ask for a fee from the Marine Services Providers, but they’ll need to make money somehow.

Update: From a comment by Carl from Boaterrated.com.

One correction, tho, a user does not need to sign up to read reviews, only to post them. This affords us the ability to validate the review and ensure its objectivity.
There is no charge to either users or businesses, the only thing we ask to become a BoaterRated Partner Business is that a business post the Partner Business badge on their website to include a link to their page on BoaterRated.

I did find this article interesting though… http://boaterrated.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/whered-this-review-come-from-or-another-reason-to-be-a-partner-business/

I wish them luck and hope they become a tremendous success.

So check it out.  http://www.boaterrated.com/

Here’s to safe and happy boating,

Cheers,

Bob


Posted on November 10, 2012 - by

We’re happy to say…

… we’ve had nothing but good experiences with the boat fixers and fixer-uppers as of late. Not sure if we’re just better at picking them or if this little blog has helped by promoting accountability. It has received some attention, especially regarding the negative reviews.

We hope to never write a negative review again, but that would probably be naive to think.

If you have anything good or bad to say about the marine services you experience, please let me know. We’ll write it up together.

Here’s to safe and happy cruising,

Bob


Posted on November 10, 2012 - by

C 2 Shore delivers top quality marine upholstery

After the many failed attempts by Chase Camacho and Florida Yacht Interiors, we finally have found a company who can deliver quality work.

What we wanted, what we paid for, what we got… Finally!

Jeremy at C-2-Shore did a great job. He took his time and did a fantastic job. We have a very high opinion of C-2-Shore and recommend them to anyone looking for this type work. Now we want him to do the Pilot House. And, yes, I’m sitting on these cushions as I type this and they really look and feel great. No more bottoming out every time we sit down.

Contact Info:

C 2 Shore
2208 Idlewild Rd.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410

561.694.8581


Posted on November 10, 2012 - by

Yacht Tech/James Knight

In an attempt to find safe harbor for the hurricane season, we came across The Bluffs Marina. Though there’s not much to say about the marina, other than it’s a good hurricane hole, cell phones are spotty at best, and the internet doesn’t work well; we have plenty to say about the service we received from James Knight and Yacht Tech while we were there.

 

We’ve known James for more than 7 years; as long as we’ve owned Istaboa. He was the Captain who took us out Lake Worth Inlet in 12 to 14′ breakers for sea trail. No, he wasn’t being foolish, we asked that he do it so we could see how the boat handled such conditions. James very confidently put her nose into those giant breakers then turned to let us see how she handled a beam sea. She did well and we bought the boat.

While at the Bluffs, where James kindly sublet us one of his slips, we decided to have some maintenance done because Yacht Tech was doing a lot of work on the other Nordhavns there. His technicians were very friendly, on time, and finished the work quickly. Our opinion of Yacht Tech is a very good one. If you have a Nordhavn and in his area, go see James. He’s is the most knowledgeable fellow on the East Coast and probably the world. People fly him into ports all over the globe to do critical repairs.

Yacht Tech is not inexpensive, but actually they are in the long run. These guys have — been there and done that — with pretty much all the gear on these boats. Lots of Nordhavn specific experience to say the least.

Here’s to safe and happy cruises,

Bob


Posted on August 31, 2012 - by

Marine Service in Beaufort SC. Shocking!! Butler Marine

This review was done by one my blogging buddies on board Drift Away. Dave was very impressed with Butler Marine and expressed it in his comical way on his blog http://trawlerdriftaway.blogspot.com/
I left his review unedited.
Thanks Dave.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

I‘m not sure exactly how to put this, so I’m just going to say it.  Butler Marine is awesome.   There. Those of you who follow this blog know that we bought an old boat and spent considerable time and money getting it up and running to make this trip we’re on.   We did it, and have been cruising down the ICW since last fall having the time of our lives.  Everything is working perfectly now that we have our fuel issues sorted out, but we’ve been staying in marinas every night because of the dogs.  They need to get off the boat a couple of times a day.  No matter how hard I tried, I can’t get them to hang off the poop deck. Drift Away came with a 13′ Boston Whaler which sits in chocks up on the flybridge.

