Understanding the marina/boatyard/dealer/broker mindset

[Robert Tilbury]

I had a small yard on the georges river ,, i can tell you for free ,
Most want to talk about there boats not pay for them .
I had many great customers (i still keep in contact now )
But there are some real (WOT)Waste of time .

I had a big pointer with the "WOT" logo atop ,,, i would spin the pointer to WOT and my wife would make the phone ring and say it was an emergency so i could get away from the person wanting me to test the spring tension of the grease nipple ,

Im sure the person that was paying me (customer ) good money didnt want me chatting to a WOT on there cash ,,,

I now have a secure yard with "By appointment only "

It saves so much time ,,,,

[Cadence]

I had an uncle with a small outboard marina and Johnson dealership. As a kid i watched as a guy came in, he needed a SS bolt like the one he had snapped. Al hunted through his hardware draws and found what the guy needed. The guy asked what he owed. Al told him nothing and here is an extra encase you drop one.
Being a dumb kid I asked how you can make money like that. "When his OB needs working on he will come here." Lessen well learned.

[Pelagic]

Lol, I envy all of these first world boat maintenance problems.

In the Philippines, you better know how to do it properly yourself and enlist the aid of a helper...or you will go round and round in circles as they make the same mistakes over and over again.
Patience and a sense of humor is required![emoji4]

[danielamartindm]

Like most of us, I suspect, I've had good and bad experiences with yards-but no more than with any other industries with which I've dealt. Respect, civility, and good communication go far, and taking photos of your boat before and after a yard visit is a good idea. I try to do most of my repairs myself, because when something goes wrong with a repair, I like to have the idiot who did it close at hand.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by danielamartindm

Like most of us, I suspect, I've had good and bad experiences with yards-but no more than with any other industries with which I've dealt. Respect, civility, and good communication go far, and taking photos of your boat before and after a yard visit is a good idea. I try to do most of my repairs myself, because when something goes wrong with a repair, I like to have the idiot who did it close at hand.

I guess I'm dense, I had to read that twice.

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I had an uncle with a small outboard marina and Johnson dealership. As a kid i watched as a guy came in, he needed a SS bolt like the one he had snapped. Al hunted through his hardware draws and found what the guy needed. The guy asked what he owed. Al told him nothing and here is an extra encase you drop one.
Being a dumb kid I asked how you can make money like that. "When his OB needs working on he will come here." Lessen well learned.

Yup, I do the same. If I’m walking through a marina or yard and anyone asks advice or to take a look at something, no charge for 15 minuets or less.

I suspect this has made a lot of boats safer and saved owners a lot of money over the years.

Many of these people have become our paying customers down the road.