# strongarm products



## mpsig13 (Jan 6, 2011)

Anyone know someone who works for them that I can contact. I ordered a tiller extension a month ago and haven't received it. Tried to contract them by phone and left a voicemail. Tried their email and a Facebook message. Hoping someone here can help me get a hold of somebody there. Thanks.


----------



## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

Yeah, wait 2 more months and it should arrive. Then after you decide it is heavier than the old Louisville Slugger your old man made you use for batting practice, sell it and buy a Carbon Marine. My best advice and sorry for the harsh words but this is what I ultimately did and could not be happier..


----------



## Creek Runner (Sep 1, 2011)

> Anyone know someone who works for them that I can contact. I ordered a tiller extension a month ago and haven't received it. Tried to contract them by phone and left a voicemail. Tried their email and a Facebook message. Hoping someone here can help me get a hold of somebody there. Thanks.


Next time do a little research before buying. Sorry for ya man!


----------



## BayStYat (Sep 12, 2012)

I just received my rod holders today after waiting .......... and very displeased with the craftsmanship. 

just my personal experience


----------



## RedFinaddict (Sep 14, 2010)

has anyone else had a problem with shitty looking welds?


----------



## Jeremy_James (Feb 27, 2013)

> I just received my rod holders today after waiting  ..........  and very displeased with the craftsmanship.
> 
> just my personal experience


Can you post photos and describe why the craftsmanship is subpar? Curious myself.


----------



## mpsig13 (Jan 6, 2011)

> > Anyone know someone who works for them that I can contact. I ordered a tiller extension a month ago and haven't received it. Tried to contract them by phone and left a voicemail. Tried their email and a Facebook message. Hoping someone here can help me get a hold of somebody there. Thanks.
> 
> 
> Next time do a little research before buying. Sorry for ya man!


Curious why you think I did no research? They got decent/good reviews and, from what I read, they're doing some work for ankona. My buddy has one of their tiller extensions and he is very pleased. So, I can only assume, as you did, your post was meant to do nothing but raise your post count and make you feel all warm and fuzzy about your flawless super shopper skills. Congrats


----------



## mpsig13 (Jan 6, 2011)

Update. Got a call from strongarm yesterday evening. They got my order and are working on it now. As far as everyone concerned with the cosmetics of the welds my extension is going on a Jon boat not a hells bay. As long as it works I'm good with.


----------



## flyfshrmn82 (Oct 12, 2007)

> I just received my rod holders today after waiting  ..........  and very displeased with the craftsmanship.
> 
> just my personal experience


Pics?


----------



## HialeahAngler (Dec 18, 2008)

> Update. Got a call from strongarm yesterday evening. They got my order and are working on it now. As far as everyone concerned with the cosmetics of the welds my extension is going on a Jon boat not a hells bay. As long as it works I'm good with.


coincidence?


----------



## vmgator (Jul 5, 2012)

Do not order from strongarm if you are in a hurry. I ordered push pole holders and heard nothing for 6 weeks. When I finally got ahold of Bob, he explained that there was some hold up with the powder coating. I finally got the holders about a month later.

I'm not here to pile on, but I will say that a company with good customer service would (1) let you know up front that a product will take weeks to deliver, and (2) let you know if there is a hold up delaying your order.


----------



## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

> > Update. Got a call from strongarm yesterday evening. They got my order and are working on it now. As far as everyone concerned with the cosmetics of the welds my extension is going on a Jon boat not a hells bay. As long as it works I'm good with.
> 
> 
> coincidence?


X2

But he doesn't follow the forum anymore......yeah right.


----------



## BayStYat (Sep 12, 2012)

For the money I spent I believe the work should be better. 

They do not sit flat because of the welds on the back. When I sit them flat they rock back and forth. One of the rod holders has a distinct curve. 

Another issue is the that when the top section of the holder was welded on to the bottom, it was welded crooked. The top section is not true to the bottom. 

I waited a month ( I new the wait time and was fine with it) but the day they were ready to ship I saw that it was not what I ordered. I specifically asked for no holes to be drilled and the longer pair. He said he forgot and drilled them. He said he had a pair of the short holders with no holes he could ship or wait for a new pair. I was not waiting anymore. So i settled on the short pair. 

I got the shipping free, but I wish I would have got what I originally paid for, which was quality.


----------



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Send them back and have them made correctly for 1/2 the price locally.


