Best Boat Repair Shops on Lake St. Clair
When your boat won't start on a Saturday morning, you want a shop that answers the phone and tells you the truth about the fix. These five came out on top after we read hundreds of Google reviews and checked what Reddit and the local forums say. Every one of them has a track record you can check yourself.
Updated
- New Baltimore PowersportsJet skis and personal watercraft
Boat Repair & Service · New Baltimore
New Baltimore Powersports has the highest adjusted rating of any shop that clears our review count bar, and the reviews keep naming the same person: Sam. People say he winterizes a Sea-Doo in under an hour, orders hard to find parts fast, and tells you straight when a job is not worth doing. One customer summed it up: go elsewhere for cheap and fast, come here if you want it done right and the truth about what it costs.
Most of the detailed reviews are a few years old. Recent reviews are short with no text, so call ahead to confirm current wait times.
35574 23 Mile Rd, New Baltimore, MI 48047 · (586) 716-5294
- First Mate Marine ServiceGeneral repair with fast turnaround
Boat Repair & Service · Harrison Township
First Mate has 133 Google reviews, more than any other shop in this category, and the average holds at 4.6. Ron and Brenda come up by name over and over for honest diagnoses and getting boats back in the water fast, including same day outdrive fixes and engine overhauls timed to a launch date. That volume of repeat, specific praise is hard to fake.
Two one star reviews in the last year describe a rude phone call and problems that showed up after service, including a cracked water heater and a motor issue after an impeller job. It is the one recurring gripe worth knowing about going in.
36257 Jefferson Ave, Harrison Township, MI 48045 · (586) 468-3023
- Michigan Marine GearParts plus service for Mercury and Volvo Penta
Boat Repair & Service · St. Clair Shores
Michigan Marine Gear is a factory certified Mercury and Volvo Penta dealer with 131 Google reviews at a 4.5 average, and it is the one shop in this category with a real mention on a local fishing forum. Brenda and James get credit for tracking down parts other shops could not find, including for a decades old Mercruiser stern, and for getting anglers back on the water mid tournament.
A cluster of complaints from 2024 mention a steep quote on a lower unit rebuild and staff who came across short with customers. Nothing negative shows up in reviews from 2025 or 2026.
20610 Stephens Rd, St Clair Shores, MI 48080 · (586) 772-5556
- Blue Water MarineDiesel and sterndrive work
Boat Repair & Service · Harrison Township
Blue Water Marine has served Harrison Township since 1975 and has 91 Google reviews at a 4.5 average, the largest sample of any shop below the top three. Hayden, Todd, and Warren are named again and again for diesel and sterndrive jobs, including one review where Hayden diagnosed and fixed a problem a dealer had failed to solve three times, in under half an hour.
One 2025 review describes unreturned calls and ground wires left unconnected after a repair. It is an outlier next to dozens of positive, specific reviews, but worth a follow up call if you do not hear back right away.
30201 S River Rd, Harrison Township, MI 48045 · (586) 468-6960
- Bayview Yacht Crafters IncMercruiser engine specialists
Boat Repair & Service · Harrison Township
Bayview Yacht Crafters is a small, single owner shop that Lake St. Clair boaters have called out by name for over a decade. Bob is the one doing the work, and reviews describe him pinpointing engine problems within minutes and turning a boat around in a few days, dropped off Monday and back on the water Thursday, with lower unit installs done right the first time.
Nothing has been posted since August 2024, and one 2020 review calls Bob dishonest and unprofessional. It is a single outlier against years of praise, but the review record here is thinner and older than our other four picks.
31785 S River Rd, Harrison Township, MI 48045 · (586) 469-4131
Honorable mentions
- Wilson Marine Parts/Service Harrison Twp Solid review count and a consistently praised service department, just outside the top five.
- Dock Box Services Strong rating and a clean review record for quick diagnosis, but too few reviews yet to rank ahead of the top five.
- Doc's Marine Fiberglass Inc The fiberglass specialist locals mention for detail work, though estimates reportedly take a while to arrive.
How we ranked these
We ran fresh review pulls on the top candidates and searched Reddit (r/Detroit, r/Michigan, r/boating) and the michigan-sportsman.com forum. Reddit had nothing local to this category across three scoped searches, and Nextdoor showed no public recommendation counts, so this list is only Google reviews plus one forum thread and one Yelp count where we could confirm them. Every pick needed at least 20 Google reviews to reach the top three.
Ranks come from Google reviews, Reddit, forums, and niche review sites. Sponsorship never changes rank. We re-check these lists each season.
All the boat repair & service we track →
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