My husband and I went into South Austin Marine on Saturday, July 11th determined to find a boat. We met Michael Pempsell, who showed us all of their boats. We found a 2015 Byrant Spreranza that we loved. We started the buying process that day. On Monday, July 13th, I met with Michael to finalize buyer's agreement and give him our $500 deposit. Michael said he would contact me later that day with a time to do a test drive and familiarize us with the boat. I reached out on Tuesday, July 14th, as I had not yet heard from Michael. He responded saying "We had a mix up on deposits on this particular boat, I'm in the process of getting to the bottom of it and was going to relay back to you after." We never heard from Michael again. On August 1st, I reached out to the CFO, Wayne Black, to tell him about our experience and to help mend the relationship before I left a 1-star review. It has been over 48 hours with zero response. While our initial experience with South Austin Marine started off well, it has ended most poorly. To have a boat (I put a deposit on) be sold out from under me, is one thing. But to have the company provide zero communication, essentially stonewalling me, is appalling and infuriating. While I will not be doing any business with them, hopefully this will allow the staff at South Austin Marine to learn a valuable lesson - communication, even when delivering bad news, is important. The total silence reveals a lack of integrity that I will never support. read more

If I could give this dealer a zero I would. They sell Bennington boats. Their service department is awful. You can call multiple times and you may get them on the phone. Finally had to call sales to actually get somewhat service. I have a Bennington, which is under warranty, but since they didn't make the money on the sale, they won't service it. They said they would before the Christmas break. Were they literally close their shop for two weeks. My boat died on the lake and using a JetSki I was able to get it to my doc. I spoke with them and they were going to try and get someone to work on it in the two days they had before they took off but then just couldn't get to it and we're going to come out at the first of the year. So I waited, and now they told me they won't help. That's a crazy attitude because with the other people who moved to Austin, it's quite easy that someone may come here with a boat from somewhere else and the fact that they won't service it because they say service it although they are the licensed dealer here and after they had told me they would it disgraceful read more

Would recommend anyone looking for an overall beast/ beauty on the water to get an Supra SE 550. Walk into this place don't speak to anyone but Brian and he will set you up to walk on water baby. The man is super cool, honest, and won't waste your time. The service department could use some work when it comes to cleaning/picking up after themselves! Also wish they would communicate more instead of assume. Would save customers lots of time and money. Other than that we have had the beauty since May 2017 received it new, and have put over 500, yes 500 hours on it to this day and runs like a champ. Of course. Maintenance and up keep have been a major help but without Brian we would easily made a mistake. Go SUPRA. OR GO HOME. Side note:We started at Sail and ski... I know this is a review for South Austin but I would like to say that Brian's honesty and generosity helped a lot. He never once talked bad on another boat/company, nor did he try and force opinions on us he answered our questions and has lived up to his word.. they will do their best to help you from my experience. I hope to continue business here with South Austin Marine and Brian thank you again! read more

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I believe this Boat was Originally sold here at South Austin Marine , I am Now the New Owner of this Beautiful example of OLD SCHOOL Power Boats. It is a 1989 Scarab 28 Elite , it appears to have been sold in 1988, as the Treiler ia a Roadmaster built in Ft Worth 2/3/88 Especially for a 28' Scarab. If anyone there recognizes this boat or can tell me how to find the Original Owner 1988-2017. I would like to know. I can tell you it shows only 400hrs and is in Prestine New condition! (see Photos) providing i can find away to post them .. CF 7001 SC read more