----------



## flyfshrmn82 (Oct 12, 2007)

So that's the side that your boat sees.  How about the front view...?


----------



## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

> So that's the side that your boat sees.  How about the front view...?


Who cares? The whole point is that they don't even sit flush because of the huge lump on the bottom side of the one.
that's just ridiculous that whoever built it didn't even set it on a flat table and check it, before and after powerboat and before it went into a box to get shipped


----------



## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

And that lump is so big it looks like Ray Charles welded it and Stevie Wonder was watching


----------



## Jeremy_James (Feb 27, 2013)

Damn..


----------



## larryg (Dec 11, 2013)

this is crazy, is his work really that bad?

if so, why the following, has it gone downhill??

never bought anything myself from him, but my boat came with two pieces of his...thank god, hearing about that wait time


----------



## BayStYat (Sep 12, 2012)

> this is crazy, is his work really that bad?
> 
> if so, why the following, has it gone downhill??
> 
> never bought anything myself from him, but my boat came with two pieces of his...thank god, hearing about that wait time


I think he does good work most of the time, I may have got the bad ones.

They will work and I will use them, but I definitely expected better quality.


----------



## --AL-- (Nov 28, 2012)

[smiley=laughing-out-loud1.gif]


> And that lump is so big it looks like Ray Charles welded it and Stevie Wonder was watching


I bought some Strongarm push pole holders with the Seadek padding about a year ago. The price was OK i suppose and the quality was also ok, they do function properly and came with screw covers for a finished look. My pushpole has not popped out like it did with the v-marine spindle.

Having said that, they took about a month and 2 weeks to deliver. Also, the dimensional tolerances vary as if handmade. For example, the radii of each of my pole holders is slightly different. The slight curve at the end of the bends were also different as if worked by hand. This suggests a guy at a workbench bending and grinding away at each one of these things. It's not like a cnc-milled aluminum part where all the parts are identical.

For sure, this is minor stuff that does not affect the performance of the pole holders. And they are not priced as a machine-milled solid part would so I should't expect that level of quality.

If I were to do it again, I'd model up some holders in Sketchup or AutoCAD and get em milled. If it's prohibitively expensive I would actually order another set from Strongarm.


----------



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

A CNC machine doesn't just crank out identical pieces. Working that machine is an art form in itself. There is more to it than sticking your piece of billet in the machine and pressing a button. 

As for those pole holders, whoever made those was having a bad day. Maybe his wife is mad because he's spending too much time with his new girlfriend, or maybe his dog died. Pole holders are simple, I would expect them to be straight and sit flush. It's not that complicated. If I waited that long for that garbage I would be a little annoyed. I would still use them, but It would annoy me that I spent that much money and waited that long for something that isn't even straight. 

This whole thing reeks of growing pains and poor management. I would hope that if someone set those pole holders down on the owners desk, he wouldn't let them go out of his shop with his name on them.


----------



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

> has anyone else had a problem with crappity looking welds?


How's this for welds?


----------



## flyfshrmn82 (Oct 12, 2007)

Hear me out as I'm just trying to figure out what the big deal is here.  Does the slight misalignment compromise the fit/function of the rod holder?  Did you have a place in your boat that was machined to a precision fit and now you have to thrash your boat and start all over?  Is it some eyesore that will draw immediate attention without you pointing it out first?

You didn't want holes drilled in them.  Is this because you plan on bonding them on with adhesive as I did?  


  



> As for those pole holders, whoever made those was having a bad day. Maybe his wife is mad because he's spending too much time with his new girlfriend, or maybe his dog died.


Not cool man.  You painted yourself as a level-minded, reasonable  guy over your casting platform thread.  This type of personal attack shows the real person behind the  screen name.  I figured this much out when I made my post on your thread.  You may have fooled some, but you didn't fool me.


----------



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

> Hear me out as I'm just trying to figure out what the big deal is here.  Does the slight misalignment compromise the fit/function of the rod holder?  Did you have a place in your boat that was machined to a precision fit and now you have to thrash your boat and start all over?  Is it some eyesore that will draw immediate attention without you pointing it out first?
> 
> You didn't want holes drilled in them.  Is this because you plan on bonding them on with adhesive as I did?
> 
> ...


It was just a joke dude, relax. It wasn't directed at anyone. For something to be personal, it needs to be directed at a specific person. It was just a tongue and cheek comment made about a product that looked like it had been made in haste. Take it however you want, call it off color or rude, doesn't really matter. At the end of the day it was a joke directed at no one.

