I have been using Pinkham's Cove Marine since they purchased the company from Craig, there is…read morenowhere else I would take my boat. They are 100% trustworthy, prompt and provide stellar service. I keep my boat stored there for the winter, and they have my boat ready to go when I come up to Maine. I can not say enough about Russell Charleston and all the staff. You will not be disappointed. Been coming to Great Pond for over 40 years and I this summer my boat stopped working the second day here, and they had a tech over the next day, and I was back on the water that day! Not sure what was up with the review by BessMark, but I can tell you it is in no way my experience or the experience of anyone I know who trusts their boat to Russell.

It's the end of the season and time to winterize my 1998 Godfrey Sanpan. I know it's the busiest…read moretime of the year but Service Manager Tim kept his promise to have my boat ready in a certain timeframe. He called me and kept me informed and encouraged me to call him if I have a problem. My boat is going on 28 years old and it's still a beauty. Thank you, Hamlin Marine and Tim Dutton for taking such good care of us over the years. Hamlin Marine sell the top two boats in the industry with Godfrey and Bennington. My dad used to say "quality is remembered long after price is forgotten". That couldn't be more true with these Hamlin boats.

Answer the phone when a customer calls about service.!! I would never use this dealer unless they…read morechange their phone policy. The sales department is the only number that is responsive. They only seem to want to sell boats !!

Failure to response to multiple phone calls after promising to do so. A simple yes or no was…read morerequested.

Excellent craftsmanship. Very fair rates. Wouldn't take my boat anywhere else. Their drivers were…read moreable to deliver my oversized boat to my barn without any worry!

Brightside Marine -- a poorly managed business with serious cash flow problems. They over promise,…read moreunder deliver, behave abusively and held our boat hostage until we arrived with a Sheriff and $2,200 in cash. This sad story started last summer. We brought our 17' fishing boat to Shawn Grant, owner of Brightside. He was knowledgeable and immediately diagnosed the problem. The transom was rotten. They could store and winterize the boat, and have it fixed by mid June 2022. Red flag #1: November 2021 we receive a call asking us to prepay for the storage/winterization, or they can't meet payroll. $1,189 paid by credit card. Red flag #2: After my husband telephoned several times, Shawn said, "Stop calling and bothering the help. Don't call us! We'll call you!" And then he blocked his calls. Red flag #3: Mid June 2022, the boat hasn't been started yet. They call with a new quote of $6,000 and request a 50% deposit. $3,000 paid by credit card. Red flag #4: Four days before we arrive, text comes in asking for another $2,000. They've "burned" thru the deposit and need more funds. The end's in site, so we again pay by credit card. Arrive in Maine 7/2. Boat not ready until 7/13!! In the meantime, no loaner boat available. Last straw, Shawn calls yelling about our interaction with the staff on why the boat wasn't ready on time. In a loud, threatening voice he said he was closing our account and would no longer accept a credit card. Show up with $2,200 in $100 bills. Pay in cash or NO boat! That's when we called the Sheriff, who thankfully went with us to get the boat. Turns out, this wasn't their first call about Shawn and Brightside Marine. And I suspect, it won't be their last.

I have read some favorable reviews by folks that use Brightside to store and repair their own…read moreboats. Perhaps that side of the business is conducted professionally and reliably. But, it is an entirely different matter if one is contemplating a boat rental. Suffice it to say we strongly recommend NOT doing business with Brightside Marina. Please read the story of our recent sad saga below... My brother and I rented a motorboat from Brightside Marina in Belgrade, Maine for a few days in late June - early July of 2021. Our experience with the owner, Shawn, was disappointing from beginning to end. First, Shawn had difficulty finding the reservation which he blamed on a new reservation system he was using. The boat we got had seen better days. Admittedly, this may have been due to a COVID induced shortage which may have been out of his control. We were told there was a full tank of gasoline, which was confirmed by the gas gauge. We started off on our exploration of Great Pond confident that we had plenty of fuel. Unfortunately, it turned out the gauge was broken and suddenly the indicator dropped to almost empty. Fortunately, we were able to get to another marina and fill up before running dry. The following day, while boating around the lake, the engine starting making unusual noises and gave out. It was then that we realized there was no fire extinguisher on the boat. Nor were there any paddles or anchor. We called Brightside and they eventually sent out a boat to tow us in. We had drifted from our original location, being "up the creek without a paddle" so to speak, so the rescue boat had a little difficulty in finding us. Back at the dock, the mechanic determined that we had almost run out of engine oil. Apparently the oil reservoir had not been checked or filled before our rental. When we pointed out that the boat had no fire extinguisher, anchor or paddles, Shawn stated that "someone must have stolen the fire extinguisher" and that "I don't like to put an anchor on my rental boats because people don't know how to use them and damage my boats" and "I don't want people paddling my boats". We were finally able to secure a fire extinguisher and get back to enjoying our holiday. This episode cost us about half a day of lost time and we pointed this out to Shawn. He acted is if we were trying to cheat him and got hot under the collar. My brother called Shawn later to discuss a discount but Shawn refused, saying he would decide what he felt like when we returned the boat. The following day was the last day of the rental. We called to ask for another half day as compensation for the lost time. He said no and that we had to return the boat by 4pm that afternoon. My brother drove the boat back to the marina as Shawn demanded. The unfortunately coincided with a sudden storm which soaked my brother and did some damage in the town. I forgot to mention this next part in a previous review but since Shawn made such a big deal about that omission in his reply, I am including it here. This doesn't help Shawn's case but he asked for this. My brother asked to get a discount for all the lost time, which was at least half a day, and defects of the boat. Shawn then proposed $15 based on 72 hours of theoretical time. We pointed out that actually, the time was only 8 hours per day (rentals start at 8 am and end at 4 pm, so it's not a 24 hour day as with car rentals) so that half a day should be at least $100. Shawn dismissively said to his assistant, "Give him $50 back and get him off my property". This was during a heavy rain and forced my brother to walk back to the town in the rain while already soaking wet. We will never forget the ugly treatment we received at Brightside Marine or Shawn's sheer nastiness. We cannot recommend this place for boat rentals at any time.

