Boater's World Review

My experience with Boaters World Marine Centers in Bradenton, Florida, has been nothing short of a nightmare, beginning with the purchase of a boat in 2023. The owner's son, who served as the salesperson, lacked essential knowledge, resulting in the sale of the wrong boat. Regrettably, the dealership, seemingly protecting the owner's son, refused to take responsibility and instead shifted blame to the manufacturer.

What was intended as a thrilling family weekend toy turned into a prolonged ordeal, with the boat spending a staggering 8 months in the shop within the first 11 months of ownership. The frequent changes in management have created a chaotic environment, leaving employees uncertain on how to address issues.

Particularly concerning is the behavior of Stewart Thompson, who holds the position of President but consistently hides in the background. This lack of accountability became evident when issues arose, and his team resorted to strong-arm tactics rather than addressing concerns professionally. It's disheartening that public disclosure was necessary to prompt any form of resolution.

To compound matters, the dealership ran my credit report without authorization 11 months later, leading to significant consequences for my family. Despite my status as a business owner and active involvement in the city council and reputable boating community boards, seeking an apology and compensation for the 8 months without access to my boat was met with dismissal.

Stewart Thompson's leadership, or lack thereof, sets the tone for an unreliable and untrustworthy team at Boaters World Marine Centers. The manipulation of reviews to highlight only positive experiences adds to the deception. I requested compensation and a public apology, hoping for a fair resolution without resorting to legal action. It's unfortunate that instead of acknowledging their errors, they seem intent on strong-arming me into silence.

Furthermore, the appointed GM, Eric, has contributed to the continued lies and hurt caused by the dealership. It's disheartening to witness a manager consistently blame coworkers for issues rather than taking responsibility. If Boaters World Marine Centers aims to rebuild trust in sales, finding professional solutions and resolving matters should be a priority for Eric and the entire management team.

Their executive director of operations, Pat, has attempted to intervene at the 11-month mark, trying to resolve the problems. However, it's too late. This dealership is not to be trusted. Pat knows what I have requested to make this right—take the current boat with unknown issues back and give me what I had originally thought was purchased, or compensate my family for the damages of non-use of the past year, including the down payment. Along with this, a public apology that everyone can read and see will demonstrate to others that Boaters World Marine Centers wants to do the right thing in the community.

Moreover, it is crucial that Stewart's son and other family members learn the products that Boaters World Marine Centers sells, ensuring that all employees, whether family or hired, are treated as equals. This treatment should extend to the resolution of customer issues, allowing hired employees to address problems without the threat of their jobs.

Overall great experience with Greg Thornhill my sales rep. but now in the midst of the CHAOS I’m going through, Charlie Easton Service manager is trying to do his best to remedy all the issues I’m going thru with my new boat.
To summarize it: waited a year almost to get my boat, second time in the water check engine came on as well as consult Yamaha dealer.
Transducer was never installed at the factory, eyebolts leaking, motor mounting(transom) was leaking after taking boat in the water 4-5 days to test for leaks after transducer was installed. Not to mentioned the motor now have to be removed to reseal all components. Making a long story short my brand new boat is in the shop now since 4/25. Nothing against Boaters World cause I know you guys didn’t build my boat BUT “SHAME ON ROBALO QUALITY CONTROL DEPARTMENT”. It was my dream boat but for the longest time!!
but HONESTLY I’m not really sure if I made the right decision going with ROBALO BRAND.
Time is of the Essence! thank you all in advance, my advise to you guys! Before you release these boats to your customers give them a really good inspection, and also make sure you hold BOAT factories accountable for your customers dissatisfactions.
Be blessed everyone have an awesome weekend. 🙏

Found a boat i liked and filled out app. Finance called n asked a couple questions n said id get a call from a sales person. He called next day n said he needed my license. He said he would text me so I could text it to him. No text. No call back. And dont answer the phones.
Great n now they have my info..