Like Drift Away, the Whaler sat unused and uncovered for 20 years.  I had fixed the electric hoist used to get it on and off the flybridge a long time ago, but then focused on the big boat’s systems and did nothing with the Whaler.  Before we left, though, I bought a new gas tank, battery, and fuel filter in anticipation of working on the Whaler.  We didn’t have an ignition key for it so I bought a new ignition switch.   Since we’re here in Beaufort for a bit of time, I decided to tackle the Whaler.  The first thing to do was to install the new ignition switch.  I disassembled the control, not  too bad of a job.

I then spent the better part of a day trying to find the new switch.  Like many things on this boat, it simply disappeared.  So next I decided to work on the steering, which seemed loose.   I tried to unbolt the old mechanical helm and, in no time flat, snapped off a rusty bolt.  In the process, the old wooden console broke apart, the victim of decay and wood rot.  I was left with a train wreck. I got on the laptop and, amazingly, found a place in California that sells a mahogany replacement console for only $179, so I ordered one, which I am now awaiting delivery of. Back up to the Whaler to disassemble the steering controls.  There was no point in being gentle or methodical, so I just started taking things apart.  The mechanical helm was a little tough.

 
I finally got it unbolted from the console.  Now to take it apart.
 
 
Part of owning a boat is figuring out how things work.  As I analyzed at the steering mechanism, I realized that there was no reason to take this apart.  It was working fine.  What I snapped the bolt off of was this….
 
a simple bezel that connects the steering wheel to the mechanical helm.
 
Now here is the amazing part.  When I first tackled this job, I had thought that the steering mechanism was the problem.   After considerable googling, I found that the unit was made by Teleflex.  I looked on their dealer list and found that Butler Marine here in Beaufort was on it.  I emailed them inquiring about a replacement.  I soon received a call from Billy in parts.  By the time Billy called, I had learned that I only needed a new bezel.  Within the hour, Billy was at the marina with a couple of possible replacements.
 
How’s that again?   While all my cruising friends are sitting here reading this with their jaws hanging open, let me explain for my landlubber friends.  Customer service in the marine business is practically non-existent.  Yes, that’s right.  Generally speaking, service in the marine biz stinks.  Nothing is ever done within estimate of cost or time, and customers are generally viewed as the enemy.  Yet here was Billy in the parking lot of the Beaufort town docks with parts in hand trying to help me out with my small project.
 
Not only did I buy the replacement bezel from Billy, but I ordered everything I could think of from Billy, which wasn’t much but included a couple of bottles of two cycle oil, two spark plugs, and an ignition switch.
 
Pam and I walked the dogs over to Lady’s Island yesterday, and on the way we came upon Butler’s Marine.  We stopped in and I picked up the ignition switch.  Billy had it sitting on the parts counter with my name on it, intending to deliver it on his way home from work.  One of the ladies who works there saw the dogs and had to go outside to see them, and then even invited them into the store. 
 
What a great place.  Nice folks at Butler Marine.   So here is a shameless plug that I make no apologies for.  If you’re anywhere remotely close to Beaufort, South Carolina and need any kind of parts or service, you call Butler Marine, 70 Sea Island Parkway, Beaufort South Carolina.   843-522-9461.  Email Billy at parts at butlermarineinc.com.  They’re fine folks, and the owner should be proud of the employees he has.  They represent him well.
 
Good old fashioned customer service.  Imagine that.  What is this world coming to?

Posted on April 9, 2012 - by

A friend’s take on Washburn’s Boatyard and Huckins Yacht

Copied this from an email a friend sent. Ron and Nancy once owned a 46 Nordhavn, “Duet”, We first met them in the Abacos and have stayed in touch,

They have the boat fever again and are searching for a N50 Nordhavn.

Their experiences and opinions of these two well known boat yards:

We really like your new site!  We agree, there is little, if any, accountability in the marine business.  I was a software project manager during my formative years, and do not understand why it is so hard to estimate a project and deliver on time and on budget.  It seems to me that if you can’t estimate it correctly, then you don’t know how to do it.  But that’s just me 😉
We only had two major sets of work done on Duet, one at Washburns in the Chesapeake, and the other at Huckins in Jacksonville.  Washburns did OK. They maintained our Naiads, for example, and did a competent job on that.
Huckins was a different story.  Duet was there for cabinet work and the installation of a new cooktop and dishwasher.  We picked Huckins since they build wooden boats, so we figured they knew wood 😉  Boy do they ever!  Their work was flawless, on budget and on time, the first time.  They even redid the teak finish three times at their own expense as they weren’t happy with it.  We couldn’t tell the difference, but they wouldn’t let it go that way.  I would recommend them, for wood work, to anyone.
 Thanks Nancy for sharing your opinions of these two Marine Service operations.  I would like it if more boaters would send me their personal experiences with the companies as they cruise. I promise to post them unedited.
I too have heard very good things about Huckins and plan to stop by there on our way north this year. My son actually worked there for a while and he said pretty much the same thing. They not cheap, but do an excellent job.
Here’s to safe and happy cruises.
Cheers,
Bob

