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Author Topic:   Quality of Specialty Marine Products

RocketMan posted 08-08-2013 05:41 PM ET (US)
I'm looking real hard at replacing my Sakonnet's RPS and console with new ones from Specialty Marine. I've seen only a few comments on here about their products and they've been all positive. But would appreciate some feedback from anyone who has obtained one of their consoles and or RPSes. Thanks ahead of time. I'll hang up and listen.....
dfmcintyre posted 08-09-2013 07:04 AM ET (US)
If that's the firm out on the west coast, email me.
Tom W Clark posted 08-09-2013 10:04 AM ET (US)
You can email me too...
mdono posted 08-09-2013 10:20 AM ET (US)
I too am interested in feedback regarding Specialty Marine. Looking for a drop in interior for my 15. Please email me.

Thanks
M
pcrussell50 posted 08-09-2013 10:53 AM ET (US)
Me too. Add me to the list of folks who is curious about Specialty's wood products.
Only the last time I brought them up on here a couple of years ago, I was pretty roundly lambasted for daring to suggest anyone besides Nautical Lumber.
And my curiosity over the reason for that beatdown is strongly piqued by the secrecy in this thread, "PM me for my opinion", instead of sharing publicly.
This whole thing is very weird.
-Peter
RocketMan posted 08-09-2013 01:27 PM ET (US)
Hans Solo: I prefer a straight fight to all this sneakin' around!
frontier posted 08-09-2013 01:42 PM ET (US)
I've used Specialty Marine for years.
Fantastic customer service, very good quality products and excellent price.
Purchases over the years include: complete RPS seats, RPS cushion, RPS seatbacks, RPS "Z" legs (I think they are better than the original), bow locker cover, complete interior wood for an 11', 17' stern seat and more.
In many cases they are better than original - the Montauk bow cushion is a good example. Specialty's design allows you to open the anchor locker without unsnapping the cushion.
crbenny posted 08-09-2013 04:10 PM ET (US)
I also did the interior kit for an 11' sport but my experience was very different. The cuts were too small on the fore and aft side boards so I had to notch them. The side console stood too high on the inboard side. It also had a big split originating at a pre installed screw most likely because it wasn't properly pilot drilled. The varnish was inconsistent and had far too few coats so that the laminate began to swell in the corners after getting wet only twice.
I believe the quality of materials was good but the craftsmanship was terrible. I took many pictures of the quality issues but someone offered me a lot of money for it before I had a chance to complain.
I will say that in the future, I would consider an unassembled kit where I could measure, correct, and assemble myself and then varnish and seal myself.
BTW, Steve, did you get my email?

Chris
andrey320 posted 08-09-2013 07:15 PM ET (US)
Cushions are nice. Customer support is great!
John A Larson posted 08-09-2013 11:09 PM ET (US)
Why all the secret emailing? If they have problems with quality, it would be worth telling the whole group.
I have read here and elsewhere from the Whaler purists that their products are very poor quality. From cheap vinyl used on the cushions, plywood rotting out on the RPS seats, thin varnishes on the wood parts and stainless steal products that began to rust after one season. Those are just some of the reports posted in threads...
frontier posted 08-10-2013 12:19 AM ET (US)
John - to have EVERYTHING so bad, surely that raises a red flag with your information sources.
I've bought and used Specialty Marine products for years and years with no major quality issues with wood parts, cushions or stainless steel items.
I did have an issue with them once, but it turned out I ordered the wrong part. I called. They had the correct part here within days. Even though it was my mistake.
Specialty Marine customer service is 2nd to none.
That is one of the reasons I keep going back.
If it was/is as bad as you say - they would have been out of business the 1st year!
Are you sure you haven't been reading internet stories about Bayliner quality issues? :)
Buckda posted 08-10-2013 08:32 AM ET (US)
I have to second the remarks on customer service. I ordered a stern seat for an Eastport from them. They were my second choice at the time - because Nautical Lumber reported that they could not meet my timeline. The seat arrived quickly and sat unopened for several weeks while I finished refurbishing the interior and the remaining wood components on the boat. When I opened the box, the wood was a much lighter (weight and color) than I expected. I called them and they had a replacement (darker, denser (heavier)) out in a few days - across country. They paid the shipping on the replacement and the return shipping.