We just wanted to share our great experience at Boater s world. Greg Thornhill was our salesman we loved that he was not pushy and didn t try to talk us into a different boat. We made an offer on a consignment tri-toon they submitted the offer and the owner declined our offer. We told Greg what we were looking for at that point we assumed he would not make contact anymore. The following couple of weeks he remembered what we were wanting and called to tell us to come take a look I think you will like a new boar that just arrived . Bottom line is we did like it and made the purchase after some negotiations on both sides we were very pleased. I would recommend Greg at Boater s World to anyone looking for a boat. Thanks Dave and Gail Lewis

My wife shopped boats on line for months and found Boaters World had the best selection of used and new boats in our size and price range. We drove about 115 miles to Lake Placid and walked the lots with the salesman and he showed us used boat club boats my wife found a perfect New Robalo 200 Center console. We negotiated and put a deposit on it, and they told us about the 250 prep fee and a lake trial they do. Two weeks later she wired them the balance and we went out to pick it up. The lake trial was very brief even though we told them she has very little experience and the boat is for her. The guy only put in 5 gallons of gas and we only had about 30 minutes on the water. He didn't give her any break-in info until the finance girl handed her a card with instructions printed by the dealer, not Yamaha or Robalo. By the way their prep fee and list price doesn't include an anchor, a radio, safety gear, not one bow line or even a whistle. We had them install the radio and the Garmin. Although they are polite, we were repeatedly reminded how busy they are and they seem frantic. After our first sea trip we had to bring it back to get a few things tweaked the wires for the gauges had disconnected going through the inlet so we drove it back out there and stayed overnight. The service department took care of it first thing and were very nice and it took a long time to get rung up. During the service they removed a box of safety equipment, fire extinguisher, air horn, utility knife, flares, strobes and few other things to get to the panel in the storage compartment and didn't put it back. We didn't discover this until 2 weeks later when we were packing for the Keyes. We began calling and these people never answer their phone or return messages. My wife has called at least 7 times and left messages. They also never got us the Robalo handbook that was supposed to come with it after us repeatedly asking Cliff for it. One week after my wife called Robalo Directly they sent the handbook and a nice congratulations card with a gift. We never got a note or follow up phone call from Boaters World after the purches and never got our stuff back or a phone call. We have just written it and their service department off at this point and will spend another $300 elsewhere to replace it. Nice people and great price but you just have to stay extra on top of them and be prepared to have to drive way out there to get their attention. And if you take your boat out for service, take everything out of it.

Geno is the man!... totally down to earth customer service!...bought our first boat and he helped us tremendously! Thanks Geno and boaters world...

I Boater World been great I have bought boats there and sold 2 boats there Josh and Robert Brown are great people my last boat sold in two days

We drove 2 1/2 hours to purchase a boat from
boaters world in Lake placid. It was the BEST experience. We dealt with Greg, who took care of every concern we had with a boat we had interest in. He kept in contact with on the status on the boat, and fixed a few minor things for us before we purchased!! He Took us out on the water to test out the boat and the paperwork was Easy!! If you go to boaters world to purchase a boat ask for GREG!! We didn t feel rushed or pressured at all which can sometimes be the case when making a big purchase. DEFINITELY RECOMMEND.

Drove 2 hrs to see a boat. They wouldn't let us do anything other than a visual inspection of the engine and run it on a hose. No compression check, not allowed to drop lower unit to inspect exhaust housing for corrosion which is a huge issue on these engines. After 2hrs of going over the boat we decided to buy it anyways. While running the engine on the hose another sales associate tells us he thinks the boat is already under contract. 20 mins later it is confirmed that an out of state buyer already bought the boat. Now I have a 2hr drive home and no boat. We just wasted 6hrs and put 200 miles on the car.
Unbelievable......needless to say I would NEVER DO BUSINESS HERE!!!
BOATERS WORLD = BOATERS WORST!

Went great. Good company with a lot of awesome things to offer boat owner's and customer's.

If you want to sell your boat for a fair price this is the place. Talked to Josh on the phone emailed some pictures with the boat particulars. He gave a generous offer and stuck to the price after they inspected the boat. Great to know that there is a honest boat dealer you can trust! Josh is the man you want to see if you are buying or selling. Give him a call I think you will be happy you did.

Sales rep Geno was awesome. Got me exactly what I wanted. I would definitely buy from boaters world again and I would absolutely recommend them.

