Finding a boat mechanic, like any other mechanic is very difficult to do. I've been to multiple different mechanics, either to a shop or an mobile service. American Star Marine has been the first and only shop to be straight forward with me regarding my Merc. The services that I have received have always been top notch. Turnaround time is extremely fast for a shop this size. I drive from San Jose to have my boat serviced and worked on because I know Jacques will take great care of my motor. Highly recommend. If you want an honest person to work on your boat, go to American Star Marine. read more

After years of non-use of my vintage Merc V6 outboard, I did some basic fuel tank and carb cleaning, new filters, etc. but had trouble getting the boat to run right, start reliably, idle properly, etc. So I brought the boat to Jacques at American Star and he suggested a carb sync, plugs, throttle and timing set-up, and he got the boat in quickly and did the work faster and at much lower cost than expected. On start-up at home, I thought it needed add'l adjustment when cold and he suggested to meet the next morning at the dock, where he made a few adjustments. The boat is starting and running better than it has in years. I was able to get service quickly, on a stubborn problem I've dealt and couldn't fix myself which is now corrected, at a very reasonable price. I'm a happy customer and I can say he really knows his stuff and I'll follow his advice on running the boat, prop pitch/type and even fuel additives. read more

American Star Marine - Not many people can work on these vintage motors but Jacques seemed to know it inside and out - Boat Repair Near Me - San Mateo, California

Just sold my 33 year old boat after many years of great family times. Jacques always made sure the boat was tip-top before we'd head to a trip with it. I hear so many stories of boat owners with disappointing breakdowns. We just had none. Was sorry to sell it after so many years, but we just weren't using it enough. Jacques found a buyer and handled everything. Hope the new owners have as many great memories as we have had. Thanks for everything, Jacques! My time as a boat owner was nothing but happy with you as our boat care guy. read more

This guy charge me $2000 plus to replace the carburetor on my boat, I took the boat to the lake and still wasn't working right. I took it to another mechanic in Belmont ca and they told me this guy had only spray the carburetor with black paint to make it look like the had replaced it. I ok don't have the time or money to sue but if I could I would. read more

Owning a boat can be stressful, with all of the maintenance that is required to ensure a great time on the water. When I bought a 2008 Glastron GT 185, I wanted to prevent unexpected or unknown problems and mechanical issues that would cost big dollars $$$ than I anticipated. American Star Marine has made the boat owning experience stress free. The team is knowledgeable, helpful, and willing to explain work being performed. I feel at ease knowing that they have the skills necessary to keep my boat running well every year. Thanks Jack and team! read more

American Star Marine - Boat Repair Near Me - San Mateo, California

If you know what you want done and are willing to pay to have it done right this is your place

WARNING DO NOT TAKE YOUR BOAT HERE..If you want your boat Micky Moused and half fast done i advise you take it elsewhere. I had my boat repaired here and was a total nightmare. The owner Jacques is did a terrible job on my boat. i caught him half fasting his work , some gaskets wernnt changed that were supposed to be, wrong torquing on nuts and bolts and chipped the paint pretty bad and didnt even have the couretsy to tell me about it or at least touch it up and all he did was give me excuse after excuse.. After multiple arguements with this guy i finally got my money back. Take your boat elsewhere. read more

Hi....I'm glad I got my money back. ..hear is the Short story: 1 sunny day I brought my 6 horse outbord for regular maintenance. Avter 3 times delay (2 weak) I've been told that the motor is ready. ...i paid 200 and went to my marina (koyote point) already suspicious I check all the points for service. ..none was done. .. even the spark plug was the old one (i have years of mechanical practice) I'm going to do the service by myself Do not go ti this people. ..do not waist your time Wish well. read more

What ever you do don't go to this guy unless you wan't a broken boat! This guy put new motor in my boat and put fuel instead of zinc in my oil! I paid him over 3 grand to mess up my electronic guage's and now i will have to spend a ton more money to fix the things he likes to break on boat's!!! He is a garbage person so take it from me and wait for another marine mechanic to fix your boat right! Don't believe other reviews he does know alot about boat's, but he is overprice and will duck your calls on caller ID! He does not care about you or your boat. read more

Clearly the other review was from a jealous competitor. American Star Marine is a busy boat repar shop that has been in business on Amphlett Street in San Mateo for 14 years. It is a great customer service oriented shop that specializes in mechanical, electrical and fiberglass boat repairs. They work on boats of all sizes and will even do mobile work at your dock if you need them to. Do not hesitate to call Jacques the owner to make an appointment to come in for an estimate. Super friendly, their work is stellar and their prices are fair. read more

4 years later, American Star has come through again as we are selling our boat....only wish we knew about them sooner!

