Great boat service; excellent technical competence combined with transparent, honest, and…read morereasonable pricing..

Mark and his team are absolutely exceptional- and the for us, being first time boat owners, it is…read moreso relieving to find such a trustworthy, honest, and reliable group of people who will really take care of you. They give honest feedback, are quick to respond, and will really make you feel like family. All of our future boat business will be going to them- it's hard to find reliable mechanics, and these guys are the best.

Was recommended by a buddy to get work done by this company here, hands-down one of the best local…read moreboat repair shops around I the South Bay I highly recommend Jose and Frank to do repairs on anyone's boat. Best in the business thank you guys.

The service was great! The process went smooth. My engine stopped working and the office was quick…read moreto schedule me an appointment, and had their technician diagnosing my issue. They presented options and quickly fixed my engine. Thank you California Boat Services!!!!

Yes, absolutely one of the best experiences is working with Tommy Harper. His extensive knowledge…read moreand patience with those that aren't practiced in the Marine repair is exemplary.

Best place around to fix and repair! Very nice couple runs it and Deb is a golden star award…read morehelper!

When it comes to Yamaha outboards, these guys are by far the best in Southern California. They are…read moreextremely knowledgeable and up-to-date on all the latest innovations that Yamaha is rolling out. Throughout our repower process, they've been extremely communicative and helped us navigate not only what engine package is correct but how that would integrate into our overall technology stack. The team at RJ takes pride and care in the work that they do, and that is demonstrated throughout the entire process.

Now, I'm adding to my previous review: I visited RJ Nautical, and Robert was very helpful;…read moreexplaining my ePropulsion outboard screen, how to read and understand it.

Verqxqxqy knowledgeable and helpful. They were able to diagnose and fabricate the propeller that my…read moreboat neede.

These guys are AMAZING!!! I had 3 propellers fixed or tuned and all 3 came out better than new.read more

Hauled out this past May. Bid out to two other shipyards with Cabrillo being the most competitive…read morein price. More importantly I recieved a call back within 45 minutes from Leslie, Cabrillo Operations Manager, to review the work to be done, and pricing. This family owned and operated yard focuses on the customer and do their best to ensure a good haul out and repair experience. An unnamed shipyard in Alamitos Bay did not even call me back after leaving a message of what I was looking for in a haul out. My boat a 42 foot Grand Banks needed the bottom painted and a few minor repairs. Cabrillo allowd me to repaint my boot line as a DIY. Awesome. I cannot recommend anyone better. Wally McCloud

I really try not to leave negative reviews for small businesses, but this experience was…read morefrustrating enough that I felt it was worth sharing. We initially hauled our boat out at this yard for a survey. They offer a program where, if you return within 30 days to have the quoted work completed, the original haul-out charge is credited toward the work. During that first haul-out, the yard had the opportunity to see and inspect the entire bottom of the boat. We then received a quote to have the bottom prepared and repainted. Approximately three weeks later, we returned based on that quote and had the boat hauled out again to have the work completed. Once the boat was already out of the water and on their property, we were told there were more barnacles than expected and that the price would need to increase. This is where I had an issue. I completely understand that estimates for boat work can change. Boats are complicated, and sometimes a shop starts taking something apart or opens up an area and discovers corrosion, damage, or additional work that could not reasonably have been seen beforehand. In that situation, I would absolutely understand an additional charge. That was not what happened here. The additional charge was for barnacles on the bottom of the boat. The bottom had been fully visible to the yard during the first haul-out just a few weeks earlier. Nothing had to be opened, disassembled, or investigated to discover them. They were right there on the hull when the original estimate was prepared. The additional work involved removing the barnacles and preparing the surface before sanding and painting. I was genuinely surprised that this was suddenly being treated as an unexpected condition after the yard had already seen the bottom and quoted the job. When I questioned why this had not been included in the original estimate, I was met with a defensive response along the lines of, "What do you want us to do, the work for free?" No. I wasn't asking anyone to work for free. I was asking them to honor, or at least reasonably stand behind, a quote they provided after already inspecting the exact area in question. The most frustrating part was the timing. Once a boat is hauled out and sitting in a yard, the boat owner has very little practical leverage. Moving the boat somewhere else means launching it again, potentially transporting it, arranging another haul-out, and incurring substantial additional expense. I did not appreciate having the price renegotiated after the boat was already back out of the water. I had actually been warned about this yard by the previous boat owner when I purchased the boat. I chose to give them a chance anyway because they were one of the available yards in Long Beach at the time. To be fair, they were accommodating with scheduling and worked within my timeframe for hauling the boat out, which I appreciated. I also thought the quality of the finished bottom work was good. For additional context, I was quoted $180 per hour for labor, including work that appeared to be primarily manual labor rather than specialized technical work. My negative experience is therefore not about the quality of the finished work, nor do I expect a boatyard to guarantee that every estimate can never change. My issue is much narrower: the condition that supposedly justified the price increase was fully visible when the original quote was prepared, yet the additional charge was raised only after the boat had already been hauled out for the second time and was sitting in their yard. Had they identified the barnacle removal and additional preparation during the first haul-out and included it in the original estimate, I would have had no problem paying for it. It was the way the price changed after the boat was already committed to the yard that left me very dissatisfied with the experience.

