What great service from the 1st phone call to the last one. Thought I would have to drive in on one engine to get boat repaired. These guys did it right in the harbor, saving me quite a penny! Highly recommend from this Marine! SEMPER FI!!! read more

Skyway Yacht Works - Leaking dripless shaft seal. - Boating Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Absolute top notch service. They know their stuff. Highly recommend. Everyone is responsive, friendly, knowledgeable and they put the customer first. read more

Had me up and running within a few days notice while everyone else is weeks out in the middle of the season. Didn't even have to bring the boat to them - they came to the Marina. Boat runs like a top now. Very happy with the service and communication. read more

Steve is great. Goes beyond to satisfy as well as recommend the best for the customer. Because of impending weather Steve accelerated our launch allowing us to get safely into our harbor before the weather changed. Highly recommend Skyway. read more

If you just store there and do your own work, maybe you'll like Skyway. If you want your boat in one piece, properly repaired, safely, by all means, please go somewhere else. Skyway was to rebuild my engine and I'm not sure they did anymore than take it out of my boat, paint it and put it back in, not once, but twice. Due to faulty workmanship, my boat almost caught fire on more than one occasion due to leaking oil from multiple locations, cable melted since it was run over the exhaust line as well as excessive water leaking around the stuffing box and shaft, two years running. I repeatedly asked for a breakdown of everything done to the engine and the name of the repair shop it was sent to....nothing, ever. After dozens of attempts over a 2 year period, to address the ongoing issues caused by Skyway, finally went somewhere else after I was told to take my boat somewhere else by Steve when I asked who's job it was to put oil in the engine after the second rebuild just after I got out onto the lake and a bit of smoking was occurring in the dog house, I had seven souls on board, including two children, all this after leaving Skyway just 90 minutes earlier. I had the engine pulled, yet a third time, by a reputable yard, sent to a very reputable facility for a proper rebuild. I received an estimate, a complete listing of the findings as well as color photos of the complete tear down and rebuild. Findings indicated that this engine was not rebuilt in anyway in the past several years which confirmed my suspicions all along about Skyway. The new diesel repair facility indicated that a major internal portion of the engine was on the brink of a catastrophic failure. They were amazed that the engine was still running. If the engine was just rebuilt previously by Skyway, how in the world could that even be possible? After further investigation, when reinstalling the properly repaired engine, yet another discovery that Skyway's version of a rebuilt stuffing box, which they reconstructed without my knowledge or consent, the rubber barely had anything to cinch onto as the fiberglass work was all wrong and had excessive fiberglass spills around the thru-hull space which also prevented the proper alignment, an alignment which is critical with my V-drive. After the first rebuild, Skyway admitted that they didn't align the engine which caused a catastrophic failure of my V-drive for which they had to reimburse me the costs to overnight and install the new V-drive while I was stranded in northern Michigan returning from the Mac Race. I didn't have reverse for 90% of the two seasons that my boat was under the care of Skyway. My exhaust was spewing diesel for two whole summers even after their supposed rebuild, twice. Skyway tried multiple adjustments, each time telling me that 'it's fine now'. After taking Steve's advice and going to another boat yard as he was now refusing to work on fixing what he F*$& up, he then refused to release my cradle and began sending me invoices for all of the additional work he attempted to perform to correct his own faulty workmanship. At this point, I began researching reviews about Skyway and stumbled upon an article about a lawsuit settlement of which Skyway was also found at fault for a similar, faulty repairs around a shaft, that unfortunately did prove to be catastrophic as the boat sank and three people drowned. A settlement was reached to the tune of $27.9M. I just wanted my engine fixed and now wish I had done my own research prior to arriving at Skyway. After months of neglect from Skyway this past fall/winter, my attorney finally reached an agreement with Skyway and a settlement was reached. My one and only primary contact at Skyway was always Steve Kindra. If you think this can't happen to you, think again. This is about integrity, doing the right thing, which Skyway never did. Do your own research, it's all out there besides here. All I ever did to Skyway was pay my bill...until now. I won't be silent when lives are at stake. read more

I've owned a boat for over 20 years and I can't believe it too me so long to find Skyway! Steve and his team treat you like family and go out of their way to provide first class service. Their storage prices are fair and all repairs have an accurate estimate and are done timely and professionally. read more

Best boatyard ever. I've had my boat here for probably 10 years. They always treat me right and their prices are reasonable. Besides basic storage I've had them do engine work, woodwork and various repairs over the years. Sometimes the work wasn't exactly right the first time, but they eventually got the job done. read more

I have had a few interactions with Skyway and I have to say not one was an enjoyable experience. This last one and it will be the last was a quote on bottom paint that was changed when I didn't buy a boat from them, other yards quoted a price that was $50 less than what Skyway charged. Thing is I was still interested in the boat but was waiting for them to get a part in for the engine, now I;m back looking for a boat. read more

I paid in full for heated storage, dropped off the boat, and then was informed they probably wouldn't have space but would try. 10 days after dropoff I followed-up and was told there was no way they could fit it in heated storage and it would need to go outdoor. They worked up a price quote for outdoor storage which was only slightly less than indoor heated storage. Feeling that this was a bait and switch type of arrangement I checked with other yards - most of them quote half of what they charge for outdoor storage. Now I am trapped paying an extremely high haul out and launch fee to get the boat somewhere that charges the usual rate for storage - and they don't seem to see this as a customer service problem at all. I would NOT recommend this facility after my experience. read more

Excellent yard, they work hard to make sure the customer is happy and genuinely care about their quality. I have been here 6 years and store a very large sailing catamaran here. They are putting in improvements to the yard continually. Their fiberglass guy is very skilled. They do rigging, full engine work, fiberglass, woodwork, etc. For the price difference, I can't see paying Crowley's $700 more per winter for the same thing. The higher price does not get you better service IMO, plus they don't seem to appreciate their customers the way skyway does. Only negative is the yard is not paved like crowley's but they are now in the process of paving, one section at a time. read more