I had a great experience purchasing a new boat from Blake's. I actually drove over three hours for the customer service. Very knowledgeable and the extra service to my boat was an added touch. I would recommend Blake's - well worth the drive. Jeff Gontarek read more

I have had service work done on 2 different boats over the past 10 years. Prior to my last visit I would have rated Blake's a 3 star. In the past the work was usually done when they said that it would be, but they where not good at communicating with me about what needed to be done and when the work was completed. My last experience with them will be the last, I will never set foot in their business again. The last time I had my boat in, I called and talked to them about what I thought the problem was, and they told me that they could look at it the end of that week or early next week. Having not heard from them in that time frame, I called them to ask what they had found. They told me that they had not gotten to it yet, they said next week.. Two more weeks passed, called again and they informed me that 2 new boats had blowen engines and that they needed to work on those first, they again told me next week. Six weeks after I brought it in, I called again, they had looked at it and told me that it needed a new gear set in the lower unit. I told them to do the work. Still not hearing any thing from them, I continued to call them every week, they keept telling me that it would be next week. The last time I called they informed me that the lower unit had been repaired, but when they tried to start the engine it locked up, and that the engine was full of wheat seed, most likely moved in by a mouse, not to mentioning that they are right next door to a farm implement dealership, and that it sat out in their back lot for 8 weeks. They told me that the engine is most likely ruined and that I should "Cut your losses". My biggest problem is that it sat so long in their back lot, and that the engine should have been run, to diagnose the lower unit. If there was engine trouble it would have been discovered before the repair of the lower unit had been done. If the engine had been run beforehand and the engine was filled with debris while it sat in their weed filled back lot, wouldn't it be their liability. When they did try to start the engine, they blew the head gasket, bent the valves, and cracked the block. The only time my phone rang from them was when they they called and said "you need to get your boat out of here" I don't normally do reviews, but this needed to be said. read more