PERFORMANCE work offered... (SE Michigan area)

[jrumon]

I do PERFORMANCE work on MERCURY-V6 outboards and ALL V8 I/O motor applications (Jet, I/O, Inboard, V-drive, etc).... MORE POWER!!!

OUTBOARD SERVICES (Mercury V6's)
Solid mounts...
Reed upgrades...
Reed cage swaps & mods...
Velocity stacks...
Carb rebuilds & jet swaps...
Heads milled...
Piston & ring changes...
Exhaust tuners...
Exhaust adapter flow work...
Cooling system mods...
Water pumps replaced...
Nose cones...
Gear case changes...

ALL V8 (I/O, Jet, Inboard, V-drive, etc).
Intake changes...
Carb work & changes...
Cam & lifter changes...
Rocker arm changes...
Performance exhaust changes...
Performance head work (porting)
Performance head swaps...
Custom engine rebuilding & modification...
Superchargers installed...

Etc, etc, etc... 24+ years of experience!

Rates very depending on job & parts...

Located in Livonia, Michigan (near the Detroit/Ann Arbor area)... Looking for a few jobs to do in my spare time!!! Thanks, Jim. http://checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gif

Direct questions to: jrumon@yahoo.com

[jrumon]

I do PERFORMANCE work on MERCURY-V6 outboards and ALL V8 I/O motor applications (Jet, I/O, Inboard, V-drive, etc).... MORE POWER!!!

OUTBOARD SERVICES (Mercury V6's)
Solid mounts...
Reed upgrades...
Reed cage swaps & mods...
Velocity stacks...
Carb rebuilds & jet swaps...
Heads milled...
Piston & ring changes...
Exhaust tuners...
Exhaust adapter flow work...
Cooling system mods...
Water pumps replaced...
Nose cones...
Gear case changes...

ALL V8 (I/O, Jet, Inboard, V-drive, etc).
Intake changes...
Carb work & changes...
Cam & lifter changes...
Rocker arm changes...
Performance exhaust changes...
Performance head work (porting)
Performance head swaps...
Custom engine rebuilding & modification...
Superchargers installed...

Etc, etc, etc... 24+ years of experience!

Rates very depending on job & parts...

Located in Livonia, Michigan (near the Detroit/Ann Arbor area)... Looking for a few jobs to do in my spare time!!! Thanks, Jim. http://checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/thumb.gif

Direct questions to: jrumon@yahoo.com

[bdusted440]

got any extra parts laying around need exhaust and dist for 350 or 400.

[jrumon]

Sorry...no small block stuff around... Post a "WANTED" on this sight or S&F.... Stainless Marine performance manifolds with risers are $999... Work great...I installed several sets with good results. Also, Kodiak makes light weight aluminum performance manifolds for $700 a set as well...both are worth the investment over stock and drop about 40lbs off of the back of your boat!

[merc245]

jrunom i'll bite, what is the starting price for a freshing up of a 92 carbed 2.5 245 hp. it has 230 hrs on this factory replaced powerhead in the sring of 2000. and it does run fine at this point. and what could be done/price to hop her abit. thanks merc245 I'm out of brownstown.

[fnshrmaster]

Cant give you a price but can give you piece of mind.Jim is very meticulous,almost ana! with his stuff.Very knowledgable on two strokes and loves to get them going faster.Its also nice to deal with someone on a one to one basis that you can trust instead of a marina that is in it for the BIG buck.Good luck with the rebuild 245,hopefully Jimbo can squeeze some extra ponies out of that motor for ya!

[Chris E]

Marinas that are in it for the BIG BUCK? You have no idea what you are talking about!!! Try operating a marina and let me know where those big bucks are.

[fnshrmaster]

Thats funny Chris E,most marinas I have dealt with are out to make a BIG buck.If you arent,find another business.What I meant was Jim can probably do the work cheaper and he is a trustworthy guy to deal with,I wasnt trying to tear down marinas in general.Cool your engines Chris,we are all here for the same reason,our love for Checkmates!

[merc245]

CHRIS E, I'VE GOT TO SAY THAT THE THE GUYS I WORK WITH ARE STAND UP GUYS. BOB AND JOE AT MARINE MASTERS IN WYANDOTTE, MICHIGAN AT 639 BIDDLE AVE.( JEFFERSON AVE.) PHONE # 734-283-8116.THEIR LOCATED RIGHT ON THE WATER. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMEND THEM TO ANYONE IN THE AREA. IN 12+ YRS THEY NEVER DISAPOINTED ME AND EVERY QUESTION WAS ANSWERED.THEY EVEN TURNED DOWN WORK, SENDING ME HOME WITH THE PARTS AND INSTRUCTIONS. SAVING ME MONEY!