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Avoid this place at all costs The details: My normal service center was back logged and South Austin Marine said they could get it in quickly and they did. Same day diagnosis and parts ordered. A few days later I get a call 'it's running perfect come get it' (Replaced #5 injector and did a 300 hr service) Pick it up - greasy finger prints all over the motor - not very professional, but it was quick - I overlooked the poor workmanship. 5 minutes after launching the boat I call them and tell them - it's not right. I get yes it is it's running perfect. I disagree numerous times and get told I am wrong. Call ends. I pull the engine cover and find 3 of the 6 spark plug wires not firmly pushed on the plug. It made no difference, but once again poor Workmanship! A few days go by and I have one of my regulars ask me what's wrong with my boat, it's not performing as usual. I call in a favor and have a friend of a friend come scan my motor. He finds #5 injector not working properly doing a drop test. Back to the shop it goes. After a day I get a call - it's all fixed - it appears the mechanic didn't tighten the injector bolt properly. I pick it up to find an oil spot on the decking immediately try to get that taken care of, still finger prints all over - mechanic tells he didn't like me telling his manager that he does poor work - I leave. I get home and find when the motor was put back together the rubber grommets were pinched where the cooling water outlet is. I call back and get the service manager. He sends me an email stating he will come get the boat from my residence, fix it and return it ......... guess what nobody ever showed up so I will be taking the boat to another shop to have the poor workmanship corrected! Avoid this place like the plague Paid over $1000 for horrible service! I have pictures/emails/ and invoices to prove all of this. read more

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This was my first time purchasing a Boat out of state. Being in California while the boat I wanted was in Austin Texas was originally uncomfortable at best, however working with South Austn Marine and partnering with Kennith Black was an extreme pleasure. When spending hard earned money, trust, honestly and Customer Service is critical. Feeling good about your sizable purchase, and comfortable with the entire process, from my questions, to returning calls, to follow-up, to financing questions. Both Kenneth and Melanie both were thier. Customer service, follow-up, yes honesty and feeling good about purchasing from store in Texas, from my home in California is exactly what happened. And it happend right through the delivery to my boats new marina home. Thank you for keeping my faith in purchasing a boat, not just from someone up the street, but from across the country. read more

The service department has had our pontoon for almost 2 months now. I I've had them tell me different information almost every time I call and their communication is terrible. They have definitely lost the trust of this customer and I would gladly drive my boat 2 hours some place else to have it serviced or wherever the closest Bennington approved boat shop is. ***UPDATE*** I called Bennington directly and asked them to expedite the console to South Austin Marine and they are working to do that right now. From what I can tell nothing was done by South Austin Marine to have this expedited than asking Bennington to expedite the console to South Austin marine. There is another layer where the console is shipped from a manufacture to Bennington. Ben at Bennington is working to get that shipping expedited so they can get it out to SAM. Luckily the customer service at Bennington is a little bit more helpful when you tell them your boat has been with one of their dealers for two months. read more

Love this place! They care about their customers and even offered to wear a mask for my comfortability, will go back!

Horrible service. Bought a new Monterey from them in 2017. Started in January trying to get warranty work done on it before boating season, but here it is June and a perfect weekend for boating yet my boat sits at South Austin Marine because six months later they're just now fixing it (maybe). Service's communication with me as the customer is terrible. I wanted to buy an $85k Regal sitting on their floor, but it's just not worth the post-sale care you get. Oh yeah, don't buy a Monterey! They're crap. My business is going to Sail & Ski. read more

We purchased our Moomba Craz in February 2018. This will be our 3rd summer with the boat, and we have 403 hours in 2 seasons. Brian Gardner has to be the BEST All Around Boat Expert in the business. He always answers the phone when I have a question, and set the Craz up perfectly when we first bought it. I highly recommend anyone that is looking for a Boat of all sizes, have a conversation with Brian Gardner before you buy. He makes the competition at Sail & Ski look like rookies. His knowledge is vast, and will always be honest. Thanks Brian! A Supra is next! read more

Had them service the water pump / lower unit on my Yamaha HPDI outboard. Pricing seemed a little high compared to when I service the boat in Houston. When I got the boat back, my Odometer / Speedometer gauge wasn't working anymore. I called to see what they could do about it, because they probably didn't reconnect it properly during the servicing. They told me that the gauge was probably bad and it would be a minimum of $600 to replace. I've since had my motor serviced elsewhere and magically the gauge works just fine. South Austin Marine just didn't hook it up right the first time. Really disappointed in the quality of service. read more

Excellent service and knowledgeable staff. Parts department (especially Duane) is great and goes out of their way to find the part you need at a good price. Service department is very knowledgeable and professional. read more