I was very satisfied with that.
I also bought two stern lifting eyes for that Eastport from them and the quality seemed fine.
I have also bought TWO replacement bow lights from them for my 18' Outrage - which I used for three or four years with a LOT of night operation and no problems...and for my 25' Outrage - which I used for one season before tearing it down for total restoration/refurbishment...those lights are in a box and I'm planning to re-install them once the boat is finished.
I operate in a freshwater environment...and when not on the water, the boat is on a trailer and in a storage building...but I had no problems with these components.
The only things I will note - and it's the "purist" in me. 1) The stern seat and some of the other components are NOT the OEM configuration - there are slight differences in the design.
2) The replacement RPS legs are not OEM at all. They are bolted together and aren't really even close to the molded design of the originals...however, I believe this is due to the large start-up and tooling costs to build a mold, etc. They would have trouble selling enough to justify the expense.
3) I have my concerns about the wood selection (as mentioned above). In the case of the stern seat, they selected a lighter and less dense species of mahogany to try to cut down on the weight in the stern of the boat, however, it did not match/blend well with the vintage/oem wood and finish. They remedied that quickly for me, however, they had to comb through their stock to find what I requested.
So..my overall evaluation is that they are not a perfect solution for every restoration need, but they don't claim to be. They meet a market need at a relatively good price point and are providing excellent customer service on the back end. Overall, that's a pretty good recipe for a successful operation...and they will have more business from me as I work on my next two Outrage projects.
cc378 posted 08-10-2013 11:30 PM ET (US)
I have purchased one railing from them and two cushons. My friend purchased an interior kit for a 15' super sport. In all cases we recieved poor quality merchandise. Yes they are helpful and nice but simply replaced it with more poor quality junk.
Railing - simply did not fit and the set screws started to rust in 60 days.
Interior kit - Bow cover delaminated and varnish was burnt through in less than 6 months
Cushons - became sticky and then ripped within one year.
Stick to real OEM sources or build it yourself.....
FISHNFF posted 08-12-2013 03:10 AM ET (US)
I tried them for 2 things, nav lights and console rod holders for my 18 Outrage.
Bow light housings were nice stainless, but holes did not match OEM and light socket was pure junk. Both sides had intermittent connection failure from new, and socket/bulb started corroding in less than a month. Returned.
Wooden teak brackets for the 6 rod holders in front of the console were not OEM specs. This meant when mounted as recommended by SM with their parts, fishing rods placed in them would hit the console rail. They claimed they never had a complaint. OEM specs has the upper support larger than he lower, thus angling he tubes away from the SS console grab rail. Returned.
That sums up my 2 dealings with SM.
FISHNFF
whalersailor1 posted 08-22-2013 08:42 AM ET (US)
Can anybody give some feedback or thoughts/comparison between Anderson Manufacturing and Specialty Marine?
I'm planning a restoration of an Outrage 22 and plan to order the following from one of these shops:
- Two bow cushions for the front benches
- Two sets of rods holders to affix to the front of the console over the cooler
- Cushions to attach to the rod holders (seat back) x 2
- Teak chocks to hold the cooler (likely 128 qt)
- Cooler top cushion
- Under gunwale rod holders (teak)
- Rear bench seat
All cushions need to be in the beige with brown piping color.
Thoughts on quality? Price points, etc?
I'm planning to order in Sept/Oct and install throughout the winter.
Specifically, anybody have experience between their two rear bench seats, which presents the largest ticket item?
Thanks,
WhalerSailor1
Tom W Clark posted 08-22-2013 09:47 AM ET (US)
There really is no comparison between the two. The Anderson Manufacturing & Upholstery, Inc.(AMUI) product costs only a little more but will last ten times as long and looks better to boot.
AMUI is OEM quality.