Terrible experience. Called Parts Department on Monday and placed an order for a small part. Was told it would arrive Tuesday, but wait until Wednesday just in case. Came in late Wednesday and the two gentlemen at the counter had trouble locating the order, but indicated they would follow up and then call me. Waited until Saturday. Called 4 times, Saturday morning, and nobody, in any department, picked up. Finally decided to go in an hour before closing. Same two gentlemen at the parts counter. Again, started from scratch and after 10 minutes was informed they couldn't find it, but would order it for me. At that point I was mad and done. Absolutely no measurable level of customer service. Will never visit this location again. If I could give "0" stars I would.

Update - after posting this review I received an apologetic phone call from the parts department manager, Lloyd Davis. He advised they had located the part and accepted full responsibility for the poor level of service. They gave me the part free of charge (it was my third visit to their location). I appreciate the effort they made to rectify this matter.

I purchased a boat from Boaters World several months ago that had several unforseen issues from the manufacturer. Boaters World took on the probelm themselves, and with relentless efforts were able to fix the problems. They treated me with the highest standards of professionalism
and showed great empathy for the situation. My experience from the beginning was incredible, with Greg in sales who answered all my questions, even on his days off. The Store Manager, Stuart, who immediately took on my issues with great importance to satisfy my needs. And most of all the Service department, especially the manager, Dave, who never quit and treated me like family the whole time, Ben who ultimately fix the problem and took on the issues like it was his own boat. Thanks all!

This is how a business should be run and I would suggest anyone looking for a new or used boat to go here. They will treat you right.

Excellent dealer to consign or sell your boat. I communicated exclusively with Josh (Consignment Manager). He was honest and optimistic and shared regular updates with me until my boat sold. I got the money I wanted and what Josh had promised in a little over two months. I would definitely use Boater's World and work directly with Josh again given the opportunity.

Josh from Boater s World took very good care of me. My boat was with a boat wholesaler across the state at a time when I was across the country. Josh made all the arrangements to pick my boat up and transport it to Boaters World. Josh always responded to my text messages within minutes, even on his days off. A pure professional. Thank you to Josh, the service shop and all the employees who helped me without ever meeting me in person.

Good luck getting someone to walk around the boat yard with you. Now I know why the same boats are being advertised for long periods. Waste of time

Responding to your response remember it s your loss on commissions and no won t waste my time going back good luck.

What a great place!. The service department is great and the Service Manager Chip is always willing to help and is very knowledgeable. Professionalism and customer service is always at a high standard. I would recommend buying a boat or having your boat serviced.....TOP NOTCH!....Check them out!

I took my boat here to sell with Josh. I kept it here for a few weeks and they did really well with the boat and took good care of it. Even though I pulled it early to trade it in at a different boat lot I would still recommend this place as a way to sell your boat.

This place is extremely unprofessional and completely inconsiderate of their clients' time. They need to update their website more often than once a few month. They also don't label any of their boats on the lot so you don't know that they have sold half the boats online and on the lot. they are in the middle of nowhere so you drive for hours just to find out that the boat you want was sold months ago. they will never earn my business

I would caution anyone considering dealing with this organization. It is my opinion that they are deceptive and misleading based on my previous experience with them. Frankie called me after seeing my boat posted in boat trader and said what I was asking was in line with what they would consider offering me for my boat but said they would need to inspect it in person ( makes sense) so I drove 2 hours to let them inspect the boat which was scheduled in advance. When I arrived I was told they were busy and couldn t inspect right away because they were behind schedule and suggested I leave it with them and they will put it on the lot for sale and make me an offer as soon as they have a chance to inspect it, and asked that I cancel my listing in boat trader. They kept the boat for 2 months and kept making excuses why they couldn t make an off yet. Finally I was frustrated and decided to pick up my boat. Then they charged me almost $400 to pick up my own boat after dealing with all their deception for 2 months. I have waited several weeks to post this review so that I was not posting in anger but rather a level head and factual remarks. If there is one thing I have learned it is unethical business practices eventually catches up and I hope this review lends caution to diligent consumers and hopefully prevents others from experiencing what I went through

Josh was so easy to deal with, honest and reliable. He picked our boat up on his day off and stayed in constant communication till our offer was made. I would definitely recommend Josh.

I am a 30 year Florida resident (and business owner) and have dealt with many organizations (including marine) and staff over the years. I have to say that Josh S. was top shelf and great to work with. He stayed in touch with me, explained the entire process, answered my calls and texts immediately and we were able to coordinate the pick-up of my boat to take to BW. Very smooth process and highly recommended.