I requested their service for shrink wrapping a 43 foot sailboat. They were very responsive,…read morekeeping in touch with me regarding their work schedule. The work was done very thoughtfully and professionally when they said it would be, and was better work at a lower price than my former contractor's. I recommend highly!

I've used Ponce for at least 10 years to take care of my boat and my motorhome. The boat I've had…read morenumerous issues including a motor rebuild in yearly maintenance and pots is always done an excellent job for me. I store the boat and motor home there and that is convenient they wrap and I have had no bad issues at all. I had problems with my motorhome that I had a number of people look at and it was not resolved and the mechanics at Ponce were eventually able to resolve it and my motorhome runs great now and I mean great I could not be more pleased. You can feel confident that they will do the best they can for you maybe not always perfect but they'll take care of things. They also maintain my boat trailers and have even had work done on my truck. The point is I've used them enough over a long period of time for numerous vehicles and can confidently give them a five-star rating.

I purchased a used classic boat from Coastal Boatworks, Inc. this year. Whenever I have had…read morequestions or service needs, Benny has been there for me. They are always friendly and easy to work with for boat projects and enhancements as well. When I decided to add a top to keep the sun off my face, Benny did a superb job ordering and installing a beautiful Bimini top for me. Their high standards and excellence make me feel confident about doing business with Coastal Boatworks and I know they help keep me safe while I'm out on the water. The impeccable service and delivery has always been honest and reliable. My quality of life has truly improved now that I have an affordable boating option for use in my free time. I would definitely recommend this family-owned, family-run business in Newcastle, Maine without hesitation.

From the owner: Family-owned coastal Maine company read more

I have been waiting since April 9, 2021 for my new pontoon boat to be delivered. It is paid for in…read morefull. Delays, excuses and lies are all I have received so far. I have been more than patient but NOW I WILL BE PURSUING LEGAL ACTION because I have no choice.

The guy that runs this outfit is sorry example of a retail vendor, if not a person in general, and…read moreI would avoid doing business here. I drove a half hour to buy a part from him. Drove home and it was the wrong one. Drove back again (1 hour round trip) to get the what was supposed to be the right one. All he could do was laugh about the fact that he gave me the wrong part, and never apologized. I brought the second part home and it also did not fit. I called him to tell him and that I would be returning this part, and told me he would not give my money back and just store credit. Unreal. This guy does not belong in the retail industry. Avoid him.

Complete POS and joke for business. Doesn't communicate, doesn't show up when suppose to. When…read morefinally does, his diagnosis is different than previous. Clearly an immature unprofessional slob. Ghosted me after looking at boat, finally got him to respond when called/texted from different phone number. He obviously doesn't know what he is doing and rather than simple saying he isn't sure or would prefer not to tackle the job, he simply just ignores you and accumulates multiple negative repeating reviews. Be surprised if my boat doesn't need even more work since he touched it.

Had an emergency and Marc got out to us right away. Great service, great value. Mobile Marine…read moreworked on our boat at our house on our dock with the boat in the water. Would most definitely use again and would tell anyone not to hesitate to have them come out. Thanks Marc.

We stayed at Whisperwood over the summer and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The owners were more than…read morehelpful and thought of every thing. Our cabin was clean and tidy. The lake is just serene. The boat we rented was a black lund, clean and ran perfectly. The food was plentiful and delicious and wait staff were very courteous. We can't wait to go back. We just booked again!

The place was clean and food was good,staff friendly. The mattress in our cabin (Lake…read moreView)desperately needed to be replaced. Cost per day for renting a small fishing boat were high considering the condition of the boats. Fishing boat fleet could use an upgrade to modern equipment (trolling motors ,seats etc)