Never buy from Smith Boys in Tonawanda NY!

Laurie Goldsmith

New Member
Jun 30, 2019
13
Boat Info
390 searay
Engines
Cummins diesels
We just purchased a 2003 Searay 390 from Smith Boys. They lied about almost everything they told us! The boat was filthy inside and out and they were extremely rude to us. The listing said the boat was a 2005 with just over 300 hours on the engines. AFTER we paid the deposit the broker contacted me to say it had more than double the hours and was a 2003. I can't begin to list all the issues, just take my word for it, don't deal with these people. They're dishonest and don't care about their customers.
 
I would never consider purchasing a boat without a marine survey. I learned that lesson when I bought my 1st boat at 18 yrs old.
 
I have purchased two new boats from their main store in Tonawanda. I have had good experiences with them.
Did you have the option to cancel out of the deal once the issues were found?
 
Welcome to the site. Perhaps a little research on here about how to buy a boat would’ve been more helpful. That being said, I bought a truck sight unseen once and learned my lesson.
 
Never buy a pig in a polk. That being said I purchased my current boat in winter without a sea trial or survey .I realize that csn be a disaster for some so not recommending that route to anyone unless
A you are not gsmbling more than u can afford to lose
B you're a decent mechanic who can do a good visual inspection not just a look at and have access to service records
C you're prepared to do a real shakedown and spend some money on it post purchase on the deferred maintenance items that will crop up.
Best of luck on your purchase hopefully you didn't overextend yourself
 
I would never consider purchasing a boat without a marine survey. I learned that lesson when I bought my 1st boat at 18 yrs old.
We did get a survey on both the engines, generator and the boat! The generator needs an impellar, fridge doesn't work, glass seals on the windshield need to be replaced......
 
We did get a survey on both the engines, generator and the boat! The generator needs an impellar, fridge doesn't work, glass seals on the windshield need to be replaced......

I'm confused? You had a survey and it turned up none of these issues? Survey would document year model and engine hour down to serial numbers. Brokers don't own the boats they sell. You negotiate through them with the owner to resolve issues and agree on a price after the survey.
Why didn't you walk away when you found out it was not what you thought? Generally brokers don't supply service unless they are negotiated in advance. Warranties are non existent.
 
We did get a survey on both the engines, generator and the boat! The generator needs an impellar, fridge doesn't work, glass seals on the windshield need to be replaced......
Then what's your complaint? If the survey uncovered issues you can walk away or negotiate repairs.
 
We did get a survey on both the engines, generator and the boat! The generator needs an impellar, fridge doesn't work, glass seals on the windshield need to be replaced......
These are all normal wear items. If you want it perfect, buy a new boat. (actually, even new boats come with issues too)

I too am confused, why didn't you back out when you found the boat was not as advertised? Buying a boat requires due diligence, I think you have learned a valuable, yet somewhat expensive lesson here.
 
I'm confused? You had a survey and it turned up none of these issues? Survey would document year model and engine hour down to serial numbers. Brokers don't own the boats they sell. You negotiate through them with the owner to resolve issues and agree on a price after the survey.
Why didn't you walk away when you found out it was not what you thought? Generally brokers don't supply service unless they are negotiated in advance. Warranties are non existent.
That is correct, surveyor found none of these issues!
 
Sucks that surveyors have no obligation. I had issues with my purchase that the survey did not catch. Surveyor was extremely professional and made it right immediately.

Windshield seals are minor. Generator impeller is $30 and 30 minutes.

The surveyor reported the wrong engine hours by that many...300 vs 950? If thats all the information, they’d be receiving a certified letter along with anyone else responsible for selling a boat knowing it was sight unseen. Id be seeking in the range of 1/4 overhaul price /engine life.

This is a factual number that effects value similar to someone rolling back an odometer.

Unless you took delivery and provided final payment...then you accepted the boat and contract is completed.
 
That is correct, surveyor found none of these issues!
If your surveyor didn't show any of the issues, then your issue is with the Survey company. Doesn't seem we are getting the whole story. Just drips and drabs. My advice: Before you come on a public forum to bash a dealer, be prepared to tell the complete story.
 
It's pretty simple. Used boats are a buyer beware transaction. The buyer has to do their due diligence. Trust, but verify everything. Things like model year, engine hours, general condition are all easily verified. Hulls, decks, and engine internals require experts. Before completing a transaction, get a survey and sea trial. This should disclose 90% of the issues.
 
We just purchased a 2003 Searay 390 from Smith Boys. They lied about almost everything they told us! The boat was filthy inside and out and they were extremely rude to us. The listing said the boat was a 2005 with just over 300 hours on the engines. AFTER we paid the deposit the broker contacted me to say it had more than double the hours and was a 2003. I can't begin to list all the issues, just take my word for it, don't deal with these people. They're dishonest and don't care about their customers.

Your deposit should have been immediately refunded upon disclosure of the difference in age and hours.

Basically you left a deposit on a boat that didn’t exist.
 
The link you provided says the boat is a 2003 and has 926 hrs so it seems.its correctly listed on the site. It seems your complaint is with the surveyor if the survey said 2005 & 300 hrs but the dealer correctly listed it. It's possible the boat has new or remanufactured engines with lower hrs then the boat hull. The boat could have 926 hrs & 1 or both engines only has 300 hrs. Above you said you had the engines surveyed, was it only the engines or the entire boat? If you had the boat surveyed, then all the issues should of been documented & negotiated prior to the sale. If I were you and the surveyor missed that much in the survey, I would look to file a complaint against the surveyor. Surveys are expensive and should provide some protection against buying a lemon. If this was a brokered sale, the marina has ZERO responiblity, as they aren't the seller. However, espos4 is 100% correct, if you put down a deposit on a 2005 Sea Ray with 300 engine hrs but the boat is a 2003 than your deposit should be refunded as that's a different boat. Period. The marina might be rude if your trying to hold them responsible for issues your having with a 3rd party broker.
 
In the ad,the vessel view photos show 383hrs, so is that just the wrong picture? I also assume these are diesels? In which case 900hrs might be more desirable than 383hrs on a 17yr old boat. Do you like the boat? If you do, go get a good surveyor and re-negotiate the deal based on the new information. Two things going on here - 1. If you want a 390MY they don't make them anymore so I wouldn't walk away until you are sure it's not the right boat. 2. The sellers want to sell, there is not a long line of people waiting to buy these boats -- they were not the most popular model SeaRay built.
 
Thank you. Yes we did purchase but after putting down the deposit is when they came back and said it was a 2003 with over 900 hours on it. We almost backed out but my husband went to look at it on land and he loved it. We had the survey done and the surveyor didn't notice the broken fridge. I asked the engine surveyor to specifically check the generator out really well because every boat we've bought so far has had problems with the generator. Low and behold, the impellar needs to be replaced. We've been on the boat for going on two weeks now, still trying to get it home. There are things I love about it but also things I really don't like. We may shine her up and sell her, not sure yet.
 

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