Unless of course you were the guy who made the rod holders, if that's the case, I'm sorry about your dog.


----------



## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

He was just making a joke Fly, perhaps not the best of taste, but it reads as one. Personally attaching him about his personal attack serves no purpose, if you have a gripe then use a PM and ask them to delete their post.

Anyway, what is to figure out? He ordered a product, paid a premium for it and the company did not deliver! It doesn't matter if it "could" work, he paid for it and he expected it to be correct. The welds look bad, the parts don't have the fit and finish the price calls for, and the powder coating looks pretty bad too. I still say return them, those are so easy to make you can get a better job locally for less money.


----------



## larryg (Dec 11, 2013)

man, with the two latest threads, i would anticipate a fix to all of these problems. either that or its going out of business, talk about bad reviews.....

on a positive note, my tiller extension and grab bar work ( as one would expect). I am no expert, so I cant judge 'how pretty the beads are' but I am satisfied


----------



## RedFinaddict (Sep 14, 2010)

> Hear me out as I'm just trying to figure out what the big deal is here.  Does the slight misalignment compromise the fit/function of the rod holder?  Did you have a place in your boat that was machined to a precision fit and now you have to thrash your boat and start all over?  Is it some eyesore that will draw immediate attention without you pointing it out first?
> 
> You didn't want holes drilled in them.  Is this because you plan on bonding them on with adhesive as I did?
> 
> ...



Lmao, would you be happy if you went out to eat and received a cold steak? Or would it not matter since its just goin in your stomach? Same concept, we expect quality. Who wants half assed products?


----------



## RedFinaddict (Sep 14, 2010)

> > has anyone else had a problem with crappity looking welds?
> 
> 
> How's this for welds?


WOW


----------



## kfa4303 (Jun 25, 2012)

Dang! If a part I special ordered, paid top dollar for and waited that long to receive were that poorly made, there would be some serious issues. Unless of course those are the new POS model push pole holders we've all been hearing so much about. LOL!!! Could you "make them work"? Probably, but you shouldn't have to, particularly from a small, custom manufacturer. Makes me feel better about my DIY, $.50, PVC holders, that's for sure. Less is more......

Strongarm = weak welds


----------



## RonBari (Jun 30, 2012)

I know it isn't going to happen, but this.. and the "Has anyone had a casting platform fall apart?" threads would not even exist (or would be very short) if there was but one simple response from said business owner to consumers like Lupus:  "Dang man.. Sorry!  Send it to me so I can check it out and I'll either fix it or send you a new one".

Having said that.. 2 Strongarm products were attached to my boat when I bought it 2 years ago.. so far without issues.  Based on many positive experiences with the builder of my skiff, I am certain that HE (or she) would personally step in and help make it right if something like this ever happened.


----------



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

Carbon Marine for the win!


----------



## Brad_M (Mar 6, 2014)

Good luck on the extension!


----------



## Creek Runner (Sep 1, 2011)

> > > Anyone know someone who works for them that I can contact. I ordered a tiller extension a month ago and haven't received it. Tried to contract them by phone and left a voicemail. Tried their email and a Facebook message. Hoping someone here can help me get a hold of somebody there. Thanks.
> >
> >
> > Next time do a little research before buying. Sorry for ya man!
> ...


Yep I'm trying to get my post count up! 

If you would have done research on this forum in the last 6 months +/- you would have seen a trend of problems. Just because they are building something for a builder doesn't make them good or bad. Also that boat manufacture has a lot more pull as they are buying a heck of a lot more than you! Again sorry for ya man! 

hey I get another +1 on my post count!


----------



## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

Creeks master plan has been exploited ;D


----------



## flyfshrmn82 (Oct 12, 2007)

> Lmao, would you be happy if you went out to eat and received a cold steak? Or would it not matter since its just goin in your stomach? Same concept, we expect quality. Who wants half assed products?


I'm probably the wrong guy to ask a steak question like that.  I quickly learned that no matter where I go, no one can season/cook a steak how I like it.  However, if I payed for a beer that was not the perfect drinking temperature betweet 38-43 degrees (say 46), it would be gone before anyone had a chance to complain about it.  Then I'd order another...

BayStYat,

Did you get these things installed yet?  How do you like 'em?  How did you mount them? Post some pics!


