Recently because of issues with my 90hp 1990 Yamaha, I have invested in a new 90hp Evinrude E-TEC. Though it was gut wrenching shelling out the money to make this investment, once I got over that part of the process I started to get very excited. The thoughts of flying through Boston Harbor with a much quieter and more efficient engine quickly made the stress go away.
The first part of the process was towing my 17’ Boston Whaler out of South Boston to a ramp near the Quincy Yacht Club. Once that was completed we were able to get it on the trailer, and back to Cohasset to work on a plan the next day (Monday). I spent most of the next morning finding the phone numbers of Evinrude dealers in Massachusetts to find the best deal that worked for me. One of my biggest criteria was who had the motor in stock so that I could be back on the water the fastest. At the end of the day I had 3 quotes from shops in the North and South Shore ranging from $9,500-$11,200 with tax included. With those written down the decision was easy, I called back Jeff at Diamond Marine in Ipswich and on Tuesday I was to bring my boat up there for a much-needed upgrade. One of the best parts of the process was Jeff and his crew at Diamond Marine. I pulled up to the shop Tuesday afternoon, and within a couple minutes we were running through everything going on in the boat. He started telling me about why they designed certain pieces on the older Whalers and what he liked and disliked about them. Of course, the next thing we started talking about was the Yamaha that was on the boat, and the E-TEC that was soon to be. The wiring and controls were to look much cleaner than the current set up, and he had no problem with the state of the boat and battery location. With that completed, we went inside to talk about which tachometer I wanted and settled some minor details. I left the shop feeling great and confident about my choice, he also tipped me off to put my broken Yamaha online to see if anyone wanted it. Wednesday the old Yamaha was sold and that cash went straight to the new engine, thanks Jeff… A little over a week later Jeff and I talked, we decided on the next Monday I could come pick up my Whaler with a pretty, new E-TEC strapped on it. Arriving on Monday he walked me through what they did, what they needed to change, and explained how the water test went. After I had all my questions answered we shook hands and I was on my way back to the South Shore to launch. In short, the boat was dropped in, ran great, we had an awesome first ride and I moored it back in its rightful spot. I return to the boat in the morning, she fired right up, everything is great again. Though… after about 45 mins of running through Boston Harbor I get an overheating alarm, come to find the engine is no longer dispelling water out of the exhaust. Given that it was July 3rd and the late afternoon, I knew I would not hear from Jeff, but I called and left him a message anyway. I got a call back Thursday morning at 7:30am, which I would consider ASAP given the holiday on the 4th. We decided it was best for the Whaler to find its way back up to Ipswich, so they can figure out what went wrong. I was able to bring the boat up to the shop Friday mid-morning, and to say I was happily in and out of there in a jiffy is an understatement. I pulled up, Jeff and another mechanic immediately start taking the lower unit off to check the water pump, come to find out the problem was a mis-manufactured impeller. Within 35 mins I was back on the road and now the moment I have been waiting for, the rest is history. She runs great and I would still be dead in the water if not for the effort from Jeff and his team. No one can go through a big fix with a boat, car, or any kind of large toy and always expect everything to be perfect. Flat out stuff happens, and it so happened that this time it was me that got a faulty impeller. It was at no fault of Jeff and his team, and I cannot commend them enough for the effort they put in to get me back on the water as soon as possible. Thanks again Jeff, hopefully I don’t see you again soon though I wish you the best!
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