I wanted to provide you with some information on the business practices of Austin Boats and Motors and Martin Boyer. I bought a Crownline 225 boat from Austin Boats and Motors this spring. We enjoyed the boat until we began to have several problems. I brought the boat in for repair after it experienced a "miss” in the engine and at the same time brought the boat in for the 30 hour check up. I think this was in June?? Austin Boats and Motors looked at the engine and did not find anything wrong. The computer analysis pointed to the battery switch had been turned while the engine was running, which was not the case. So, we came and picked up the boat and took it over to Lake Travis. Keep in mind we live in San Antonio, so every time we have to bring the boat up to the shop it is time consuming and costly. Once we got out on the lake, it took less than 5 minutes and the same issue was happening again. SO, we called Austin Boats and Motors and one of their technicians came out and met us on the lake. He hooked up the computer and drove the boat, could not determine what was wrong, so we loaded the boat up and it went back to their shop.
Several weeks later, keep in mind this is summer and prime boating season, they call and say it is fixed. The wiring harness was replaced. So, we drive up from San Antonio, again, and get the boat and immediately take it out to Lake Travis. We drive around for most of the afternoon and everything is fine. When my wife goes to get the trailer, she is gone for a while, then comes back to the dock and says she cannot back up as the trailer brakes are "locked up”. I go up to the car and sure enough the brakes are locked. I un-hook the trailer and reconnect and back out of the parking spot, then back down the boat ramp with no issues. We load the boat and head for home. When we get to our storage shed there is another problem. To get the boat into the shed, it is a backwards sharp turn. When making a sharp backwards turn, the trailer brakes keep locking up.
Keep in mind, it is now getting late and it is dark. So, we cannot get the boat into the storage shed and we leave and head for home where I have some light and some tools. Once at home I look up some information about trailer brakes and have a list of things to check. I climb under to front of the trailer, and there is a wire that connects to the solenoid that if there is a signal prevents the trailers brakes from locking. That wire has been cut. I don’t know how that happened. I think it happened at the Austin Boats and Motors shop. We had no problem with the trailer brakes before it went to their shop. So, I splice the wire back together, back the trailer, and it is fixed. We take the boat back to the storage shed without any more issues. A couple of weeks later, we take the boat out to the Lake. After being on the lake for several hours, all the sudden the depth finder alarm starts going off. None of us changed anything, it just started going off. It was very annoying. After I get tired of it, I turned it to measure the air temperature and that at least stopped the depth finder alarm. I have not moved it back to depth finder mode. That problem needs to be repaired. We used the boat again on labor day weekend without issue. I did not turn the depth finder to read the water depth and left it on air temperature. However, I did notice that battery 2 was completely dead when at the ramp, which was strange. So I turned the battery switch on all for most of the day to charge the battery.
By the end of the day, I checked and both battery one and battery two were completely charged. By the way, I always turn the battery switch to the off position when we load the boat. The next time we used the boat was November 5. We went up to lake Travis. At the storage shed I always check to make sure we have power. I turned the battery switch from the off position to battery one and there is power. When we get the boat ramp and back the boat down the ramp, the trim on the motor will not work. So, we pull back out and I start looking to see what could be wrong. I turn the battery switch to battery 2 and there is NO power. I don’t understand how that can happen. How can that battery be completely dead? I turn the battery switch back to battery one and the trim still will not work. By the way, the motor would turn over on battery one. I then turn the battery switch to all and hit the trim and it works. So, we back the boat back down the ramp and take off. We unloaded there by the dam. The battery switch is on all. We go all the way down the lake to the Gnarly Gar restaurant on the lake and have lunch.
After lunch, I put the battery switch back to one and the trim now works fine. I put the battery switch to 2 and there is now power and the trim works fine. I put the battery switch back to one start the boat and off we go. We rode around for 20 minutes or so, made a stop, and rode for another 10 minutes or so and then the miss in the engine returns. Not sure what is going on, it almost felt like the engine was not getting fuel. We head into a marina and get 10 gallons of gas and take off and the miss returns. This time much worse than any of the times before. I move the battery switch several times from one to two to all and the miss in the engine was the same in each case. Here I am with my wife and teenage daughter and we all think we are going to get stranded on the lake because this boat keep breaking down. We drive to the ramp at basically idle speed and the motor is missing and sputtering the entire time. The alarm goes off each time as well. We make it back to the ramp, load the boat, and head home.
We are all completely disgusted! I call Austin Boats and Motors and describe the problem and to their credit they came and picked up the boat. They have had the boat since early November and it is still not repaired. They have been working with the manufacturer, Mercruiser, on the problem and claim to have it fixed, but, not ready for another test. The boat has been out of service 3 times in less than a year and been out of service for more than 60 days since purchased in March. Mr. Boyer will not return my phone calls or emails and has basically ignored my problems with the boat HIS team sold me. His service department is trying, but, has not repaired any of the issues so far.
