If you have owned a boat for any length of time, you have dealt with trials. Whether it’s something with the engine, a component on the actual boat itself, or the trailer - there’s nothing worse in my opinion than down time. For someone who is a professional fishing guide, downtime means a loss of revenue. But it often means dealing with the fine print of warranties and engine companies that don’t stand behind their products, which is extremely stressful and honestly, quite sad and discouraging.

That’s why I purchased a Skeeter with a Yamaha 250 SHO on it. I have absolutely loved working with Skeeter and Yamaha and have had some incredible customer service experiences that I wanted to share with you.

1. Work with a outboard manufacturer that keeps their word.

   As a professional guide, make sure you scrutinize the “warranty” that comes with your new outboard. I bought a Mercury 225 Pro XS and purchased the extended warranty only to find out that Mercury voided my warranty (without any notification). Yamaha stands behind their warranty, even for those who use their boat as a guide.

2. Find a boat company that wants to keep you as a customer! I had a very small crack occur on the deck of my boat a couple of weeks into the summer. My heart sank when I saw it. I called my dealership and they were excellent to work with. They assured me that Skeeter would cover the cost and it was seamless to get the fiberglass repaired. Skeeter won me over not only by the quality of their boats, but by the way they treated me as a customer when I had an issue.

3. Find a dealer who not only will give you a solid deal on your boat, but will also provide the service to you when you need it. Most people are just looking for a deal - the problem is that when you need service, you really are out of luck - unless you go back to the place that cut you the deal. I chose to work with Lake Drive Marine in Coldwater, MI because I have watched them for years treat me with respect and do excellent work on my boats. I have full confidence that when I do anything with this company, I will get the best service I could possible find anywhere in the Midwest - maybe even in the US. I can’t emphasize this enough - your dealer doesn’t just sell you the boat - they take care of you if/when an issue arises. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself at the back of the pack with excellent dealers like Jeff and John and their team at Lake Drive, if you buy your boat somewhere else.

I’m thrilled with my Skeeter SX2250 and Yamaha 250 SHO. I am looking to sell it at the end of my 2020 guide season as I’ll be getting a new boat from Skeeter (I’m going to buy the same one!). Let me know if you’re interested!