Kudos To Thurston' Marine

AC2717 · 07-21-2008, 09:48 AM

To often, which is sad and in some ways shows how the world is today, we hear of bad experiences at stores, out ot eat places, marinas, and the like, so I wanted to post a Kudos to Thurstons for doing everything they possibly could to get me back out on the water on Friday.

Thursday night I spun a prop, or what I thought I did (turns out I did that and some more, did not hit anything though). I had sea tow bring me in Friday morning at 9am on the dot, Props to the SeaTow captian out of the Chanel as well for getting up early and being there when he said he would, and the fast kind curtious service as well. Got into thurstons and in 5 minutes the hoisted the boat with a fork lift, got behind the boat and put the new one on, charged me for 20 minutes of larbor but I did not care because the ran a quick check on the stern drive and then used my own prop on the boat that I gave them to put on. I got out past the chanel marker and same thing happened. Limped back to them and I ended up purchasnig a new prop at a discount, which I did not ask for, and they did not charge a labor cost. Anotehr 15 minutes I headed back out, Got past the chanel marker and same thing happened again. Bruce Thurston and Chandler (serivce Manager) and Nick who is Bruce's son that is oung but extremly knowledgeable look at me and say " what did I do know) so then I explain what happened. Bruce looks at me and said not only did I spin the prop I also at the same time spun the coupling that covers the spine. I ask how much they tell me it is very involed, have to take out the back seat and then pull the engine to get to it all day job, anywhere from 5 to 8 hours depending, which is totally understandable when having to pull the engine. Mark Thurston even came down to apologize for the problems and was going to make sure they do everything they can to help on the Labor time, even though I bought the boat form them 2 years ago and this was just a wear and tear issue, we were talking about a demo but I did not want the responsability of a new one and I would not waterski on a unfamiliar boat anyways.

I asked if there was anyway to overnight the part cause I will not be up until Labor day. Chandler hopped right on the phone and called the distributor, they would not send it over night said they would not be able to get to it, then he called another Cobalt dealer in MA and unfortunalty they did not have the part. They were trying to get me back on the water on Saturday Morning. So we lucked out there and I went back to my cottage in a car. A couple of hours later I drive back up there and ask to get some stuff out of the boat, it was on a rack while they were wating for the part which is probably there today, they went and pulled it down for me and helped me get the water skis and my daughter's life jacket out of it. I received a call on Saturday morning from Chandler to give me a update status, which I did not ask for. They had already pulled the engine had the part on route and he gave me a SOLID celing price, also while they are in there they are going to do other things as well. It was just over $1,200 including $219 in parts. It is expensive but I know it is a big time job just to get at what is basically the cheapest part they have to replace. I told them I would not be up to Labor day will you charge me for storage as it wil be sitting there till then, they said no, then I asked when do you want me to pay you, and he let me know that I do not have to pay them until Labor Day weekend when I return, even though the boat will be ready this week! Give me plenty of time to make up that extra cost.

By the way the boat is a 1988 Cobalt with just over 1000 hours on it, it is in beautiful shape and the repair was a lot cheaper than buying a new one.

So Kudos to Thurston's and all their staff, the take the cake and 1st place in my book for Customer Service in any catagory. And I am serious when I say any catagory, they have been extremly helpful from the moment I called to inquire about the boat before I purchased it. I will buy from them again, and only them

Dave R · 07-22-2008, 05:49 PM

Good story. Sounds like they really went above and beyond for you. That said... I hope you can get your money back on the new prop. I seriously doubt you needed it. If the coupler is spun, there's no way to apply enough torque to the prop to spin its hub. They should have figured out the hub was not the issue after the problem happened with the second prop.

Old Hubbard Rd · 07-22-2008, 09:02 PM

I had a similar experience at Thurstons. It was July 3rd. I had a house full coming up for the 4th holiday. Lot's of kids. They were all expecting me to take them tubing etc. Problem was the boat nearly sank when the bilge pump fuse malfunctioned. The inboard engine was 3/4 under water. I thought I was $#^& out of luck. I called the marina I store my boat with and they were too busy. I called Thurstons and they said bring it right over. They had me back up and running within 2 hours.

A couple weeks before this I had a battery failure issue on another boat and once again my storage marina was too busy and Thurstons via phone did the questions and answer process of elimination and made a recommendation that solved my problem. Hat's off to Thurstons!!