I'm not sure who was at fault (dealer or manufacturers). Either way we are extremely disappointed with the Supra SA350 we bought 1 year ago! We traded it in on s new Malibu yesterday and took a huge hit but didn't want to deal with either company any further! They had our boat half of the time we owned it and have made ZERO attempts to find an amicable resolution. They refused to provide us with a loaner boat, and never once could I get a manager or owner to even return a PHONE CALL! Great service before sale was made... Zero support afterwards! I bought a brand new boat so I wouldn't experience this night mare, but did anyways. BUYER BEWARE of this product and this dealership. read more

I would not recommend this company to anyone. I would stear clear of them at any cost. Let me give you a little back ground. I bought a brand new boat from their store on 620 about 3 years ago. From day 1 I've had problems with it. Somethings were minor and some were major. It took their service company several months before they addressed theses issues. Some of the repairs were never fixed. I was disappointed in how I was treated I took my boat to another company to have them do the unfinished work that south Austin Marine didn't finish. This past March I had a list of things that needed to be fixed on my boat. I was told that south Austin Marine had a new service manager and I should give them another shot. The other company was just as bad as south Austin so I was willing to give them another shot.. Boy was that a mistake. When it took me several phone calls before they even came to get the boat I should have it was the same song and dance. Once they had the boat I got a phone saying they would take care of everything and would call and get approval from me if found anything that I wasn't expecting. After them having the boat for a month I had no phone call letting me know anything. Come to find out they hadn't even looked at it. I was a little upset at the lack of progress. Another 2 or 3 weeks go by and they get started and I approved a couple things that weren't on my list for repairs. Once they said they were done I get the bill with stuff on there that I did not approve and the things that were on the list were not fixed. We went back and forth with some heated exchanges on both sides. The fact is that they padded their bill and said they repaired things that were not repaired. I wasn't going to pay for the things I didn't authorize especially putting gas in it when it had over a half a tank in it when they got it. They told me I wasn't getting my boat back until I paid it in full. They held my boat hostage. I reluctantly paid. They delivered the boat back to slip in filthy condition. They had left it outside uncovered in the rain and all the other elements. It was disgusting. They refused to pay to have it cleaned. Take in mind that I paid close to a hundred thousand for this boat from them 3 years ago. Once the boat was back and I was able to use did I realize they didn't fix anything. The boat still had the same issues it dd before. They refused to do anymore work saying they had done what they said they did. Not only are they liars they are thieves as well. They really are the worst company I've ever dealt with. It gets better... So I had to get the boat fixed so there was another repair company that came recommend from several people and the fact that south Austin refused to fix what I had already paid for I took it to this other company. This is where it gets really good. I was excited about this new company but after about 2 weeks they called me in said they didn't want to work on my boat. They had been told by south Austin that I was difficult customer and to stay clear of me. They basically tried to black ball me. They slandered me lied about me and caused me to have to pay more than I should because of they told this other company. I was livid. This other company took the the job after a face to face with the owner. Not only was it embarrassing but I also had to pay a premium price because of the lies that were told. I'm not sure if I can say the name of the other company or not. I want to make sure this review is read by anyone who's thinking about using south Austin. To sum it all up. South Austin Marine are liars and thieves. They will pad the bill with fraudulent charges and say they repaired things that obviously weren't fixed. The new company fixed everything that south Austin didn't. I would not take my boat back to them for any reason. Save yourself a lot of agrivation and money and stay away from south Austin Marine. They are horrible read more

The South Austin Marine maintenance crew took really good care of my boat. David Beliveau was excellent, drove out to the lake on a Saturday and got my boat running. He helped me load up my boat so I could bring it back to the shop where they quickly address the other issues I was experiencing with my boat in a time where there was pure chaos with COVID. The crew at South Austin Marine did their best to get myself and several other boat owners back up and running as quickly as possible. Darrell DePrato worked hard to get everyone organized, he proactively communicated with me and leaned in with extreme accountability! -Jason Reese read more

These are Ghosting specialists. Refuse to keep their inventory up to date. Finance team likes to take extensive time off so good luck trying to finance a boat. Cash buyers only...and only if you want exactly whatever Junk inventory they have on site. Every boat dealer in Austin is pretty much a clown show but these guys are driving the car. read more

