We bought our used cabin cruiser from Main Channel with the understanding that it was serviced and ready for the coming season (last year). Once in the water, we had a leak, bad enough to cause the aft bilge to run almost continuously. We called Main Channel on this, and they fixed it at no charge to us. We enjoyed the boat for the next few months without issue, only taking it out on the lake occasionally. Near the end of the season, we experienced engine trouble that ended our season about a month early. We had the marina check into the issue. They discovered that the starboard cylinder head had a broken rocker stud and two cupped valves. But what was upsetting is, the spark plugs were quite old, and one of them had lost its electrode which is likely what caused the issue. Fortunately, it didn't score the cylinder walls, but it's likely the culprit for the damage to the head. We also noted that the engine oil was extremely dirty. As little as we had the boat out of its slip and on the water, it shouldn't have been this dirty.
Good service and facilities.
I have always enjoyed working with these guys. Very friendly and accommodating. I highly recommend Main Channel Marina.
The second issue we had was with the neighboring cabin cruiser. The boat's owner was rarely at the slip, but his young friends were always there. These kids were the quintessential party animals! There would often be 10 to 15 kids on the boat, drinking, cussing, rocking their boat for fun, which rocked ours, shooting fireworks, they would even urinate and defecate in the parking area. One of them had a loud diesel truck that he would park right in front of our boat and leave it running for up to an hour while he tinkered around on the boat... At night, this was quite disturbing. This was an every weekend event, making our getaway nothing of the sort. Several of the patrons complained to the marina, including ourselves, but little was done and they offered no reassurance that this would be remedied. When we received our rental agreement and rental bill for the 2017 season, we didn't respond. We went to the marina to try one more time for some sort of discount. They again refused. They did say that if our neighbors were to return for another season, that they would try to move them elsewhere in the marina, but this was not a guarantee. They added that WE could move to another slip (why should WE have to move away from a good spot, and away from our friends?). We told them "Thanks but no thanks" and left. Since it was late (as far as acquiring a big boat slip goes), we had no luck finding another place/lake to go to. Every other marina was full. So we called Main Channel back and signed on for one more season. They reassured us - finally - that our troublesome neighbors would NOT be next to us this season, rather relocated to the back of the marina with another party barge. This helped us regain some of our lost respect for Main Channel.
Please don't get me wrong, overall, we love the marina, the lake and the Main Channel Marina staff, mechanics and yard staff... Really good, knowledgeable and friendly people. We were disappointed in how the upper management handled our situations, but that isn't a reflection of the people on the floor, the cleanliness of the store, the cleanliness of the marina, bathroom/shower facilities, or other amenities.
Bought all our boats here since I was a kid. recommend renting a slip and just call ahead they put it in for you. gas pumps there. its a one stop shop with really affordable stuff.
We asked the Marina to cover the majority of the cost of the repair. They only gave us a discount on the labor. We felt they had responsibility in it because we were told the boat had been serviced and was ready for the season. If that were so, the oil and plugs would have been checked and changed if necessary. The extremely dirty oil and obvious old plugs indicated that it had not been properly serviced as we were told it was. We lost a month of the season, thus did not use any shore power, Internet, water or bathroom facilities (not to mention the loss of enjoyment). With that, coupled with another issue (mentioned below), we asked for a discount on the following seasons slip rental (about $200). The marina refused our request.
Boat is parked in a slip there, good location but goose poop abounds at times and there are no trash cans.
After this season, we may adjust this review to a 5 star rating.
Main Channel Marina is a US Point Of Interest based in Syracuse, Indiana. Main Channel Marina is located at 720 S Lakeside Dr, Syracuse, IN 46567, USA.
Please contact with Main Channel Marina using information above: Address, Phone number, Fax, Postal code, Website address, E-mail, Facebook. Find Main Channel Marina opening hours and driving directions or map. Find real customer reviews and ratings or write your own review.
Find Point Of Interest in Syracuse