Charged me twice for the same issue than broke a part on my boat!! This is no longer Walt but some young clueless kid in my opinion! Now I have to sue him to fix my boat! RUN!!!! read more

Needed to keep my boat there for a day or so and Walt was happy to help me out. Talked to him about replacing my hyd. steering system, he quoted me a very fair price and also had the part in stock which was a real bonus. I would recommend his service to anyone looking for the real deal in service and parts. Donald M. 10/19/22 read more

great service, communication, availability. Couldn't ask for a better experience! definetly recommend

As a long time boater (50 plus years in fresh water plus another six in Salt) Walt's Marine Service may be the finest boat/engine repair outfit in my experience.! He was "Johnny on the spot", arriving at my place on LBK in his mobile marine repair shop on wheels when he promised at my condo on LBK, and got my Yamaha 150 outboard fixed correctly and on the day he promised. When he needed to perform work on shore, he got that all set for me with his own trailer. He kept me informed as to how the work was progressing and there was no "hard-sale" as he showed me the list of items that needed to be addressed on my ten year old engine. All that and he's a fun guy and a great "old school" mechanic that knows how to diagnose a marine problem and get the repair done! Thanks Walt!! read more

Walt's Marine Service - My sad boat before Walt arrived! - Boat Repair Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

First of all, Walt deserves a better rating. Chad G. decided it would be cute to write three reviews with one star a piece. Chad G. sounds like a pain in the ass. Walt knows what he's doing. If you're to the point with him and don't waste his time, he will really explain everything that he is doing. If you're patient and really listen to what he is saying, he paints the exact picture of what your boat is doing so you will know he is not just capable, but also telling the truth. I've been in this boating business twenty years and have the experience and license to prove it. Walt does with engines what I won't and can't. I'll keep Walt as my service guy for as long as he chooses to stay in business. I'm not the type of guy to bullshit or sugar coat anything. Walt's a mechanic, and a great one at that. No frills, get the work done kind of guy. You just can't get that much anymore. He will do I/O as well, one of the only guys who will take it in the first day available in the area. I highly suggest Walt's service. read more

Walt's Marine service is second to none. I have used Walt's for major marine service work including a complete re-power. Always on time and top quality work. read more

My story: I brought my 2012 Formula 270 bow rider to Walt (with only 230 hours) after suffering a lot of setbacks that caused me to lose confidence in the vessel. Walts been in the business for over 40 years and the power of his positive review drew me to him. Walt advised me due to years of unfortunate salt water erosion and frankly improper maintenance (he educated me on the real standard of care) we worked together to restore the boat to its almost original condition the "right way" by pulling the motor out and starting over. I worked with a lot of mechanics and never been afraid to spend what is needed, but Walt was the 1st master technician to really take the time to get the boat right. It was not pretty, took $16k to get the motor and stern drive right (mostly parts).....but with the cost I got an invaluable education on how to take care of this boat, as the 2nd owner I learned a ton and learned what NOT to do in terms of using the boat in salt water. Walt always is available and very personable, is the master in terms of technical knowledge along with his staff, and treated me fairly and gave me my boat back. If you have a boat, want a "real" master technician who will treat you right and will never cut corners, Walt is your man. He is the "Mechanic's mechanic", a true master of his trade.... read more

Walt is a very rude guy. Experienced or not customer service is a must for a small business. Tried to take my outboard there and was met with a huge attitude. The guy was literally sitting on his a** with no boats in his garage. I wonder why....... read more

I have used Walt several times for different boat repairs. On time service reasonable prices. I have been looking for this guy all seven years we have been in the area. Only mechanic I will use from now on. read more

With only a few reviews I almost didn't call Walt. And after seeing that 1 star review I was honestly hesitant. Decided to give him a call. Simple water pump service was needed and after my conversation I decided to drop in and see his place. After meeting Walt in person I felt I would give him a shot. He took my boat in the next day and the service was performed the following day. Honestly quicker than I was expecting. I checked everything out and he did the job just as it should be done. I plan on using him for more work in the near future and if anything changes I'll check back here to update my rating. As it sits now I think I've found my new shop. Thanks Walt. read more

We had our boat taken to Walts for a simple computerized engine diagnostic, which should've been straight forward, to pull the code and tell us what was wrong and what part needed to be fixed. That should've been the end of the story. But in this case we were told the boat wouldn't be released until we paid him $100 for the diagnostic and $160 for the new part, that wouldn't be there until maybe Friday. This being in a not so great part of town, we were not about to leave our boat in his lot for 3 days, when I went inside his office a sign on the wall stated customers must have their own insurance. That immediately made me weary of this guy and the location. We never asked him to do any repairs on the boat, just put it on the computer and tell us what the problem was. $100 for that, ok a little steep, but understood. Refusing to release the boat to the person that we had haul it up there, until payment was made via credit card. I used my lunch break to go and pay the $100 and was told if we dont buy the part from him, we MUST pay $100 cash for the diagnostic charge. After going and getting cash to pay him, I asked him to see the part number and price he was paying for it and all he could provide was the part number. He stated he had to call and special order the part. He was asking for an additional $160 for the part, but couldn't show me any proof of that price. Sounds way too shady/unethical for me. If you ever need service work on your boat or engine, I would advise you stay as far away from this company as possible. If I could give 0 stars I would. read more

The worst service ever!!! Had him hook up a stereo and when I got the boat back it wouldn't work and was still made to pay!!! Plz do not use him there are much better people for marine work then this scum bag thief!! read more

I had my first and last experience with Walt today. I called his shop shortly after 8:00 this morning and while attempting to tell him what my boat was (not) doing and what had happened to cause it to get that way, Walt was pretty rude and basically told me to get to the point. I would have normally been done with Walt right about there but the other marine mechanics I had spoken with were 1-2 weeks out and Walt said I could bring it by his shop today at 11:00. I took off work to take my boat to Walt's shop I got there and tried again to explain the situation. Walt told me that he "wouldn't be able to touch it until Monday"... I asked about leaving it and he said I could, or I could take it back home and "putz around with it" I had a couple of what I am sure were very stupid questions (I am not a mechanic) that when I tried to ask Walt for reasons unknown to me interrupted with "I'm not gonna stand here and listen to this"... Maybe he didn't like the way I looked or the sound of my voice. I don't know, so I just walked out. I was never rude, even after Walt had me to take off work drive across town to get my boat and then back across town to his shop just to tell me he couldn't touch it until Monday.. You could have just said that on the phone Walt. Didn't have time to listen to my problems or look at my boat? You could have just said so You didn't have to be a jerk about it. Walt, I will never know what kind of mechanic you are but I know what kind of a man you are and its not the type that I have dealings with. read more