Gene Kearns wrote:
On Wed, 30 May 2007 12:17:06 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

This has been a real interesting experience.

I've been in the market for a new boat - Mrs. Wave wants something a
little bigger so she can go on day trips when she has time. We
settled on a 23 foot CC with step down console or if necessary, a 23
WA with cuddy.

I have a brandy new 200 HO ETEC, so I figured the best way to do this
was to reinstall the FIC?HT on the Ranger, sell it and use the new
ETEC as power for the new boat.

Thus, I want to purchase a boat w/trailer without an engine or engine
controls. Pretty simple concept right?

I started with the boats that I have been impressed with in the past.
I'm not going to name the specific manufacturers - you all know which
ones I've mentioned as favorites. I called around to dealers in my
area and presented the proposition to them - boat and trailer only.

You would think I was pulling teeth with pliers.

The first question invariable was "are you installing an I/O?". No, I
have a new ETEC 200 that I will install or have installed.

"Oh, you don't want an ETEC - those are junk engines. They've had all
kinds of problems with those engines. What you want is (Insert Yamaha,
Mercury, Suzuki - engine of their choice here)."

I replied to this with "Well, that's not your problem - that's what
will be going on the boat - so can you deliver it that way?"

Invariably, the answer to that was "We don't service ETECS". Again, I
replied with "Not your problem - that's my problem".

Next up was "Well, we could, but installing that engine will void the
warranty on the boat". Which begged the question from me "So if I buy
a boat with a T-top and vacuum head, installing the ETEC will void the
warranty on those items?" The reply was invariably yes.

Uh huh...

At this point, I resorted to contacting the manufacturers directly by
telephone. In every case they referred me back to the dealer and
didn't want to deal direct.

To be fair, I still haven't heard from one manufacturer (starts with C
and ends with R), but I've had good relations in the past with them
and expect some measure of cooperation.

It would seem to me that this would be a fairly easy thing to do -
apparently not.

As I learn more, I will post the results.


This seems to be an outgrowth of what started as sweetheart deals
between hull manufacturer "A" and engine manufacturer "B," which
assured the sale of a particular brand engine with every new hull
sold.

This has, now, turned into such a mindless, stoopid, and restrictive
covenant that it serves nobody well.


Back in the good old days, when my father was a dealer, there were no
factory packages of boat with motor. Boat dealers sold whatever lines of
boats they could get, and fitted their engines to the boats. One of my
dad's best customers wanted a Lyman, so my father bought one from a
friend of his who was a Lyman-Mercury dealer, and then fitted an
Evinrude to the boat. This was in the 1950s.