Just a "heads up", guys, if you are ever thinking of buying a boat. First of all, let me say that I made a mistake by trusting the integrity of Scott and Bellingham Boatland. i did not do the due diligence that I should have done. I accepted the video sea trial as a good enough substitute for a personal sea trial and accepted that the owner, Scott, was an honest individual. This was a major mistake. My wife and I purchased the boat thinking all was well.
1. We left towing a 4000 lb. boat which, unknown to us, was without functioning brakes. I had to make a semi emergency stop as I was travelling through Vancouver and ended up part way through the intersection. Thank heavens I was towing the boat with a heavy duty pick up. When I phoned Scott and informed him about the brakes, his response was "I can't check everything."
2. I was told the engine had 240 original hours on it and when I asked about the compression, Scott told me everything was fine. When I got home, I took the boat in to have the engine checked for peace of mind. I was told by my local Yamaha dealer that the compression was low in 2 cylinders and that there was a problem with the injectors. They said the engine was not worth spending any more money on it. (200 Hp Yamaha 2 stroke)
I started to investigate and was able to get in touch with the original owner and his boat dealer in Oregon. He said that the engine was a rebuild and that Scott had been informed about the rebuild job and had been given the compression numbers. This information was never passed on to me even though Bellingham Boatland boasts about 100% disclosure.
3. I asked Scott if the GPS had a navigational chip in it. he said--"Yes, for the Pacific NW all the way to Alaska." At home, I opened the GPS to find no chip.
There were other non functioning problems which I didn't spot until I got home. The bottom line is that I feel I was lied to outright and that other information that would be negative to a possible sale was not disclosed.
I have phoned and emailed Bellingham Boatland numerous times trying to give them a chance to make thing right to no avail.
At first, Scott offered to let me bring the boat back for a full refund which I was more than willing to do. Then the next call revealed that this was not the case. He would take the boat back and resell it under my name. Then he stated that he would retest the engine and if it wasn't working properly, it was the fault of my mechanic up here. We firmly believe that there is a problem with this engine. I read the problems that David Priddy from Australia had with this broker and what he went through. I also phoned and spoke to another unhappy customer, Ian VanderKley. (just Google "Bellingham Boatland customer complaint") Based on these experiences and on the fact that I cannot sell a boat with any problems to another boater, I felt I could not return the boat. Also, I would be returning the boat to a broker I do not trust and he would then be in possession of my money and my boat.
I tried to end this problem by suggesting a very minimal compensation from Scott to cover the costs of brake repairs and the missing GPS chip. It looks as though I may be stuck with a suspect engine and without even getting an apology from Scott and Bellingham Boatland. Scott has totally avoided discussing the brake issue, the GPS issue, and the lack of disclosure re the engine.
So....my fellow boaters, if you choose to look at Bellingham Boatland's fancy, slick website---fill your boots. If you see something that interests you----beware!!!
1. We left towing a 4000 lb. boat which, unknown to us, was without functioning brakes. I had to make a semi emergency stop as I was travelling through Vancouver and ended up part way through the intersection. Thank heavens I was towing the boat with a heavy duty pick up. When I phoned Scott and informed him about the brakes, his response was "I can't check everything."
2. I was told the engine had 240 original hours on it and when I asked about the compression, Scott told me everything was fine. When I got home, I took the boat in to have the engine checked for peace of mind. I was told by my local Yamaha dealer that the compression was low in 2 cylinders and that there was a problem with the injectors. They said the engine was not worth spending any more money on it. (200 Hp Yamaha 2 stroke)
I started to investigate and was able to get in touch with the original owner and his boat dealer in Oregon. He said that the engine was a rebuild and that Scott had been informed about the rebuild job and had been given the compression numbers. This information was never passed on to me even though Bellingham Boatland boasts about 100% disclosure.
3. I asked Scott if the GPS had a navigational chip in it. he said--"Yes, for the Pacific NW all the way to Alaska." At home, I opened the GPS to find no chip.
There were other non functioning problems which I didn't spot until I got home. The bottom line is that I feel I was lied to outright and that other information that would be negative to a possible sale was not disclosed.
I have phoned and emailed Bellingham Boatland numerous times trying to give them a chance to make thing right to no avail.
At first, Scott offered to let me bring the boat back for a full refund which I was more than willing to do. Then the next call revealed that this was not the case. He would take the boat back and resell it under my name. Then he stated that he would retest the engine and if it wasn't working properly, it was the fault of my mechanic up here. We firmly believe that there is a problem with this engine. I read the problems that David Priddy from Australia had with this broker and what he went through. I also phoned and spoke to another unhappy customer, Ian VanderKley. (just Google "Bellingham Boatland customer complaint") Based on these experiences and on the fact that I cannot sell a boat with any problems to another boater, I felt I could not return the boat. Also, I would be returning the boat to a broker I do not trust and he would then be in possession of my money and my boat.
I tried to end this problem by suggesting a very minimal compensation from Scott to cover the costs of brake repairs and the missing GPS chip. It looks as though I may be stuck with a suspect engine and without even getting an apology from Scott and Bellingham Boatland. Scott has totally avoided discussing the brake issue, the GPS issue, and the lack of disclosure re the engine.
So....my fellow boaters, if you choose to look at Bellingham Boatland's fancy, slick website---fill your boots. If you see something that interests you----beware!!!
eman
