If you're looking for integrity, fair pricing, and expert craftsmanship, Advanced Marine Services is the place to go. As a family-run business, they clearly take immense pride in their work. David leads the shop as a master mechanic, his wife Denise provides friendly and efficient service in the front office, and their son Derek rounds out a top-tier mechanical team. I recently took my Tohatsu outboard in for a check-up. After testing it, David honestly told me it was likely fine to run as,is rather than pushing for unnecessary repairs. I opted for the service anyway because I wanted it done right and value their thoroughness. They stay busy for a reason, they are good. Highly recommended! read more

I had an overheat problem with my Mercruiser 454. After installing new exhaust manifolds, Elbows/risers, thermostat, then circulation and sea water pumps the problem still existed. We were at our wits end and getting discouraged as this was a new engine with less than 100 hours on it. As my wife works in the industry at a business with a similar name, we reached out to see if they could figure out what was causing our issue. Derek was very helpful and courteous as well as thorough with the inspection process. After a couple of days he figured out that water flow was being restricted at the transom due to a clogged inlet that was described simply as "mush". We obtained a new transom and had it installed. Derek called us up and said there was no more steam, the temp was back to normal and the motor was running fine. After picking up the boat, we took it to Elsinore for a test run with no issues. What a relief. For the scope of work performed, the cost was reasonable. That being said, everyone knows what BOAT means! Lol. A big thank you to Derek and the entire staff at Advanced Marine Service! Now we are bound for the river! read more

Opps, I missed a typo. It should say boat, not blood! And it ended up costing me $300 to replace my parts they kept. They tried to get $800 for an oil pan I didn't need changed and then $2400 for new transoms gaskets based on rust stains. On the surface they appeared like a great mom and pop operation with a son and dog. Don't be fooled. read more

great customer service, fair pricing, and quick turnaround. its a relief to find a reliable marine mechanic

I have been taking boats to Advanced Marine for more than 20 years. I have been lucky to find honest trustworthy family.

Have had my boat to advanced marine a few times and they have always done an amazing job. Family owned business that really treats you great. They explained what they were doing, showed the how and why as well as keep you in the loop during the process. David and Derek are fast and honest while also trying to help save you money where they can. They do whatever they can to get you back in the water quickly! I do recommend if you need any work done on your boat! 10/10 read more

This boat repair shop in Costa Mesa is by far an exceptional place to bring your boat for maintenance or repairs. I would recommend them 100%!! The first reason is they find a solution to your problem, and their goal is not to try to charge you on services that you don't need!! The second reason is the appt system they have is by far the best!! meaning that they don't ask you drop off your boat and let it sit for extended period of time, rather they give you a date and when you bring it in they start working on it... in my case was done in a matter of a couple hours... I have had to leave over night because of parts that they need, regardless the next day it was being worked on and they called me to let me know as soon as it was completed. This business is very friendly and is family owned and operated ... they are busy for a reason!! Good service, Very Honest, can't beat that!! Much appreciated Derek !!! read more

My boat has never run so well. We tried getting cheaper parts and finding a mechanic on craigslist , not a good idea. Advanced Marine Service was great. Extremely knowledgeable and professional. I am very happy with the job they did. read more

I took my boat here to get it serviced because it was not getting power. They cleaned out carburetor and it ran ok until the next trip out on the water. We took it back to the shop and they said it needed new engine. I took my boat home and looked at the engine to find out Mickey Mouse work (see pictures). Looks like they shaved the middle cylinder and put a random plastic plate on this air filter. I know this is a family shop and I'm not here trying to discredit their business but just want prospective clients to be aware of what they're getting into if they take their shop here. read more

Advanced Marine Service - Air filter Mickey Mouse work - Boat Repair Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

Yes, these guys are awesome, they are honest their prices are fair and they do great job

Finally found a local boat shop I can trust. Hard to find places that'll work on older boats. They took in my 1993 Four Winns, with the Ford OMC. Getting zero crank and I expected the worst. Diagnosed my bad starter, replaced it, had back on the water the same day. Derrick and David were helpful, responsive, and straight forward. Highly recommend. read more

They are the very best and honest too!! Greg and his team Shellie, Ryan and AJ are the best you will find anywhere!!