[Chris E]

Hey Kurt:

Sorry, didn’t mean to sound abrupt (bad day – studying corporate tax accounting). Please allow me to explain my point of view and why I took issue with your post (right or wrong).

It is a common misconception that marinas and the boat industry in general are out to make these huge dollars (probably because we need high profit margins just to cover our expenses). Marina’s (and I’m speaking in generalities here), have HUGE overheads and we need huge revenue to cover those expenses (an unfortunate reality). Just imagine, waterfront property taxes, insurance, forklifts, hydraulic trailers, travelifts, wages, utilities, inventories, it goes on and on. Just to break even you have to make 20% on everything you do. There is not a lot of money to be made in this industry, ask anyone. When was the last time you saw a marina owner on the Forbes 500 list?

I’ve worked at what I consider to be a fairly well run business that struggled to make 80k at the end of the year on close to 8 mil in sales. And all that profit goes back into the business because maintenance and upkeep costs are so high. When I was a kid all I wanted to do was own a marina. I studied it in collage and have been in the business for 12 years. Let me tell ya – I wouldn’t own a marina if it was given to me. The owners of these businesses bust their butts 7 days a week 12-18 hours a day for 4 months straight just to generate enough revenue to carry them through the 8 months that they have none. And if the summer is crappy, their revenues go down the toilet.

The old joke in the marine industry: “how do you make a million in the marine industry? Start with 3 million!”

Some marinas have really excelled and are very profitable, but for the most part, they are struggling with making ends meet and feeding their families. But they can’t do this without the support of their customers. These are the people that make your boating experience fun and are the ones that got you on the water in the first place. Believe me, there are easier ways to make a living than being a marina operator.

So to hear someone say that marina operators are out to make the BIG BUCKS is frustrating, because in actual fact we are trying to give our customers a positive experience, and to keep them coming back. We won’t do that by screwing them with excessive pricing policies and that is certainly what your post implied although you probably did not mean it that way. If we were out to make the BIG BUCKS, we would be selling Joan Rivers skin care products on the shopping channel!!!

As an aside, I think Jim’s offer to work on the high performance stuff is great, because it takes special skill, time and passion to get the most out of an engine. Honestly, most marinas can’t offer that service, so to find someone who is willing to do that work is great and I wish him the best of luck.

Kurt you are absolutely right, the reason we are here is for the love of Checkmate, and by the way, congrats on the new boat – looks great!

[fnshrmaster]

No problem Chris,I hear you loud and clear.Didnt mean to sound like a Jerk,it just came out that way. http://checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/brickwall.gif

[jrumon]

Marinas that do PERFORMANCE work seem harder and harder to find. I did about 10 summers of general "marine repair" many moons ago... Marinas got the BIG BUCKS (to cover overhead, insurance, make the owners rich, etc.)...us mechanics got about 25% of what they charged the customers. So, I quit and started doing a ton of side jobs (no overhead), charged about 50% of regular rates, and swamped myself into more work than I could possible handle.

Now that I'm settled in the family life, I'm looking for a "FEW...SELECT JOBS" to do perfereably in the performance segment this winter...

And YES... my work is as flawless as possible, because I CARE and I'm giving HONEST deals to fellow performance boaters!!! http://checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/surf.gif Jim.

[Chris E]

That is entirely the reason why no one in our area is becoming a marine tech. Average age of a tech in Ontario is 47 years old. No one young is gettting into it because they are underpaid, seasonal, and stupid amount of hours to work (family what, family?).

Prediction: I think you'll see the mom & pop shops disappear completely, and see the bigger operations get bigger and bigger. Probably sooner than later. That, may not be such a good thing. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif

[merc245]

jruron; i'm 30 minutes away here in brownstown looking for a possible price on a rebuild of a 92 carbed 2.5 245 hp with 230 hrs on a factory replaced long block in the spring of 2000 + maybe some performance goodies. merc 245

[jrumon]

Merc245... comtact me on my direct e-mail: jrumon@yahoo.com

Need to know what kinda shape it's in right now (compression)... I can do some work, but the 245 carb gets expensive to rebuild if it needs bore work (I try not to get involved in that type of specialized work). The 245 can be tweeked a bit for some better breathing... e-mail with what you specifically want done. Jim.