Specialty Marine is not.
russellbailey posted 08-22-2013 09:53 AM ET (US)
whalersailor1, unless you are going for a full OEM look, I'd consider other options before spending the $2,000 or so that an OEM rear seat costs. After 2 years with our custom rear seat, and having sat in some OEM rear seats, there is no comparison on comfort (and ease of care if the boat sits exposed since the OEM one holds water in the crease).
whalersailor1 posted 08-22-2013 10:41 AM ET (US)
can you offer some suggestions for the non-oem alternative? Open to any suggestions.
Thanks for the great feedback.
Also - If going with the OEM like rear seat - I have a Whaler Drive - can I just put it up against the aft bulkhead/stern and affix to the deck without needing the railing that goes accross the stern?
I have the OEM seat on my Outrage 18 but with the open transom had the railing that went across that the seat attached to.
russellbailey posted 08-22-2013 10:48 AM ET (US)
Here is an earlier discussion about rear seats.
http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/018912.html
Here is what I did on my Outrage 25. The seat gets a lot of use as we mainly use the boat for family activities.
http://s1205.photobucket.com/user/russellbailey3/library/ 1984%20Boston%20Whaler%20Outrage%2025%20-%20Rear%20Seat
I know LHG (Larry Goltz) added a seat to his Outrage 25 with Whaler Drive - I think the rear railing was not needed. You might contact him.

To stay on topic to the original post, the replacement Outrage navigation lights that I bought from Specialty Marine have worked well for 2 years now and I was pleased with the quality. That is the only item I've bought from them.
Jamesgt727 posted 08-28-2013 08:48 PM ET (US)
I bought my wood from Mike @ Nautical lumber/Neptune Yacht Refinishing, and all my replacement stainless from Specialty Marine. Mike built my stuff custom to my specs, with extra matching replacement pieces for future use by request too.
wannabe posted 08-28-2013 09:36 PM ET (US)
I bought my wood parts from Nautical Lumber and had bow cushions made for my Outrage 18 from Anderson Manufacturing. Pleased with both suppliers.
Russ 13 posted 08-31-2013 02:42 PM ET (US)
Specialty Marine has good Bimini top parts & good individual side running lights.
..
I would not use their combination bow light for either a 15' or 17' as the OEM part has a MUCH better fit & finish.

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Author	Topic: Quality of Specialty Marine Products
RocketMan	posted 08-08-2013 05:41 PM ET (US) I'm looking real hard at replacing my Sakonnet's RPS and console with new ones from Specialty Marine. I've seen only a few comments on here about their products and they've been all positive. But would appreciate some feedback from anyone who has obtained one of their consoles and or RPSes. Thanks ahead of time. I'll hang up and listen.....
dfmcintyre	posted 08-09-2013 07:04 AM ET (US) If that's the firm out on the west coast, email me.
Tom W Clark	posted 08-09-2013 10:04 AM ET (US) You can email me too...
mdono	posted 08-09-2013 10:20 AM ET (US) I too am interested in feedback regarding Specialty Marine. Looking for a drop in interior for my 15. Please email me. Thanks M
pcrussell50	posted 08-09-2013 10:53 AM ET (US) Me too. Add me to the list of folks who is curious about Specialty's wood products. Only the last time I brought them up on here a couple of years ago, I was pretty roundly lambasted for daring to suggest anyone besides Nautical Lumber. And my curiosity over the reason for that beatdown is strongly piqued by the secrecy in this thread, "PM me for my opinion", instead of sharing publicly. This whole thing is very weird. -Peter
RocketMan	posted 08-09-2013 01:27 PM ET (US) Hans Solo: I prefer a straight fight to all this sneakin' around!
frontier	posted 08-09-2013 01:42 PM ET (US) I've used Specialty Marine for years. Fantastic customer service, very good quality products and excellent price. Purchases over the years include: complete RPS seats, RPS cushion, RPS seatbacks, RPS "Z" legs (I think they are better than the original), bow locker cover, complete interior wood for an 11', 17' stern seat and more. In many cases they are better than original - the Montauk bow cushion is a good example. Specialty's design allows you to open the anchor locker without unsnapping the cushion.