NightWing · 07-22-2008, 10:57 PM

Drive couplings fail. It isn't a matter of "if" but "when."

The drive should be pulled and serviced every year and the coupling greased. It can't be greased without pulling the drive.

Another good thing to check which will prolong the life of the coupling is engine alignment. The mounts are adjustable and they may move over time.

The spline is steel and the coupling center is aluminum. Lubrication and alignment are absolutely essential for longer life.

Dave R · 07-23-2008, 06:57 AM

I agree that the drive should be removed, the coupler greased and the alignment checked every year (and it's vastly easier and faster than you'd ever think possible). But...

I don't know about Volvo Penta couplers, but I am certain Mercruiser couplers have 2 zerk fittings that allow greasing without pulling the drive. If you operate at idle speed often, the coupler grease takes a beating and should be replenished more often than once a season. I lay on top of my engine and use a 24" hose and a swivel head on my grease gun to get to the coupler fittings. I've had excellent results with Mobil 1 grease, but any grease is better than none. You cannot accidentally damage anything with too much grease in this application. 3 or 4 good pumps will replenish it nicely. My rule for coupler grease: not enough=not enough, just right=not enough, too much=just right. If you cannot find the zerk fittings on the coupler, bump the engine over a 1/4 turn with the starter and look again. The coupler spins with the crankshaft and the fittings can be hidden. You only need to grease one of the two fittings. There's two only to increase the odds that you'll find one without having to turn the engine over.

AC2717 · 07-23-2008, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave R

Good story. Sounds like they really went above and beyond for you. That said... I hope you can get your money back on the new prop. I seriously doubt you needed it. If the coupler is spun, there's no way to apply enough torque to the prop to spin its hub. They should have figured out the hub was not the issue after the problem happened with the second prop.

The prop did spin you could tell after taking it off, and the second I had as a spare was also no good, they were both chewed up when they took them off.

SIKSUKR · 07-23-2008, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NightWing

Drive couplings fail. It isn't a matter of "if" but "when."
Another good thing to check which will prolong the life of the coupling is engine alignment. The mounts are adjustable and they may move over time.

The spline is steel and the coupling center is aluminum. Lubrication and alignment are absolutely essential for longer life.

My friends failed on the lake and he needed to be towed.The reason his failed was because one of the moter mount nuts came loose and the motor was out of alignment.The coupling is aluminum and was stripped.The motor must be pulled to replace.Channel had his motor out in 20 minutes.I was sent down to Lakeport on my PWC to pick up a replacement.The part was around $400. Channel had it back together in about 4 hours on a Saturday afternoon/evening.

07-21-2008, 09:48 AM	#1
AC2717 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Maynard, MA & Paugus Bay Posts: 2,522 Thanks: 747 Thanked 344 Times in 257 Posts	Kudos To Thurston' Marine To often, which is sad and in some ways shows how the world is today, we hear of bad experiences at stores, out ot eat places, marinas, and the like, so I wanted to post a Kudos to Thurstons for doing everything they possibly could to get me back out on the water on Friday. Thursday night I spun a prop, or what I thought I did (turns out I did that and some more, did not hit anything though). I had sea tow bring me in Friday morning at 9am on the dot, Props to the SeaTow captian out of the Chanel as well for getting up early and being there when he said he would, and the fast kind curtious service as well. Got into thurstons and in 5 minutes the hoisted the boat with a fork lift, got behind the boat and put the new one on, charged me for 20 minutes of larbor but I did not care because the ran a quick check on the stern drive and then used my own prop on the boat that I gave them to put on. I got out past the chanel marker and same thing happened. Limped back to them and I ended up purchasnig a new prop at a discount, which I did not ask for, and they did not charge a labor cost. Anotehr 15 minutes I headed back out, Got past the chanel marker and same thing happened again. Bruce Thurston and Chandler (serivce Manager) and Nick who is Bruce's son that is oung but extremly knowledgeable look at me and say " what did I do know) so then I explain what happened. Bruce looks at me and said not only did I spin the prop I also at the same time spun the coupling that covers the spine. I ask how much they tell me it is very involed, have to take out the back seat and then pull the engine to get to it all day job, anywhere from 5 to 8 hours depending, which is totally understandable when having to pull the engine. Mark Thurston even came down to apologize for the problems and was going to make sure they do everything they can to help on the Labor time, even though I bought the boat form them 2 years ago and this was just a wear and tear issue, we were talking about a demo but I did not want the responsability of a new one and I would not waterski on a unfamiliar boat anyways. I asked if there was anyway to overnight the part cause I will not be up until Labor day. Chandler hopped right on the phone and called the distributor, they would not send it over night said they would not be able to get to it, then he called another Cobalt dealer in MA and unfortunalty they did not have the part. They were trying to get me back on the water on Saturday Morning. So we lucked out there and I went back to my cottage in a car. A couple of hours later I drive back up there and ask to get some stuff out of the boat, it was on a rack while they were wating for the part which is probably there today, they went and pulled it down for me and helped me get the water skis and my daughter's life jacket out of it. I received a call on Saturday morning from Chandler to give me a update status, which I did not ask for. They had already pulled the engine had the part on route and he gave me a SOLID celing price, also while they are in there they are going to do other things as well. It was just over $1,200 including $219 in parts. It is expensive but I know it is a big time job just to get at what is basically the cheapest part they have to replace. I told them I would not be up to Labor day will you charge me for storage as it wil be sitting there till then, they said no, then I asked when do you want me to pay you, and he let me know that I do not have to pay them until Labor Day weekend when I return, even though the boat will be ready this week! Give me plenty of time to make up that extra cost. By the way the boat is a 1988 Cobalt with just over 1000 hours on it, it is in beautiful shape and the repair was a lot cheaper than buying a new one. So Kudos to Thurston's and all their staff, the take the cake and 1st place in my book for Customer Service in any catagory. And I am serious when I say any catagory, they have been extremly helpful from the moment I called to inquire about the boat before I purchased it. I will buy from them again, and only them __________________ Capt. of the "No Worries"

