Our First Boat

[WinnChill]

We finally did it! We picked up our first boat (20' 1994 Four Winns Bowrider) this weekend at Melvin Village!

I really have to give major kudos to Melvin! For those of you looking around for your first boat and are on the fence about going with a marina or private sale, go with the marina. Tom and Erin at Melvin were extremely thorough from all our emails this winter to the test ride this weekend. I was most impressed with the attention to detail that they rendered to us and our boat. They were the little things I wasn't expecting. We knew the depth finder was inop when we bought it, but they replaced it along with a whole new dashboard! They replaced the trailer winch and wiring harness, etc...all these little things that I intended to do myself this spring. I was also going to replace a few patches of anti-skid on the trailer this week, but to my surprise, it was all replaced! Everything at no extra cost. That is huge in my book. Now I can concentrate on planning some great weekend outings on the lake!

We topped off a nice weekend with a stay in Wolfeboro (the Windrifter) with a fantastic bar Club 59.

Anyways, just thought I'd post this for fun. We're looking forward to seeing you out there this summer!

Cheers,
Cameron

[JTA]

Years ago there were two marinas in Melvin Village. At the time I had an old outboard boat and I needed a part. I went first to Melvin Village Marina. They weren't a dealer for the part I needed but they listened, gave me good advice and I went on my way. At the second marina I was treated bruskly and told the part was not available (they were wrong).
When it came time for me to buy a new boat guess where I went?

[secondcurve]

I have done business with Melvin Village Marina and they are very helpful and professional. I also struck up a conversation with a couple of their workers recently off-site and they both couldn't say enough good things about managment/ownership. If a company treats its workers well, they tend to treat the company's customers well. It's simple, but many businesses aren't able to grasp the concept. Maybe that is why there is only one marina left in Melvin Village.

[Eric Austin]

I remember when my brother was looking for a boat, we stopped by Melvin Village Marina. They were very helpful and very nice. We let them know that we were just looking around, at that point. Even though he wasn't going to purchase the boat at that time, they spent time with us going over all the options of buying used, new, different makes and models, and so on. They really took care of my brother as a potential customer. It turns out that he found another boat in another part of New Hampshire. However, I specifically remember Melvin Village Marina being very helpful and friendly.

On another note, we visited another marina that was exclusively a "Brand X" dealer. I remember them actually being condescending towards us and appearently were trying to make it perfectly clear that we were essentially not welcome and they would not spend any time with us. I actually couldn't believe what I was experiencing. The only words out of the salesman's mouth were "that boat costs over $50,000.00", when we stopped just to look at (i.e., receive some visible radiation emitted by this boat due to the stimulus of day light with our eyes...) one in the marina. I guess we didn't look like we had the $$$...

I wonder if they're still around...

[Knomad]

Enjoy your new boat. Whether buying new or used, it is nice to have the piece of mind that you will always have the support of a professional and dedicated staff like the one at Melvin Village Marina.

[Liquorish]

Congrats, Winnchill, my first boat was also a 20ft fourwinns bowrider.. A great choice. Use it well and watch out for the big waves out there..

[upnorth]

Congrats on the new boat. Our boat is a FourWinns as well ('05 Horizon 200 bowrider) -- we love it! We bought new from Winnisquam Marine and had and continue to have a terrific experience and relationship with them -- from the sounds of these posts, WM is as outstanding!

Having heard some negatives about other dealers, I wonder if it has to do with selling and servicing such a great product as a FourWinns.

Enjoy!

[masssteve]

My first boat, a 93 Fourwinns horizon was a great boat, my 05 200 Horizon is excellent! Winnisquam Marine was very nice, I was just about to purchase there. They didn't have the color I really wanted so I called Melvin village. Not only did they have 3 of the color I wanted, The price was $2,000 less and a 6 year warranty instead of a 2 year! The folks at Melvin are great!

[Dave R]

Congrats! See ya on the lake.

[Just Sold]

WinnChill,

Great choice in a used Four Winns. I am in my 4th year with an 89 225 Sundowner and it has been a wonderful boat. It started out from Melvin Village as the dealer decal was still on it when I bought it at Fay's.

Merrill Fay even told me it was a great boat then and he reiterated it yesterday while I was buffing it out before my first ride in the afternoon.

BTW what a great time out on the lake yesterday. So enjoy your new boat as much as possible. This time of year and the early fall are really great.

See you out there - just look for the maroon, grey and white "Just Sold".

[ghfromaltonbay]

We still have our 1987 19' Four Winns Bowrider. It also came from Melvin Village Marine. The owner, Tom Young, was always super to deal with. (BTW, he's originally from NJ, too.) Unlike me, he has escaped to God's country year round.

[gtxrider]

We still have our 1987 19' Four Winns Bowrider. It also came from Melvin Village Marine. The owner, Tom Young, was always super to deal with. (BTW, he's originally from NJ, too.) Unlike me, he has escaped to God's country year round.

yes but the first boat was from Downings fast forward 20 years to Melvin Village Marine. The Four Winns is still going and will be 21 years old in August.

Good Luck with the new boat!