$26,000 and a year later ... still can't use my boat!!
I am forced to take Brad Lyons to court. His negligence and dishonesty have caused me a HUGE hardship. He quoted me $21k MAX to rebuild a transmission, repair steering/throttle issues on the 2nd transmission, fix a prop & ANYTHING else, while out of the water. He admitted he sent an inflated quote to the insurance company (thinking they were paying him directly), but they ended up sending a $25k payout directly to me. I made the decision to move forward with the $21k repairs but Brad forced me to pay the inflated insurance estimate (that I never saw until the day it was complete) for $26k. The first time I took the boat out w/the captain friend who recommended Brad, we didn't get far bc of steering & transmission issues. My captain went to Brad's office, explained the issues & weeks later Brad assured me it was repaired & safe to use. So, I took a yacht owner friend out. We went 200 yards & were in danger! The starboard steering didn't work at all, the boat was overheating & leaking fluid. We had to get 6 guys help pull us into the dock. An X-mechanic took a video that day of the throttle not even engaging one transmission. Brad claims he "fixed" it and took me out for a short ride. He admitted the steering was barely engaging. He said I had 2 bad water pumps & an oil leak that he couldn't find and wasn't responsible for. He broke my RPM guage beating it & refused to replace. After Brad refused repairs, I had other mechanics give me quotes. One found "Stop Slip" transmission fluid cans from Brad masking the issues (while causing future damage). ALL said the water pumps went bad bc he delivered the boat in December and didn't winterize (unheard of for a $26k job!!) & it is most likely transmission fluid (super low) not an oil leak, but either way, ALL leaks should be repaired for $26k!! My boat has sat in a $5k/yr slip, completely unusable for over a year. I'm heartbroken that anyone could take $26k & refuse to warranty his work for a season, much less ONE USE! RUN!
