"Would you guys check out my lights while

 the boat is in the shop?"

 

That would certainly seem to be a reasonable question. In fact many of our customers ask us that question.

 Sometimes the question relates to the various mast, deck, and hull mounted running lights. Sometimes it relates to the trailer and its lighting system.

 

This is a page dedicated simply and with ranting as a mindset to helping everyone who reads this page to understand just what the hell is really being asked of the guys at the shop when you or anybody else asks>>>

"Would you guys check out my lights while the boat is in the shop?"

 

     First of all, if your lights worked just fine, you would not be posing the question. You already know that something needs to be fixed. In fact, odds are, you have already tried repeatedly flipping switches, yanking on the wires, disconnecting and reconnecting, perhaps a new bulb or two, and good old reliable percussive maintenance. Unless the lights in question just happen to be lights that reside at the top of a mast that are usually really hard to access without a friendly visit by the Goodyear Blimp, you have already tried and failed....OR  At the  least you have already exhausted your patience and are now willing to pay somebody to just fix the fool things.

Your real question should probably have been:

"Would you guys perform whatever voodoo it takes to make my lights work?"

So, now that we have actually defined the real question, let's visualize the process.

One of our guys is going to spend a few minutes getting out some tools and then disassembling whatever old smarmy corroded, weather checked excuses for fixtures remain where you would like to have real functioning brightly glowing lights.

He will remove the old fixtures and we will either have replacement parts in stock or we will order or shop for and purchase new ones. new ones. Your old fixtures will be thrown away unless they are either very expensive and repairable or very close to new.

Of course we are all annoyed that we are throwing away things that might be able to be repaired. We also realize that at a couple bucks a minute our labor rate does not allow for much repair on a $15 fixture.

The same inspection and least available resulting hit to your wallet will be discovered for the wiring, the connectors and even your switch panels and batteries ( Yes, the dead battery on the boat or connection to your vehicle is too often the only culprit).

If our guy is really wonderfully efficient and lucky, the new functioning lights may happen in a small enough amount of time to keep the labor down around $100.

 

But here dear reader is the real truth.  The real most difficult part about fixing your lights.

Two years from now, you will be somewhere with your boat or trailer and there will be other people around when you will do whatever it is you do just before expecting to see those lights shine. If the lights do not instantly light up, you WILL absolutely and for certain utter>>>

"I just paid good money to have the guys at Fred's shop fix these #@&!! lights!"

 

Trailer?

It does not matter that you have driven your trailer into and out of the lake thirty times. It does not matter that you dragged the trailer out from a parking place where vines had encircled the wires which you ripped apart as you simply hooked up and drove off. It does not matter that you whacked the lights on a fence post or that you dragged the tongue over the connector tail. You are only going to mention us, and the non functioning status of your lights for which you JUST spent lots of good hard earned money.

On the boat?

The light bulbs live in a horrible environment and you are well aware of that. We can use the appropriate sealer grease on the fittings and do our very best to help the contacts stay as contacts but, wetness and spiders and bird poop and the simple abrasion of constant wave action will take their toll and the lights will eventually fail. Some will fail soon. Some will fail later. If we use brand new fittings, we may get a few years of fun on the pond before the maintenance has to be begun again.

 

So, dear reader, we must defend ourselves and our reputation, which brings us customers who will pay us so we can continue to eat and house ourselves. We must do the right thing for our future EVERY time anyone asks the question>>>"Would you guys check out my lights while the boat is in the shop?"

 

The answer is always and will always be:

Spend at least $100 on labor and use whatever parts are necessary to put the entire electrical system in a condition where it is likely we will not be cussed by an unhappy person whose expectations were not met.

It is not unreasonable for us to spend $200 fixing your light. It is unreasonable for you to ask "Would you guys check out my lights while the boat is in the shop?" unless you also expect to spend at least a couple hundred bucks. If our bill is lower than that and the lights work for a couple years, you should be very pleased not only with our service and great price but with your wonderful luck that your particular problem was so simple to solve.

 

OK  NUFF said. Now I can post this page and enjoy some lunch.

 

 
     

    

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