What clients say about Jay's Marine Repair & Salvage in Havelock (NC)
Honest mechanic with a wealth of knowledge and reasonable pricing. I’ve read the other reviews and quite frankly, with the wealth of knowledge Jay has, he is allowed to honestly tell you how it is. I’ve dealt with the best and the worst mechanics from Swansboro to New Bern, and Jay is in the best category.
Beware! Had my boat to him two times with lower unit taking on water. Spent over $500 all I got was a new water pump. After the second trip and still taking on water after 5 gallons of gas, it still has water in it again. When I called him the third time I said let's rebuild the whole lower end. He said I can't fix something that's not broke. Well the water's coming in from somewhere.I took it to another mechanic and I was there when he dropped the lower unit out of the motor and he found that the top seal had been glued in. Now who does this and charges you over $500????? !!!!!!The man is extremely rude!!!! No people skills, and no customer service! Now I believe he is a poor mechanic and $500.00 richer at my expense !!Beware people!
WOULD NOT USE BUSINESS. UNLESS YOU ARE THERE IN PERSON YOU WILL NOT HAVE ANY HELP. HE WILL NOT ANSWER QUESTIONS OVER THE PHONE AND WILL HANG UP ON YOU IF HE "FEELS" ANNOYED BY YOUR QUESTIONS.
Jay is a very experienced, up front, well intentioned mechanic. He is easy to get ahold of for any questions or issues. My old Johnson motor had a lot of odd fixes by the original owner, a car mechanic. We went over what I needed and what I wanted from the engine. He was patient, explained what was going wrong, and discussed the possible avenues for repair with me. I honestly don’t think I will ever go anywhere else.
Mr. Jay did a great job on my Lowe 16ft boat. i had an aftermarket CMC power tilt/trim installed and the transom repaired and strengthened. He gave me some good insight, was knowledgable, also gave tips on what parts to buy for longevity and durability. Great straight foward, no bullcrap guy.
Solid service and quick fixes. Brought a couple issues to Jay and he corrected them and gave guidance on other matter for this old boat. He's a crusty old Marine so I'm sure that's why people have reviewed him as being 'rude'. I personally love it- he's knowledgeable, consise and trustworthy.
Rebuilt carbs on a 50hp evinrude and fixed other problems he found, the motor runs better the it ever has. Will return anytime i need work.
Went back and had work done to my mercury 50hp and axle replaced on my trailer. Some fiberglass work everything was great.
3rd time back I purchased a 70hp 4 stroke that runs great, it was installed properly on my boat with new control box and new prop.
Now i have a 17ft boat i got from him. I will continue to return when i need work on anything he is honest and straight forward.
There is a big difference in being honest and upfront versus being downright rude, sarcastic, and condescending. I could not believe that a business would treat their customers so poorly but that is common practice here. Save yourself from the mental abuse and do not bring your boat here.
Jay has a few people around town that he works hard to please (i.e. kisses up to) but beyond that (and overwhelmingly), Jay brings "rude" to a level that can hardly be imagined. He is completely unreliable and on the verge of a blow up at any given moment. I'm not sure why anyone puts up with this little guy.
Jay is hands down the best boat mechanic in the area, awesome priced maintenance and does fast work. He's worked on both my boats I have had over the last 8 years and have only had to take them in a total of 3 times between the two, if that doesn't say something about the quality of his work I don't what else does. Very upfront and honest man, he's not going to sugarcoat anything or leave anything out to surprise you later unlike a few other boat mechs in the area. Highly Highly recommended.
Horrible service. It took 2 weeks for a water pump replacement. Jay is rude and condescending. Received the boat back finally and the thing wouldn't shift right. Kept claiming he had 30 years experience yet when he changed the zinc on the outboard he put one on without the trim tab. What kind of mechanic doesn't realize that a single outboard needs a trim tab to counteract the torque. Would not recommend ever. I would rather drive to Virginia then go back to Jay.
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