I am writing to make potential boat buyers aware of fraudulent advertising and business practices by Bluewater Yacht Brokers located in Wilmington, NC. In May of this year, I entered into a contract to purchase a boat from this company. I found the boat on boattraderonline.com and obtained further information from Bluewater Yacht Brokers’ web page and from their salesman – Mr. Ken Willson. I depended on their advertised description of the boat, a mechanical survey done by them and multiple phone conversations with Ken Willson in making my decision regarding the boat. Mr. Willson stated that the boat was being sold at the high end of the price range because it was in such perfect condition. I live in Texas and was unable to inspect the boat personally. The ad listed the boat as “Bristol”, which by BUC definition means “better than new”. The motors were referred to as “wanting for nothing and turn key”. Mr. Willson also assured me that maintenance on the boat was “meticulously maintained” and that the boat “wanted for nothing”. The only item listed as a problem on the mechanical inspection was one tachometer that had settling of the liquid crystals. This was to be replaced prior to purchase/delivery. Ken was unable to have the tachometer replaced in a timely manner. He requested that I replace it myself and send him the bill. The boat was delivered to my brother-in law, John Freese, in Ohio in mid-June. The boat was purchased for use during our yearly July family vacation in Hatteras. My sister and brother-in-law drive from Ohio to Hatteras each year and my parents and I fly in from Texas. My sister and brother-in-law tow the boat to the Outer Banks each year and then return it to Ohio for storage. John took the boat to Central Marine Service in Ohio to make sure everything was ready for our trip. After initial evaluation by the mechanic, it became clear that the boat was neither “Bristol” nor “turn key”. The boat was filthy, the batteries were dead, the canvas was torn, the fuel separator was crumbled, several welds were broken on the T-top, the impellors needed to be replaced, the original seals appeared to be in place on the lower units (meaning the oil had never been changed), the oil was thick and dirty, the bottom was covered with algae, masking tape was still in place from previous bottom painting, gouges were noted in the bottom fiberglass, none of the gauges worked properly due to settling of liquid crystals, the radio did not work and neither motor functioned properly. Some initial repairs were made by Central Marine Services, totaling $1662.30. The motors, gauges and radio were not repaired at Central Marine because their mechanic is not Yamaha certified. I called Ken Willson and sent him an email detailing all of the problems with the boat after I received the initial report from the mechanic. I requested to return the boat and receive a refund. Ken refused my request. Ken made it clear that he did not believe anything was wrong with the boat and said that any problems were grossly exaggerated. He stood by the ad’s description despite the litany of problems. I subsequently spoke with his boss, Mr. Ben Meggs. Mr. Meggs re-iterated that it was unlikely that there were so many problems as their mechanic had cleared the boat prior to delivery. He stated that any problems were probably minor and would be inexpensive to fix. He suggested that Central Marine Services was being disreputable and attempting to swindle me with unneeded repairs. My brother-in-law has worked with Central Marine for years and certainly believes them to be more reputable than Bluewater Yacht Brokers – especially in view of Bluewater’s denial of obvious problems. Mr. Meggs refused to discuss the boat problems further until I had personally seen the boat and evaluated its condition for myself. He said that he would gladly help us find a mechanic in Hatteras if that was needed. He was aware of our vacation plans and said to feel free to contact him – even on the weekend, as he checked his messages several times each day. The boat was towed from Ohio to Hatteras on July 8th. We attempted to use the boat on July 9th. The left motor overheated and alarmed. The right motor would not throttle-up appropriately. None of the gauges worked and the radio was not functional. Several messages were left for Mr. Meggs. None were returned until the afternoon of July 11th. He left it to us to find a mechanic and suggested that tapping on the gauges would make them function appropriately. Clearly, no amount of tapping on gauges will fix them if the crystals have settled to the bottom due to improper care. It was becoming increasingly obvious that he had no intention of helping us or standing by the statements in the ad. We eventually did find a mechanic on the Outer Banks that was able to assess the motors. The boat was towed from Hatteras to Kitty Hawk on July 11th. Mr. Bill Meyer with Service on Site was able to repair the left motor for $168.00. The right motor was unable to be repaired due to unavailability of parts. The propeller was “spun” and would require approximately $300 to repair for parts and labor. An initial estimate for replacement of the gauges was $1500 for the gauges + additional cost for labor. It was clear that the boat would never be repaired in time for use during any part of the vacation. The boat was subsequently towed to a broker in Manteo for repair and eventual sale. The entire experience left such a bad taste that I knew I would never feel comfortable using the boat again – even after a full repair. Manteo Marine agreed to repair the boat and deduct the cost from the sale price. My vacation was ruined by a dishonest yacht broker and fraudulent advertising. I never would have purchased the boat if I had known that it was other than as advertised. Thank you for reading this lengthy letter. I hope this prevents other unsuspecting individuals from having to deal with similar problems with Bluewater Yacht Brokers. A letter of complaint has been sent to the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, the local Better Business Bureau and a complaint was filed with boattraderonline.com.

Sincerely,

Meridith Treen