Hawk's Yachts Hawk Ennis, Liberty Marina, Hawks Yachts Bought our first boat from Hawk and the boat DIED the day we bought it. Edgewater Maryland

I am shocked by the allegations by Sean.   He not only left out several facts, many of his statements were false.  First of all, Mr. Wrench showed up at closing on a used brokerage boat (2 hours late) with 2 friends with bags - obviously for an overnighter - presumably on the boat.  Mr. Wrench waived a survey (boat inspection) on the brokered boat.  He had no boating experience.  I asked him if he had taken the Maryland Boaters safety course.  He said he had not.  I asked him if he had gotten insurance on the boat and he said he had not. 

I told him the last tow I had cost me $880 and that the $100 for tow insurance is well worth it.  I told him the boat could not be registered until the next morning because of his lateness - the Department of Natural Resourses was already closed and that he would be operating the boat illegally if he took it that evening.  He laughed it all off and literally said "What could really happen?!"  I told him as an experienced boater - it could all happen.  You could get pulled over, you might need a tow, you would be ticketed etc.  He then asked me if there were any local waterfront restaurants he could stop at.  He moved here 2 weeks prior from New York and did not know these waters at all.

I told it would be better to leave the boat at our marina, get the proper registration and get the insurance squared away.   Since he scoffed at that idea I told him that if he took the boat he should go straight to his home dock (I gave him verbal directions) and I would meet him in the morning with proper documentation.   I told him his cavalier attitude towards boating scared me.   I even told my fellow workers that “I would not be surprised if that guy would be locked up tonight.”  As they departed (I also needed to lend him a Coast Guard bag), I reiterated to go straight to his dock and I would be by in the morning. 

About an hour later I got a call from him from the boat saying it was running rough - but that was after they had gotten home and decided to take it out again.  I told him to take it right back and I would have a mechanic there in the morning.  Could just be minor issue but I have no idea so to be safe take it back to his dock.   

The next phone call I received was 9:15 at night and it was the buyer saying he was dead in the water and did not know what to do.  I was obviously furious with him as I had told him to leave it at his dock and the mechanics would be by in the morning.  He was dead in the water and thankfully he was not too far from home - since he really had no idea where he was.  I gave him the number to Sea Tow (as I had recommended he get insurance in case of this type of emergency).  Come to find out his little boy was on board in the dark with an operator who knew nothing about boating safety or even exactly where he was.  I did reprimand him about this huge amount of irresponsibility towards his son and reminded him about the fact I specifically told him to leave the boat at the dock.  Taking it out obviously exacerbated whatever the possible minor issue into a huge one - to the point the boat would not start.

As promised I had a mechanic at his dock first thing in the morning and without knowing the circumstances said the boat should not have been sold in that condition.  Well, it was not in that condition when it was sold - he put it in that condition. After further inspection the mechanic says it appears he put the boat in reverse so violently that it forced water into the exhaust up to the motor.  I was willing to help all I could but his lack of boating knowledge and his irrational operation of the boat led to the problem.  As a brokered boat - we are not the owners of the boat.  We are like real estate agents - we provide a service to assist owners in selling their boat. 

The seller could not be held responsible for this incident and we obviously are not responsible or liable - if we were I am sure the threat of his attorney would have led to a different result for him and not complaining on this site.   If anything I did all I could to mitigate is complete irresponsibility and operation of the boat.  The mechanic also mentioned it appeared to have been quite a party on board the boat as there were beer cans and vomit in the cockpit. He also failed to tie the boat properly to his dock to the point it was being damaged by the wave action slamming the boat into the dock.  It was only neighbors who saw what was happening and retied the boat properly.

We are very sorry he did not heed any of our suggestions and the result is what it is.  I am flabbergasted that we are now listed in a Ripoff Report due to his completely irresponsibile actions.  We have been in business in 10 years and never had such a complaint.  It is an injustice I even have to go into such detail to defend our good name.

Hawk Ennis