We would love to give Boaters World in Lake Placid Fl a wonderful review. We have had the very best young man handle our transaction & treated us very professionally. Keeping us updated & informing us of our sale. This man is Josh!!! What a great person he is. HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing business with them

Friendly knowledgeable staff with large inventories

Josh did a wonderful job in getting my boat sold. He was honest, fair, and gave me all the information I needed up front. The process was seamless. If you are looking to consign your boat this is a great place.

Thank you boaters world. Robert Brown is very knowledgeable about the 40 th anniversary bass tracker boat which we purchased. From start to finish Robert and Ann in finance were very nice to work with. Loved our experience here and I would recommend them for all your boating needs.

Thank you.........

I had been trying to sell my boat for a couple of months on my own. I talked to a few local dealers in my area and spoke about consignment. It was a non negotiable 10% commission plus they all tried to talk me into lowering my price $10,000 less than what was market. Josh from Boaters World called me one day, he was professional, knowledgeable, thorough and always followed up and have you the time you wanted. I told him what I would like and with out any hesitation he said done! Josh kept me up to date and was there through the very end of the transaction! Everyone I spoke to there was extremely nice. Josh is a great guy and I wish I had more boats to sell! Thank you Josh!

Josh Stanaback was great.. He made selling my boat very quick and simple ... ask for him.

I have had a great experience so far. Josh S. reached out to me a couple of weeks ago after seeing my boat for sale on craigslist. He asked if I'd be interested in putting my boat on consignment with them. I was very skeptical and seriously put Josh through the ringer with lots of questions and additional little "tests" to make sure that he was for real and honest. Josh was very respectful and answered all of my questions. The thing I appreciated most is that he communicated with me throughout the entire process and returned my calls / texts. I asked for the consignment contract to be sent to me prior to handing over the boat so I could review. It was very simple, straightforward and exactly what Josh had explained to me. My boat has been on the lot for a few days now and pics are loaded. I cannot speak to the entire process of someone buying the boat, but when that time comes, I'll try to follow up with another review.

Notice most reviews are for Sales, SERVICE is HORRIBLE! I got 3 different stories over 10 days for a simple problem. When I picked up my boat, it was different again and they had been working on the wrong problem, charged me -$287 for for their mistake. Myran would not discuss the problem at all.

So happy with the great service I received from Josh! So professional and always a pleasure to speak with him! He drove all the way down to our home (1 1/2 hours away) and handed us a check to purchase our boat! It was a fair deal and quick! I wish other transactions were as painless as this one! Thank you Josh! It was a pleasure!

Greg was great to work with! He was extremely knowledgeable and made the entire process of purchasing our boat very easy!

Josh is a great guy to deal with, does what he says and does his best to make the deal a great experience for u!!

Funny how all the Positive reviews come from "Customers" who have only 1 one Post in their Google Posting career. I dont think they are customers at all. Sounds like employees. If you have to Post your own reviews, you are probably in the wrong Business.

I sold my boat on consignment at Boaters World and dealt exclusively with Josh. In just a little over two months, Josh contacted me and told me my boat was sold! I would definitely use Boater's World again if given the opportunity.

I called to inquire about a boat that was posted online, the salesman was very rude and short. This place appears to be unprofessional. If you don t like answering questions about boats get out of the sales business.

So far everything has been pretty straightforward. Josh S. has been very responsive to all communications (even after hours via text), explaining what I need to provide in order to get the boat sold, what documentation I needed to provide, etc. Possibly 5 stars depending on how the sale of the boat goes, only leaving 4 for now since I haven t been through the entire process with them yet.

Justin Sold my Boat!
Very Happy w the Awesome service.
they Even had no charges
For storage or selling.

Finally after many years of talking and dreaming about a Pontoon Boat, we actually bought one! We did our research and ended up at Boater's World. We were referred to Robert Brown by a friend, and we were NOT disappointed! Robert Brown was not only Extremely Professional and Knowledgeable, but he was also very Kind! He patiently answered all our questions and never, not once, made us feel like we were bothering him. He was absolutely Fantastic and we will certainly refer him to all our Family and Friends!

