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I’ve always wanted to give a nice review to Eric from Specialty Marine for some time now and never had the chance or opportunity to do it.
I'm JR and some time ago I started rebuilding a 1988 15 Boston whaler that my father gave to my now 4 year old son. The boat was in pretty bad shape and we actually rebuild this boat back in 1999. It sat under a pine tree uncovered for about 5 years. I started searching for whaler parts on the net and eBay and found Eric from Specialty Marine. I contacted Eric asking for all the parts I wanted and he gave me his web site http://www.specialtymarine.com/. For my delight, I found not only the parts I needed, but also many others parts. I ended up buying more that I had planned, everything he had available for this project.
Following is a list of all the parts I ordered from him.
1. All cushions available for the super sport (white)
2. Bow cushion (white)
3. Wrap around rails
4. Navigation lights
5. Anchor lights
6. Super Sport mahogany kit
7. Mahogany bow hatch
8. Norman pin
9. Bow & stern lifting/towing eyes - complete set
10. Rub Rail Kit
Every single piece came on time, well wrapped and the quality of all his products are top notch. The mahogany kit was very easy to install and this was the super sport kit which is a more complicated set, the mahogany lumber looks VERY nice and the finish was GREAT. I it also comes with all the hardware needed for a complete installation (screws, hinges, washers, etc). Before, I had a homemade FG kit so I had to follow the installation instructions that came with this kit. They are well written and easy to understand. I made some modifications for my specific needs. The wrap around rails was also very easy to install and it also came with all necessary hardware for a complete installation (just needed silicone). For this installation I needed a helper. The cushions are basically identical to the oem ones and the fit was great and very comfortable (it also came with snaps).
The finish of the ss hardware, navigation lights, lifting/towing eyes are great. If you compare them to the oem ones they are basically identical too.
I am very impressed with Specialty Marine products; communication and customer service are out of this world. When I was doing my research I found that his prices couldn’t be bit by others. I haven’t seen the product of his competitors, but definitely I think the quality of his product, prices and customer service are the best out there. This is coming from someone that demands a lot for his money. You can ask him about all the emails I sent him about his products before placing this huge order.
I highly recommend Specialty Marine for your Whaler replacement parts.
FYI, I don't have anything to do with Specialty Marine, I'm just a very happy customer that wants to spread the word of a great company with great products and outstanding communication and customer service. You won’t regret spending your well earn money with Specialty Marine.
I can be contacted if someone has any question or wants pics of my project, my email is jraboat at hotmail dot com or pm me.
Thanks Eric and Specialty Marine for a great product.
I always try to plug them as well because of prices, quality, and service. I bought the whole cushion set, bow rails for my montauk, norman pin, and lifting eyes. I also plan to get a new navigation light, stern light, and bimini top from them as well. I only saw one bad review on them recently on here. I was surprised because they have been good to me. Everything shipped quickly and the stuff has been excellent quality. I wouldn't say Eric is a conversationalist by any means, but he knows his stuff. He even sent me extra snaps to fix my cooler cushions for me. I would highly recommend them as well. (BTW Eric if you see this since I need another 600 bucks worth of parts from you, any discounts would be greatly appreciated for my review!!).
This Christmas I was surprised when my wife bought me stuff for the boat. She bought a back rest and some cushions. I asked how she knew what to get and she said the guys at Specialty Marine were great. They saved her money and combined shipping
When I was almost ready to place the order (around $2k worth of parts) I started searching the internet for reviews and I couldn't find any negative review about them, not even on eBay. At that time, since I never heard about them I was a bit worry because I didn't want to spend that kind of money on a new to me web store, but thanks to the positives reviews I found and the great communication I had with him and like you said, he really knows his stuff, with all that, I felt confident sending him the money.
bmw90w wrote:
I always try to plug them as well because of prices, quality, and service. I bought the whole cushion set, bow rails for my montauk, norman pin, and lifting eyes. I also plan to get a new navigation light, stern light, and bimini top from them as well. I only saw one bad review on them recently on here. I was surprised because they have been good to me. Everything shipped quickly and the stuff has been excellent quality. I wouldn't say Eric is a conversationalist by any means, but he knows his stuff. He even sent me extra snaps to fix my cooler cushions for me. I would highly recommend them as well. (BTW Eric if you see this since I need another 600 bucks worth of parts from you, any discounts would be greatly appreciated for my review!!).
They are worth every penny I spend with them, the shipping was very reasonable..
davis422 wrote:
This Christmas I was surprised when my wife bought me stuff for the boat. She bought a back rest and some cushions. I asked how she knew what to get and she said the guys at Specialty Marine were great. They saved her money and combined shipping
I got bow and aft light for my 1975 13, and there were a couple of problems. First, the Bow light did not have any recepticle for the bulb to plug into, with no wire leads. I solderd the bulb directly to the circut. The Aft 360 degree light also was of poor quality. I had to completly rebuild this apparatus as well. New wire inside. The light bulb would NOT light up when power was applied. I had to re-do all of the wire and connections. All in all cheap chinese crap. I would just call Sue at Twin Cities Marine.
I have bought 2 seats from them over the past two years. A stern seat for my 22 and a replacement RPS seat for the 18. They are very good to deal with and reasonable in price. I was disappointed that the RPS seat replacement came with screws to attach it from below. On the site it clearly describes the seat as "bolting" directly in place of your original seat. I have extracted the brass inserts from my old seat and epoxeyed them into holes I drilled in the bottom of the new seat. This is because the screws did not last one full season, as I had expected.
The good news is I called just last week to sort of b-tch about it and at least spoke to a friendly human who informed me that there were 3 different "bolt patterns" and that is why they do not install the "Tee Nuts" ? like original.
I will definately deal with them again, just might ask a few more questions about specifics.
