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A Brix Marine Horror story

What you need to know before you buy a boat from Brix Marine

This is a story about an experince with Brix marine for what was supposed to be our dream boat and our workhorse for years to come.

We were so exicited and decided to go with Brix Marine as they had the contract with NAIAD and we thought that would mean top quality boats. Even though it was the most expensive offer we got, we decided that i would be better to pay more and be sure to get good quality than buy a cheaper vessel and have a subpar boat for our needs. 

Unfourtantely we were horrible wrong and while the price we paid was for a top class vessel its become apparent that Brix Marine does not take pride in the quality they put out, but the volume. That is probably why Justin with Pacific boat and yacths were telling us that Brix Marine is one of the most proffitable boat builders in the world. It does make sense that if you charge more and give less your profit margins will increase on the expense of the customer. 

We want to inform you with this page so you can make an informed decision before your purchase and dont end up in the same sad situation as us. 

Brix Marine Reviews

We bought a brand new boat at Pacific Boats & Yachts

In January 2021 a dive shop contacted Pacific Boat & Yachts, a boat broker who works with Brix Marine, to construct a NAIAD RHIB that would be the sister ship of their current NAIAD.

On February 1, Pacific Boat & Yachts acknowledged their inquiry and began talks about building a replica of the current boat.  The customers requested a few modifications of their current boat such as storage space instead of a head.  Pacific Boat & Yachts discussed what would be stored in the compartment and asked about what kind of shelving would serve.

Excited about a new, beautiful boat, the customers signed a purchase agreement with Pacific Boat & Yachts and Brix Marine, the boat builder in April 2021.

May, 2022: Letter from Brix Marine’s attorney

Brix Marine’s attorney sent this letter, some would see it as a threat, we do. They do not want to recitify the situation but to silence us.

They sent a cease and desist letter and therefore we have been unable to communicate about solutions.

After our payment

After signing the contract and sending payment, the customer sent Pacific Boat & Yachts and Brix Marine photos of their current boat to highlight the features they wished changed on the new vessel (April 20, 2021). 

Among a few other things, they wished to move the battery storage to the helm and put shrader valves in the inspection hatches for sealing to make it mechanic friendly.

They also requested a full shade canopy over the vessel’s seating.

Pacific Boat & Yachts said he would discuss changes with Brix and the plans would reflect the customer’s desire as long as it followed Coast Guard rules.

Customer preferences are being ignored

On May 15, 2021 the customer emailed Pacific Boat & Yachts in response to a build meeting with Brix that didn’t go well.

The customer expressed the engineer had either not been told what their desired boat would look like by Pacific Boat & Yachts or that he had been told and didn’t care.

The customer’s preference for canopy, for example, had been ignored. 

On May 26, 2021 Pacific Boat & Yachts replied that the boat would be a US Coast Guard Certified vessel for the mission intended.

There is a hole in the boat from Brix Marine!

Hole in new boat from Brix Marine

Penetrating hole

Local welder suggested we checked out what he believed to be penetrating holes in the hull.

He was right.

Hole in boat below waterline

Is this normal?

According to US coast guard if more than 25% of original material is missing below waterline you would need to crop out and replace the affected area according to NVIC 7-68.

Crop out the hull on a new boat should NEVER be needed. 

Brix Marine penetrating hole below waterline

Clearly all the way through.

As you can see on this picture the amount that enters the ship by far exceeds the thickness of the aluminum.

Problems with Welding

Welding Splatter

Sharp welding splatter like these are all over the boat in high traffic areas where people sit, walk and hold on to the boat.

Deadly boat?

This weld on the ladder broke before we could even use the boat.

The Weldings

The welds are throughout the vessel below par what you expect from a “Premium boat builder” which they make you believe that they are.

Ignoring emails from customer

After requesting to see overdue photos, on May 28th, 2021 the customer requested engineers drawings of the boat so they could see the placement of batteries, breaker panels, water tank, bilge pumps, hydraulic power steering, and more because they felt like they were, “buying a house with only seeing the outside.”

This request was not acquiesced.
The request was repeated again, via email, on June 9 and 21, 2021 and ignored both times.

The customer wanted the plans to understand the overall layout for the vessel as they had some very specific requirements for their build.

Communication Breakdown

This is where communication falls apart and the real nightmare begins.

Pacific Boat & Yachts and Brix Marine do not send build progress photos and the customer must request the update, 2 weeks late. 

 

The parties converse about a number of items such as ordering a spare engine and the poor design of fuel vents until September when an issue with the helm presents itself.

On September 12, 2021 the customer emailed Pacific Boat & Yachts and Brix concerns that the helm they had built did not match the one in the approved drawings.

Justin and Brix tried to get the customer to fly to Washington to go over the boat, but that was not feasible.

The customer sent Brix specifications of their current vessel so the helm could be rebuilt according to original drawings.

Bad Work / Bad Boat

Unprofessional

Rubrail is built like the rest of the vessel, crooked and unprofessional.

Glue All Over

Glue has been overspilt all the way around the boat and now there is brown glue all over the pontoons. 

Ugly Boat

If this is what you want to end up with after investing your life savings, you got the right boat builder!

Dealing with Pacific Boat & Yachts and Brix Marine

These are just a few of the problems that came with dealing with Pacific Boat & Yachts and Brix Marine during the build of the boat.

Once the boat was completed and delivered, the sloppy craftsmanship of the boat was painstakingly obvious.

As you can see from the photos:

  • There are grind marks on the hull.
  • The hull paint is different shades of gray and yellow.
  • The welds are messy and burn through at places.
  • The pontoon is misaligned and too large.
  • Plus the glue on the pontoon and rub rail speaks for itself.
  • The top canopy is warped.
  • There is sharp welding splatter all over the vessel, including the handrails.
  • The helm welds are unfinished, and therefore sharp, on edges where people hold.
  • The first time we washed the boat, the electronic compartment and devices took on a significant amount of water.

Does this sound like a half a million dollars well spent to you?

About us

We are a small company with a very bad experince with Brix Marine. We bought – what was supposed to be our dream boat.

Unfourtantely it has become out worst nightmare. Even though we paid the price of a top class vessel its become apparent that Brix Marine does not take pride in the quality.

We want to inform you with this page so you can make an informed decision before your purchase and dont end up in the same sad situation as us.

Everything on this page is opinions created for you make an educated decision.

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