I was a new customer for the 2019 season and after years of trailering from my home to public…read moreramps, I love the convenience of Essex Marina's valet service. The service makes boating hassle-free joy, and keeps my hull and motor out of the water when they are not being used in the summer and safe/dry in the winter. And the Essex River is a great point of departure for Crane and Wingaersheek Beaches, Plum Island and all the attractive shores of Ipswich Bay. This off-season the shop installed a new outboard and helped me sell the old one. While I have read the earlier reviews and sympathize with the challenge of change, I have had nothing but clear and helpful interactions with owner Curt and his capable mechanics, Dave and Austin.

The new owners are fools, they may have made money elsewhere in a far off place but with no eye for…read morecustomer care, service or insight. I used to get my boat serviced there, but Tim the mechanic left because of the new owners inability to comprehend basic concepts of a small town marina. I understand that running a marina must be tough, but I own a business and deal with the public all the time, they set the precedent for my business, not me. This man feels he can set a new benchmark for the business, he can't, it was branded years ago by Lufkin, now he expects customers to change? His wife is a fruit loop, she called me looking for proof I paid my bill, she had no record except that the slip she had was marked paid? I said yeah I paid cash, ask Tim, oh Tim is gone he left, oh no surprise, she starts crying saying she is the new owner and is expecting a baby and how everyone is so rotten to her and her husband.... Get a clue lady, you guys are not wanted....

WHAT, I can only assign five stars - not enough?! (LOL, I hadn't seen the other review echoing…read morethat when I wrote this...) Knowledgeable, honest and responsive beyond reason, we felt like VIP customers from the first and the service hasn't wavered. (Our first experience with Portside was when we wrapped props around an unmarked mooring on our way in to Portside Marine - Peter not only "rescued" us but they reconditioned the prop in record time despite heading into the 4th of July weekend - KUDOS well beyond expectation.) Our dock neighbors at our marina all raved about Portside Marine despite that the marina offers similar services. The raves set an expectation that was really high - our experience(s) have consistently exceeded that expectation. Can I buy more stars? :)

I've worked in the marine business for close to 40 years and go into shops up and down the entire…read morecoast. Portside is professional, skilled, honest, friendly and fair. They are head and shoulders above most other shops. They are a credit to the business and are well liked in the repair community.

cool place beautiful…read morenice people, professionals willing to help organized, breezy what's not to love

Wow! Truly amazing sales experience with Brian, buying a Scout 175. Friendly, attentive,…read moreknowledgeable, and willing to "go the extra mile" to make sure we were happy with our purchase. I look forward to getting our new boat serviced with a facility that is spot-on clean, spacious, and professional. I really can't recommend this marina any higher...if I could, I would! If you're in the market for a new boat, Scout is definitely worth the time to check out. We couldn't be more pleased.

(Review of the marina's houseboat rentals, not the marina or boat repair service.) For houseboat…read morerentals, Boston Bay Marina turned out to be an awesome alternative to a hotel. We rented 2 of their houseboats, Andromeda and Lyra, for a college graduation weekend. (There's also at least one much bigger houseboat and others of similar size.) Each sleeps six: two in a stateroom, two in the loft over the stateroom ceiling (uh, deck I think it's called), two on a pull-out sofa. Two decks outside, upper and lower, with a great view of Boston's working harbor (Chelsea River, Mystic River Bridge). The staff was friendly and fixed a couple minor issues quickly (BBQ grill wouldn't light initially). Our houseboats had one bathroom (toilet, sink, shower) but there are also marina showers for transient boaters who also use the marina. There's electric heat and a pair of air conditioners, TV, iPod dock/speakers, and a refrigerator-sink-electric stove galley (kitchen). East Boston is a rapidly gentrifying part of Boston with condo and townhouse construction coming. You can get to Boston by walking a block, taking the bus 10 minutes to the T (subway) station, and then it's quickly into Boston. The rental includes free water taxi shuttle into Boston a couple times a day plus you can reserve a time slot in advance. The marina also rents pier space to boat owners, transient boats,and has a couple long-term tenants, all giving it a nice charming flavor. You'd expect to hear "Margaritaville" break out at any moment. Our review rating is 4.5 stars rounded up. The boats are clean and work well but you see a couple signs of wear, as you'd expect of boats not maintained by dot-com millionaires. You'll hear some road noise from the McArdle bridge grating. Wifi is free but would benefit from one more repeater. Some renters may (may not will) wish they were renting on fancier Rowe's Wharf but it's likely you'd be paying twice as much. The marina is behind an auto body shop but a) this is the cleanest auto body shop you'll ever see (no wrecks in sight) and b) that also means secure, free parking. Here can you get up early on a Sunday morning to see a glass-smooth harbor and two tugs threading a giant ocean-going ship through Boston Harbor. That was an awesome way to have the day's first cup of coffee. Basically, you're getting a hotel harborside suite with kitchen for half the price of the bricks-and-mortar kind of hotel. Great bang for the buck.