----------



## BayStYat (Sep 12, 2012)

Yea I got em installed. Im happy with them. I work for 3M so I used RP45 VHB tape to install them. I hate drilling holes in my boats. 

I used a thick enough VHB tape to make up the difference from the welds on the back. 

Overall Im happy.


----------



## flyfshrmn82 (Oct 12, 2007)

Good to hear! I used white 5200 on mine. I was going to mention that the slight bulge from the weld will give you a natural bond line thickness for a stronger more durable bond. 

Tight lines


----------



## mpsig13 (Jan 6, 2011)

> Update. Got a call from strongarm yesterday evening. They got my order and are working on it now. As far as everyone concerned with the cosmetics of the welds my extension is going on a Jon boat not a hells bay. As long as it works I'm good with.


Update May 20th no tiller extension. I'm calling this one. Someone give me the time of death.


----------



## RonBari (Jun 30, 2012)

Clearly, there's a disconnect with the everyday, "One piece at a time" customer. Solution. Shop elsewhere.


----------



## mikeregas (Mar 15, 2013)

> > Update. Got a call from strongarm yesterday evening. They got my order and are working on it now. As far as everyone concerned with the cosmetics of the welds my extension is going on a Jon boat not a hells bay. As long as it works I'm good with.
> 
> 
> Update May 20th no tiller extension. I'm calling this one. Someone give me the time of death.


Call Joe at Carbon Marine.


----------



## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

> > Update. Got a call from strongarm yesterday evening. They got my order and are working on it now. As far as everyone concerned with the cosmetics of the welds my extension is going on a Jon boat not a hells bay. As long as it works I'm good with.
> 
> 
> Update May 20th no tiller extension. I'm calling this one. Someone give me the time of death.



*Apr 3rd, 2014 at 6:41pm*


----------



## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

> > > Update. Got a call from strongarm yesterday evening. They got my order and are working on it now. As far as everyone concerned with the cosmetics of the welds my extension is going on a Jon boat not a hells bay. As long as it works I'm good with.
> >
> >
> > Update May 20th no tiller extension. I'm calling this one. Someone give me the time of death.
> ...



X2 call Joe
cool dude customer service oriented and awesome products


----------



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

+1 on Carbon Marine. You will be happier with the Carbon Maine tiller extension anyway, and your tiller bushings will last longer.


----------



## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

Got a new Strongarm Tiller Extension today, got to say I am impressed so far with his new system for attaching it to the tiller arm. I ran one his original design on my first skiff and loved it. This one seems to attach much easier.


----------



## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

> Got a new Strongarm Tiller Extension today, got to say I am impressed so far with his new system for attaching it to the tiller arm. I ran one his original design on my first skiff and loved it. This one seems to attach much easier.


So when did you order it and how long did it take?

Seems the only people who can get stuff from him without hassle are the Ankona crew and a few select people. 

I like the looks of his stuff and was considering them for my skiff, but I am not willing to gamble that I won't be one of the many who get stuck waiting for months


----------



## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

> > Got a new Strongarm Tiller Extension today, got to say I am impressed so far with his new system for attaching it to the tiller arm. I ran one his original design on my first skiff and loved it. This one seems to attach much easier.
> 
> 
> So when did you order it and how long did it take?
> ...


I got it from Ankona. They had placed an order for the shop, so they had a it on their shelf. No idea how long it took them to get their order from the day they placed the order. I just got lucky that they had it in stock.


----------



## jw9988 (Aug 19, 2013)

My experience: ordered a tiller extension 12/21/13 never received, ordered a jack plate 3/17/14 never received. I have emailed "Bob" back and fourth many times and every time he said it was going out next week or waiting on something, always an excuse. I asked for a full refund on 5/16/14 and he said I would be refunded in a day or so... I haven't received a refund yet. I was very patient and understanding in emails but finally have had enough of this crap. I have all the emails stored and proof of his lies and promises over and over. If you do business with them expect to get screwed over. Instead just take the money you were gonna spend, take a dump on it, put it in a paper bag and burn it on there doorsteps!


----------



## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

Sorry to hear you got screwed. Hopefully these posts will warn others of this dirtbags M.O.

Curious, why would you place a 2nd order 3 months after you never received the tiller arm?


----------



## jw9988 (Aug 19, 2013)

I placed a second order because I own 2 small businesses and one is strictly online. I understand how things can get mixed up and wasn't gonna crucify him since he responded to my emails. 