Horrible service. Not only was his work overpriced but I had to have another mechanic come work on my boat since American Star Marine only worsened the problem. The new mechanic informed me that the coolant tank/pipes were put in backwards by American Star which obviously played a huge part in worsening the issue. I'm not sure how you can be a "professional" and put a whole cooling system in backwards. Unreliable, highly recommended going elsewhere. read more

****IF YOU ARE THINKING OF BRINGING YOUR BOAT HERE, READ THIS FIRST, MY REVIEW IS A LITTLE LONG FOR A REASON**** I took my boat in to have my old outboard motor swapped with a newer used E-TEC outboard motor, which I purchased from a different party. Part of this would entail Jacque selling my old motor and a small percentage going to him for selling it (I'll return to this). Part of the work was to install a hydraulic steering kit which the price of kit was marked up almost 200%. Hydraulic fluid was spilled all over the controls, melting/damaging any rubber or plastic it came in contact with. Jacque had boasted about how good the motor would run after he would replace the spark plugs, water pump, etc... He also said he was certified to work on E-TEC motors and that he had EVINRUDE E-TEC software to program/update the EMM software. I was charged 180$ for programming, but no programming was actually done (have a printout to prove this). As soon as almost $3,000 was charged to my credit card, he immediately parked the boat in the street unattended, and told me to hurry up and pick it up. Upon arrival I found my new prop nut had no cotter pin or keeper washer (which I provided brand new) and nut was loose. Good thing I caught this as I would have lost a brand new prop seconds into running in the water. When I put the boat in the water at the marina where I keep it, the motor wouldn't idle and sounded like It was about to blow up. The motor ran flawlessly in a test tank before I purchased the motor and before I brought it to American star marine. Jacque was aware of how poorly it was running when he handed the boat over, and said I needed to idle the motor for 6+ hours to clear problem??? I was basically charged 3k and handed a boat over running worse than when I brought it in... Come to find he replaced the spark plugs with the wrong plugs, on top of that they were USED plugs! I replaced them with the correct spark plugs and motor ran just fine. This is when I lost all faith in this guy and started to really question his work. I pulled down the lower unit a few weeks ago to find he DIDN'T replace the water pump, which I was charged a 200% mark up on a part that wasn't replaced!!! This is a huge issue, as this could lead to catastrophic motor failure if I didn't catch this!!! I was not given a receipt upon receiving the boat back, had to make multiple trips and requests for a receipt. I was finally given a illegible receipt months after work. Next, was Jacque selling my old motor. Jacque listed the older motor on Craigslist for $1500. A week and a half later, add is removed from Craigslist. Jacque makes no attempt to contact me. I finally get a hold of him and he makes up some story that the motor wouldn't sell, and he had donated the motor to the "boy scouts". He previously stated, he'd get my approval for what I would sell the motor for, but he did NOT get my approval for supposedly donating the motor. He then goes on to say he'll give me $300 for the donation, as that is what the "boy scouts" gave him for the old motor... His story was and still is full of holes, I have repeatedly requested for proof of the donation because I know for a certain he was lying. I have caught him in multiple lies already, and I know for a fact he sold the motor for $1500. He still hasn't provided the proof of this PHONY donation. I really wanted to like Jacque, I really wanted him to do a good job, especially for the money I paid, but he's a hack, liar, and a thief. The work he actually did do was horrible, left the boat dirty, damaged, and was incomplete. I was handed over a boat and motor running worse than when I brought it in. No pride or craftsmanship here, Jacque has proven to cut every corner while charging top dollar. I'm writing this review as a WARNING for those thinking of using this place. Avoid this CRIMINAL at all cost, as any other shop is better than this place. Jacque talks the talk and sells himself as a great mechanic, but nothing could be further from the truth. NOTE: I've owned and still own multiple boats. I mostly work on my own stuff, I don't have a fork lift to swap my motor out or else I would have done it myself. Seems all the good reviews on here are people who are not experienced with boat motors or had a very simple fix. I'm also not the first to say I was charged for work that was not done. read more

