Why doesn't Marine Max service used Sea Ray boats?

Looks like I'm going to have to fix it myself... So does anybody know the correct steering cable for a 1993 Sea Ray Sundancer 270??
 
Golfman25 said:
The problem with not servicing boats of "non-customers" is that you never know who that next customer will be. The "non-customer" will only know how he has been treated and buy from somebody else. Eventually there will be a downturn, and you'll need those "non-customers" to stay afloat.
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I'm not complaining about Marine Max, I get it now. Business is business. I believe it's the age of the boat was the reason they didn't want to service, but that was never mentioned. He was being polite.
The service manager who left me the message to my inquiry on their web site only knows the year of my boat. He didn't know that I'm 73 years old and although I could afford a new boat, it wouldn't be practical for me to buy another one at this time. No doubt in my mind they would gladly take my "old clunker" for trade if I was to sail out of the showroom on a brand new two million dollar behemoth. I'm quite happy with the boat I have for the past 20 years which says something about owning an original Sea Ray. I just want my steering fixed.
 
fwebster said:
So your idea is to upset the 1500 or so customers who paid up to $3.5 Mil for their boats and who support the marina by buying services, fuel, beer, ice, etc. from them just so they can hope that the owner of a $7500 30 year old boat will someday buy a new boat ? Who do you think will buy a new boat sooner........the owner of the 30 year old boat or the the current customer who has traded in a lightly used nice late model boat every 3-4 years to get the newest thing on the water?

I've been on the owners end of this business arrangement for about 30 years and it has worked well for me. I don't wait on service, the techs are first rate and this is a first class operation.

I fully understand the reasoning behind their policy and I'd make the same decision.
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Nope. Not saying that at all. Just saying be careful who you turn away cause you never know.
 
Many boaters are actually on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. boat. The 10ft motivation. The customer who previously bought a boat from a dealership is more likely to be in the market for a boat in the future. Much higher probability of repeat business
 
As stated this may vary greatly around the country. A friend bought a new Chapparal and part of his deal the SR dealer could do the warranty work and they did. Everyplace will have its own unique situation how things work.

In our region many of the best boat mechanics quit the dealer to go on their own. They are a much better choice than the dealer to repair older vessels, as that is what they work on everyday. Not the new computerized models. That dealer mechanic may have never touched a boat that old where you are.

MM
 
MM in northern NJ is a nightmare! A good friend bought a 2019 250SLX SeaRay, and when delivering it at Lake Hopatcong, the MM rep. rammed it onto the trailer so hard, that he broke off a bunk and left 5 foot gouges down the length of a BRAND NEW boat! My friend walked away from a $115,000 boat that MM screwed up.
 
SloBurn said:
MM in northern NJ is a nightmare! A good friend bought a 2019 250SLX SeaRay, and when delivering it at Lake Hopatcong, the MM rep. rammed it onto the trailer so hard, that he broke off a bunk and left 5 foot gouges down the length of a BRAND NEW boat! My friend walked away from a $115,000 boat that MM screwed up.
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So much for all that fancy training. :)
 
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It's interesting how services vary around the country. Our marinas make their money taking care of all who come in for service. I've never heard of putting customers on a 3 month waiting list because it's summer and someone bought their boat in Chicago, Milwaukee or some other place instead of Grand Haven. We have traveled all over the Great Lakes by boat and have never run into a marina that serviced customers that way. Our local marinas are very busy, but the wait times usually are based upon parts availability which are mostly overnighted to the marina providing the service. We do have occasional complaints about workmanship, although the most common complaint probably is pricing, not that we will not service your boat. Good management practices call for staffing to demand. If the customers are out there, hire more techs and train them. The guy who washed our boat last year damaged a windshield wiper arm on our boat the day before we were going on a 250 mile run to northern Michigan. I discovered it as I was leaving and took a picture and mailed it to a marina at our destination. The part was waiting for us and a tech installed it. The only glitch was it was the wrong part. Took him 45 minutes to source the proper arm and the issue was resolved for around 100 dollars.
 
cozycat said:
Looks like I'm going to have to fix it myself... So does anybody know the correct steering cable for a 1993 Sea Ray Sundancer 270??
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The part number is stamped every few feet on the existing cable. If yours is a Teleflex like mine was, Amazon had the best price and free shipping for Prime members. Mine shipped directly from Seastar. I ordered it on Friday evening and it arrived fairly early on Sunday morning.

Installation was super easy. 4 bolts hold the rack on steering column under the dash. On the drive end you need to remove a cotter pin and then pull a pin out of where the cable connects to the steering arm on the drive. You'll need a 7/8" open end wrench to hold the tube where the steering cable passes through the steering actuator, and a 1 1/8" open end wrench (or a large adjustable wrench or a pair of channel lock pliers) to loosen the collar that holds the cable to the opposite side of the actuator. The only other obstacle will be finding the inevitable giant blob of silicone securing the cable where it passes through the firewall or bulkhead. Tie a piece of cord to the end that you removed from the drive, and have a friend help you pull it out from the dash side. Tie the cord to the end of the new cable, and have your friend help you pull it back to the engine compartment.

The only "secret" to remember is that when you tighten up the collar that holds the steering cable to the left side of the steering actuator, the flat spots where you put the 7/8" wrench to hold the tube on the right side still while you tighten the collar need to be left in the vertical position when you are done. That tube has some channels in it that need to be lined up properly in the steering actuator to prevent the drive from making noises when you turn the boat sharply while on plane.

Mine took about an hour including clean up. After I was done, I called a local shop for a quote. They wanted $600 to do it including parts.
 
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