> Sorry to hear you got screwed.  Hopefully these posts will warn others of this dirtbags M.O.
> 
> Curious, why would you place a 2nd order 3 months after you never received the tiller arm?


----------



## jw9988 (Aug 19, 2013)

The last email I sent stated I would be taking further action if not refunded by 5:00pm today. I never heard a response which is why I posted here and left a review on his FB.


----------



## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

That's Funny I placed my order and received my Item in less than 2 weeks ! 





> The last email I sent stated I would be taking further action if not refunded by 5:00pm today. I never heard a response which is why I posted here and left a review on his FB.


----------



## Jeremy_James (Feb 27, 2013)

> My experience: ordered a tiller extension 12/21/13 never received, ordered a jack plate 3/17/14 never received. I have emailed "Bob" back and fourth many times and every time he said it was going out next week or waiting on something, always an excuse. I asked for a full refund on 5/16/14 and he said I would be refunded in a day or so... I haven't received a refund yet. I was very patient and understanding in emails but finally have had enough of this crap. I have all the emails stored and proof of his lies and promises over and over. If you do business with them expect to get screwed over. Instead just take the money you were gonna spend, take a dump on it, put it in a paper bag and burn it on there doorsteps!



Sorry bro, but you *do not have enough street cred* around here to come on and blast a local micro business. This is your first post. I just can't say that I believe you. I ordered some rod holders from StrongArm, it took almost 2 months, but he communicated with me the whole time. The way I look at it is, he is a family man, with a full time job. StrongArm is his side business that he gets to if he's lucky a couple hours everynight. If he didn't make the product on the side, then he wouldn't make it at all, which then would mean that StrongArm Products don't exist. I like his products, and accept the wait time. He will tell you your wait time when you ask him. Double it, so your hopes aren't up and next thing you know you received a badass package in the mail. You have the option to not buy from StrongArm. Consider it for what it's worth. This is about the biased you can get. I don't know him, I've done business with him. It took forever, but the product I purchased showed up and they were in great shape with great welds and powdercoating. I'm a happy camper.

It's funny because fishing is really nothing but patience. This website is full of fishermen, being a Microskiff genre. But the majority of the users on this website are just a bunch of baby back, whiny, complaining, INPATIENT grown ass children that I've ever witnessed.

'Merica.  ;D


----------



## flyfshrmn82 (Oct 12, 2007)

> > My experience: ordered a tiller extension 12/21/13 never received, ordered a jack plate 3/17/14 never received. I have emailed "Bob" back and fourth many times and every time he said it was going out next week or waiting on something, always an excuse. I asked for a full refund on 5/16/14 and he said I would be refunded in a day or so... I haven't received a refund yet. I was very patient and understanding in emails but finally have had enough of this crap. I have all the emails stored and proof of his lies and promises over and over. If you do business with them expect to get screwed over. Instead just take the money you were gonna spend, take a dump on it, put it in a paper bag and burn it on there doorsteps!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Amen!


----------



## jw9988 (Aug 19, 2013)

> > My experience: ordered a tiller extension 12/21/13 never received, ordered a jack plate 3/17/14 never received. I have emailed "Bob" back and fourth many times and every time he said it was going out next week or waiting on something, always an excuse. I asked for a full refund on 5/16/14 and he said I would be refunded in a day or so... I haven't received a refund yet. I was very patient and understanding in emails but finally have had enough of this crap. I have all the emails stored and proof of his lies and promises over and over. If you do business with them expect to get screwed over. Instead just take the money you were gonna spend, take a dump on it, put it in a paper bag and burn it on there doorsteps!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Ok Bro, do you want me to forward you the emails in black and white. It would have been one thing if he was honest instead he kept saying it was being made next week or will will finish Saturday for 5 months straight. I don't know what the welds or anything else looks like because he never sent me the products I paid for in full.

I too am a family man and understand what it takes to run a small business. You may not want me to forward the email because you may not like what your eyes see. This is Merca and I can come on any forum and post whatever I like, because you don't believe, not my fault nor should you. I do commend you on questioning me since I don't post here, most people believe everything they see on internet. Unfortunately, I am honest and would never make this up. I'm very patient and could have been more patient if he was honest with his emails. Anyone that wants emails send me a message and I'll forward them to you.
If you choose to continue doing business with him then feel free. If you need a tiller extension for a 2-stroke yamaha he has one that was ready on May 8 and just had to be boxed and shipped, supposedly anyway. I would like to caution others though to maybe get a date upfront and don't pay with PayPal cause they only go back 45 days.


