Dealer recommendation

[blipp39211]

I've been researching buying a new 215cc from several southern dealers as my local dealers can't seem to compete on price (up to $5k less if I buy down South).

I've talked with Merritt Marine, Boathouse and Modern Discount Marine.

Has anyone purchased a Triumph through any of these dealers? If so, would you recommend the dealer to others? Are there other dealers out there that anyone would recommend?

Curious in NY....

[Cincinnati]

I would NOT recommend 'Great Bay Marine' out of Islip, NY (Long Island). They sold me a boat without registering my warranties with neither Triumph nor Honda. They also let me drive away with a lanyard switch that had both wires cut off. Cost me big to get a new one installed in CT as the drive back to Long Island just wasn't worth it. I've got more to say but risk going off on an tangent...

[madchaostoo]

I just bought a 170 cc from Modern and it was a pleasure. We called Mike and he was NOT the typical salesman, he took over an hour of his time to go over the boat and give a sea trial without any obligation from us.This is a great dealer and they always were more than willing to go that extra mile.

[NCBuck]

Bought my 21cc from Merritt Marine last year and everytime I drop by to see them (on my way home from work usually) they treat me like family. Top notch all the way (Carl,Debbie, and Dick). By the way they were also top dealer in the country this year. Hey Carl and Dick, just a little plug for ya!!

Mike S.

[Tums]

I bought mine from BoatHouse and was very pleased. I took advantage of picking the boat up in South Fl. by planning a week trip to test it fishing down there.

[cagrove]

FYI...I bought my 170CC at Holly Acres in Northern Virginia...treated me great, never had a problem. Was also able to wheel and deal for extras. Nice folks. It may be worth a look...a lot closer to home than Florida. Good luck.

http://www.hollyacres.com/

[BillyDrew]

I bought my 210CC from Merritt last year around this time-great folks! This was my second boat I bought from Carl, and I would recomend them, and him. He helped me work through horsepower decisions: 150 vs 200, and prop pitch. Made a point of recomending the better choice, even when the alternative would have made him more money. Of course a year later and he was right-I would have bought the bigger motor-did not need it. The 150 had plenty of power to carry 4 fat guys fishing, as fast as I could go, and compared to my friends in fiberglass, my boat is alot less thirsty then theirs.

[Cat<*(((((><]

There is only one place to buy a Triumph boat. Merritt Marine! Best price, service and just down right honest people. Just bought a 2006 215 from them and I'm telling ya....you can buy a boat anywhere but buying from a honest dealer is hard to do. It was worth the drive. My hat is off to Merritt Marine. They can't be beat. See ya on the water.
Cat<*(((((><

[tarheelborn66]

Please bear with the length of this post but I need to tell this story.

When I started looking for a boat in the summer of 2005 I had never heard of Triumph. With the amount of money I wanted to spend, I was looking at having to buy a used boat. Of course there is nothing wrong with buying a used boat but it seemed everyone I looked at had some type of major problem. I contacted a dealer in the Triad area about a used boat and upon further discussion, they suggested a new Triumph. I started researching them and liked what I was reading. The Triad dealer had given me a quote but I wanted to find a dealer closer to Raleigh or either at the coast. So, I looked up the Triumph dealers in NC that were closer to me in Raleigh. I found 2 other dealers. One was at the coast and one was in Hillsborough. Of course the one in Hillsborough is Merritt Marine.

I decided to head over to Merritt Marine to see one of the boats. Chad was there and he helped me. He took me around, showed me the boats, asked about what I was looking for and suggested options that might be important. For what I wanted to do (offshore fishing) the 210CC was the boat for me. Between Chad, Carl and Dick they were very knowledgeable and helpful. In fact Dick told me about this site. He said it was a great place to do research on Triumph Boats. Anyway, they gave me a quote with the accessories I wanted. In fact they were going to give me a few extras that other dealers didn’t have access to. They worked very closely with my bank and even edited the quote a few times to add electronics etc.

The boat I wanted, at Merritt, had a 2004 motor on it. I was very concerned about a 2004 motor on a 2005 boat. I decided to check out another dealership, just to make sure I couldn't get a 2005 motor for around the same price. (Unbeknownst to me, the only difference in the 2004 and 2005 Yamaha 2-stroke carbed motors is that one day Yamaha said all motors this day forward will be 2005 models.) I looked at a boat there and they told me the motor was a 2005 model. I don't think they were being intentionally deceptive but it turned out to be a 2004 model. I didn't realize this until after I had bought the boat. Of course, this is my fault for not understanding the letter designation of the motors.

I thought I was getting a better deal at another dealership when actually I wasn't. I got less equipment for more money than what Merritt was quoting me. Don't get me wrong, the other dealership was not a bad dealership by any means. They didn’t do anything wrong. They took care of the extensive punch list with no questions asked and have been accommodating when I have called with further questions.

In retrospect I should have bought from Merritt Marine. I would have gotten more for my money with a local (to me) dealer as well as a dealer having that family feeling. I felt right at home with Chad, Carl and Dick. They are very accommodating at Merritt Marine and they went above and beyond the norm. Carl even called me to make sure I was comparing apples to apples. He said he wanted to make sure I was going to be happy in the end; whether I purchased the boat from him or another dealer. He just wanted to promote the Triumph product.

I know this sounds funny, but because I didn’t buy from them after they went out of their way for me, I feel slightly embarrassed and haven’t gone to them for things I have needed (information, parts, etc) That is going to change and I know one other thing, the next Triumph boat I buy will be from Merritt Marine.

[NCangler]

Great story Tarheel. I'm sure the folks at Merritt appreciate your sharing it.