I drove over an hour to get here. And was thinking if i had to leave my outboard engine over the weekend here. Nope! that wasn't the case. Lol. I was greeted by Derek. And told him my outboard motor needed the carb cleaned. He asked me if i had time to wait. He did it right there and was Fast and Efficient at his work. Good attitude and knows his knowledge with Marine equipment. Good prices. Will come back again. read more

Advanced Marine Service - Derek, working on my outboard Suzuki, engine. - Boat Repair Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Awesome service, honest quoting, family owned & great people all around. Good office dog too.

Had the 100 hour service performed on 5.0L Mercruiser. Next day turn around. Took the time to go over everything in as much detail as I wanted. Showed me the old parts and asked if I wanted them. Price was slightly lower than originally quoted. read more

Advanced marine has been a life saver for me , in the past year i have dealt with nightmare after nightmare with my boat and different mechanics . My dock neighbor recommended advanced marine and i must say it was the best experience i have had with any repair shop IN MY LIFE . read more

I own a 1985 Cobalt bow rider. I took it to Advanced Marine Service for extensive engine repairs. The repairs were completed to my satisfaction. I would highly recommend them to anyone. I will use them again. Great job! read more

As always, these people are great. Never over sell you (will talk you out of things as not needed). Good quality work. Prices are fair. FAST! A but nomadic, but keep up. Back in Costa Mesa/Newport again, now at the old Warner Marine. read more

For years I have read and heard great things about Advanced Marine through the fishing/boating community. I recently bought a boat that sat for years at the marina and needed a lot of attention to bring it back to life. I went to several local boat shops close to me and rather than work on my current engines, every shop wanted to "sell" me new motors to the tune of $35,000 to $50,000 without even looking at what I had. Even though I live 80 miles away, I called Advanced Marine, told them what I had and they said "no problem, we can take a look at it for you." (Refreshing)... When I showed up with my boat, I fully expected to drop it off and let them look at it when they had a chance, instead David (the owner) said "back it in here." He and his son Derek got right to work as I stood there in amazement. They were fast and very thorough checking this and that. Pretty soon they had both of my motors in the test tank, RUNNING with the laptop hooked up! Both motors fully serviced, running, dyno'd, and computer printouts for the motors for my records. To say that I was ecstatic is almost an understatement! This kind of service is unheard of these days. I want to thank David, Derek, and Denise for their OUTSTANDING SERVICE!! They are a small family run outfit, they are HONEST and truly care about their customers! I recommend them to everyone! read more

Took my small outboard to the guy they Refered. I told him to do a simple impeller change with housing, he decided on his own to just chandler he impeller, now the housing leaking, 6 months later. My biggest complaint is he did something with the pill string, making it rub on something every time it's pulled, shredding it until today it broke. So impeller leaking 5 months later and pull. String broke on a perfectly good motor. Easiest repair to do completely screwed up. read more

Dropped off my boat to David and Denise and had a nice conversation with Denise about their business and she really took the time to make sure she knew what the issue was with my boat. She gave me a fair estimate and the actual cost was within that range. Got a call a few hours later and David explained briefly what the problem and subsequent fix was and helped me understand how to prevent it from happening again. As a boat owner for over 20 years I really appreciate coming across an honest and straightforward business like this. Their new location is kind of tricky to get in and out of but well worth it and I will be back again-- read more

Dave, Denise & Derek are wonderful. Came in with a non-op motor, Dave didn't sugar coat. They researched new motors, drove me to a local shop, tested it right there and I picked up my boat the next day with a new motor. Derek even threw some old seats he had around in while I was pulling out and said "call with any questions you have. the only stupid question is the one you don't ask" Good people here. read more