I am posting this on behalf of my brother-in-law Bryan:…read more Rod did a great job repairing our 1973 Chrysler 120hp outboard motor when there were other companies that wouldn't even touch it. He was really knowledgeable, very accommodating and reasonable in price especially compared to the regular marine shops & their outrageous prices. We would highly recommend him for any types of repairs requiring a marine skilled mechanic.

My husband took our boat in and this guy charged $900 and took everything apart. To fix, he was…read moregoing to give us a 'deal' at $7,000, originally quoting $12,000. Our mouths dropped. (Our boat cost $6,000). Obviously, we could not afford that AFTER he had already taken everything apart. Thanks for letting us know - And then, he was going to charge ANOTHER $900 to put it back together. lol What a scam. Nothing for $900. I should start my own business doing this!!! What a money maker. My husband had to put it back together himself finally so he can just sell it. Who has to do that??? I see other people have had the same experience. This guy does it because he can get away with it. (Add maniacal laugh) UPDATE: Rod answered back thinking I am a different Jennifer/Couple. lol I have never personally communicated with him. Only my husband. We were not THAT story. I guess he has done this to a lot of people.

This is a neutral rating and a comment to Colleen C. post from 2022…read more I think that the policy here has changed. I needed to change my dripless while the boat was going to be out for bottom paint. I was told that I had two options. 1. Paying something like $500 to come in on the weekend or have their mechanic do the work at $160/hr +-. Either way it was a lose/lose situation. I really miss being down in San Diego.

If you're just having the bottom paint done it's worth it. They do a pretty good job for that but I…read morecan't really recommend them for other work. Mike and Shannon are great but I don't think their boat mechanics are up to par yet and the yard is very crowded and they don't seem to take much time or concern about tying your boat up carefully. I of course, had a huge scuff mark on the side from rubbing against something for a couple days while they attempted to put in a relay for my starter. I'm pretty sure they wired it wrong then jacked up my starter which I then had to pay to have rebuilt. After all that now my VHF radio doesn't work. Very frustrating.

We didn't connect they don't provide the service i wanted. I did it myself I would use them in the…read morefuture for the service they provide

Avoid At All Cost!!!!…read more I hate to do this because I love to see small businesses succeed but this experience was beyond horrible. I contacted Chad Pordes (aka Pordes Marine, Southern California Boatworks, South Bay Boatworks, possibly others but those are the three business names I've found him to be using) in mid September to service my outboard engine. He was informative and seemed reliable so I brought my engine to him. The next day he told me it was ready for pickup. Seemed fast but I appreciated the quick turnaround so I went to his shop, picked up the engine and paid him $388(over $100 more than he quoted me for the job). That same afternoon I ran the engine but it was worse than before, idled very high, had difficulty shifting into gear and would occasionally shut off. I immediately let him know but he told me that I needed to let the new fluids run through and that once everything burned off it would be back to normal. Fast forward two weeks and still no improvement. I contacted him again and he said that he'd take care of it. This is where things got bad. He said he couldn't duplicate the issues in his shop so he'd meet me at my slip the following day at 9am which was October 8. He was a no show and didn't even have the decency to call and let me know. Its a 45 min drive from my house to the marina so rather inconsiderate. I call him, he offers no apology but says he'll be there the next morning. Once again he was a no show. That happened 4 times before he finally came on October 15th. He looked things over and agreed that it wasn't running right but said that he wasn't able to fix the issue there and would need to take the carburetor back to his shop but would have it done and replaced in a day or two. I dealt with 3 weeks of his lies repeatedly telling me that he'd take care of it tomorrow. Obviously that never happened and then last week he stopped answering my calls or responding to texts all together. Finally November 4th I contacted the Marina Del Rey sheriff to see what my options where. I'm not sure if they contacted him or if it was just coincidence but about an hour later I had a text from him saying that I could pick up the unserviced carburetor from a box on his front porch. So now I have a disassembled carburetor and an unusable outboard for my trip to Catalina this weekend. It's unfortunate because he seemed like a decent guy at the beginning. If I had to guess, my assumption would be drugs. His behavior seemed consistent with an addict. Trying to earn my business he was friendly and responsive but once he got paid it was all lies until he finally cut off communication and tried to steal from me. Do better Chad

The definition of insanity, is doing the same thing over and over again. expecting a different…read moreoutcome. After numerous dealings with Avalon, I've finally, and forever, decided that, I won't endure another lecture on lifesaving. Nor will I be gouged again. I wish I could conduct my business with this model. the offshore sailing community has regs, Avalon absolutely takes advantage of these Regs, and promotes them. Attending safety at sea seminars as the approved expert. The level of arrogance, and "we're the only people who can service the needs" is sickenin. The sailing community has been notified, this is a bullshit outfit. and they should stick with sodimizing the Cruze ship industry. Stop trying to be a resource for the sailing community. We're tired of your business model. After attempting, one more time with these crooks, I had to go elsewher. that discovery was not half the price, but a third. these people are in their own world of entitlement. For the love of god, do not ever consider these people.

Avalon rafts have been servicing mine for over 20 years. They recently told me my 30 year old eight…read moreman life raft was terminally ill and cannot be serviced. After giving me their thoughts on a new one. I went with a Superior six person coastal. I found their advice to be solid and their prices to be reasonable. They said for extra money they could hook me up with solar panels and DirecTV and a barbecue but I decided to stick with the basics. They are really good people. Their service may take a while because their reputation proceeds themselves.