Thank you Mr Robert Brown for the wonderful experience my wife and I had working with you on the purchase of our new 20 foot pontoon boat, what a delight you are and what a pleasure it has been working with you .Robert was able to answer ever question we asked. The many years as a professional was very impressive to me . The knowledge Robert has about boats is just incredible !! A great friendship has come out of this wonderful experience,Just knowing Robert for his kindness and honesty and his knowledge, his Willingness to go the extra mile for his customers has been impressive also.
Stop by Boaters World ,meet with Robert and you will understand what i have been saying.

THANK YOU ROBERT FOR EVERYTHING

THE FULLERS

Josh from boaters world did an amazing job selling my boat while I was in the process of moving across the country. Will definitely recommend anyone to buy or sell their boat from them.

A fantastic place to get your boat repaired.Lotta new boats in stock

Best place ever to help you sell your boat!!!! Big thanks to josh for picking up the boat explaining the process and following through!!! Of course don t forget the man that worked super hard for us to get the deal done...Cliff thank you for all the hard work!! If you are in the market to buy or sell a boat these 2 guys are the ones you want on the job!! Super happy customers on both sides in the end. Thank you guys for everything!!

I called Boater s World from our Iowa residence to purchase a fishing boat for use at our Palm Beach Gardens home. Cliff in sales ordered a Bass Tracker, and a myriad of additional accessories for me which were installed by the techs in the service department, then titled, tagged, and delivered the craft to my garage in PBG. All you have to do is write a check, because these folks will take care of EVERYTHING else for you, no hassles, no stress. Thanks for a great experience, Cliff!

After looking online I discovered one of this dealers club boats. The boat had just over 1,000 hours on the engine. The salesman assured me the boat was well taken care of so I agreed to purchase the boat. I did not run the boat prior purchase. After putting the boat in the water, I tried to start the engine. The engine would not crank up. I took the boat to my local marine service guy only to discover the engine was locked up. Would highly advise anyone looking at one of these club boats to thoroughly get them checked out by a 3rd party prior to purchasing.

I recently bought a Yamaha 25 HP from your Boater's World location. I dealt with Mike Yeazel and can honestly say he did an outstanding job. He made sure I got the right motor with the specs I needed and answered each and every question I had in a timely and professional manner. The transaction went smoothly from start to finish. Mike is definitely an asset to your team. I only wish my local Yamaha dealer was half as good as Mike is. It was a pleasure doing business with Boater's World. Wish you all were closer to Kansas City. Thanks again and let Mike know how much I appreciate his hard work.

Boaters world and my salesman
Cliff are honest and not pushy
The selection is great
To chose from and financing was easy

I will continue to shop there
For all my boating needs

Due to a death in the family I had to sell our pontoon boat. From the beginning, Joshua was open and honest about his interest in the boat.
I explained to him why I was cautious and he went above and beyond to make me feel secure about the process. He left his home at 5:30 am to drive all the way to Orlando and pick up the boat for me. He was prepared with his paperwork and everything went as he said it would. I got my asking price and a fair deal.
If you need to sell a boat for whatever the reason, contact Joshua. If he can help you, he will. Thank you Joshua and Boaters World!!

There's NOT enough words to describe the profesionalism and excellent service provided at this Dealership, I traveled all the way from Texas to buy my boat here and faced many, many challenges...BUT Robert, Lensey, Candie and Myron helped me ALL the way trough without dropping the ball and ALWAYS going the extra mile to HELP

Best of the Best HANDS DOWN

God Bless everyone!

Awesome people great customer service and they dont do in house finance although we got an awesome deal on buying the boat my hubby been wanting with a deposit and weekly pmts.
I definitely reccomend this store to anyone and a great place to start off with your first boat .

This tracker 1754 sc is our 6th boat over 20 years. Greg was exceptional and calm and with zero issue, we closed the deal. By far our best recreational vessel buying experience. Also, the facility at lake Placid is nice and open and we never felt any pressure to buy a boat there, that's unlike any other place we have been.
Thank you Greg and everyone else at Boaters World.

Great friendly service. Went out of their way to find me the boat I wanted.

sorry for not commenting--I have now been in several times and find the store to be very welcoming and the staff exceptional. I have dealt with other boat stores in the area and seem to have found the one that not only I want to deal with but wants to deal with me-thanks

Michael Yeazel is a professional salesman and shared useful information. I would recommend this shop.

