Portland Oregon boaters

I'm looking for a good shop that is in the Portland Oregon or surrounding areas. Anyone have good feedback on great shop or mechanic? The shop I always used just went out of business. Thanks for any input.

Good luck. What brand of boat do you have ?

Mastercraft, trying to avoid the dealer prices.

Well the only MasterCraft dealer is Portland Ski-boat Center. Mixed feedback, mostly not good. I know he was working harder at customer service for whatever that is worth. I think most positive feedback was from MasterCraft riders and shop workers. Mike Raines from PDXwake.com owns a XStar. Might ask him. Post on their website too.

What do you need done?

I had a horrible experience with Portland ski-boat center while looking at one of their used boats. Dirtiest used car salesmen I have ever dealt with. Stay away.

Active Water Sports has a great sales and service. Nothing but good to say about them.

Check out Mobile Marine 503.927.2052 talk to Morgan.

I don't actually know if they are still doing this but this guy actually worked at Portland Ski boat center when I bought my boat there and then left to work on his own. This is him and a buddy and they will come to wherever your boat is. I can't vouch for them on anything big but had them do a winterization service on my boat and it all seemed good. They worked pretty well with my sched. and left the boat clean. Worth a try anyway if you are trying to avoid dealers.

I don't think you will save much $ but the convenience of not having to take your boat somewhere is worth something.

I had the same used car salesman feel. We were going to buy a used boat, put down a refundable deposit, changed our minds and it took weeks for them to give us our money back. Bad thing is I would have bought from them in the future if they wern't such D!ck$. The guys over at Active are great. Give them a call.

I agree with the votes for AWS. They are awesome.
The thing I don't understand is why Portland Ski boat center is willing to sacrifice their reputation selling their used boats. Do they not understand that the people looking for a used boat today may be the same people that will be in the market for a new boat in 5 years? Even though the X-star wake is the funnest I have ever ridden, I would never consider buying from them now.

+1 for AWS

Oregon City
1224 McLoughlin Blvd.
Oregon City, OR 97045
503.650.5991
TOLL FREE 800.832.SKIS

Sounds like Portland Ski Boat Center has a bad name, glad I heard that from you guys becuase that was where I was planning on looking at a new boat.

I would recommend staying away from Active Water Sports. They may have had a good reputation in the past, but from my experience this year they have a pretty lousey service department. That really doesn't seem to know how the boats they sell are built or how to work on them. But you do get the great advantage of being called an idiot and accused of things when they think you did something to the boat, that when in fact is how the factory installed it.

(Message edited by thesack on April 14, 2008)

Deez nuts, I bought my last boat at PSBC mostly because of the service. In this industry it is extremely hard for the consumer to get service past the sale. I am one of the most picky boat owners on the planet and for that reason I bought a MC. The Portland dealer is very good at getting boats serviced on time and right.
Everybody at one time or another is going to get a bad deal from time to time, but I don't believe you should rule out Portland Ski Boat. They will stand behind the product and take care of you.
On the same token I know a few people at AWS and have nothing but good to say of them, that is were I ended up taking my old Malibu for anything that wasn't warranty.

Anyone no of any small shops around town that are well respected? I always like to support the little guys.

Deez nuts,
We know people that work at Active and PSBC and can give you people to talk to at either and a personal reference that will make sure you are cared for well by either if you go that route.
There was a little place over in Lake Oswego... can't remember the name, "something inboards" and it was back behind the GI Joes..... They have a good reputation from all the people I have talked to....
and as stated above jump on to www.pdxwake.com and more people can help. Cheers

There are good eggs and bad at every dealer. I think you just need to figure out who to talk to.
I have had good experiences with PSBC, AWS, and also with Bridgecity. With that said I have also had bad experiences with all three. The place that Tyler is talking about in Tualatin is called Engines N More. They did some electrical work for me with my old boat and they seemed to know their stuff.

Brady,
That is not actually the place I am talking about. I don't think anyway. I stopped being lazy and googled it.
Superior Inboard Repair Incorporated
(503) 699-1821
17530 Sw 63rd Ave
Lake Oswego, OR

Your right it is a different place. Regardless they both do boat engine work. The place I was referring to is on 65th right behind Joe's. Sounds like both places are worth checking out.

Another vote for AWS. with the forecast last weekend i called up the service manager Wednesday afternoon asking when i could get my boat in for dewinterization. He said bring it in first thing tomorrow morning, i did and picked up by noon that day ready to go. Thanks AWS!

Just to give everyone the warning about AWS and Supra Launch 21V's (at least 07 and 08). If you have taken your boat into them or purchased one from them. Make sure that your heater core didn't freeze during the winter, before you decided to take it out. Until about 2 weeks ago they had no idea where the heater core was installed at from the factory (On the wall behind the bow on the drives side). The reason why I know this, is because this is what happened to my boat new 07 Supra Launch 21V that i bought from there at the end of January.

Took the boat in to have it dewinterized and a few other things fixed, and scheduled to have with Gerry to do the water test of the boat. Took the boat out with Gerry the middle of March, and it starts to take on water, because the heater core froze. Very annoying yes, but understandable that it can happen when they do not winterize the boat properly. Gerry takes the boat back to AWS to have it fixed. Go to pic it up and finish the water test, get told that we moved the heater core to make room for the new subwoofer, causing it to freeze according to the service tech. Get told my the service tech repeatedly that only an idiot would put the heater core in that location, that it will freeze again, and that there is no way that Skiers Choice installed it in that place. All of this going on with Gerry standing there listening. (Note that Jay was not around, but did attempt to do damage control in the end after Skier's Choice notifed them that we were not pleased)

Needless to say talked with Skier's Choice about the whole boat buying experience and verified through photo's that the heater core was in fact installed by the factory in its location. And they more or less notifed AWS about our boat buying experience and where the location of the heater core is at on the 21V and how .

Jay did a good job with damage control in the end. And did offer up a few things to try and make things all right.

Matt, did an ok job of damage control. But really you don't ask what you can do to make it better, rather start offering how you can make it better.

As for Gerry still haven't heard from him after all of this. Figured he would have been calling trying to see how he could smooth things over as well.

There is more to what went on with the purchasing and delievery of this boat, that i have not gotten into here, but i am just trying to give a everyone a slight insight into a bad experience that has gone on, so that you are not blindsided when something simular may happen to you.

Did take the boat out this past weekend, for the most part we are happy with it. Had a great wake behind it for boarding and surfing.

I don't know about their boat service, but I was looking to demo some boards and get out riding and Portland Ski Boat Center was everything I could have asked for.

I would absolutely agree with Tom. Nick does a great job. I dont know anything about their boat service either, but from what I hear if you buy a boat from them that they treat you great. Its the used car salesman approach I can deal without. I had a similiar experience as Eric.

I will chime in and say that Nick at PSBC does do a GREAT job and is a true asset to that business. I think that if more people followed his lead of providing great service and a no pressure / attitude experience PSCS would really thrive. AWS is a top notch shop for sure. I think the biggest thing is just to take a look at the initial interaction with any business and see if that fits with what you feel you are looking for in terms of the overall experience.