----------



## BayStYat (Sep 12, 2012)

I have enough *STREET CRED*. Used him twice for two different items. 

I *WONT *do business with Strongarm again.


----------



## RonBari (Jun 30, 2012)

> My experience: ordered a tiller extension 12/21/13 never received, ordered a jack plate 3/17/14 never received. I have emailed "Bob" back and fourth many times and every time he said it was going out next week or waiting on something, always an excuse. I asked for a full refund on 5/16/14 and he said I would be refunded in a day or so... I haven't received a refund yet. I was very patient and understanding in emails but finally have had enough of this crap. I have all the emails stored and proof of his lies and promises over and over. If you do business with them expect to get screwed over. Instead just take the money you were gonna spend, take a dump on it, put it in a paper bag and burn it on there doorsteps!



I am about to retire from 40 years of running a service and product related business.  We are quality oriented, take promised deadlines seriously, stay in communication with our customers, and in the rare case we cannot satisfy the client we promptly return their deposit..  

Having said that, I will again mention that I have well made and acceptable Strongarm products on my boat that were installed when it was built.  When I later needed an alteration on a grab bar.. the order went through Ankona.  It came back fast, was well made, and VERY affordable.  Direct customer orders are simply and clearly not Strongarm's strength or priority.


----------



## kfa4303 (Jun 25, 2012)

> My experience: ordered a tiller extension 12/21/13 never received, ordered a jack plate 3/17/14 never received. I have emailed "Bob" back and fourth many times and every time he said it was going out next week or waiting on something, always an excuse. I asked for a full refund on 5/16/14 and he said I would be refunded in a day or so... I haven't received a refund yet. I was very patient and understanding in emails but finally have had enough of this crap. I have all the emails stored and proof of his lies and promises over and over. If you do business with them expect to get screwed over. Instead just take the money you were gonna spend, take a dump on it, put it in a paper bag and burn it on there doorsteps!



That's inexcusable. I hate to say it, if that happened to me, I'm afraid ol' Bob and Senior Strongarm would be getting a little personal visit. I guarantee ya' I'd walk in empty handed and leave with exactly what I ordered. I guarantee ya'  It's amazing how accommodating people can be with the proper "motivation".


----------



## jw9988 (Aug 19, 2013)

> > My experience: ordered a tiller extension 12/21/13 never received, ordered a jack plate 3/17/14 never received. I have emailed "Bob" back and fourth many times and every time he said it was going out next week or waiting on something, always an excuse. I asked for a full refund on 5/16/14 and he said I would be refunded in a day or so... I haven't received a refund yet. I was very patient and understanding in emails but finally have had enough of this crap. I have all the emails stored and proof of his lies and promises over and over. If you do business with them expect to get screwed over. Instead just take the money you were gonna spend, take a dump on it, put it in a paper bag and burn it on there doorsteps!
> 
> 
> 
> That's inexcusable. I hate to say it, if that happened to me, I'm afraid ol' Bob and Senior Strongarm would be getting a little personal visit. I guarantee ya' I'd walk in empty handed and leave with exactly what I ordered. I guarantee ya'  It's amazing how accommodating people can be with the proper "motivation".


If I didn't live in Georgia that would be the case I can assure you.


----------



## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

> > My experience: ordered a tiller extension 12/21/13 never received, ordered a jack plate 3/17/14 never received. I have emailed "Bob" back and fourth many times and every time he said it was going out next week or waiting on something, always an excuse. I asked for a full refund on 5/16/14 and he said I would be refunded in a day or so... I haven't received a refund yet. I was very patient and understanding in emails but finally have had enough of this crap. I have all the emails stored and proof of his lies and promises over and over. If you do business with them expect to get screwed over. Instead just take the money you were gonna spend, take a dump on it, put it in a paper bag and burn it on there doorsteps!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yep Ankona or his select "sponsored" people. He needs to stop selling to the public and take down his site before his lack of service to the public ends up taking him down...and it will eventually...


----------



## AfterHours2 (Aug 2, 2010)

Street Cred? Now that's spoken from a true mature standpoint. Strongarm, I doubt, is no longer a major competitor in the this market now days. I don't see why anyone would purposely come on here and make false claims. If the guy paid for goods and never received them then he has all rights to voice his opinion. I ordered an extension from him when his business just took off. Let's just say it took me several emails and over 3 months to receive. Looks like he has had plenty of time to make adjustments but continues to follow a crappy sales model..


