Dealer service

[Jakelegg 6]

I am thinking about getting a 2019 centurion.   How important do you guys think it is to have a local dealer to service your boat and provide warranty work?

I live in Houston and the closest dealer is in Austin and then Dallas.   Where I surf we have a tige dealership, Mastercraft/Natique , and a Supra dealer all really close by.

[carguy79ta 67]

Tough call. My dealer is 200mi away. Did have one breakdown on my '17 257, the alternator bracket broke.  Had to haul it, leave it then pick it back up,(spend a few days at lake Ozark). They were the closest. I went with Centurion, because they are the biggest, heaviest(with ballast) combination on the market today.  I wanted the biggest wave available. (Also run 1000 lead). I have achieved my goal. No regrets. I surfed an M235 and the wave was not as good,hard,push as mine. 

[bomoseen avy 45]

will the Nautique dealer help you out? same parent company.

I have a Mastercraft dealer that helps me with my 2013 Enzo. He and I grew rapport around my Avy that I bought in '08 and he had serviced. When I upgraded last year to the Enzo I asked him about MC boats but he didn't have anything in my price range. He then said, "no matter what you decide to do, I'd love to help you with whatever brand you end up with..."

Having said that, my 2013 is way less complicated than something newer. A good dealer is worth their weight in gold

[Texifornian 0]

Do not, and I repeat do not get that boat without great local service.  I am going thru hell right now due to service.  25 hour $1000 service, impeller and oil changes every 50 hours thereafter.  I’ve had dozens of warranty issues.  My boat lives away from lift/dock due to slow/substandard service.  I’m in Dallas.  I’ve been talking to roger in tech support at centurion as the problem I have is my own if I want my boat this summer.  I am paying on my own to have the nautique dealer fix my boat. I love my wave, but the service is horrific. I am forced to make a change due to poor service.  Don’t do it!

[Cdifranco 463]

On ‎8‎/‎6‎/‎2018 at 8:55 PM, Texifornian said:

, impeller and oil changes every 50 hours thereafter.  

 I don't care what anyone says.  Oil change and impeller every 50 hours is Ludacris.  I would be performing oil changes every other week.   I check my impellor at the end of the year and keep it as spare IF NEEDED.   5 years I have never seen wear enough to say hey this one is smoked but I'll still replace oil and impellor while winterizing it annually. 

[InfinitySurf 302]

Fineline is awesome, obviously there are Centurion dealers that suck tho along with every other brand. I had a similar issue and ended up getting my warranty work done at a dealer for another brand cause of that.....but Fineline has been awesome!

That mastercraft dealer is smart, he realizes that not only does he get business from servicing the Enzo, but he also gains a customer for life. Too bad there are so many idiots out there that have no clue how to treat customers.

Oil and impeller changes are easy and you can do it yourself and still retain your warranty....you just gotta keep a detailed log and your receipts. The only service that is required at dealer for warranty is the first one since they check engine alignment and bunch of other misc stuff. I would never pay a dealer to do it.... I change my oil every 40-50hrs, why wouldn't I when I can do it myself, materials are cheap and it guarantees long engine life. Way more strain put on these engines compared to a car so I go the extra mile to make sure my engine stays happy. Impeller is once a year....totally agree on that and its clearly not needed that often if you don't run the pump dry, but should be at least checked yearly. I replace it cause again, I do it myself and $40 is cheap insurance when overheat can cause so many issues and expenses. For me its peace of mind.

@Jakelegg I would talk to Fineline and to the Nautique dealer....I think its possible that they would work with you on that. IMO its important to have a great dealer relationship on a new boat even if you do your own service cause there is always some warranty work, even if minor and dealer will make or break you. Personally I would drive a long ways for a good dealer since its important and I would not expect to need them too much....most warranty work can be documented and then all done in the off season. Would much rather drive 4hrs occasionally for a good dealer, then 4mins for a crappy dealer.

Lots of people just wanna own the boat and don't want to know anything about it (except how to start and use it) and if there is an issue they want someone else to deal with it... a good dealer is even more important if you are one of those. Personally, I like messing with the boat, its half the fun for me and I enjoy working on it. I would do that regardless of if my boat was a 2019 or 1970. My brother on other hand owned a bunch of boats over the years and about 4yrs ago, got tired of "all the work", now he just pays to be part of a club....he shows up and takes out whatever boat he wants that day, when done he drops it back off and swipes the CC for the fuel and he is done. I spend an hour beforehand getting it ready for the lake, and when done have an hour n half of cleanup, etc.....but I would not have it any other way. Takes all types to make the world go around.