07-22-2008, 09:02 PM	#3
Old Hubbard Rd Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 462 Thanks: 141 Thanked 54 Times in 33 Posts	Thurstons I had a similar experience at Thurstons. It was July 3rd. I had a house full coming up for the 4th holiday. Lot's of kids. They were all expecting me to take them tubing etc. Problem was the boat nearly sank when the bilge pump fuse malfunctioned. The inboard engine was 3/4 under water. I thought I was $#^& out of luck. I called the marina I store my boat with and they were too busy. I called Thurstons and they said bring it right over. They had me back up and running within 2 hours. A couple weeks before this I had a battery failure issue on another boat and once again my storage marina was too busy and Thurstons via phone did the questions and answer process of elimination and made a recommendation that solved my problem. Hat's off to Thurstons!!

07-22-2008, 05:49 PM	#2
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,974 Thanks: 246 Thanked 736 Times in 438 Posts	Good story. Sounds like they really went above and beyond for you. That said... I hope you can get your money back on the new prop. I seriously doubt you needed it. If the coupler is spun, there's no way to apply enough torque to the prop to spin its hub. They should have figured out the hub was not the issue after the problem happened with the second prop.

07-22-2008, 10:57 PM	#4
NightWing Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 410 Thanks: 4 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	Drive couplings fail. It isn't a matter of "if" but "when." The drive should be pulled and serviced every year and the coupling greased. It can't be greased without pulling the drive. Another good thing to check which will prolong the life of the coupling is engine alignment. The mounts are adjustable and they may move over time. The spline is steel and the coupling center is aluminum. Lubrication and alignment are absolutely essential for longer life.

07-23-2008, 06:57 AM	#5
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 2,974 Thanks: 246 Thanked 736 Times in 438 Posts	I agree that the drive should be removed, the coupler greased and the alignment checked every year (and it's vastly easier and faster than you'd ever think possible). But... I don't know about Volvo Penta couplers, but I am certain Mercruiser couplers have 2 zerk fittings that allow greasing without pulling the drive. If you operate at idle speed often, the coupler grease takes a beating and should be replenished more often than once a season. I lay on top of my engine and use a 24" hose and a swivel head on my grease gun to get to the coupler fittings. I've had excellent results with Mobil 1 grease, but any grease is better than none. You cannot accidentally damage anything with too much grease in this application. 3 or 4 good pumps will replenish it nicely. My rule for coupler grease: not enough=not enough, just right=not enough, too much=just right. If you cannot find the zerk fittings on the coupler, bump the engine over a 1/4 turn with the starter and look again. The coupler spins with the crankshaft and the fittings can be hidden. You only need to grease one of the two fittings. There's two only to increase the odds that you'll find one without having to turn the engine over.