Austin Boats & Motors Reviews
I wanted to provide you with some information on the business practices of Austin Boats and Motors and Martin Boyer. I bought a Crownline 225 boat from Austin Boats and Motors this spring. We enjoyed the boat until we began to have several problems. I brought the boat in for repair after it experienced a "miss” in the engine and at the same time brought the boat in for the 30 hour check up. I think this was in June?? Austin Boats and Motors looked at the engine and did not find anything wrong. The computer analysis pointed to the battery switch had been turned while the engine was running, which was not the case. So, we came and picked up the boat and took it over to Lake Travis. Keep in mind we live in San Antonio, so every time we have to bring the boat up to the shop it is time consuming and costly. Once we got out on the lake, it took less than 5 minutes and the same issue was happening again. SO, we called Austin Boats and Motors and one of their technicians came out and met us on the lake. He hooked up the computer and drove the boat, could not determine what was wrong, so we loaded the boat up and it went back to their shop.
Several weeks later, keep in mind this is summer and prime boating season, they call and say it is fixed. The wiring harness was replaced. So, we drive up from San Antonio, again, and get the boat and immediately take it out to Lake Travis. We drive around for most of the afternoon and everything is fine. When my wife goes to get the trailer, she is gone for a while, then comes back to the dock and says she cannot back up as the trailer brakes are "locked up”. I go up to the car and sure enough the brakes are locked. I un-hook the trailer and reconnect and back out of the parking spot, then back down the boat ramp with no issues. We load the boat and head for home. When we get to our storage shed there is another problem. To get the boat into the shed, it is a backwards sharp turn. When making a sharp backwards turn, the trailer brakes keep locking up.
Keep in mind, it is now getting late and it is dark. So, we cannot get the boat into the storage shed and we leave and head for home where I have some light and some tools. Once at home I look up some information about trailer brakes and have a list of things to check. I climb under to front of the trailer, and there is a wire that connects to the solenoid that if there is a signal prevents the trailers brakes from locking. That wire has been cut. I don’t know how that happened. I think it happened at the Austin Boats and Motors shop. We had no problem with the trailer brakes before it went to their shop. So, I splice the wire back together, back the trailer, and it is fixed. We take the boat back to the storage shed without any more issues. A couple of weeks later, we take the boat out to the Lake. After being on the lake for several hours, all the sudden the depth finder alarm starts going off. None of us changed anything, it just started going off. It was very annoying. After I get tired of it, I turned it to measure the air temperature and that at least stopped the depth finder alarm. I have not moved it back to depth finder mode. That problem needs to be repaired. We used the boat again on labor day weekend without issue. I did not turn the depth finder to read the water depth and left it on air temperature. However, I did notice that battery 2 was completely dead when at the ramp, which was strange. So I turned the battery switch on all for most of the day to charge the battery.
By the end of the day, I checked and both battery one and battery two were completely charged. By the way, I always turn the battery switch to the off position when we load the boat. The next time we used the boat was November 5. We went up to lake Travis. At the storage shed I always check to make sure we have power. I turned the battery switch from the off position to battery one and there is power. When we get the boat ramp and back the boat down the ramp, the trim on the motor will not work. So, we pull back out and I start looking to see what could be wrong. I turn the battery switch to battery 2 and there is NO power. I don’t understand how that can happen. How can that battery be completely dead? I turn the battery switch back to battery one and the trim still will not work. By the way, the motor would turn over on battery one. I then turn the battery switch to all and hit the trim and it works. So, we back the boat back down the ramp and take off. We unloaded there by the dam. The battery switch is on all. We go all the way down the lake to the Gnarly Gar restaurant on the lake and have lunch.
After lunch, I put the battery switch back to one and the trim now works fine. I put the battery switch to 2 and there is now power and the trim works fine. I put the battery switch back to one start the boat and off we go. We rode around for 20 minutes or so, made a stop, and rode for another 10 minutes or so and then the miss in the engine returns. Not sure what is going on, it almost felt like the engine was not getting fuel. We head into a marina and get 10 gallons of gas and take off and the miss returns. This time much worse than any of the times before. I move the battery switch several times from one to two to all and the miss in the engine was the same in each case. Here I am with my wife and teenage daughter and we all think we are going to get stranded on the lake because this boat keep breaking down. We drive to the ramp at basically idle speed and the motor is missing and sputtering the entire time. The alarm goes off each time as well. We make it back to the ramp, load the boat, and head home.
We are all completely disgusted! I call Austin Boats and Motors and describe the problem and to their credit they came and picked up the boat. They have had the boat since early November and it is still not repaired. They have been working with the manufacturer, Mercruiser, on the problem and claim to have it fixed, but, not ready for another test. The boat has been out of service 3 times in less than a year and been out of service for more than 60 days since purchased in March. Mr. Boyer will not return my phone calls or emails and has basically ignored my problems with the boat HIS team sold me. His service department is trying, but, has not repaired any of the issues so far.