Thank you Wefing's - once again!

[Alok]

This is a “thank you” note for Marc Grove and his crew at Wefing’s Marine in Apalachicola, Fl.

I live near Houston. When we bought our boat from Wefing’s, I was concerned about being a thousand miles away from the dealer.

All I can say is that Marc, even at a distance, has been a tremendous resource. He answers calls promptly, knows his boats, and seems to be able to get good mechanics. He has helped us out a number of times with issues big and small. He did so again, in a tight situation with hurricane Gustav approaching.

Gustav had just entered the gulf, and no one could predict where it was going to make landfall. We needed to bring the boat back, by water, from Corpus Christi to our home port of Clear Lake as quickly as possible so we could put it on the trailer and out of harm’s way. This is a 200 mile trip down the intra-coastal waterway and through three bays. We were working with a tight deadline and planned an early departure from Corpus Christi, expecting to be home before nightfall.

The starboard motor starts normally. I turn the port ignition key and…nothing. Nada. No lights, no beeps, no buzzers, and a completely silent motor. Not good.

Check the battery voltage- normal. Close the equalizer switch- no joy (of course).

Scratch our heads, check the usual things- ignition switch lanyard, obvious connections- nothing. Call three local mechanics- can’t come. Call our regular service shop in Houston and talk to the mechanic. He says to pull the motor cover off, open the electronic control box and check the fuses- all good. Check voltage at the starter motor. It is good. He gives up. On our own, we switch out the main and starter relays with the opposite motor- all relays are good.

If you have Suzuki 150s, the rest of this note will be of special interest to you…

Call Marc and leave a message. He calls back a few minutes later (he was away from the office), tells us to look for a “white wire” from the motor to the battery switch, and to call Doug, the Wefing’s mechanic.

I call Doug; he comes on the line immediately. I explain that everything concerning the port motor is dead. He asks us to check if the engine tilt works, using the tilt control on the engine. It does. He makes a diagnosis in approximately 1.38 seconds and tells us what to do...

By now we have found the white wire (it is covered with a black sheath for most of its length). There is one such wire going to each starter battery switch. In our setup, the switch is part of a Voltage Sensing Relay mounted aft of the four batteries, and the white wire was hidden behind the batteries. On the wire is a white rectangular plastic box wrapped with black electrical tape. Unwind the tape, snap open the box; two fuses inside (15 amp automotive), one of which is a spare. Switch fuses and hear the sweet sound of the ignition beep. Problem solved.

Note: Turns out that the white wire takes the control power to the main relay, which then switches on EVERYTHING else. Maybe it is common knowledge, but we did not know this. So if you have Suzuki 150s (and perhaps other Suzukis), and you turn on the ignition and nothing happens- now you know.

By the way, we left at 12.46 PM; made it to Galveston (about 180 miles) before we ran out of daylight, tied up at a friend’s dock, and finished the trip the next morning.

So Marc- thanks again.

[Bill3558]

Thats awesome. Customer service like that is getting hard to find. Especially if they aren't getting paid for it.

Bought my boat from Wefings too, and I'm 500 miles away. No regrets, they are good folks.

[damason]

I bought my 2008 C-25 from Wefings and Marc is a real neat guy and very helpful and service minded. He is the kind of guy that will bring lots of business in as when you need help, you need help. I live 125 miles west of their dealership. Good place to visit.

I have a Suzuki 150 and I will look for the white wire and the fuse box. I also will add extra fuses to my spare parts box.

[redbaronace]

Tagged for reference. The white wire.

[Sasscom]

I bought my 2009 TomCat with Suzuki 150s from Marc and live 1000 miles away. Looking back at all the boats I've owned over the past 60 years or so, he has provided the best service of all the dealers I've worked with. Frankly, if more dealers were like Wefings, the boating industry would be in a lot better shape. Sometimes I wonder how Marc does what he does. He always gets back to me promptly when I have a question, and he really went out of his way to make sure my TomCat was properly commissioned and delivered on time to my home in Annapolis. I'd gladly buy another boat from him and even recommended Marc to a Canadian who bought his new TomCat from Marc. So that kind of proves that in the long run, it pays to treat your customers right. Keep it going, Marc!

[Sunbeam]

[Jazzmanic]

Yes Alok, that's the same white wire and 15 amp fuse I accidentally shorted out a few summers ago ruining a beautiful summer weekend. Our fuse was a mini 15 amp fuse found by a mechanic in a jumble of wires behind the batteries. We have a Suzi DF90. And yes, it is now clearly marked.

[BrentB]

That is super service and excellent customer service

Close the equalizer switch- no joy (of course)
What is an equalizer switch?

[JamesTXSD]

Dang! I thought maybe Alok got another C-Dory... until I saw it was a very old thread.

That's OK, I watch reruns on TV once in a while, too.