Sales team has no idea what is going on. Service Dept. is crazy slow, and they like to lie about selling Polaris warranties that doesn't even cover part on the UTV I bought. read more

Horrible place to have a boat worked on. I've never been more frustrated with how awful a repair shop could be than I was with South Austin Marine. They kept our boat for 5 months for what should have been a 2-3 week repair, they very rarely answered calls or emails and when they did they were condescending and flat out rude. When we finally got our boat back there were still issues with the work. You would hope after having our boat out for 5 months (basically the whole summer season) it would work correctly but no.... we had to go to a separate mechanic to correctly fix issues South Austin Marine left. After asking them about it we got another rude and condescending response then radio silence. Disappointing work followed up by flat out rude customer service. I will never go back here and will discourage anyone else from doing business with them. read more

We purchased our boat from Brian Gardner in June 2018. If you are looking for a new boat, ask for Brian! He is very knowledgeable and goes above and beyond for his clients. We called him during the floods in October 2018 and he was able to get our boat out for us just as they were opening the 4 floodgates. We live right near Mansfield Dam on Lake Austin near the low water crossing. Our boat dock flooded and he saved our boat! When we are ready to upgrade, we will go straight to Brian. read more

Fact: Purchased a 2019 Bennington from South Austin Marine (www.southaustinmarine.com) in Austin Texas. This boat was delivered as new in January 2020. I was sold on the reliability of the Bennington brand and the "customer commitment" that South Austin Marine "sells" to their potential customers. See South Austin Marine's customer commitment link on their website: Quality & Workmanship Facts: Upon Delivery: The interior lights were not working and required wiring repair. The bilge pump was not working and needed repair. The matt lining under the helm seat was prematurely wearing out with little to no traffic. South Austin Marine promised to replace this quality flaw under warranty but that never happened. Other than no replacement matt, these other two repairs were made during the first warranty maintenance by South Austin Marine that cost me in excess of $400.00 for the first maintenance cycle. Issues as of 70 engine running hours in June 2020 The Garmin Depth Finder had started showing signs of moisture leakage under the display. Now the unit works intermittent, of course not when you really need it. About the same time, the faux wood (plastic) panel on right side of dash panel fell in my son's lap the other day while driving the boat. The panel's insert screws were poorly installed and failed mechanically. We have glued that back in place but one can tell the glue will not hold in place for long. Then, we were out on the boat another time, and noticed both the swivel and front/back setting mechanisms on the captain's chair were broke. In fact, when I talked to the Bennington "Co-Founder", he was already aware of this quality issue. Yet, they continue to ship this to customers. Now, when you take off or stop, the seat flies backwards or forwards freely. Last time out on the boat, the rear port side sheet metal on underside of rear (stern) decking came completely unfastened (roughly 6ea light duty aluminium screws missing). To eliminate further damage to the sheet metal, I went ahead and bought replacement stainless steel screws to secure the panel. In doing so, it was recognized that all screw holes had been tapped crooked, .....all in different directions making the repair more difficult. In summary, every time, .....every time my family takes the boat out, another part of subcomponent falls off the boat. Service and Repair Effort Facts: No successful repairs or replacement efforts by South Austin Marine have been confirmed nor communicated, other than empty promises, since the first warranty service which involved $400.00 in revenue. South Austin Marine appears only to be interested in supporting revenue based service requests, not repairs that include non-revenue warranty claims. I then spoke to one of the "Co-Founders" at Bennington apparently. He was immediately defensive as to my comments on the quality of workmanship and failures I have experienced on this new Bennington product. This "Co-Founder" then made promises that the parts needed were all on order (same thing South Austin Marine personnel kept telling me for a couple months now for some parts). Guess what???? The "Co-Founder" did not do what he said he was going to do either. Neither organization has shown good faith in proper warranty services and repairs. Going Forward Facts: Yes, I'm going to write the BBB about both organizations. This is poor business practice at best. No quality assurances or efforts have been made to the customer after the sale of the boat, as promised on both vendor's websites (unless revenue is imminent). Pathetic "Bennington" customer experience. read more