----------



## GSSF (May 25, 2013)

Boom! Afterhours2, ya nailed it bro. Crappy customer service, misleading emails, etc., is inexcusable. 

As far as members with "Street cred?" Wow.... puuhhleeze. :


----------



## swaddict (Dec 19, 2009)

> Street Cred? Now that's spoken from a true mature standpoint. Strongarm, I doubt, is no longer a major competitor in the this market now days. I don't see why anyone would purposely come on here and make false claims. If the guy paid for goods and never received them then he has all rights to voice his opinion. I ordered an extension from him when his business just took off. Let's just say it took me several emails and over 3 months to receive. Looks like he has had plenty of time to make adjustments but continues to follow a crappy sales model..


absolutely correct, doesn't matter how big or small your business is, there's no excuse for a lack of communication with today's technology, if you're in business selling a product to the public, it is your responsibility to deliver product within a reasonable amount of time, unless other arrangements have be made with the customer


----------



## Jeremy_James (Feb 27, 2013)

[smiley=z-respect.gif]

[smiley=z-djparty.gif] 

[smiley=z-club.gif]


;D ;D ;D


----------



## breakin70 (Jan 11, 2011)

Wish i had seen this thread before i recommended the tiller extension to my father. Seems at one point people were happy and actually receiving their goods, but looks like those days are long gone. Its been two months and after dodging calls and emails his excuse on the phone was he has two jobs and is busy. Yup, very busy accepting paypal payments........Looks like Paypal and Visa can deal with him now.


----------



## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

Sorry to hear you got screwed…join the club.

I think PayPal has a 45-day limit on refunds…good luck.


----------



## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Bob is not doing himself any favors here. With his target customers all pissed off he might want to consider making things right or stop taking payments till he can get caught up.


----------



## breakin70 (Jan 11, 2011)

What i find ridiculous is the fact he has the nerve to give a customer attitude after being patient for two months. Not sorry about the delay bla bla bla, but attitude. What a class act.


----------



## BayStYat (Sep 12, 2012)

> Sorry to hear you got screwed…join the club.
> 
> I think PayPal has a 45-day limit on refunds…good luck.


he only refunds payment by check. ask me why I know that........


----------



## 'Nano-Skiff' (Aug 27, 2012)

> > Sorry to hear you got screwed…join the club.
> >
> > I think PayPal has a 45-day limit on refunds…good luck.
> 
> ...



Why do you know that?


----------



## breakin70 (Jan 11, 2011)

> > Sorry to hear you got screwed…join the club.
> >
> > I think PayPal has a 45-day limit on refunds…good luck.
> 
> ...


how high do they bounce?


----------



## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

Until Ankona drops his ass nothing will change, If that ever happens I guess its a good thing he works two jobs because he will be done in the skiff business.


----------



## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

Maybe thats the solution, try to buy your Strongarm products through Ankona.....


----------



## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

> Maybe thats the solution, try to buy your Strongarm products through Ankona.....


Why even think about any method to support a guy that has screwed so many of your brothers?


----------



## copperhead (May 30, 2008)

_ try to buy your Strongarm products through Ankona..... _

That won't work!  We don't sell Bob 's products.  If a customer wants Strongarm, we refer them to Bob for product ordering and like any other product a customer provides, whether from Strongarm, Carbon Marine or West Marine, we will install it at shop labor rates.  We do suggest ordering early to insure a timely delivery  :-?  If its somewhat custom, we'll intervene with Bob to make sure its fits our console, guide box, etc.

Personally, I'd like to see Bob work on his customer service side for sure.  He makes some good stuff, some thought out better than alternatives in the market thus his backlog of orders I suppose.  Still, you have to take the bad phone calls with the good ones.  I've had a few phone calls in my time I didn't particularly want to return, but take it head on and quickly; its usually the best way. But the market will ultimately decide, lose enough orders and there will be plenty of time to work on what's left.

We do usually try and have tiller extensions on hand we order ourselves for last second boat deliveries because I know a customer isn't going to get one quickly (because I know I won't either) and when they get a new boat, I expect they will be using the boat a lot the first few weeks.