crbenny	posted 08-09-2013 04:10 PM ET (US) I also did the interior kit for an 11' sport but my experience was very different. The cuts were too small on the fore and aft side boards so I had to notch them. The side console stood too high on the inboard side. It also had a big split originating at a pre installed screw most likely because it wasn't properly pilot drilled. The varnish was inconsistent and had far too few coats so that the laminate began to swell in the corners after getting wet only twice. I believe the quality of materials was good but the craftsmanship was terrible. I took many pictures of the quality issues but someone offered me a lot of money for it before I had a chance to complain. I will say that in the future, I would consider an unassembled kit where I could measure, correct, and assemble myself and then varnish and seal myself. BTW, Steve, did you get my email? Chris
andrey320	posted 08-09-2013 07:15 PM ET (US) Cushions are nice. Customer support is great!
John A Larson	posted 08-09-2013 11:09 PM ET (US) Why all the secret emailing? If they have problems with quality, it would be worth telling the whole group. I have read here and elsewhere from the Whaler purists that their products are very poor quality. From cheap vinyl used on the cushions, plywood rotting out on the RPS seats, thin varnishes on the wood parts and stainless steal products that began to rust after one season. Those are just some of the reports posted in threads...
frontier	posted 08-10-2013 12:19 AM ET (US) John - to have EVERYTHING so bad, surely that raises a red flag with your information sources. I've bought and used Specialty Marine products for years and years with no major quality issues with wood parts, cushions or stainless steel items. I did have an issue with them once, but it turned out I ordered the wrong part. I called. They had the correct part here within days. Even though it was my mistake. Specialty Marine customer service is 2nd to none. That is one of the reasons I keep going back. If it was/is as bad as you say - they would have been out of business the 1st year! Are you sure you haven't been reading internet stories about Bayliner quality issues? :)
Buckda	posted 08-10-2013 08:32 AM ET (US) I have to second the remarks on customer service. I ordered a stern seat for an Eastport from them. They were my second choice at the time - because Nautical Lumber reported that they could not meet my timeline. The seat arrived quickly and sat unopened for several weeks while I finished refurbishing the interior and the remaining wood components on the boat. When I opened the box, the wood was a much lighter (weight and color) than I expected. I called them and they had a replacement (darker, denser (heavier)) out in a few days - across country. They paid the shipping on the replacement and the return shipping. I was very satisfied with that. I also bought two stern lifting eyes for that Eastport from them and the quality seemed fine. I have also bought TWO replacement bow lights from them for my 18' Outrage - which I used for three or four years with a LOT of night operation and no problems...and for my 25' Outrage - which I used for one season before tearing it down for total restoration/refurbishment...those lights are in a box and I'm planning to re-install them once the boat is finished. I operate in a freshwater environment...and when not on the water, the boat is on a trailer and in a storage building...but I had no problems with these components. The only things I will note - and it's the "purist" in me. 1) The stern seat and some of the other components are NOT the OEM configuration - there are slight differences in the design. 2) The replacement RPS legs are not OEM at all. They are bolted together and aren't really even close to the molded design of the originals...however, I believe this is due to the large start-up and tooling costs to build a mold, etc. They would have trouble selling enough to justify the expense. 3) I have my concerns about the wood selection (as mentioned above). In the case of the stern seat, they selected a lighter and less dense species of mahogany to try to cut down on the weight in the stern of the boat, however, it did not match/blend well with the vintage/oem wood and finish. They remedied that quickly for me, however, they had to comb through their stock to find what I requested. So..my overall evaluation is that they are not a perfect solution for every restoration need, but they don't claim to be. They meet a market need at a relatively good price point and are providing excellent customer service on the back end. Overall, that's a pretty good recipe for a successful operation...and they will have more business from me as I work on my next two Outrage projects.
cc378	posted 08-10-2013 11:30 PM ET (US) I have purchased one railing from them and two cushons. My friend purchased an interior kit for a 15' super sport. In all cases we recieved poor quality merchandise. Yes they are helpful and nice but simply replaced it with more poor quality junk. Railing - simply did not fit and the set screws started to rust in 60 days. Interior kit - Bow cover delaminated and varnish was burnt through in less than 6 months Cushons - became sticky and then ripped within one year. Stick to real OEM sources or build it yourself.....
