I want to share my experience as a first-time boat buyer, and how the staff at Wher-Rena took care of me, from first contact by phone to face-to-face / final paperwork. I live in NC, several hours away from their dealership on the south end of Lake Norman. I had been searching for a boat to buy for me and my family for at least 6 months, scouring and devouring any internet boat listing, from local classified ads to various marine dealership inventories to Boattrader (even multi-state searches). Even though there are tens of thousands of boats for sale at any given moment, I would typically come up with only a few listings that would pass scrutiny for the features I was seeking. I was even considering traveling to other states such as TN, KY, or FL to get the right boat. In late August 2014, Wher-Rena posted a pre-owned boat that "checked all the boxes" in terms of my search, including (but not limited to): premium brand name deck boat, OB motor with low hours / known for its performance and long-term reliability, minimum length 20 ft, floor plan that would seat 10 people but also make fishing / watersports easy; and of course, a price that wouldn't break the bank. After contacting Wher-Rena to get more information, I made an offer that was verbally accepted the next day (of course Wher-Rena was selling the boat on behalf of the owner, so it took a little time to coordinate the deal). I then placed a deposit to hold the boat in my name until I could physically get to the dealership. I later found out that immediately after I placed my deposit, another interested buyer showed up on site, wanting to buy the boat (with cash?). I am pleased to share with you that the staff at Wher-Rena did the right thing by me and my family -- they politely told the 2nd customer that the boat was already being held because of my deposit, even though they obviously would have benefited financially by making an immediate sale. The next day, when we arrived at their dealership to inspect the boat and perform the sea-trial, a knowledgeable and courteous salesperson named Keith took us out on the water on Lake Norman and taught us all about the boat's features & how to use them, along with tips and advice for safe boating. After about an hour and a half on the water, we were ready to head back to the dock and complete the sale. As timing would have it, when the boat was re-loaded on the trailer, one of the support rails on the trailer collapsed, making the trailer much more of a risk for traveling as the boat would have been unbalanced & leaning to one side. Knowing that we had a long trip to get the boat back home, the staff at Wher-Rena did something that blew my mind: they switched out the damaged trailer for a much newer, sturdier one with surge brakes and a heavy-duty double axle -- all without changing the already-negotiated price. This easily could have added another $1k to the bottom line, especially since the difference between the quality of the two trailers was very obvious, and significant. To say that I was satisfied with my purchase, my boat-buying experience, and the service we received from Wher-Rena would be a drastic understatement. In fact, I was overjoyed at being so warmly welcomed into the boat-owning community. At the risk of embarrassing a couple of folks at the dealership, I wanted to publicly thank Keith, and recommend Keith and Jeff as some real "stand-up" guys who, in my experience, go above and beyond to take care of the customer. Well done, Wher-Rena! read more

we checked on the internet for info on wher-rena and saw the bad report from last year ...we made our own choice to see how working with wher-rena and jeff would be...jeff was great to help us in the choice to purchase our first boat...we purchased our boat directly from him...he went out of his way to let us test the boat on the coldest day of the year on the lake...the boat, which is used worked fine...we made a fair offer to jeff to purchase the boat..after working with him on several things we wanted replace (only due to the boat is 11 yrs old) we purchased a very nice boat for our family to enjoy...we are in sales and understand how money is made on commission and/or self employed...jeff did not make much off of our little purchase, but by the way he helped us, we would have figured he did...he is NOT a pushy sales person, he is NOT full of BS...he is very polite and we felt honest...we just told him what we where looking for and he set us up...we loved working with him and would refer any one we knew to him...plus, he sold us 3 very nice ski vest at a VERY low price...we ask to purchase them, he did not say a word to us to push them on us...as a sales person you can not please everyone, but jeff pleased us by just being nice, honest ,polite and very, very informative...we plan on using this boat for the next 2 to 3 yrs...after that we WILL strongly look at going back to jeff to purchased another boat...thanks jeff for helping give our family a great boat to have fun on this summer...our son is leaving for IRAQ for a 2nd deployment...we have made big plans to have a big family get together in april on our new boat with him on his first leave before he heads out to IRAQ ! YES, WE WOULD SAY STOP BY WHER-RENA AND TALK TO JEFF ABOUT PURCHASING YOUR SUMMER FUN LIKE WE DID!!! wes and chris...happy customers :) read more

Sold us a used boat with a engine that failed after 3x on the lake. Never did an inspection before selling or failed to tell us it needed a new engine because of over heating and damage from being in the ocean. Lied to us about being in the ocean. Won't contact the original owner since it was a consignment sale to pay for it. So now we are out of the boat for the summer while it sits in the shop. I have to get a lawyer to fight it for the payment of a new 10k for a engine. Barry will not make things right. He's only about his money. Do not go to this place. We bought a 35k boat and was told it was in mint condition and barley used by a 70 year old man. False statements. There was a rope stuck deep in the propeller that was from the ocean and sand in the engine that caused the initial damage. How can someone sell something and not give a crap that they spend their hard earned money to have a good time and make family memories with their kids in the lake. read more

Bought a very nice used tri-toon at a very fair price. The deal went smoothly and they took the time to tell me about the boat and how to use it. It is my first boat and they were quite helpful in explaining how to use it, dock it, etc. They spend quality time explaining new purchases (e.g., GPS) and have great service. Their acid wash prices seemed high so I took the boat somewhere else and that other place wrecked the finish on the tubes since they did not dilute the acid! Next time, I'm staying with Wher-rena. You get what you pay for and I don't need to save a few bucks going elsewhere where they might damage the vessel. In short, my sales and service experiences have been very good. Elsewhere ... not so much. read more

We purchased a boat from Wher-rena in the spring. It was a consignment boat and we have been very satisfied. They were awesome to deal with. We test drove the boat before purchasing but the battery was dead when we drove it the first time two days later. I had heard some things that made me concerned, like the other Yelp review, BUT they had a new battery to us within an hour on a Saturday over Memorial Day weekend in horrific traffic. They also didn't charge us for the battery or the service call. My neighbors also purchased their boat (roughly 35 foot cruiser) from them as well and have also been very satisfied with their boat and their service. read more

I was new to boating and Keith Harris at Wher-rena Boatland did a great job of taking care of me and getting a boat that fit my needs even though I wasn't really sure what I wanted when I started my search. I got a 20ft. Bayliner and store it at Mountain Creek Marina, which is also a related company of theirs. Everything has been great! I definately recommend this company. read more

Great experience. Jeff was very friendly, helped me find my parts and had them shipped directly to me for no extra charge. When looking at boats he answered all my questions with an overwhelming amount of knowledge of the marine industry. If you are in need of parts or looking to buy a boat or personnel watercraft, you can count on getting a good deal and a great experience. read more

I didn't buy my boat here but I do get it serviced and get parts and "boat stuff" here. The staff is always friendly and knowledgable. I've been treated very well and always kept up to date on my boat repairs when I've left my both with them. I would give them a solid recommendation. Much better than the place I used when I lived in upstate NY. read more

Good Service took the time to share and show all options when buying my boat. Did not pressure. Got me a great deal and rate.