Testimonials

 

I don’t write testimonials, but John Merriam of Manatee Pocket Yacht Sales damn sure earned one . . . so here goes. I found John Merriam to be one of the most honest, ethical, conscientious, and courteous individuals I’ve ever dealt with in a sales transaction, of any kind. He is absolutely top-notch, and I recommend him without reservation. If you are considering buying or selling a boat, reach out to him. I am confident that you will immediately be impressed, and that he will bust his tail to meet your every expectation. To say that we were pleased with John’s efforts in making our boat purchase happen, or that the boat’s owner was well served and represented by him in a professional manner, is a tremendous understatement.

It was an absolute honor and a pleasure dealing with John. If I ever need to purchase another boat, or sell the one I purchased, he will be my very first phone call -period. John Merriam and Manatee Pocket Yacht Sales scored a 10/10.

-Chris and Charlotte G.
Marlargo 35

Our experience with Stuart Cantin with Manatee Pocket Yacht Sales was awesome.

He was available seven days a week, even met with me Memorial Day morning. Stu made sure we were happy with the process of buying our new to us Grady White.

Thanks again.

-Ron and Grace Mauk, Deland, FL2004 Grady White 258

I would like to tell you what a great experience I had dealing with Lee Bowden. I realize that he represented the Sellers in this sale but the help and effort he gave to me was way above what I expected.
I purchased this vessel sight unseen. Lee made that easy for me, answering dozens of questions, a FaceTime walk thru, and help with price negotiations. He also sent me all the instruction manuals to me because of the delay awaiting the transport affording me the opportunity to become familiar with the systems aboard.
Additionally, the Seller threw a curve ball when he failed to deliver the boat to the marina at the agreed upon time. Lee stepped up and bailed me out.
Please give Lee a well deserved ‘atta boy’ for me. His professionalism was well appreciated.

-Ed Nappi, New York

 

My wife and I had the opportunity to work with Capt. Steve Snyder from Manatee and briefly, the amount of time, the professionalism and care taken to guide us through our first boat purchase was exceptional. Having someone like Steve working with us through the process benefitted us two ways – it was a true learning experience and just overall enjoyable.

Let me take it all the way back – after multiple attempts trying to contact brokers and owners on my own – Steve was the ONLY person who not only responded, but responded promptly (the next day). He asked all the pertinent questions after hearing our “wants” and ultimately presented a boat that checked all the boxes for us. Since this was our first purchase – Steve took the time to not only educate us on the process but answered every “how” and “why” there was. At no time did he ever pressure or push us to make a decision – he always made sure we were comfortable with every move made.

Our survey and sea trial was also an enjoyable learning experience – thank you Darren Grant (Grant Marine International and Jonathan Yeater (Suncoast Marine – Surveying and Consulting). With the knowledge and professionalism exhibited by all of these individuals, my wife and I are the proud owners of a 1998 SeaReay 310 Sundancer.

Thank you Steve, thank you Manatee Pocket Yacht Sales!

-K. J. Frazier, Cutler Bay, FL

 

I had the extreme pleasure to work with John Merriam on this transaction. I was driving from New York to Florida when we found the listing and had a friend inspect this boat immediately. He was very accommodating by facilitating a FaceTime inspection and helpful with providing as much information as possible.We agreed to asking price and my friend provided the deposit. John sent me documentation through their excellent YachtCloser system allowing me to advance the process with a digital signature within minutes of the inspection. All parts of the transaction were handled through the YachtCloser online system, which was very easy to navigate. All of this pretty much took place from the drivers seat of my truck at rest stops off I-95.

I found John to be personable, knowledgable, honest and ethical. I would highly recommend working with him. He also put in extra effort to provide me with a short list of recommended transporters to offer pricing to get the boat up to New York.

Thanks, John, for your terrific effort on my behalf.

-Otto Cuyler, Buyer
1998 Rosborough 22 Seaskiff Custom Wheelhouse

 

I wanted to thank both you and Lee for a relatively seamless sale of our Mako 284 in October 2020. We truly loved that boat, but just were not using it enough to keep it.

The listing effort was easy and Lee took many photos of every aspect of the boat for the listing. Since the first potential buyer that was shown the boat made an offer and ultimately bought it demonstrated that the listing and showing were first quality. Additionally the closing was effortless because Lee had all the paperwork completed needing only buyer/seller signatures.

We have bought and sold boats previously and working through your company made the transaction much easier. Again, thanks for your quality support.

-Barry Douglass

 

My wife and I listed our 19′ Sea Ray bow rider with Tom Whittington at Manatee Pocket Yacht Sales in April during the height of the Covid-19 lockdown. We didn’t expect much in terms of available buyers because of the health crisis but Tom told us otherwise and he was right!

Tom kept us informed about each potential buyer and what progress he was making on a regular basis. We were pleasantly surprised that Tom found the right buyers and the boat was sold just before the 4th of July.

Having had a negative experience in the past with boat sales people, it was wonderful to work with someone like Tom. He communicated with us frequently, was always pleasant and sincere, and was very familiar with our boat which we’re sure made prospective buyers feel comfortable. Tom took care of everything, handled all the paperwork and made the actual transaction so easy, all we had to do was pick up the check!

We would highly recommend Tom and Manatee Pocket Yacht Sales to anyone looking to buy or sell a boat.

-James Jaffer, New York

 

John, with Manatee Pocket Yacht Sales, could not have been more personable and accommodating.The woman in the office helped us with pride and professionalism.

Thank you all for a very pleasant buying experience.

Douglas Kent Martin

 

Can’t say enough about my experience with Lee Bowden and Manatee Pocket Yacht Sales. I was an out of state buyer and Lee set up everything to ensure a smooth and efficient process to complete the purchase. Thank you Lee, I’ll send anyone interested in a boat your way!-Jeremy H., Texas
Sea Ray 240 Sundancer

 

Even with my boat in Michigan and the buyer in Ohio, Tom was able to broker the deal flawlessly. He handled everything from pricing to advertising to guiding the deal through the closing. I never could have moved my boat so quickly without the assistance of MPYS. They were truly a pleasure to work with and I was extremely pleased with the results.-Jim Bayley, Michigan
2018 Crownline E25