Austin Action Marine

"This was the worst mechanic experience of my my life. After the 1st interaction I started to feel like my boat was being held prisoner by this guy. Facts: 1) He knew i didn’t have a way to haul it out. 2) He knew it was a new experience for me and that i didn’t know any other boat mechanics yet.) He charged me just over $1400 for a long list of things he said he had done, yet the motor still did not run. He sounded like he had put in LOTS OF HRS. And here we are, two months after this fiasco and the problem not fixed. My friend found a wire grounding out on the motor as soon as he looked at it (WHICH WAS THE ENTIRE PROBLEM). It was CLEAR AS DAY and the boat runs fine now. My question is, “How could he have done so much work on my motor and NOT SEEN THAT???” How is it that someone who was unqualified fixed the problem?? I know nothing about motors and was willing to pay a licensed professional to eliminate any risk and he said he was the least expensive mechanic in town at $125/hr and that “Everybody else charges at least $180/hr.” Come to find out EVERY OTHER MECHANIC I've spoken to does $60/hr and tie the inspection cost into labor. NO other mechanic i’ve dealt with since has given me the horrible feeling in my stomach that says, “This guy is going to clean me out if i let him”. Hiring a mechanic should not have to be a stressful experience. I trusted him to be fair and 'after' not fixing the problem and charging me upwards of $1400, he seemed a little more interested in helping me find the problem. Not knowing where to turn, i made the mistake of taking it back to him. I explained that i was not rich asked him NOT to work on my boat until he gives me a quote for the job because of the last experience. Thinking, “What if he just disregards my verbal request??”, I thought I’d better send that in a text to have a trail of dialogue (because of his odd tendency to skyrocket a price), and that seemed to make it a personal challenge, because he called me back immediately stating that i couldn’t get my boat out of there for less than another $700 dollars (mentioning replacement of two batteries). Only one battery turned out to be bad which he simply connected a cable to. I argued with him that it’s only one bad battery that costs roughly $125. And said, i was no longer interested in his services. I saved myself when i texted him not to do any more work without a quote (in order to get it on record). I’m pretty sure that i saved my boat too because there is a yard full of at least 15 other boats tucked away there that i didn’t see move in the 1 1/2 months that i had been dealing with him. But in all this, the question remains, “Did he put a lien on all those other boats because his surprise prices were so high that they couldn’t get afford it after the fact??” Are these all the people who didn’t “Get it on record?” It seemed like he was trying to run up a bill so high on me that i could never pay it while adding storage fees that eventually would result in losing the boat for his personal gain. This is my true suspicion. He was still so personally bothered that i protected myself that he gave me one last “sucker-punch” on the way out stating “No boat is leaving here until i get paid!!”. Charged me just under $200 for having brought my boat back in. This leaves so many unanswered questions about him as a person that i really don’t want to know. At the end of it all, he had the audacity to tell me he did me a favor. I have the entire conversation recorded for safe keeping. I have since found out that various friends of mine have made the same mistake of taking their boat to him. I’m sorry to have given him any money at all. My opinion is that Michael Peyton, Owner of Austin Action Marine, in his abuse of customers is criminal at best."

"I inherited from my father a boat with a 90hp outboard. He hadn't used it in several years, and the fuel he left in the engine had clogged the carbs and several fuel lines needed replaced. Mike at Austin Action fixed the boat at a very reasonable price. What I felt really set mike apart was that he told me when I go to start up the boat, call him if I have any problems. Well, I took the boat a couple hours south to do some duck hunting and I had problems at the dock. Mike answered my call, helped me with diagnosis, and followed up to make sure everything had worked out. It turns out the problem was with the external fuel tank I had purchased and none of Mikes work. I would absolutely recommend his shop to anyone looking for work on their boat. Thanks for getting my family back on the lake Mike!"

"Mike is very knowledgeable and trustworthy. He has helped me on multiple occasions with a variety of motor sizes. He has even helped me via phone to fix a problem at the lake. Great guy and even better mechanic."

"Mike is a great boat mechanic, knowledgable, capable, very reasonably priced, and quick! I could not be happier and will continue to have him work on my boats for as long as his shop stays open. I'm on my 5th boat in the last 20 years, so I've met a lot of boat mechanics. They are all over the map in terms of quality and value. Mike is the best I have found in all categories. I even called him with a question while I was out on the water. After that phone call, he even called me back a couple of times with additional info he had researched. Thats going the extra mile! All of the local central Texas fishing guides bring their boats here -- in other words, people whose livelihoods depend on their boats working. Thats the best recommendation there is."

"I have known the owner Mike for over 20 years and been in the shop multiple times. He does do the work and does a great job! He will be very honest with you and never overcharge. I've seen him be more than reasonable with people and work on boats that others were not able to fix. He and his staff also continue to learn and go above an beyond to help their customers. This is a family business that has been around for many years, they are honest, trustworthy and very knowledgeable. If you need a local expert boat mechanic, then these are you guys!"