Question about time to service a boat

[Striper18]

I want to ask this to those of you who have had service done on your boat in the past. Last Wednesday I took my boat in to have the engine looked at. It is hard starting and does not want to stay started when giving it more speed. The lady said we are a couple days out. No big deal. I figured one weekend without being able to fish will be fine. So, by Saturday I had not yet heard from the marine and decided to call. The gentleman said he still has a couple in front of me and I should hear from him by Tuesday. Well its Wednesday afternoon and I have still not received a call. I am a first time boat owner so I have no experience with lead times. However, I would at least think they could call me within a week. Your thoughts are appreciated. Thanks

[slobslayer]

I take mine to R&W's in Elizabethtown, Ky. They will rarely give you a date to bring your boat in for repairs. They will usually tell you to bring it there and leave it. When they finish the work they will call you to pick it up. I would think this time of year the shops are getting very busy and a two day wait seems kinda short. Maybe your shop is trying to work you in a spot and maybe they are leading you around a bit. If they think your problem is easily fixed and they are not going to make much money off you they could be putting other more profitable jobs in front of you. Most boat shops do not make appointments, they will have you bring in your boat and it will be there in line for service. Some shops will fix things immediately for you but you WILL pay for it. Boat engines are notorious for being unpredictable and minor issues can be very time consuming to diagnose and repair. Boat mechanics know this and it is very unlikely they can keep appointments if they do make them. If you know some people in your area that have had boats for a long time and you can trust their advice I would ask them before I took the boat somewhere I was unsure of.

[Dave Stewart]

Depends on time of year and how busy your dealership gets. This time of year they are swamped with people bringing in their boats that either did not get them serviced before they put them away for winter or hit the water the first time this spring and found problems such as yours. It is best to get your boat serviced before you put it away for winter if you know you have a problem rather than to bring it in during the early spring.

[Embrey]

sounds about normal to me dealing with mechanical issues... actually would be surprised if they did it that fast

[Striper18]

Thanks guys, I talked to the shop yesterday. They did a compression check and it has a blown cylinder. 1200 dollars to fix it. Not sure what to do now. Might have to put her up for a while until I can get the cash

[mybentrod]

Dang dude, sorry to hear about the boat. The time is normal for this time of year though. Best I can tell ya is get in good with one shop that you can learn to trust and if you want your boat by a certain time, tip em. Money talks!!!!

[cman]

build it yourself for a few hundred. Pretty easy if you're handy. Good luck..