Posted on March 19, 2012 - by

Mary T Yachts, Stuart, FL

 

We have an excellent opinion of Mary T Yachts. The owner, Mary McKee will keep your boat looking good inside and out, even below the waterline.

Mary always looks after our boat while were gone and treats it like her own. She sincerely cares about her work and goes about it methodically and professionally. We know when we leave it’s maintained well and when we return it’ll look great, and for us even better… she’s our boat neighbor and watches out for Istaboa like a Hawk.

Mary T Yachts

404-304-0654

marytyachts@yahoo.com

Here’s to safe and happy cruises.

Cheers,

Bob

 


Posted on March 19, 2012 - by

Capt. Will’s WiFi, Stuart, FL

Capt. Will Finlay has been a yacht captain since graduating from Notre Dame. He’s recently slowed down his Captain business and is working with his wife on a joint venture. Regalia Rags.

Another area of Will’s expertise is Internet communication systems on yachts and in marinas. Will has installed an excellent system on Istaboa.

Sunset Bay is a great marina, but the WiFi here leaves a bit to be desired. If you don’t have an amplified wireless bridge, you must go stand close to the office to get a decent signal. Will researched and discovered a really good, low cost solution. He installs a complete WiFi hotspot on your boat, done very neatly and easy to manage.

Our internet has never been better since arriving at Sunset Bay and we expect it will be as good or faster at other marinas.

 

 

Will also worked in conjunction with our company in Memphis to implement very large scale WiFi hotspots on several islands in the Exumas.

We highly recommend Capt. Will’s WiFi. A great system at a good price.

Capt. Will Finlay

772-486-4021

boondoggle9@comcast.net

or

willf@regaliarags.com

 

Here’s to safe and happy cruises.

Cheers,

Bob


Posted on March 13, 2012 - by

Ayers Marine Electronics, Chesapeake, VA — The Good and the Bad

The Good: Ayers Marine Electronics sent an nice intelligent young fellow out to upgrade the software on my Raymarine gear and wire a new depth transducer that I was having Atlantic Yacht Basin replace. The technician was quick, helpful, and professional…  and kindly showed me how I could download the software from the internet and install it myself. We talked about the industry for a while and he left. I installed the new firmware and everything worked great. The next day he came back and within an hour had the transducer spliced and the job was done, even helped me tie the boat up after leaving the lift. We have a good opinion of this technician and I wish I could remember his name so I could pass that along. He received a generous gratuity.

The Bad: I was charged more than $1000.00 for a job that was worth less than half that. Todd Ayers argued his point and I disagreed. I wouldn’t pay that amount.  We finally came to an agreement for $450.00 after a lengthy discussion that became a bit ugly.

Our opinion of Ayers Marine Electronics is not a good one simply because of the billing, then the argument. Their work was good and done on time.

Here’s to safe and happy cruises,

Cheers,

Bob


Posted on March 10, 2012 - by

All Tech Refridgeration Inc. — Treasure Coast/Palm Beach area of FL

The ASKO Clothes Dryer aboard Istaboa has always been problematic. We can make it work, but sometimes we have to reach in and give it whirl before starting. Everywhere we’ve spent time we contact an appliance repair place only to hear the same thing, “Never heard of ASKO and we don’t work on boats.”

Finally last week the, “give it a whirl fix” failed and I had to find someone to do the repair.

A friend recommended I call All Tech and I’m glad I did. Mark Bergerman answered the phone and he too had the —”ASKO?”—response, but said he would come by and give it a shot.

Within 30 minutes he had diagnosed the problem and had a replacement part installed. Although the part worked, Mark wanted to order in the exact part, per manufacturer specs, and come back and reinstall that. He did and that problematic ASKO is no longer problematic.

We really appreciated Marks professionalism and skill. While he was there and had time I told him about a drain problem on an A/C air handler.  Again, within 30 minutes he had that solved and suggested a fix so that it wouldn’t happen again.