I am thoroughly impressed with Boaters World sales and staff. My husband and I had not only a pleasant experience looking at and talking about the various pontoon boats we were interested in, we had a little bit of fun, too! Geno was professional, informative and good-humored. He did not employ high pressure sales tactics. He was genuine and a pleasure to work with. Thank you Boaters World! We will be back.

AVOID!!!!
Horrible Service, Worked on Wrong problem for 10 days. Terrible service manager Myran. Scratched the entire side of my boat doan to the under coat and would not even come out of the store to look at it.
AVOID!!!!

What an awesome group of people. They understand service and are a pleasure to deal with. Thank you Robert, Jessica, Kyle , Lindsay, Geno and the rest of the staff. Everyone helpful. Bought a Pontoon boat. Thank you so much everyone. Sincerely Wes and Brandy

Josh was great to work with. I had tried listing my boat myself, but it was too time consuming. So I had Josh list it, and he sold it within 30 days. It doesn't get any easier than that.

They must be good. They were so busy they didn't get to my boat before I had to leave to go back home. The guys were friendly so I would try them again if I was in the area.

I just sold my dads 2016 pontoon boat today my salesman josh was fantastic he made it a very easy process he worked hard for me to get the price we wanted and we got it josh even came all the way to cocoa after hours to pickup the boat you can't beat that kind of service if your looking to buy or sell your boat talk with josh at boaters world he will work hard for you and get you what you need thanks again josh great job!

They are so well knowledgeable and have a wonderful personality.

Josh was more than helpful with setting me up to sell my boat for me. The charges for checking everything out is more than reasonable and will go a long way toward helping get her sold. I look forward to getting them to help me find my next boat.

See Geno. Excellent gentleman. He sold me a 2003 key largo that ran great and made sure that I had everything squared away for a safe trip 550 miles back to Pensacola Florida. He put a new winch on the trailer and let me do a lake test. Don t hesitate to give these guys a chance. I feel confident in my purchase.

Hi,
I have been trying to get in contact with the General Manager. They have had my four wheeler for 7 weeks. They ordered a part for it. It has been four weeks and still no part. Bill the guy that writes the orders. Has never contacted me the entire 7 weeks. I have to be the one to call. I was told it will be Monday. Monday comes and goes no word. I have to call back. I request to talk to the General Manager. The service manager calls back. He promises me he will track the part and call me back that was last Wednesday never heard from him again. I called and talked to the girl in the parts department on Saturday. She reassured me. I will call the people we ordered the part from. I promise I will call you back. I have never heard back from her. I tried to call on Monday 7/20 three times nobody answered. Since no one will call me back or they wont let em talk to the General Manager. This was my last resort. I live an hour away. I guess im just going to have to drive up there to get answers.

I recently purchased a new R242 center console Robalo from Greg at Boaters World. Not only did I get a great price, I got top dollar for my trade. Stuart Thompson the GM delegated his service team, headed up by Myron Cross to iron out some initial concerns which they handled professionally and promptly. I strongly recommend doing business with Boaters World in Lake Placid. Five star boat dealer!

I wanted to sell my boat so I contacted Boater's World. Immediately, Josh replied to my inquiry about putting my boat on consignment. After speaking with him on the phone, he answered all my questions and walked me through the process. Further, he kept me informed along the way and was quick to reply to any questions I had. After two weeks, Boater's world sold the boat at the agreed upon price. I recommend Boater's World to have them sell your boat and although I have not purchased a new boat yet, I will consider Boater's World as a dealership I'd purchase from.

We recently bought a Key West from boaters world. The staff was friendly and helpful throughout the process of trading our old boat. There were a couple of things that needed attention and our salesman made sure that everything was ready and right for delivery to our home. Geno was a pleasure to meet and do business with. It s a pleasure to deal with an ethical company!!!

I had an amazing experience with Boater Worlds consignment sales program. They picked my boat up in Tampa, prepped it for sale and got more than I expected for my boat. Once the transaction closed I received my check promptly. I didn t have to do a thing. What a no brainer! Trust Boaters World to sell your boat.

Excellent to work with! Kept our boat safe all summer while we were in Indiana. Sold it for us expediently when northerners came. Josh is super, I would trust him to the hilt. (What ever that is). Larry & Joyce Fisher

Boater's World is a great place to pick up a new boat or used . I bought a 2016 tracker , salesman went out of his way to help in every way with the purchase. Would recommend to everyone looking for a boat

Josh at Boater's World Lake Placid sold my boat in a couple weeks. The process was very easy and he was very professional. I recommend this company, and Josh, to anyone looking to sell or buy.

