The Boat Rack, Chaparral Boats Showroom — Local services in Davidson

I give the sales dept an 4 star rating but the service dept which supports the sale is disappointing to say the least. I bought a new boat which needed some warranty work as the sonar was mounted incorrectly along with some minor adjustments. When I dropped the boat off I told the service sept that I had an alarm go off as it was overheating after our 3rd time on the lake and less than 10 hours. When I picked it up I expected all the repairs were completed. After waiting for a call to tell me it was done that never came as I had to call multiple times to check on it. When I put the boat in the water I found that the alarm went off again from the time I put it in the water to the dock. Needless to say they didn’t test the new sonar position and didn’t look at the over heating issue. Upon loading the boat back up on the trailer and dropping it off again I asked if they looked at the over heating issue and they said no they didn’t. I then called back after a couple days to check on it again only to find out that they were charging me over $400 to replace the impeller on the cooling system which wasn’t covered under warranty. Apparently the sales team and see if dept didn’t know that the boat needs to be reved up when you start it to reprime the system. Needless to say I don’t think this was my fault and should be covered by the mfg not me since it’s not listed anywhere in the manual. My salesman offered to split the cost which would come from his pocket and I declined as the dealership should support it and go back to the mfg. Which they said they would let them know but needless to say I’ve not been compensated for the charge. I hope the next time I put it in the water the sonar works and the temp alarm doesn’t go off but I’m not confident that either are fixed but I can only hope. I would look for another dealership to buy from as the service dept is exactly what others have said on their reviews as communication in the service dept is poor at best. A very disappointed customer here and worried about the future support that I will get since I have barely...

Had a pretty decent experience with these guys buying a preowned boat in 2021. Fast forward 3 years and I took it back for them to look at it because it was sitting lower in the water. They took the boat out of the water and looked for leaks. None found.

Explored the possibility of trading it in on a new model they were trying to sell me on. During that discussion I received an invoice via text message for $300 and a note my boat was ready. Now, I can see charging me a fee for looking at my problem. I just happen to think $300 is pretty excessive for pulling it out of the water and dropping it back in an hour later. Not to mention the two Ubers I had to pay for going back and forth. "Why didn't I leave it there and pick it up later?, because it was supposed to rain for the following two days and my salesman said "they don't put covers back on boats." So I wasn't going to have it sitting out for who knows how long.

I did say something in response and got a phone call from the owner that I appreciated but it didn't solve anything. I paid the $300 in order to get my keys back and floated off.

Whole experience really left a bad taste in my mouth kinda like buying a car from a used car lot or any of the other used boat "pirates" on 150. Will I go back for service? No. Will I buy my next boat from them? No.

If I'm expected to spend $83k on a boat, I expect them to demonstrate at least SOME interest in taking care of the customer. (like a Lexus dealer I suppose) Afterall, I don't NEED a boat to get to work, it's purely a discretionary spend.

I get home and my neighbor (who bought his boat from boat rack) laughed when I told him where I was. He stated he regrets buying his Chaparral from them and never takes his back for service because of the...

If you're buying a new boat, chances are you're fine. If you're buying a used boat, keep reading.

The takeaway from my experience at The Boat Rack is that they may prioritize the sale of new boats, but give far less attention and care to customers buying less expensive used boats.

First, the good: my sales rep was friendly, knowledgeable, and a prompt communicator. He arranged to have new tires (though on my dime) put on the used trailer with the used boat I bought.

Next, the bad: The day I drove 2.5 hours from Durham to pick up the boat, the rep called me while I was on the road to say he wouldn't be there. This was unexpected, but I guess okay. When we arrived at 4pm and hooked up the trailer, the trailer lights didn't work. The service techs came and determined the problem was with the trailer, but since it was "close to quitting time", said there wasn't anything they could do about it.

So, I was faced with the choice to drive 2.5 hours in the dark on I-40 during rush hour with no trailer lights, OR call it a wasted trip, drive back to Durham, and return another day. We opted to go to the auto supply store, buy a set of trailer lights, extra cable, some zip ties, etc. and Jerry rig a new light system to the trailer. That set us back over $100 and two hours time.

Of course, this all could have been avoided had The Boat Rack done a simple safety check of the boat and trailer before selling it to me. I get it, though. There's way more profit on a new $300k Chaparall than on a $30k used boat. My advice? If you're not going to give the same service to everyone--and even put customers in a potentially dangerous situation--then just don't sell...