We highly recommend Mark Bergerman and All Tech.

He also offers 24 Hr. emergency service.

If you need A/C, Refrigeration, or appliance repairs… Call All Tech at 772-398-4428

Here’s to safe and happy cruising.

Cheers,

Bob


Posted on March 9, 2012 - by

Alpha Divers, Stuart, FL

We have a very good opinion of Danielle Heaton the owner/operator of Alpha Divers. She’s done a great job of keeping the crustaceans off our running gear and keel coolers for 3 years. The last time we pulled Istaboa out of the water for a bottom paint job, I almost had them put it back in because our hull was in such good shape.
The above pics are proof of Danielle’s work. This is after 1 1/2 years since the last paint job. Not Bad…
Danielle, an Iraq war vet, is truly one of the hardest working folks on these docks. If she puts you on her schedule you can bet she will be there on time.
So if you’re in Stuart, FL and need a diver, Danielle’s your diver.
Danielle Heaton
Alpha Diver
P.O. Box 2364
Jensen Beach, FL 34957
561-827-3035
alphadiver26@yahoo.com
Here’s to safe and happy cruising,
Bob

Posted on March 5, 2012 - by

Valentine’s Interior Workrooms — Stidd Seat Redux

 

Scott Valentine at Valentine’s Interior Workrooms did wonders with our old Stidd helm seat.

It’s a great seat and very expensive, but we didn’t like the color purple. We wanted a more neutral color, but to buy a new seat would have been over $5000.00. So it stayed purple for a few years.

Until we met Scott. Between Scott and our friend Capt. Will Finlay, we now have what we wanted and fairly inexpensive.

Will took on the task of breaking it down and having everything metal that was purple, powder coated black.

Scott took on the reupholster assignment and did a good job.

The Color Purple is no more.

We have a good opinion of Scott. He did a good job, a bit slow, but we weren’t on a schedule so it didn’t matter. We do recommend his work., as a matter of fact, he just finished the two Stidds on the former Istaboa, which is now Sapphire. Talked to Dick a few days ago and he was happy with the reupholster.

3171 SE Slater Street

Stuart, FL 34997-5756 map

Website:
Information not found
Phone:
(772) 286-5023

 

 

 


Posted on February 28, 2012 - by

Marine Plumbing Co. SE Florida

We like these guys a lot. They were on time, quick, and very professional. (they wouldn’t disparage that other company who proceeded them.) Our opinion of Marine Plumbing Co. Inc. is an very good one.

If you’re in their area and need a really good marine plumber, call them, they’re excellent.

Marine Plumbing Co.

Marine Plumbing Co.
1194 Old Dixie Hwy # 13
Lake Park, FL

(561) 841-3000


Posted on February 22, 2012 - by

Classic Marine, Jupiter, FL…

Update 3-21-12

Because of the Google search placement of this post (Yachtblogs does a great job) I have changed the title as well as the narrative. My opinion of Classic Marine is still a bad one and if asked to rate him on a scale of 1 to 10, I would say he doesn’t rate.

With all that said, I don’t think such a harsh criticism should be the first item to pop up on a Google search for Classic Marine, Jupiter, FL. I have removed this narrative on my on, I do this out of sympathy for Mr. Brenner  and no other reason.

I hope this proved to Mr. Brenner that he can be held accountable for his actions.

That’s the point of this blog.

Getting to the point immediately, we have a very negative opinion of Randy Brenner and Classic Marine Services.
Classic Marine is a servicing dealer for Dometic-Sealand Vacuflush Systems. I had a pump in that system that would turn on and pump for about 15 seconds every 3 hours or so. The Vacuflush system worked, but the pump noise was annoying. I expected a $300.00 repair.
After almost 2 months, 3 misdiagnoses with the problem getting worse after each repair, $1400.00 dollars in parts and labor, (that I begrudgingly payed in full), excuse after excuse, I finally had had enough with Randy Brenner and Classic Marine and called someone else who quickly figured out the problem and fixed it.
I’ve heard from 3 other boaters, on this dock alone, with complaints about Classic Marine.

A company aptly named Marine Plumbing Company solved our problem quickly and at a fair price.
Marine Plumbing Co.

(561) 841-3000

Here’s to safe and happy cruises.

Cheers,

Bob Taylor


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