I bought a 1981 20ft skipjack with a 1992 mercrusier I/O that needed some work that sat for 7 years. I Couldn't find anyone down in Dana Point for at least a month to even look at the boat. I reached out to Advanced Marine and Derek answered the phone and said bring her in well look at her today. I knew it needed some carburetor work. I left the boat there for 2 days and David called me back and said she needs a rebuilt carburetor, a water pump, fuel filter, oil and filter, and a fuel pump, etc I said ok get it done. He called that afternoon and said boats done. I was a bit nervous about all those repairs But I showed up and he said boats good to go. Went over everything with me and Denise handed the bill which was extremely reasonable, I felt very lucky to have found this family run business that was honest and quick. Denise, Derek, amd David thank you so much. Nice to find honest hard working family run business that responded quickly and knew exactly what they were doing. Best marine mechanics around Thanks Again Jim with 1981 20ft flybridge skipjack. read more

I highly recommend this place! They are honest, fair, and extremely knowledgeable. No job too big or small. Always there to answer any questions you may have. Good People!! read more

I've been boating for over 20 years and this has been by far the best boat service I have ever received. They took my boat in on time and had the work requested done extremely fast even though they are busy. These guys know the motors on my boat in and out and even went above and beyond with an issue I had at pickup. I will never take my boat anywhere else for service here on out. read more

What an upsetting experience I've had with this lousy company. Dishonesty and greed best describe their motivations for business. I was quoted $800 by Denise for 100 hr service on my 2003 Sea Ray Sundancer 260 with an additional haul out fee of $150 (but was reduced to $100). Based on their great reviews I went ahead and scheduled for March 20th. I trusted Dave and quickly agreed to everything he suggested and added on. The final invoice was $1675 which is almost twice the original quoted price but even so I was still not bothered because again I trusted. He said it was due to the cost for parts on my particular boat model. Without running by me to see if I would like to replace the serpentine belt or any zinc anodes he just went ahead and did it. I found out from looking at the invoice that he did. My boat has a Mercruiser 350 bravo III. On my invoice it showed Evinrude BRP HPF gear oil was used when he changed out my lower end outdrive oil. I didn't doubt him and believed from these reviews that he Is knowledgeable and professional but was I fooled. I have a mercury stern drive yet he put in evinrude oil in instead. I took my boat out the following weekend and an alarm went off! It was a low gear oil alarm which it needs to be topped off with more oil of the same kind. I double check with him to be sure that he had used HPF gear lube was used and he said yes and recommended me to go to Mauer Marine. I went there to find out they only carried Mercury Quicksilver gear lube oil and they told me I should only use the same type of oil currently in the boat to top off. I had to purchase it on amazon. Today I got it and topped off the gear lube oil reservoir. To my astonishment, I noticed that the legit HPF oil I bought was greener and much lighter than the dark blue oil currently in there. I confronted Dave via text about why the color of the oil he claimed to use for my boat isn't even the right color. Instead of just telling me the truth that he had used a cheaper oil called "quicksilver" he tried to beat around the bush and said the quicksilver lube is the same color as the oil I have right now. Even after basically letting me know he tricked me he offered zero explanation and zero apology. Since I had thought he used hpf pro I had bought hpf pro to top it with but now found out he didn't even used that oil. He said I "Absolutely" could top off with diff oil even though Mauer Marine said not to do that. Now I question all the other work that was performed on my boat. They had charged me for one type of oil and instead switch in a different oil for my boat. This is a very vile dishonest act. I checked the price for HPF oil vs the Mercury quicksilver oils and HPF is more expensive. This taught me a lesson that no matter what the reviews appear to be its best to pay attention to what the person is using and doing to my boat and to never place to much trust on a new company that I haven't yet dealt with. read more

Advanced Marine Service - Parts invoice that was received - Boat Repair Near Me - Costa Mesa, California