[enzo101mo 98]

I call my Mechanic on April 1, every year set up an appointment to bring the boat in on that date, Have the Oil changed and service the boat and pick it up at the end of the day.   My impeller I have changed out very other year and he still checks it out annually to make sure it's in good shape.   My boat is 2005 Enzo and bought it brand new and been doing this for 13 years now.  Never heard of bring your boat in for service  every 50 hours  Yes go to your Nautique dealer nearby I am sure you'll be covered by the warranty 

[Jakelegg 6]

thanks for the input everyone!   I will talk to the nautique dealer... 

Edited August 21, 2018 by Jakelegg

[DrNate 426]

It's funny that everyone says talk to the Nautique dealer.  The closest dealer to me is a Nautique dealer and last year when I talked to the service department he acted like my Enzo was an alien and he didn't want to touch it.  I'm like, look man, it's WAY out of warranty.   And it's the same PCM engine as you work on in your Nautiques every day.  Then when I took it  up there (2 hour drive) he said it would sit there for a month before he even looked at it.  I wasn't having that and found an alternate means.  Just my experience.  

If I were you I would just buy a Nautique.  Blasphemous I know!

[WakeDoc 471]

In Houston, same issues but, I own a Centurion and have not had a dealer in years. Last time I paid to have it serviced was at the Tige dealership in Conroe. Talked to Nautique at that time, was told a month out to get serviced. It still burns me that Houston is the 4th biggest city in the nation, has huge boat ownership per capita of population and does not have a dealer for Centurion or Supreme.

[DrNate 426]

1 hour ago, WakeDoc said:

In Houston, same issues but, I own a Centurion and have not had a dealer in years. Last time I paid to have it serviced was at the Tige dealership in Conroe. Talked to Nautique at that time, was told a month out to get serviced. It still burns me that Houston is the 4th biggest city in the nation, has huge boat ownership per capita of population and does not have a dealer for Centurion or Supreme.

I agree, that is 100 percent ridiculous!  Just start your own dealership Doc!

[Troy 234]

Let's open a dealership. Doc, Reese, Nate? What kind of backing do we need? 

[rhino89523 34]

I really can't believe all this stuff people go through and it makes me want to open a dealership or just a boat shop as well. I don't own a real new boat like some of you guys and I realize there may be some proprietary electronics up in the dash but honestly I doubt it.

When I bought my wife a new Benz a bunch of years ago (different car now) everyone I know was saying "what are you going to do for service?" my answer for that and for everything really is, they hold it together with nuts and bolts and I have wrenches. Boats are really more of the same. A big hunk of fiberglass, a Ford or Chevy motor with a marine cam and marine gaskets, electrical, and controls....they are all the same. If you can work on one you can work on all, at least that's been my experience. I have Harley's, Vespa's Honda's Yamaha's, Suzuki's, Internationals, Dodges, Chevy's, Ford's...and a Centurion ranging from 2018 to 1930, They are all same, nuts and bolts. When I have access to google I'm the smartest guy in the world and havn't taken anything to a repair shop ever in my entire life.

I'm not lipping on the guys who take their stuff to the shop. I get it, working on things myself is my curse. I AM lipping on these shops. I understand if you have a boat shop and someone brings you a washing machine that's not your cup of tea even though if you call yourself a mechanic you should be able to fix the dryer, but when a guy brings you a boat....man if I owned a boat shop I would fix it. I'd be trying to get you in on my program...I'd probably try to couple it with a storage facility that I would try to own. Get you in there at the end of the season to winterize and do maintenance, either hand it back or store it for you, then activate it for you in the spring. Deal with any issues that arise and keep you on the water turn key and maintenance free...just write the check and I'll keep you tip top. I'd have a nice Universal trailer for hauling any type of boat from the Marina to my facility/storage nice clean truck with the logo...and fat insurance in case something goes wrong.

Customer service is dead

In answer to the original question...If I wanted the Centurion I would get it, but it really depends on what kind of guy you are. Infinity answered the question well.

