Best Marine Imports

Just for the search engines I will say it again:

Best Marine Imports.

Its my own fault really. A couple of years ago this low profile cowl vent at Mariners Hardware caught my eye.



I ordered two for the aft deck.

I got a call saying they only had one in stock but could get the other one in 3-4 months. I said okay. Two years later and many emails and phone calls later Mariners Hardware went out of business. Serves them right.

So I kept searching for another source for the cowl vents. I kept seeing the same stock photo at many online stores but when I would check into it they would tell me the style was no longer available.

Along comes Best Marine Imports and they tell me they can have it shipped in about a week and could I please pay via PayPal instead of Visa. Sure no problem.

A month later, several emails and a few phone calls and I have nothing. So, I do a quick Google search for Best Marine Imports and I find several business review websites. And most of the reviews tell the exact same story as mine. Nice chat, promise to ship in a week, pay via PayPal, dropped off the face of the earth. Curiously there are some other reviews out there that are raving. A closer look though reveals that they are all placed by the same person/account. Someone is trying to balance all the bad reviews out there.

Its my fault. If I had done the quick Google search for Best Marine Imports first I could have saved myself the hassle of disputing the charges and that whole rigamarole. Instead, I took the chance and it bit me. I really wanted that second cowl vent. Now it looks more and more likely that I will have to order a matching pair of something else. Too bad as good bronze hardware seems to be disappearing from the scene.

Fourth of July weekend, The mooring field is filled to capacity and beyond with Yahoos in ugly plastic powerboats that didn't know the rules of the road before they drank a case of beer let alone after that. I always make a habit of avoiding the boating scene during the big holidays. Otherwise I might get so disgusted with the whole thing that I take up a far cheaper hobby like knitting instead.

I think the girlfriend appreciated spending the first entire weekend in over six months together. I hope so at least. I actually saw members of my own family this weekend too. I had forgotten how nice they were :-)

More supplies from Hamilton Marine came in (great company, occasionally a bit slow in the shipping department but not like Best Marine Imports at all) Next week I hope to have weather dry enough to mount the last of the deck hardware I need to control the sails. Sailing by August, that's my new goal.

Once more for the search engines: Best Marine Imports, horrible, miserable company. Don't say I didn't warn you.