Outboard Inboard Marine Repair

I took my boat here to be serviced before the boating season 2016 and 2017. At first Jim seemed to be an honest person. I asked him to save my impeller so I could see the wear and tear. Needless to say when I went to pick up my boat I asked for the part and he "threw it away". You'd think he'd get it out right? No! I just took my boat in to get ready for the 2018 boating season and guess what he told me?!! My impeller has NEVER been changed. Oh well. You live and learn. Don't trust this guy. He will take your money and you will get nothing in return. Actually you will get something... A hefty bill to fix Jim's mistakes!

Took my boat to him for service to store for the winter had a full service done without the Bay Area prices.

Beware!!!
I purchased a used Vortech 4.3 engine from Jim.
I was told it had 50 hours on it,
And was assured that the motor was practically new and in perfect running condition.
(Cutting to the chase, the motor was absolutely no good, was put in my boat,
And within 20 minutes blew up throwing a connecting rod and other engine parts out the side of my block creating a hole the size of a softball)!!!
Individuals with a mechanical aptitude or interest in hearing the rest of the story please Read on.




I brought the motor to my mechanic.
(Who has been used and found to be honest and trustworthy for over 20 years By some of my closest friends).

I got a call from my mechanic
The next day expressing his concerns,

He told me that everything down to the freeze plugs and rear main seal had been pulled out of the motor and he thought it was possibly a core motor,
(no good, to be sent in for a rebuild)

He proceeded to do a compression check
and found very low compression on one cylinder,

I then called Jim, he was very convincing and assured me that the motor was good but he had his floor cleaned and it may have gotten a little water in the top of the motor,and that it was nothing to worry about , that a valve might be stuck open, and that my mechanic should know enough to take the valve cover off and tap on the valves with a hammer!

I remained respectful and calm and told Jim that I didn't feel comfortable having my mechanic hit the hit the valves with a hammer.

Jim however was again very convincing and said it was common practice and that if my mechanic knew what he was doing he should've already tried pulling off the valve covers and tapping on the valves with a hammer, when I suggested that we shouldn't have to do that because I was assured that the motor only 50 hours on it and it was good ,Jim became irritated and started to belittle my mechanic for not knowing what he was doing!

I didn't feel like I had many options (I had already paid him cash for the motor)
so I asked Jim if I instructed my mechanic to dig further to try and resolve the problem
And it couldn't be resolved easily if he would refund my money, he assured me , absolutely!

My mechanic then did a leak down test,
And found that none of the valves were stuck open, they were all opening and closing properly.

I put in another call to Jim, and also asked my mechanic to call Jim to see if he could come to a resolution.

At this point Jim started to accuse my mechanic of not knowing what he was doing,( once again)
He went on to say that it was probably just a ring on the piston sticking, and that putting some magic Marvel oil down in the cylinder would resolve the problem and my mechanic should know that.
I asked Jim if I could bring the motor back and get a refund, at this point he became borderline belligerent, even accusing my mechanic of switching out the engine block!


Hoping against all odds and because I didn't have anymore money to invest having paid a lot of money for a motor from Jim,
I asked my mechanic if it was possible that water, as Jim had said could've caused the problem, he said yes a ring could possibly be sticking and it might work itself out by running the motor for a while, but he advised me against it and told me unfortunately I may have to cut my losses and find a good motor.

Out of money and options I crossed my fingers and told him to put the motor in
Because Jim obviously was not going to make good, and I didn't have any money for another motor.

My mechanic put the motor in,
I went and picked up the boat and put it in the water.

Within 20 minutes of running it out on the Delta, taking it easy as my mechanic had instructed, keeping the RPMs down etc. I heard a loud bang!
Lifting up the rear deck lid I saw lots of oil in the bottom of the boat and lots of metal, closer inspection revealed a softball sized hole in the side of the engine!

Steer clear of the shop! Please, please, please do your research ,read yelp reviews
Whatever you have to do so you don't end up in my situation.

I've called three times to try and schedule something to get a boat fixed each time that I've called I get voicemail and you can't even leave a voicemail because it's full how do you expect to keep customers if you can't even answer phone calls bad customer service

I took my boat in for some engine work (new roller rockers) & I was very happy with the results.

Initially, I had called another shop in Milpitas & they said that they weren't comfortable jumping in the middle of someone else's motor rebuild. I explained to them that I only wanted the new rocker arms adjusted, but they still said no. In the hunt for a new marine repair shop on-line, I found this place.

Great customer service, friendly & very knowledgeable. Also got some great recommendations for other modifications in the future as well. I will be going there for all my future boat service needs. It's nice doing business with people with experience. I was able to drop off the boat & pick it up in the afternoon with the requested work done.

I would give ZERO stars if it let me. Jim installed a supposedly new 5.7 motor in my bayliner. It broke down on me in san fransico bay. I had to be towed in. Jim wont return my calls but he sure took my money. The bottom paint he put on also just flaked right off. what an rip off. I would rather haul my boat 100 miles before I would ever let this place touch it.

I took my boat to Jim to have worked on. The upper housing was broke and overall the vessel was not running well at all. Jim fixed the housing issue as well as identifying some other issues. He was very understanding and took the time to speak with me. This boat has never run better. I will only be taking my boat to him and telling everyone I know with a boat that this is the place to go!!! I really appreciate everything he did as well as feeling like I didn't get overpriced, or taken. Very honest great guy!!! Very reasonable turn around time.
Thanks Jim!!! Jessica was awesome too, super nice, and extremely knowledgeable, and great communication!!!

I have been taking my boat and jet ski here for years. The owner Jimmy knows his stuff and is always able to help us solve any of the problems we may experience with our boat or jet ski.

I took my old 1989 yamaha 9.9 out board to Jim. It needed a new impeller. In the process of getting the lower unit off, Jim damaged the housing. I didn't notice the damage until after I put the motor back in the water and crankcase oil went everywhere. Jim should have told me about the problem other than mentioning "it was hard to get the lower unit off, when did you last have your motor serviced?" To fix the broken housing is $250 in parts alone... if they were available (which they are not)... plus 16hrs labor. Or $1400 in parts for a complete lower unit and 2hrs labor. Anyway it's sliced, the motor is totaled.

Was it Jim's fault that I gave him a motor that had a corroded lower unit? No. Should he have told me of the severe damage he created? Yes.

I'm sure Jim does good work, but if you have an outboard that needs a little bit more love than the average motor, I'd recommend a mechanic that is specifically certified for your motor. At least a certified mechanic will refuse to work on your motor rather than breaking it. Yes, you'll be pissed, but at least you will have an indication there is a serious problem on your hands.

Yes, Jim's price was fair, but in the end, even if the message is bad, Jim owes it to his customer to deliver information... even if it is really bad news.

My husband asked me to put a review of this shop on Yelp. He is very glad he found this shop. Location is very convenient. Had been taking his boats elsewhere for service 20+ miles away. This shop provides quick, excellent service. They are friendly and provide great customer service!

Thank you!