FANTASTIC RESULTS - Great mechanic. Finding a great mechanic, who cares about his work is a great feeling. For some reason the odds of finding that mechanic - who works on boats - is even harder. Well, look no further because Jacques is a real professional, who cares a great deal about his work. He communicates well every step of the way (so no surprises). He explains the tradeoffs and charges you for what he actually does...not what he 'inspected' as many other mechanics will do. He dialed out our Mercury Optimax 225 outboard and now I can venture outside the Golden Gate without being terrified. It purrrs. Take your boat to Jacques and you will be happy you did. -Dan B read more

American Star Marine has been taken care of me for last 5 years. I owned a 96 Ranger Bass boat and being a tournament angler I had to have confidence in the boat I am running. American Star Marine maintained it and it never let me down. At one point I blew a lower unit and had a tournament in a few days, they got me a new lower unit and back on water within 48 hours! Looking to upgrade to a newer and bigger boat I sold my Ranger and found a 2009 Legend. I would not buy any boat without American Star Marine inspecting it, and they did! I was able to know exactly what I am getting! Lastly we all have times when we need a service or a part right now, today, and we need to be on the water tomorrow. I can't tell you how many times they accommodated me with the same day service. I honestly can't thank enough for my experience with American Star Marine! read more

American Star Marine - 2009 Legend Alpha 199 - Boat Repair Near Me - San Mateo, California

See all

Second time I've been to this shop. First time was for a simple oil and impeller change. In and out in one day, simple and cheaper then my old shop. This time, it was because my Indmar quick oil change hose cracked and needed to be changed. Not an easy fix cause it's an inboard, the motor needed to be pulled to get to the bottom of the oil pan. I would think that the boat manufacturer would leave enough clearance, but Supra did not. Needless to say, I was in and out in one day...and this was right before a major 3-day weekend! Jacque knows his stuff and makes my old boat shop look bad. read more

I "do not" recommend American Star Marine, not at all. Customer service is non-existent, highly over priced, does not pay attention to detail, and simply speaking the shop does sub-par work, will never return a phone call, excepts advance payment but will not deliver as promised. Four months later I am still waiting to receive a proper fitting custom fuel tank for my bass boat. AVOID MY HEADACHE AND STAY AWAY from American Star Marine. read more

Just to be clear, I am not a jealous competitor and my motivation in posting this is to make sure that others don't get misled and don't get the same bad advice that I was given. I am just a guy who brought my older tournament ski boat to AmStar for floor, stringer and other repair work. AmStar indicted to me that they would be doing the work. When I took my boat to another shop for a second opinion and quote it turned out that AmStar had already been in contact with the second shop and was planning to job-out on my boat. This was misleading, as AmStar had indicated to me that the work would be done by AmStar (they specifically stated that my boat would be taken to a 'barn in Redwood City' where the fiberglass work would be done). In addition to being misled on who would be doing the work, AmStar was suggesting a band-aid repair job when it was obvious to me (and the second shop I consulted) that a full overhaul was needed. I went with the second shop and got a top quality job. Learn from my mistake. Don't waste your time or money here. The Website is initially impressive on first read. The shop is actually fairly small and was a mess. And don't be fooled by the positive review here on Yelp. Given the marketing tone of the review, I suspect it was written by or on behalf of AmStar. read more