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Like many during covid, I bought a used boat. I had heard this place was good, but I had trouble getting an appointment so I went to 3 other places first and my experience at all three was either terrible or not acceptable. I needed everything, new fuel tank, water pump, carburetor rebuilt, new lower drive unit. The family is just amazing. But the thing that impressed me was that you could talk to them and they were so helpful. At the other three shops I showed the owners documents that described how to get the fuel tank out without taking out the engine. No one else wanted to hear it. These people took the time to listen and figure it out. Which saved them and me days of cost/effort. Everything thing they did they were very reasonable compared to crazy estimates from others. To be this good during covid when everyone is beyond busy and has no time is truly incredible. Recently I had my son with me and we were headed out on the water, and the engine wouldn't start so at the last minute I called and asked if I could stop by. In 5 min they figured out my kill switch corroded and fixed. I can't say enough about the kind of people they are. I don't care how inconvenient or how much I have to wait for my next appointment the experience I had, others need to have. Don't settle for those other places that won't work with you. read more

my boat was starting up fine until i took it here to fix my fuel issue they said they removed all the wires and cleaned it i noticed one of my batteries was fried it wasnt before now it wont even start what a bunch of crooks. i will be seeking to sue them dont trust them and dont take your boat here they are very rude and unprofessional and unpleasant to deal with read more

Very helpful and polite. I took my Johnson Evinrude outboard here and they were excited to work on it and it turned out great

I am the owner of a 2001 Crestliner. The boat was donated to the Knights of Columbus however the engine was seized. I brought the boat to Advance Marine and they rebuilt it. An excellent job! They took care of me in a timely manner and did a wonderful job. Advance marine is definitely a place for me. Very honest people. I Always recommend them to my friends. Thank you. PGK KOfC. Jamesdean Council 4581 read more

Great shop, the best in oc. They know marine engines.

I think they are out of business. I have tried to contact them several times, and got a recording, with no return call.

As much as I hate to leave them a bad review...I must. We took our bass boat to them for an outboard motor repair (the motor was having acceleration issues). We drove a long distance to use them because of the good reviews. After a good deal of money for the "repair" we took the boat out to the lake a couple weeks later. It still runs crappy...just like before. I called them TWICE during normal business hours...but I had to leave a message both times. I explained (briefly) the issue. They never called me back. read more

Simple and straightforward, family owned and operated shop, knowledgeable HONEST, and ethical, won't beat around the bush kinda shop. I'd recommend this outboard mechanic to my friends and family! Thanks. read more

To be honest I have never had worse customer service in my entire life. Save your self the torture even if it means you have to drive two hours to a different dealer read more

David, Denise and Derek do a great job at a reasonable price! I appreciate what they do to keep my boat running. I will keep coming back.

Outstanding customer service on the phone, we have not set a date to see the boat however he's moving to I hope to get that done before the summer read more

David and Derek are the best boat mechanics I have ever dealt with. Let me tell you why, I bought my 2011 brand new Rinker and the service department at the dealership couldn't figure out the needed service for my Volvo Penta. The job is done wright in the first time,and I was never overcharged. I truly recommend David and Derek for all of your Boating services. read more

I was working on my outboard and needed help removing a stuck powerhead. After endless tries I gave up and came by the shop. David and his team didn't hesitate to help and did me a huge favor without even charging. It felt like going to a good friend who can help out. Definitely will return and recommend friends here. Good people! read more

I took my boat there after waiting a couple months for an appointment. Upon arrival I was greeted rudely by the younger guy there. He speaks down to people and has a bad attitude. I saw him that another customer rudely as well. The only reason he has a job there is because he's family. Anyway I brought my boat in because one engine wouldn't start and the other had an alarm sounding. I got the boat back and one of the engines still wouldn't run. I diagnosed the no spark condition myself and found a very obvious broken wire and that was the problem on that engine. Then I was able to take the boat out and the alarm started sounding on the other engine just as it did before I brought it in for repairs. When I told them what it was doing they described all kinds of situations that could cause the condition. I found out that only 2 conditions would cause a steady alarm on my engines... an overheat condition or a fuel restriction/high vacuum. I changed the fuel filters and now it's perfect. They also said they adjusted the timing which I believe they did because they broke a plastic piece that adjusts the timing which I will need to repair as well. I learned an expensive over 1000 dollar lesson to get nothing done on my boat that I would consider of any value. read more