We give Robert and the team at Boater's World five stars for our experience purchasing a boat. We found a boat that we were interested in and Robert provided great information and helped us set up a lake test. He kept me informed throughout the process and had the boat ready when he said that he would. We drove 2 hours from St. Petersburg to see the boat and then again to purchase it, so the attention to detail and helpful attitude made both trips work out great. If you are looking for a used boat, I would encourage you to check out Boaters World and I hope your experience is as positive as mine!

Greg was great. Great customer service. Very smooth buying experience.

Our experience working with Greg at Boaters World was great! The process of trading in our boat and purchasing a new boat was flawless. Thanks for the professionalism of the whole Boaters World team.

The gentleman that helped us was very knowledgeable and honest. Would definitely recommend!

I must say in every business we all run into problems and issues beyond our control. Sometimes things slip through the cracks. But it is all in how you recover from that and how you try your very best to make it right with your customers. These guys went out of their way to help me and my issues I had with my Blazer Bay. I can not thank them enough. You may have another marina near you but this one was worth the drive, and I would do it again. Thank you all for your help.
Thank you
Terry

My experience selling my boat with Boaters World was fantastic, Joshua and the team were very professional. Thanks Guys !!

We put an ad to sell our pontoon boat on FB and Joshua S Sales rep called within 30 minutes of us placing the ad with an offer for the asking price. At first you think really? you aren't even going to try to negotiate down? Are you for real? Legit? Anyway We can assure you they are legit, and Joshua came and got our boat to sell in their inventory! I highly recommend this company!!

Josh at Boater s world was awesome and came through on everything on contract including more money than I ask for . I highly recommend this consignment to sell boat . They even come pick it up . Sold fast like he said and recieved check fast after sell . Not a scam like everyone thinks .

Michael Yeazel & Boaters world is OUTSTANDING! During my extremely last minute repower there were several "handshake" agreements made by Michael that were not in writing and many were just verbal promises regarding certain details or items to ensure the repower would be perfect. This guy made good on EVERY SINGLE ONE of them. The deal started in Feb 2020 and consumed hours of his time to make it right. Due to a change I was able to repower months earlier than I had planned and gave Michael only 21 days notice before I was to leave on vacation (which isn't a lot in peak summer boating season in Florida - most dealers are 8 weeks out) . I want to stress I had no previous relationship with this shop. Michael & his team was able to fit me in & delivered on every detail, and kept me constantly informed. Did not try to upsell me or take advantage of my desperation and crunched timeline. All pricing and work was exactly as agreed with not a single change-order. The boat and motors are PERFECTLY matched(upgraded from 2 strokes to four strokes). Since June 10, 2020, I have been to the keys and 50+ miles off shore many times - FLAWLESS. Also I am one of "those guys" who will go behind and inspect everything. They did an excellent install with perfect attention to EVERY detail. I bought my first boat in 1985 and have been constantly taken advantage of by marine dealers, so I'm an expert and knowing what that looks like. Whenever someone tells you to pick a "local" dealer that is awesome then decide what brand/motors to get, I'm here to tell you my local dealer is 3 hours away and worth every bit of the time and effort. If you don't look these guys up you are missing a great opportunity. If they said it or promised it - THEY DID IT - on time and exceeded my expectations. Repower project came in 11% less than all other quoted prices. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Working with Greg to buy my Key West was great. Excellent communication. Was also nice to have so many boats to look at in person to help make my decision. Thanks for all the help.

My man josh took care of selling my boat for me while I was out of state! Highly recommend working with him!

Had a couple recent experiences with warranty work on a brand new boat at this place. First was never completed the latest was a helm replacement
Which is covered for two years. Bill says 6moths and is not covered myrans said its not cover. wanted to charge me over $1000 But, it is covered fully. Manufacturer told me they would replace parts and labor after i had to call them my self. This place is bad business.! If you have service and or warranty work do yourself a favor and never go here. This place was going to rip me off and be ok with it. When i called them out on it. They quickly backtracked their stories. I have auto record on phone. BBB will have this in a more specific detail as well. I was being nice in this post
Also do not reply saying otherwise, Except to take responsibility and know that you were all wrong. Yes i made myself known after being nice as can be. Im sure no one likes being taking advantage of. I will not tolerate it.