M


----------



## jmrodandgun (Sep 20, 2013)

If I didn't like my Ankona so much I probably wouldn't have been so willing to fork over the cash to have all the Strongarm crap replaced. After taking a digger off the front casting platform thanks to bad leg welds, I decided to have someone look over the poling platform. It's pointless now but it ended up having to be replaced. Every single weld was bad. The welds at the flange were so bad that when the platform was unbolted and lifted off the rear deck, one of flanges stayed on the deck. It had completely detached from from the platform. Another flange came off with a few taps from a hammer. The remaining two were solid but had poor penetration, likely from someone with a spool gun who shouldn't have been welding in the first place. 

I couldn't imagine what would have happened if I had the platform come out from under me while poling.


----------



## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

> Maybe thats the solution, try to buy your Strongarm products through Ankona.....


Why support the guy even that way? 

Give Bluepoint Fabrication a call - they make most of what he makes and at a much higher level of quality. And guess what? They stand behind their products, don't make excuses about welds, lie about late deliveries and make false promises.


----------



## BayStYat (Sep 12, 2012)

> If I didn't like my Ankona so much I probably wouldn't have been so willing to fork over the cash to have all the Strongarm crap replaced. After taking a digger off the front casting platform thanks to bad leg welds, I decided to have someone look over the poling platform. It's pointless now but it ended up having to be replaced. Every single weld was bad. The welds at the flange were so bad that when the platform was unbolted and lifted off the rear deck, one of flanges stayed on the deck. It had completely detached from from the platform. Another flange came off with a few taps from a hammer. The remaining two were solid but had poor penetration, likely from someone with a spool gun who shouldn't have been welding in the first place.
> 
> I couldn't imagine what would have happened if I had the platform come out from under me while poling.


yikes


----------



## noeettica (Sep 23, 2007)

Trying to Hire someone caused more grief :-(

We had another guy that saw he was getting too busy and quit before he could not keep up ...

all that being said I sent him a Text and it was answered very quickly ! 2 days ago ...

And I have a brand new extension (IN THE TUBE) that I am selling at a loss ...the workmanship is awesome 42" (can be cut down) for a Yamaha Just PM me ...


Bob is a little guy with good intentions ... Not like *Leatherman , Pelican , COSTA or SPOT* that have the resources to make things right but wont !!!





> If I didn't like my Ankona so much I probably wouldn't have been so willing to fork over the cash to have all the Strongarm crap replaced. After taking a digger off the front casting platform thanks to bad leg welds, I decided to have someone look over the poling platform. It's pointless now but it ended up having to be replaced. Every single weld was bad. The welds at the flange were so bad that when the platform was unbolted and lifted off the rear deck, one of flanges stayed on the deck. It had completely detached from from the platform. Another flange came off with a few taps from a hammer. The remaining two were solid but had poor penetration, likely from someone with a spool gun who shouldn't have been welding in the first place.
> 
> I couldn't imagine what would have happened if I had the platform come out from under me while poling.


----------



## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

He may have good intentions but his problems are creating upset customers. Since this isn't his main source of income he would be doing himself a favor to suspend sales till he can get production and quality under control, even if it's for a short period of time. Take that time to build up an inventory of the basic products so you can focus on custom stuff. Reopen and hit the ground running. Our niche of boaters needs people like him willing to do custom work. In return for our support we expect those vendors to provide above average products, clear and honest communication and a good overall experience. That's what custom products are all about.


----------



## tomahawk (Mar 9, 2012)

> > Maybe thats the solution, try to buy your Strongarm products through Ankona.....
> 
> 
> Why even think about any method to support a guy that has screwed so many of your brothers?


Good point Duck and thanks to Mel for clearing that up. I thought I remembered someone saying they got a Srongarm part through Ankona. Bad situation regardless.


----------



## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

> > > Maybe thats the solution, try to buy your Strongarm products through Ankona.....
> >
> >
> > Why even think about any method to support a guy that has screwed so many of your brothers?
> ...


Pretty sad that Mel can build several boats in his back log of boat sales in 11 months and Bob can only produce a couple tiller extensions in the same amount of time.


----------



## fishboy73 (Oct 22, 2012)

This thread is kind of funny. I complained about a long wait time last year and I was warned by several members that anyone that complained about the almighty Strongarm would be banned from this site! Now this thread is on its sixth page...


----------



## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

You can complain or described your experience with them (be it good or bad) all you want. You only risk getting banned when you start breaking the forum rules of "no bashing or personal attacks", and that is how some members were banned, wether I agree with it or not, and rules are rules. And although I am a very lenient moderater, I am not the only mod.


----------