I've purchased a trailer and a 9.9hp Yamaha from Baert. Each occasion has been exceptional. The…read moresales guys are boaters themselves and extremely knowledgeable. The customer service I received was beyond expectations in every way....polite, friendly, and competent. I've dealt with a LOT of marine stores over the years. Most have disgruntled shitheads working there that give you their hard looks when you go in. Not this place. It's awesome.

Totally satisfied with every aspect of buying and taking care of my Grady White boat from Baert…read more Bought used boat and got a very competitive price; training and followup support great, and now years later when I need parts no matter how small they are still doing everything possible to make my experience tops. Just replaced a few switch covers and Brant in parts went so far as contacting GW to see if any old switch covers available, got them, and now I am able to replace covers so my boat again looks like new.

These guys are amazing. I dropped my lower end off to have repairs made and the turnaround time was…read morefantastic. I'd give them six stars if I could !

Some say that there is no such thing as a bad day on a boat. I agree with that. Despite credit card…read morecaptains, mayhem at the ramp, and sudden changes to our New England weather, I enjoy my time on the water. Nonetheless, things happen that challenge the above notion. Recently, a rock jumped out of nowhere and seriously damaged my lower unit. Like every consumer, I wanted the repair done competently at a fair price and right away. J&W has been servicing my boat for the past three years: oil changes, winterization, etc. This visit to their shop was different. The family trip to Maine was approaching, and I was stressed. J&W Marine exceeded my expectations by every measure. Thank you, Jay, Walter, and all the J&W crew for taking care of my boat; I appreciate that you are there for me. Boaters have choices about where to have routine and emergency work done; I go to J&W, and I encourage you to do the same. Kevin

I wish I would have done a before picture. I came to get a quick wash and detail. It's about $50,…read morebut my car was filthy after a 20 hour trip here from Florida and the snow we had last week that was up to the door handles so we agreed on $60 which I felt was fair. The set up was a little confusing to me as a newbie, but the car wash entrance is around the back to the left when you pull in. Everyone was very nice and my car looks freaking great. They only accept cash tips so I will have to take extra cash next time I go. I felt terrible, but I've grown so accustomed to tipping using Venmo and CashApp - that's definitely on me. I will absolutely be back. My car hasn't looked this good in ages and I felt bad sitting back in my car because it looked so nice. Great to get in and see salt and pine needles everywhere.

Disappointed with how the damage to my vehicle was handled. Basically being told it wasn't caused…read moreby them. They were dismissive and not concerned about losing a loyal customer.

We have been taking our aging vehicles to Kal for many years. Kal formally ran the shop at Dracut…read moreShell moving to this new location in 2013. Kal is a great communicator, explaining every step of the repair and taking the time to describe what is necessary and what is not. He has easily saved us hundreds of dollars in repairs by fixing only what was necessary and, just as important, proactively fixing the small things before they became big things. The shop and waiting areas are immaculate (including the bathrooms!) and WiFi is provided. I recently bought a used car from Kal -- what a great experience! We talked about what I needed (and wanted) and he found me the perfect vehicle. I could not be more pleased. I have the utmost respect and complete trust in Kal.

Service and price were fantastic. my only complaint is that my car reeked of smoke when I picked it…read moreup.