It's a pleasure to write a positive review for CC Marine. They did an amazing job, exactly as…read morepromised, on budget and in very little time. And I couldn't be more pleased with the result.
Our boat had a failed 8kw Onan generator tucked well away into the dead space in front of our stbd diesel and wanted to replace it with a 6kw genset for a year. I stopped by CC Marine on a hunch and found the 6kw Northern Lights generator I'd wanted to buy on display.
It was a Thursday morning. I told Carl, the owner, that we'd be leaving for Catalina at the end of the following week then heading back up to the Bay Area, but that I was interested in having it replaced. He said "let's go see," got into his pickup and followed me to the marina. Carl's a big guy but he climbed into the engine compartment, took a load of measurements, promised me an estimate the next morning, and told me he could mobilize a team and get the job done in three days if I said "yes."
The estimate was expensive, but fair--even beyond removing the old generator--which was going to be really tricky because of the shape of the generator, the limited access area, the small doorway it would need to fit through, etc.--there was a ton of work to do. Basically, everything had to be replaced.
When Carl told me they could get the job done in three days, I was skeptical. But as he explained his idea for how to get it done, I thought, "this guy knows what he's doing. He's confident. And I trust him." I'm glad I did.
On day one, as promised, a crew showed up and began disassembling the Onan. Manny, who led the team, was a fantastic leader. He took the lead in the heavy work, calmly called the plays, patiently redirected, and did a brilliant job. They had it off its platform, moved between the twin diesels and hoisted up onto the main deck in less than two hours. In mid afternoon, I brought the boat over to the yard and they managed to get the old generator out and the new one in without scratching the boat, tearing the headliner or even getting a greasy fingerprint anywhere. By mid-afternoon, the new generator was in place.
On the second day, Manny carefully and methodically connected the mechanical parts of the generator. There was a lot of boat yoga and again, a great deal of care. And on day three, he connected the electronics. When the new generator fired up for the first time, I couldn't believe how quiet it was. The next week, it was the backbone of an epic visit to Emerald Bay (Catalina Island) which would have been impossible without the new genset.
I have no complaints at all. I've read some negative reviews, but my experience couldn't have been more positive.
