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.

The store is great good sandwiches for breakfast and lunch and good friendly people work there…read more Last minute we tried to rent a boat and nothing was available but received a call a few hours later they made something available

Would like to thank Paul the owner after getting gas for my snowmobile I asked if he did repairs he…read moreasked whats wrong he came out to the gas pump lifted the hood and fixed my sled in 2 minutes I got all my gas at his location the rest of the week while we were snowmobiling in Rangely. John and Marilyn Fitzgerald from New Jersey

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 !!

Clark Marine is great! Had purchased our Avalon pontoon boat a couple years ago from them, and have…read moreused them since for service & off-season storage. Always very responsive and super friendly.

I bought a pontoon boat here in September of 2021. I was very impressed with the amount of time…read morethat the owner, Rob Brown, took with me during the sales process. I did not put it in the water until spring of 2022 when they sent me out with Derek from their team to teach me how to run the boat. He spent a whole morning on the water in my boat with me going through all the controls and the details like how to put on the seat cover, how to adjust the engine, how to run the Bluetooth stereo, etc. He was amazing. Now they are going to put the boat in the water for me as soon as I have my mooring ready. They have been so great to work with, so accommodating to my schedule and so friendly. I would HIGHLY recommend them to anyone in the market for a freshwater boat. They are so friendly, helpful, service-oriented and professional.

Great experience with 1-day Pontoon boat rental. We had limited boating experience and Jerry was…read morevery helpful. He gave us a quick boat operation tutorial and we were on our way. Lake is beautiful and Jerry suggested the Naples public docks and lakeside lunch. Whole family had a really memorable day. Would do this all again in heartbeat!

These guys were great ... and getting better. Gotta love an uptrend…read more I have used several different marinas in the Sebago Region for the past decade and these guys had just popped up in Summer 2018 and began to revive what I believe was an existing business that had previously fallen apart. I did not use them 2018 but saw the change start. I had been there in prior years and it was .. not good. Prior to being revitalized this marinas main building was a mess, no one answered the phone and it was frequently locked during business hours. If it was open it was ugly inside. Bring on Summer 2019 and Surprise!!! New owner or new ambition ... whatever it is they are working hard to make a nice place. Literally gutting and rebuilding the main offices and parking. Pricing is in line. They are 100 percent organized which is rare in this region. They are honest. Again a rarity. No mysterious damage charges for pre existing superficial damages or prop dings. They are polite ... uncommon in the regions marinas. They say good morning and smile. Sounds silly ... but they are there ... again not entirely common in the marina business. They pick up the phone and / or answer messages. Docks are nice and solid and location is really nice being nestled into the North end of Long Lake which is inviting and local instead of the South end which is all tourist and ... well ... "touristy." They are my go to place now for rentals and nice perk ... they will deliver to other lakes too if three days plus usage. I think best around the region. Highly recommend reservations. Overall high marks all around.

Friendly, helpful staff. Not the boat I needed though. I would come back for help with another boatread more

we've purchased our second boat through Tim, he's been awesome to work with. He took the time to…read moreshow me as well as refresh my husband on how to maneuver this specific type of boat and was very pleasan and friendly. he was right on top of getting back to us with any questions and getting a back up battery for the speaker system was so quick! we were expecting a month and it was done the same week. we've had nothing but great experiences with Richardson's and with Tim. we'd recommend this marina to anyone!

Great stay this past week. Dockmast Ian was helpful and super friendly. Nice, smaller marina…read morefocused mostly on smaller boats. But they do have a long side tie that will accommodate even the largest of yachts. Nice 5-10 minute walk into Boothbay. I would stay here again.

Excellent marina run by a well respected Maine boat builder/repairer, with a multi generation…read morefamily in the marine business.

This marina is wonderful. The facilities are clean and neat, staff super friendly, professional and…read moreknowledgeable. And bonus: the Royal River Grill, East Coast Yachts Sales and handy little ship and boat chandlery are right next door. Getting there is part of the fun: the Royal River winds its way from Casco Bay to Yarmouth. Expect to see many heron and other sea and marsh birds, rowers, fishermen.

Great family run Marina many 10 year customers I will be here as…read morelong as I am boating. Mechanic is great honest ! , prices are good. Waiting list for slips as expected no storage. Docks could be wider. place has everything you need for boating.

From the owner: Nestled behind the Dingley Islands at the northern end of Sebago Lake, you will find Kettle Cove…read moreMarina. We are a family owned and operated business that has been of service to boaters for over 50 years. We Offer Boat Rentals, Slips, Mechanical Services, Winter Storage and More. Hours 9:00am - 5:00pm Daily Come Enjoy Your Summer with Us. Benefits of Renting a Slip at Kettle Cove Marina: Excellent Investment that saves you Time and Energy Every Week No More Trailering or Public Ramps Kettle Cove Naturally Protects Our 150 Slips From Severe Weather. Docks Can Accommodate Boats Up to 30' Long. * Accessible Shore Power * Indoor Bathrooms * Private Showers * Pump out Services * Porta-Potti Station * High-Speed Internet * Fresh Water at The Gas Dock Rates: * Full Season $1650 (Ice out - Mid October) * Shore Power $150 per Season Seasonal and Transient Slips Available. Discount Rates are Available. Please Call for More Information.

Visited in July 2014 - What a well run, facility! beautiful location, the staff is amazing and…read moreaccommodating - mechanics and riggers really helped us out of a bind and went many extra miles to do so - all with a smile on their face. The facilities are clean and convenient. If you want to know what it's like to visit a top notch marina..... stay here.

From the owner: Discover a heavenly escape in quintessential Maine at Safe Harbor Great Island. Ideally situated in…read morewell-protected Orrs cove, removed from the ocean swells and busy traffic of nearby cities. Offering unmatched customer service, top-of-the-line maintenance and pristine facilities, it's no surprise that this boatyard draws visitors from coast to coast.