FISHNFF	posted 08-12-2013 03:10 AM ET (US) I tried them for 2 things, nav lights and console rod holders for my 18 Outrage. Bow light housings were nice stainless, but holes did not match OEM and light socket was pure junk. Both sides had intermittent connection failure from new, and socket/bulb started corroding in less than a month. Returned. Wooden teak brackets for the 6 rod holders in front of the console were not OEM specs. This meant when mounted as recommended by SM with their parts, fishing rods placed in them would hit the console rail. They claimed they never had a complaint. OEM specs has the upper support larger than he lower, thus angling he tubes away from the SS console grab rail. Returned. That sums up my 2 dealings with SM. FISHNFF
whalersailor1	posted 08-22-2013 08:42 AM ET (US) Can anybody give some feedback or thoughts/comparison between Anderson Manufacturing and Specialty Marine? I'm planning a restoration of an Outrage 22 and plan to order the following from one of these shops: - Two bow cushions for the front benches - Two sets of rods holders to affix to the front of the console over the cooler - Cushions to attach to the rod holders (seat back) x 2 - Teak chocks to hold the cooler (likely 128 qt) - Cooler top cushion - Under gunwale rod holders (teak) - Rear bench seat All cushions need to be in the beige with brown piping color. Thoughts on quality? Price points, etc? I'm planning to order in Sept/Oct and install throughout the winter. Specifically, anybody have experience between their two rear bench seats, which presents the largest ticket item? Thanks, WhalerSailor1
Tom W Clark	posted 08-22-2013 09:47 AM ET (US) There really is no comparison between the two. The Anderson Manufacturing & Upholstery, Inc.(AMUI) product costs only a little more but will last ten times as long and looks better to boot. AMUI is OEM quality. Specialty Marine is not.
russellbailey	posted 08-22-2013 09:53 AM ET (US) whalersailor1, unless you are going for a full OEM look, I'd consider other options before spending the $2,000 or so that an OEM rear seat costs. After 2 years with our custom rear seat, and having sat in some OEM rear seats, there is no comparison on comfort (and ease of care if the boat sits exposed since the OEM one holds water in the crease).
whalersailor1	posted 08-22-2013 10:41 AM ET (US) can you offer some suggestions for the non-oem alternative? Open to any suggestions. Thanks for the great feedback. Also - If going with the OEM like rear seat - I have a Whaler Drive - can I just put it up against the aft bulkhead/stern and affix to the deck without needing the railing that goes accross the stern? I have the OEM seat on my Outrage 18 but with the open transom had the railing that went across that the seat attached to.
russellbailey	posted 08-22-2013 10:48 AM ET (US) Here is an earlier discussion about rear seats. http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/018912.html Here is what I did on my Outrage 25. The seat gets a lot of use as we mainly use the boat for family activities. http://s1205.photobucket.com/user/russellbailey3/library/ 1984%20Boston%20Whaler%20Outrage%2025%20-%20Rear%20Seat I know LHG (Larry Goltz) added a seat to his Outrage 25 with Whaler Drive - I think the rear railing was not needed. You might contact him. To stay on topic to the original post, the replacement Outrage navigation lights that I bought from Specialty Marine have worked well for 2 years now and I was pleased with the quality. That is the only item I've bought from them.
Jamesgt727	posted 08-28-2013 08:48 PM ET (US) I bought my wood from Mike @ Nautical lumber/Neptune Yacht Refinishing, and all my replacement stainless from Specialty Marine. Mike built my stuff custom to my specs, with extra matching replacement pieces for future use by request too.
wannabe	posted 08-28-2013 09:36 PM ET (US) I bought my wood parts from Nautical Lumber and had bow cushions made for my Outrage 18 from Anderson Manufacturing. Pleased with both suppliers.
Russ 13	posted 08-31-2013 02:42 PM ET (US) Specialty Marine has good Bimini top parts & good individual side running lights. .. I would not use their combination bow light for either a 15' or 17' as the OEM part has a MUCH better fit & finish.