South Austin Marine has helped me with multiple boats over the years. They've been my go to since day 1. I'm ready for lake season each year thanks to them! Check them out! read more

Buy your boat from SAM - take it somewhere else for any service needs. We bought from SAM since they had one of the brands we really wanted and had a great experience buying the boat. There were a few cosmetic items that needed correcting when we purchased the boat that was agreed to during the sale - during the first 10 months of owning the boat, SAM had the boat more than half of our ownership. We have now had the boat for almost a year and we just got the last of the agreed upon repairs finished this month. I would seriously consider buying our next boat from a different dealership solely based on the exhausting and frustrating experience after the initial sale. read more

I showed up at 2:30pm on a Saturday and walked all over the place and couldn't get anyone to acknowledge me. I was there until 4pm thinking I would get someone to help me. As I was there they locked everything up and never payed any attention to me whatsoever. I ended up leaving after driving all the way from Marble Falls, TX just to make an offer on a boat they had listed. I cannot in good concise buy a boat from this dealer after the experience I went through. I was looking at a 28' Rabalo center console fishing boat they had on the website as an active listing. I pulled up in a $60,000 truck so I assume it must have been my appearance that made them look the other way. I am determined to buy a boat this season since I have been without for the last two years. That is way too long. read more

Brian Gardner has provided an excellent experience @ South Austin Marine. I purchased a new Moomba Craz from him a few months ago. He has gone above and beyond to get my boat delivered and to show me how to get the most out of it. Brian has made himself available to answer my questions and help me through any issues. He has made this a great experience. Thanks Brian!!! read more

I purchased a new Supra a year ago from the 620 location. I couldn't be more pleased with the boat and my salesman Brian. He helped get my old Mastercraft sold, made sure that everything was working properly and showed me how to operated all the features. Thanks South Austin Marine! read more

4th of July plans blown to the lack of service my friend received at South Austin Marine. We've been on the lake every year for many years now except this year.... If I had a boat I wouldn't go to south austin marine! read more

I drive over 100 miles round trip to have South Austin Marine Service my boat. Every time I have called or walked in everyone has been extremely helpfully. During peak season I have never had to wait for service. The service and parts department are the most honest people I have met and have never recommended anything that was not needed. My overall experience has been excellent and I will definitely buy my next boat there. read more

Their service is top notch. From the moment I walked in to the store, everyone was so helpful and knowledgable. I will refer all of my friends and clients!! read more

Buying a boat , have questions?? Larry has all of the answers! We like to call Larry our "boat genie" he makes boat magic happen... when we could not find what we wanted within our price range , he made some moves and made it happen! Your boat wish is Larry's command. read more

Great selection of boats and gear, friendly staff and solid customer service.

What can I say. South Austin Marine earned my business. I am very impressed with the knowledgable staff. I purchased a shallow sport. I shopped around and Joey earned my business. The service after the sale is what will keep me coming back for years and years to come. Do not hesitate to give these guys (and gals) a shot. They will treat you right and do everything to make sure you are 100% satisfied. read more

Brian Gardner was extremely helpful and knowledgable with our Moomba Mojo purchase. We love the Mojo and it is perfect for our large family! I would highly recommend working with Brian on a new/used boat for your family! read more