Let me start by saying this, they answer the phone! I am a new owner of a used boat and of course ran into some unexpected repair needs almost immediately after my purchase. Jacques was able to squeeze me in on the same day I called. After I dropped my boat and returned to San Jose, he kept me informed of the repairs needed by texting me pictures, and explaining the work that should be done. Price was definitely fair. He even gave my trailer a once over to ensure the rig was in good shape. When I took the boat out the following weekend, it ran fantastic and I've been able to enjoy the weekends at the lake. I would have been waiting two weeks for an appointment everywhere else. I'll be making the drive from San Jose for my boat service needs. Thanks Jacques for the great service! read more

Jacques is the man. I was referred to him by a friend. My boat needed a new throttle controller, new prop, new steering system, motor keel needed to be repaired from hitting a rock and the engine needed to be serviced. This was quite a lot of work and three days later Jacques picked me up at the train station and dropped my boat off in the water at Coyote point and I was off! On everything, buying quality parts, creative engineering, attention to detail, pricing and customer service, Jacques was on point 110%. I cannot recommend him highly enough. On top of that he acid washed my boat at no charge! I have been boating for over 20 years and this was simply the best all around quality engineering and customer service that I have experienced. - Andrew Paulsen - Gas House Cove SF - 19' SeaPro Center Counsel w/ Honda 130 read more

This reports on the 1st time I just did business with American Star. Jacques recently did some work on my vintage V6 Merc outboard and this experience exceeded all expectations for service so I wanted to describe. First, the job was done on exactly the day and time he estimated, which was a single day (what boat service have you ever completed in a single day?). Second, he encountered difficulties with the motor/gear case (as older motors sometimes have more issues than planned), but still they completed the diagnosis, we discussed and they made the additional repairs and still completed it that day. While the motor needed more work and parts than initially planned, the price was very fair. After using the boat yesterday, everything works perfectly and after he completed some additional minor tuning/timing he suggested (it's clear the owner Jacques knows these Merc V6's well) the boat ran better than ever. I was very pleased with American Star and highly recommend. Jeff read more

Been using AmStar Marine since I bought my Cobalt back in 2005. I wouldn't trust anyone else to perform repairs and my boat. Jacque understands who I am and how I like things done (i.e. Anal beyond belief) and he is always been up to the task. read more

THE BEST: Professional, ethical, FAST and follows through... I coach the women's rowing team at Stanford and American Star services our fleet of motorboats as well as the Sailing team's. Jacques keeps our fleet afloat and our practices running on schedule. We train out of the Port of Redwood City where there are many issues with silt. Prior to Jacques we had constant issues with clogged intakes and other corrosion. He singlehandedly resurrected each and every boat in our fleet. We now have him service all of the boats twice a year, and the boats that have been serviced exclusively by him have never had any problems. His preventative maintanence is thorough, and he always discusses all work with you prior to actually doing it. read more

Jacques at American Star just sold our boat. . He ran the advertising, showed the boat and handled all the paperwork. He was wonderful from start to finish. Although he had several interested buyers he took his time got us a great price A real pro!Completely painless for us. In three weeks....done. Wow.... I would highly reccomend him to anyone! read more

I found out my electric boat batteries were dead and needed new ones for the next day, I had company arriving.. I called Jacques, he arrived within 2 hours with all 8 batteries. Super friendly and professional. I highly recommend him. I will continue to use him for all my repair and maintenance. read more

Awesome service. Got me up and running in no time. Did warranty work on my Mercury. Great work. I will be back !!!

Jaques has worked on my boat for several years. He and his team always go the extra mile to provide great service. Recently he came out to my house on the lagoon 3 times (in 2 days) to diagnose and solve a pesky problem (with my idle) that's plagued my boat for the last year or so. Jaques provides fast, reliable, and friendly service. I highly recommend American Star read more

We just bought a boat off of Craigslist and knew it needed repair. We were told by another boat mechanic that we would have to wait a few months to get our Suzuki motor repaired, and, by the way, that no one in our area works on Suzuki motors - the closest one was 40 miles away. We found this hard to believe so we then searched online and found American Star Marine. Early the next morning I called and Jacques answered. I explained the situation, asked if he works on Suzuki and when could we bring it in. Turns out he could get is in that day, but our towing vehicle was at a mechanic so I couldn't get it to the shop. This was particularly too bad since we were hoping to take our young boys fishing for Father's Day. Jacques understood our situation and did everything he could to make this as easy as possible for us. At 8pm that evening he drove to our home to tow the boat back to the shop. He had it fixed well in time for Father's Day, and the repairs were reasonably priced. We took it out today and it worked beautifully! Thanks Jacques for understanding our situation, going out of your way, and making this a great Father's Day! Huge recommend!! read more

