Customer Stories

Dear Mr. Cornish:

Once again … I wanted to write you a quick note to recognize the outstanding employees that you employ in your “Services” Department.

I purchased a new Suzuki DF140 HP outboard motor on June 1st earlier this year and I have been a customer of Atlantic Boats for over (10) years now.

All that being said … I wanted to let you know about a recent situation where once again your “Services” people went out of their way to help me.

Last Saturday, August 15th I got a call from my son Matthew who was out on the boat pulling lobster traps. He always been very cautious about turning off the engine as he pulls the traps, so as to not get the lobster line caught up in the prop. Well after the 1st trap was pulled and re-baited he put the trap back in the waters off Scraggy Neck and went to restart the engine. This is when he encountered a problem with the new engine … it would not start … the power trim button would not work either to put the engine ‘up’. He got absolutely no response when he turned the key, not even a click noise.

This is when he called me on my cell phone and told me one of his friends, who was out on his own boat was now towing him back to our mooring on the inside of Scraggy Neck.

Matt told me he thought the batteries were ‘dead’ – yet when I asked him to hit the horn button on the dash – the horn loudly went off … and all the lights worked. So it was clearly not a battery issue.

I drove down to the mooring from our home in Pembroke and when I rowed out to the boat by dingy … I too could not get any response from either the key at the ignition, or the power trim button.

So this is where I made a phone call to Catherine DeSilva in your Service Department. I think the absolute world of Catherine — and because of Catherine (and Meghan) I have remained a loyal and happy Atlantic Boat customer for over (10) years. Your Service Department in my opinion is the “very best part” of your business!

Well, Catherine in typical fashion answered the phone and quickly told me – “let me get one of our riggers on the phone”.

This is where I met (on the phone) Chris Francis.

Let me tell you Mr. Cornish … Chris talked me through every single step to fix my problem …and after just a short bit of time he had also taught me more about my outboard engine that I had ever known – he pinpointed the problem as being a “white wire” problem coming out of the ignition that led to a blown fuse at the positive end of my battery terminal switch.

It was almost as though Chris was looking over my shoulder. He told me exactly what to look for … specifically where I could follow this white wire to the point at where the ‘fuse’ was connected to the positive side of the Perko Battery Switch. This is where he told me with confidence … “the fuse would be blown and therefore there is no power getting to the ignition switch and ultimately the engine”. He was absolutely correct!!

He then told me … “there is a spare fuse in the connection – replace the blown fuse with the good fuse.” Chris was again absolutely correct!!!

As soon as I buttoned up the connection where the fuse was located – I tried the engine and it started right up. Everything that was not working — was working perfectly again.

I am so appreciative of Catherine and the way she always treats me as a customer and now Chris Francis who saved me a ton of aggravation on a Saturday afternoon. Without Chris’s patience and his expertise to know ‘exactly’ what to tell me to look for — and do I would have been making a call to Tow Boat to bring me to the boat ramp at Barlow’s Landing. After which, then … I would have had to drive all the way back to Pembroke to get the boat trailer and drive back again. Then a drive over to Atlantic Boat to have the problem looked at more closely.

Mr. Cornish … so many business portray themselves as ‘customer focused’ and ‘the best at providing services’ – well with Catherine running your Services Department and the outstanding people you employ like Chris Francis – Atlantic Boats is the best at providing customer service – hands down, bare none – it is world class!!

I just thought you ought to know about all of this … and why I felt compelled to take the time to write this letter while on a very busy business trip.

I could not be more pleased! Over the moon actually !!

Respectfully,
John Leonard – Owner of

Just Sayin’

A 21’ Triumph Center Console with a terrific Suzuki 140 HP outboard.