I purchased a trolling motor from them and asked them to install it on my bay boat. I should have trusted my senses when I first met the technician who immediately started complaining about how manufactures make it difficult to install trolling motors and was negative from the very beginning and in a rather rude tone. He was saying all of this while he knew he was replacing one. Thus, one was already on it so one could deduce another one could be put on too. I should have just taken my boat elsewhere based on that alone. However, I had already set aside the time and figured it would work out. They did a quick turn around on the job and were great to work with on accommodating my schedule so no complaints there. The complaints started when I came to pick it up. I asked for a quick release so I can take it off when traveling and storing. The technician screwed 4 clips on the power cord such that I would have to unscrew 8 screws to take it off the boat and then screw them back on again when I wanted to use it. That's not what I call a quick release. The service rep knew that was a bad thing so had him redo it. When I came back again to get it they had drilled ANOTHER hole through the top of the bow deck for the power plug. That was after I asked them not to drill any more holes in my deck. They should have known that you don't do that on a salt water boat (probably on fresh water too), but the service rep claimed that is how ALL of the new boats are done. I called the manufacturer and they said by no means should that be wired that way and it won't last many days past the first wave that washes over the bow and that just salt water spray alone over a very short period of time will damage it quickly. Here is where things went really south. When I first took it out it didn't work and the technician said he had tested it. I'll give them credit in that they sent another tech out to my house in Spicewood and he got it programed correctly and got it working. The lake went dry at my house and I was never able to use it. This is a bay boat and 4 months later was the first time I could use it. I keep it at the coast during the fall and winter and took it out to the ship channel in Port Aransas. I hit a few of those big waves and the trolling motor came off the boat and sank in 40 feet of water. I never got to use my brand new trolling motor. The technician had clearly not bolted it down. When I told them what happened they dragged out a resolution and wanted me to drive the boat back up to Austin for an inspection. That would have required me to drive a 1,000 mile round trip to go get it, bring it to Austin, then take it back, then drive home again. I sent them pictures and had it inspected by another marine shop in Port A who is the one who said that if it had been bolted down there would have been damage to the boat if an impact caused it. The only possible way something like could have happened is that they didn't bolt it down. I offered to pay for a technician of their choice drive out to Port A and inspect it as opposed to doing that 1,000 mile trip they wanted me to do. They went quite for a few days after my offer and then said someone tried to steal it. That is so far from the truth and no way that could have possibly happened. There were never any signs of someone breaking into the barn I keep it in and I was with the boat the entire drive down to the coast and took it off the boat and kept it in the house so there was nothing to steal. They should thank their lucky stars that it didn't come off during the drive down and kill someone. I didn't take and no one tried to steal it. What likely happened is that the technician who installed it got it to the point it needed to be bolted down and got called away or distracted and just never went back and finished the job by bolting it down and programing and testing it. They are clearly not accountable for their actions. read more

Never bought a boat here but have gotten lots of parts. Love there parts guys

Huge shout out to David in the parts department! I was towing my dual axle trailer with my boat on it and my wheel bearing blew out. I called all around Austin looking for a solution. Last call was to South Austin marine. These guys are pros! David came out took a look and gave us a few options. A few parts later and a few bloody knuckles we got her fixed. Driving to the lake now! Outstanding job David you made these Veterans 4th of July! read more

Do Not use this company to do any boat repairs!!!! 3 years ago our inboard/outboard engine needed replacing. We went to South Beach for the installation of a new engine. It was agreed that a Volvo engine would be put in the boat. They instead installed a Jasper engine. This was indicated on the receipt even though we did not agree to it. Current time, our boat needed a tune up and when the mechanic (a well vetted mechanic said the engine was losing compression. He told us that the engine was not a Volvo engine! The cost of a new engine was high and we rarely used the boat so we sold it. The individual we sold it to had the engine torn apart only to find that it wasn't even a Jasper engine that South Beach installed. Jasper engines are poor quality to begin with and this was not even of that quality. South Beach just lied and took us for 8,000.00. DO NOT TAKE YOUR BOAT THERE!!!! I have proof of all this if anyone is interested. I don't want this to happen to another boat owner. read more

Over the years, I've brought several of my boats to South Austin Marine. Their service department has always fixed my issues on the first attempt. John Dean and the rest of the guys there are top notch... read more

Love these guys! Great atmosphere and attitude, laid back and easy going. Would not hesitate doing business with them. They service boats at my marina and all over the lake, they come to you, great service. RA read more

Brian Gardner was an exceptional sales person. He went above and beyond to help me out both pre and post sale of my Moomba boat. He, along with the service department, has always been willing to go above and beyond to make sure any minor issues are resolved immediately and even took it upon himself to help me handle the registration of my trailer. I could not be more impressed and highly recommend South Austin Marine! Best, Matt J. read more

I bought my boat at South Austin Marine and used them service the last several years. NEVER AGAIN! The Service department are scam artists. I feel utterly ripped off and am disgusted. I really hate the way I was treated. read more