I have used American Star Marine to work on my electric boats almost exclusively for nearly a year now. I have found the owner and chief mechanic, Jacques, to be above reproach. He is an excellent diagnostician, fair, very competitive price-wise, personable and provides excellent customer service. I have had several "emergencies" where repairs were needed asap and he has responded accordingly and billed me fairly. I almost didn't hire him initially because of the 2 reviews shown on Yelp, 1 was an unfavorable 1 star. I didn't know at the time that there were "filtered" reviews that were not being shown. When I finally figured that out, I found that of the 20 reviews that were not being shown, 18 of them were 5 stars! What's up with that, Yelp? read more

I brought my boat here this week to have my Alpha One stern drive serviced. I had not had it serviced in quite some time. To say that Jacques is an expert is an understatement. He had it taken apart and called me within an hour to come over to see a few problems. I was not surprised considering how long it had been since my last service. He did an excellent job showing and explaining to me some issues and exactly what he needed to do to fix them. I think he is honest and fair. I will definitely be bringing my boat back here for future maintenance. read more

So, this is the first YELP Rating I have given and felt I needed to comment on this business as I cant see anyone having a negative experience with them unless they are a competitor. I recently was recommended this Marine Shop to work on my 26 foot Sea Ray which i recently overheated over the 4th of July. Talk about Service....I just wish I had started coming here over 10 years ago! The boat never ran so well and I feel comfortable taking my 5 and 8 year old boys out in the bay without breaking down. Jacque, the owner, not only fixed my overheating issue, but made other recommendations that were NEEDED and not the typical recommendations that other shops recommend to create work. Jacque KNOWS his stuff....I look forward to having him work on all of our vehicles and boats in the future. read more

He did a great job. He serviced my 30 year old boat and has it running like it's new again. I recommend American Star to everyone looking for a great and honest boat repair shop. It was a great experience read more

At the beginning of the season we brought our boat to Jacque for a once over to make sure we were ready for the water. He took the time to look at every little detail. He found a few things that I would have never realized or checked. His attention to detail prevented what could have been a very miserable summer. I will DEFINITELY be taking my boat back since I was so happy with my experience. He is a great guy that has been in this business for a long time and has the resources to get the job done! I'll be dropping of my boat to get winterized next week. Keep up the good work guys, big fan. read more

Nice shop: Had an old outboard motor repaired here. They finished on time and at the original cost quoted. Motor runs great.

Had an absolutely horrible experience with Jaque and American Star Marine. Brought in my 15 HP mercury which was running rough, he said it was a carb issue and that it would be done in a week. A week went by without contact and I couldn't get ahold of them until I drove down in person. Jaque said it would be a few more days, that was six weeks ago and my outboard still isn't finished. I would avoid this place at all costs. read more

great personal service, Jacques came over to my dock to look at the problem, and had a major repair completed in less than 24 hrs because i needed the boat back right away. everything is working well and i highly recommend American Star read more

Cant say enough about American Star Marine. I have a classic Chris Craft that needed a new motor. No one would touch it....including Belmont Boat works. Jacques told us to bring it down. We had done our research previous to leaving it with him. After a few days we met with him, he gave us many alternatives to purchasing our new motor, from a Chris Craft guru to crate motor. The guy knows his stuff. Boat runs like a dream! We took it out for a break in ride, and no oil pressure. Immediately called him, from the lake on a Saturday, and he answered. Absolute operator error, as we were just idling as soon as we came up in RPMS oil pressure was great! Jacques has even delivered oil to the house. We have been all the way to Sacramento to get someone to work on our boat....not any more. American Star is our go to for all of our boating needs. Trailer work is next, and then SEADOO repair. read more

cant get any more honest and reliable. takes calls on weekends, busts his butt to get it right.