Update to "Sandi D" response. First i like to say there was no misunderstanding. Both parties knew exactly what was said and i even clarified with bill a second time.
Yes, you are correct. I did not purchase my boat from boaters world. Not sure why that would make a difference. Also yes your correct again. They did not register my boat. . Why, i have no idea.
Regardless of those things, I did purchase a new boat, key west to be specific and your a key west dealer. With the first warranty claim my boat was not registered as myran told me so then i followed up promptly with my dealer to have them register the boat as they did. I then called myran numerous times to let them know they did register my boat and i followed up thoroughly with him with no return calls back. Ever. So after two long months of not hearing back from him i replaced that warranteied part out of my pocket. Second, i don't recall seeing you there "sandi d" that day with my second warranty issue where they wanted to charge me $1059 for something they said was not. under warranty. I would hope to assume that you should as well as your "professional" staff would know that a boat manufacturer will not replace a defective part for another manufacturer. As they would have their own warranty. You say they were making the right steps to resolve the problem but it was not untill after bill called me telling me i have unfortunate news as this part is not under warrwnty amd it will cost you $1059 for replacement for me to come in there and double check with everyone this was it... i have bill and i conversation recorded so clearly i know what was told to me. So then after i did my research better than your "professionals" you say they are,they all back tracked. When i told myran why would you not call seastar, as they make the product that was defected on my boat for warranty he then said that's what i was going to do next. So why didn't myran do thus before bill called me saying it was going to be $1059 and no sandi d it was not said this is what it could be if part was not warranteied. Bill and myran Cleary told my multiple times it was not under warranty hence why i did my own research. bill saying the product only had a six month warrent. Lol professionals huh? If i was naive and didn't ask questions and settled with bill the first time. You would have taking $1059 from me with not a problem. I apologize that you and your staff are having miscommunication issues. Not sure where you got your mis information but its time to take responsibility instead of giving excuses. That would be professional my opinion. would love to send you this recorded conversations with bill and i if you like. Consumers like my self do not need excuses. We would like honesty, trust and reliability. As a small business owner myself. My customers get exactly that

Problem resolve. I fixed the minor issue in 20 min that was going to take 4 hrs and over $1000 at boaters world. The problem was not even what they said it was. Unbelieveable!! One last thing. Bill did try to charge me for diagnosing my last warranty claim. 170+

Just bought a fishing boat here and the staff has been wonderful. Wouldn't consider going any where else in the future. Thank you Boater's World in Lake Placid, Florida for getting us on the water.

R. Thompson

Had a great experience with Amelia Wilson she is very friendly and easy to talk to and work with when you are buying a boat. Everyone was great to work with.

Recently bought a 2020 Robalo Cayman 246. Greg was fantastic to work with, very responsive, knowledgeable, and flexible. Pricing was great too, would definitely recommend Boater s World!!

Just got word from my contact at Boaters World Lake Placid, Joshua Stanaback that he has sold my boat for me! They are fair and honest to deal with, communications from Josh were excellent. Selling a boat for a owner with a loan attached is a pain, but not when dealing with Boaters world! They handle all paper work and gave me a check for out agreed consignment price minus my payoff. Thanks Josh to you and your team!! Russ C.

What a pleasurable experience we had at Boaters World. The staff were very friendly and professional. They were very knowledgeable about their inventory and helped us pick the perfect boat. We initially chose to use our own bank for credit approval but we went ahead and used their lender because we got approved within 15 minutes and got a better rate. We came in the following day for closing and the documents were ready to be signed and the boat was clean and ready to go. We are very happy with the boat and service we recieved. 10/10 would recommend.

Josh reached out to me as I had listed my boat on Boat Trader. Josh explained the process of selling my boat and I agreed to use Boaters World to broker the deal. My boat was sold in less than 30 days, for my asking price. Josh communicated with me and kept me up to date right up to the sale. Josh and the Boaters World staff are professional and true to their word, I strongly recommend using Boaters World to broker the sale of your boat. Thanks Josh, for all of your assistance, excellent communication, and professionalism!

Billy R.