   

[wheels 151]

1 hour ago, rhino89523 said:

I really can't believe all this stuff people go through and it makes me want to open a dealership or just a boat shop as well. I don't own a real new boat like some of you guys and I realize there may be some proprietary electronics up in the dash but honestly I doubt it.

When I bought my wife a new Benz a bunch of years ago (different car now) everyone I know was saying "what are you going to do for service?" my answer for that and for everything really is, they hold it together with nuts and bolts and I have wrenches. Boats are really more of the same. A big hunk of fiberglass, a Ford or Chevy motor with a marine cam and marine gaskets, electrical, and controls....they are all the same. If you can work on one you can work on all, at least that's been my experience. I have Harley's, Vespa's Honda's Yamaha's, Suzuki's, Internationals, Dodges, Chevy's, Ford's...and a Centurion ranging from 2018 to 1930, They are all same, nuts and bolts. When I have access to google I'm the smartest guy in the world and havn't taken anything to a repair shop ever in my entire life.

I'm not lipping on the guys who take their stuff to the shop. I get it, working on things myself is my curse. I AM lipping on these shops. I understand if you have a boat shop and someone brings you a washing machine that's not your cup of tea even though if you call yourself a mechanic you should be able to fix the dryer, but when a guy brings you a boat....man if I owned a boat shop I would fix it. I'd be trying to get you in on my program...I'd probably try to couple it with a storage facility that I would try to own. Get you in there at the end of the season to winterize and do maintenance, either hand it back or store it for you, then activate it for you in the spring. Deal with any issues that arise and keep you on the water turn key and maintenance free...just write the check and I'll keep you tip top. I'd have a nice Universal trailer for hauling any type of boat from the Marina to my facility/storage nice clean truck with the logo...and fat insurance in case something goes wrong.

Customer service is dead

In answer to the original question...If I wanted the Centurion I would get it, but it really depends on what kind of guy you are. Infinity answered the question well.

   

Now have yourself 100+ customers or more and have 10 to 20 of them break at the same time in prime time boating season.  If your lucky you have maybe one or two techs working for you but I doubt it cause they’re hard to keep around and pay all through the winter when it’s slow. Who do you keep happy? How do you keep them all happy?  Not saying it’s right but the boat business is a tough business. Most have very short seasons and everyone wants to be back on the water right away and expects to be put at the front of the line cause they paid 6 figures for a boat. I’ve always said if you’re gonna own a boat you better be able to work on one!

[lyonboarder 4]

21 hours ago, Troy said:

Let's open a dealership. Doc, Reese, Nate? What kind of backing do we need? 

DEEP POCKETS!  I am a CPA and have done work for boat dealerships.  Very very very hard for owners to handle the cash flow of a dealership.  Seems too often boat dealers are also boat lovers with no business or financial sense.  Cannot manage the slow winters or the downturn in the economy.  Each market will have its down time.  How many people can really afford a $100K+ boat?  Most are on credit or home equity.  Doesn't take much for that to dry up.

[lyonboarder 4]

18 hours ago, rhino89523 said:

....man if I owned a boat shop I would fix it. I'd be trying to get you in on my program...I'd probably try to couple it with a storage facility that I would try to own. Get you in there at the end of the season to winterize and do maintenance, either hand it back or store it for you, then activate it for you in the spring. Deal with any issues that arise and keep you on the water turn key and maintenance free...just write the check and I'll keep you tip top. I'd have a nice Universal trailer for hauling any type of boat from the Marina to my facility/storage nice clean truck with the logo...and fat insurance in case something goes wrong....

Customer service is dead

   

Spot on.  I for the life of me cannot understand why every boat dealership does not also run a storage facility.  The "A" customer looks like this: Buys the boat from the dealership, stores it in their owned lot, dealer services the boat in the off-season and give me front-of-the line for emergency repairs during season.

Edited August 24, 2018 by lyonboarder

[RhuntIII 555]

On 8/23/2018 at 1:47 PM, Troy said:

Let's open a dealership. Doc, Reese, Nate? What kind of backing do we need? 

I would love that. 

[Nick213 583]

My question is why or do you need to have a boat dealership to have a pcm certified service shop?

[DrNate 426]

This is a great discussion, I wish I was handy enough to do all of my own work.  And, yes, I'm in on the dealership.  Might take 5 of us

[WakeDoc 471]

Dealership might have to wait until I can retire, not sure where the time would come from...LOL.