Nathan Britt

Welcome to the world of marine sales, repair and service. Most marine business owners do not want customers, government agencies, and insurance companies to know the darker side of the marine repair business. When you purchase a marine recreational boat or one for commercial use, you are joining in a multi-million dollar industry where deceit, fraud, and dishonesty are common place. Truth, trust, honesty are only found when it suits the marine business owner or sales person and does not cost them sales or service. Price gouging is normal to customers and even between businesses. Charging higher retail prices or suggested trade prices are common place. The bigger the business the more chance of it happening because the business does not solely rely just on parts sales alone but service repairs. Deception is one of the marine business owner greatest assets. He is able to deceive customers by good verbal communication, able to cover up mistakes by resolving the problems with customers, and being well informed about the products sold or service. If problems occur, the business owner/manager is able to use manipulation to shift the blame to some other source, such as the manufacture, the cost of parts, or the labor to complete the repair just to name a few. This book is going to be condemned by most of the marine industry saying it does not represent the marine industry on a whole. It’s not the marine manufactures that I am targeting but the individual marine service repair businesses, who sell boats, do warranty work, service work, sell marine parts and do insurance repairs. Marine businesses have the right to make a profit but not at the cost of the boat owner by raising prices on parts over suggested retail cost of the part or using after market parts but listing them as factory replacement parts. Or add time to perform the service required because there is not qualified mechanics to perform the work. The one’s who are going to cry the most are the one’s that have the most to hide by exposing the most about marine fraud. If not the companies that are honest should welcome this information to the public for knowledge of what goes on in marine repair. As for boat owner’s that sell there boat knowing full well that there are problems with the boat or hiding them by replacing certain parts to mask bigger mechanical problems should have to return money paid by the new boat owner and not just say As Is. Lemon Laws need to be made by state governments to protect new boat owners from private individuals, boat sale and service shops, or places that take boats on consignments. Far too often private owners and businesses abuse the system.