Anybody know of some good outboard mechanics in or around Sumner County?
Outboard mechanics near me?
- Thread starter m_allison71
- Start date
Nobody knows?
I've always had my work done at Clark Marine in Franklin. Their shop hour rate isn't the cheapest, but I have never felt like they gouged me, and their work has always been great. They have saved a trip or two for me by working me in at the last minute when something popped up.
I will continue to use them.
They are right off of I65 at the Goose Cr./Peytonsville exit.
I will continue to use them.
They are right off of I65 at the Goose Cr./Peytonsville exit.
Volunteer boats in Gallatin. I haven't used them but they seem to be a reputable business.
I used volunteer in gallatin. Took my 25efi 4s on there because it was getting hard to start and poor idle. Cleaned everything and flowed the injectors. Picked it up and started and ran perfect, but still would die at idle. Called him and he took it back. Had water in the fuel despite it being fresh non-ethanol. He gave me a bottle of treatment and sent me on my way, no additional fee (even the treatment bottle). I was satisfied with the cost of work performed, and more than satisfied with the customer service.
That's the shop I've been using. I've been without my boat for about a month now. I would like to have it fixed right the first time.
BigCityBubba
Well-Known Member
Unless the motor is under warranty, I stay away from dealerships. If its not warranty work, you may not see your boat the rest of the season and hopefully the gelcoat and upholstery has not faded sitting out in their lot uncovered for months. Warranty work takes priority so they will only work on your boat when they are not working on warranty work even though they make a higher hourly rate off of non-warranty work. And yes, I am a tad bitter. I once gave a boat away because it needed work and the only option was taking it to a dealership. I had already let the boat sit on the boat dealership lot for 5 months to have carburetors rebuilt and I was not willing to let it sit another 5 months on their lot for a water pump. The carburetor rebuild was probably only 3 hours and a water pump can be done in under an hour and my boat would have to sit on their lot for almost a year. Of course, when I took it in for the carb rebuild and asked when they would get to it, they said to 2 weeks. I would call in 2 weeks and they said warranty work came in and it would be another 2 weeks. This went on for 5 months. Fortunately, I have since found a good mechanic not affiliated with a dealership and they do work in the order in which it came in and in some cases will squeeze you in sooner if its easy like a water pump just to get you out of there. Unfortunately, they are not in your area. Just something to consider.
BigCityBubba
Well-Known Member
If you have no choice but to go to a dealership, check out Anderson Marine in Old Hickory. They are not the dealership that I had issues with.
hillbillyfab
Well-Known Member
I only have one none good thing to say about Anders0n marine. I dropped my boat off, the outboard is/was still under warranty. I asked them to call me, if the problem wouldn't be covered under the manufacturer's warranty. They didn't call. You know how I found out my boat was "repaired"? I went by there because I hadn't heard anything from them. When I inquired about the status of my boat, they told me it was ready to be picked up. My paperwork was on the bottom of the pile. I think my biggest complaint is the lack of communication. A phone call would have changed my outlook on them and probably have me going back there in the future.
Will they work on older motors? It's a mid 80's Mercury.
BigCityBubba
Well-Known Member
I have not had them work on a motor for me in over 10 years but they did when I had them work on my boat. I assume they still do. They are pricey like all dealerships. I have never used them but there is Lakeshore Marine in Hermitage which is not a dealership that I think specializes in old Mercs. You might try giving them a call.
Thanks.
BigCityBubba
Well-Known Member
I found a guy locally who had good reviews and took my boat to him Friday to have the water pump replaced and have him look at the starter. I asked him when he thought he could get to it and he said he would have it done by this Friday. Needless to say, I was very happy considering how long I would have had to let it sit at a dealership. He called me Monday and said it was ready. He had a couple of other jobs but he was waiting on parts so he worked me in sooner. I think I found my new go to boat mechanic. When I was in Nashville, I took my boats to Bubba Neeley. Unfortunately he passed away some years back and I have not found another mechanic like him until now.
