Did you see the shit going down with Ultra Boats on FB?

[GRADS]

:yikes

https://www.facebook.com/groups/819..._id=1509949044538010&notif_t=group_highlights

 

[4Waters]

Can't see it, don't have Facebook what happened.

 

[rvrrat350]

Can't see it, don't have Facebook what happened.

heres the post

Please beware do not do business with Rusty Romberg at Ultra Boat,
I went out to check on my new 28 ft boat that he had been working on for 2 1/2 years, he has sent photos of a near completed boat with engine installed boat near completion and almost ready for water testing, I traveled out to check on progress because he quit returning my phone calls, I found the engine out of the boat and various parts missing as well, I confronted Rusty he claimed he had to finish a couple of things and put a different set of heads on the engine then reinstall it, after that he pointed out my drive ready for installation when I left I decided to hire a new builder to finish the boat, I didn't feel Rusty would ever get it completed, the new builder met me out there along with Havasu Police Dept we attempted to pick the boat and parts up so new builder could finish it, Rusty said no but to give him till the end of the month "September" and he would have boat completed or all parts, trailer and boat available for pick up, we traveled back out to pick it up October 9th and the boat had been completely disassembled and scavenged, the trailer had one axle under it and was bare, no boards, no wheels, no brakes, etc, I tried to pick up all my parts Rusty claimed he had ordered for me with my money and he said they were gone, he used them on other boats if he ever had them at all, 128,000 dollars 2 years and 7 months later I have a bare hull an incomplete trailer, a bare block and blower assembly no stereo, no steering, no drive, guys like this need to go away, he has done the same to 4 other people that I know of, the Havasu Police Department will not get involved or help, they are completely useless, all they want to do is write traffic tickets or issue DUI's please spread the word before another trusting person deals with useless specimen of humanity with their hard earned money, feel free to reach out to me with any questions, I have copies of e-mails, text messages, photos etc to prove this is all true.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Tim, I mean Rusty is a great guy. He?s just bad with communication, he?s not out to screw anyone, this can?t be true.

It sounds like the moms of the young men that pull guns on cops and get kilt.

 

[RitcheyRch]

Can see some of it posted here.

http://www.riverdavesplace.com/foru...48-Is-ultra-still-in-business&highlight=ultra

 

[Andy01]

This is just unbelievable. I would have never left in September. I would have hooked it up with the new guy and split!

 

[RiverDave]

Rusty has had a couple of builds (I think three or four?) that seem to be never ending.. last I had heard he was actually delivering some boats and things were getting better.

The owner of this boat (Robert) reached out to me a few months back and it sounded like the boat was 95% done and just needed a few things to be completed..

He claims that when he went to go pick it up Rusty wouldn't release the boat to him. Then when he came back on the agreed upon time the boat was taken apart and missing a bunch of stuff.

These are the pics of the boat from when it was picked up.















I'm not sure what stage of production it was in before..

I'm not sure how Rusty makes it right at this point.. I'd guess he would at a minimum have to deliver the balance of the missing parts..

 

[hallett21]

Rusty has had a couple of builds (I think three or four?) that seem to be never ending.. last I had heard he was actually delivering some boats and things were getting better.

The owner of this boat (Robert) reached out to me a few months back and it sounded like the boat was 95% done and just needed a few things to be completed..

He claims that when he went to go pick it up Rusty wouldn't release the boat to him. Then when he came back on the agreed upon time the boat was taken apart and missing a bunch of stuff.

These are the pics of the boat from when it was picked up.

View attachment 597006

View attachment 597007

View attachment 597008

View attachment 597009

View attachment 597010

View attachment 597011

View attachment 597012

I'm not sure what stage of production it was in before..

I'm not sure how Rusty makes it right at this point.. I'd guess he would at a minimum have to deliver the balance of the missing parts..

The engine and drive in the boat or no?

 

[checkrd past]

I'm sure there's more to the story. Remember , there are 3 sides to a story, he's side,their side and the truth

 

[Gelcoater]

The engine and drive in the boat or no?

No

 

[was thatguy]

Yeah I read that a few days ago.

I don't know any of the party's, but seemed kind of hard to believe?

 

[Advantage 1]

Damn.

I have had 2 new boat builds. A new build really gets the emotions going. At the end, it should be a fun experience free of drama.

Whatever the 3 sided story maybe, sucks it has turned out this way.

 

[HOOTER SLED-]

WHO continues to pay up to 128k without anything being delivered?

 

[RiverDave]

The engine and drive in the boat or no?

He got a block and a super charger and some carbs.. not sure what stage the engine was at. He has pictures of the engine in the boat from before. I'm not sure why it was removed.

 

[Gelcoater]

He got a block and a super charger and some carbs.. not sure what stage the engine was at. He has pictures of the engine in the boat from before. I'm not sure why it was removed.

Lol!
What stage it was at?

It was a hodgepodge of used parts put together to look like a whole engine in a picture.

 

[RiverDave]

Lol!
What stage it was at?

It was a hodgepodge of used parts put together to look like a whole engine in a picture.

How do you know that?

By the way text me your number again.. joe Malich was looking for you to do some work.

 

[Gelcoater]

How do you know that?

By the way text me your number again.. joe Malich was looking for you to do some work.

I saw the boat and pallet of part about a week and a half ago here in So Cal. It's pathetic.

 

[hallett21]

WHO continues to pay up to 128k without anything being delivered?

Apparently that's the standard for west coast custom builds. Which I still don't buy.

AZ Geo and Gelcoater both gave decent insight into the business but no way I would pay all of it up front.

If you're paying cash then you should be making progress payments. Keeps everyone honest.

Need to buy an engine and drive? Great here's the check I want shipping info on when my motor shows up.

I'm surprised that when boats are being financed the payment is made in one lump sum.

If that's the case and you don't have the capital to build the whole boat up front you shouldn't be building "financed" boats.

 

[NicPaus]

I'm sure there's more to the story. Remember , there are 3 sides to a story, he's side,their side and the truth

Several with the same issues. JW said rusty is dodging his texts and calls for 2 months.

 

[Uncle Dave]

I'm sure there's more to the story. Remember , there are 3 sides to a story, he's side,their side and the truth

Absolutely, the truth is a 3 edged sword.

Odd though, with this and several other threads we haven't yet been presented with Ultras side of the story.
This leads me to believe its likely not a good one.

Interesting to note - the "facts" keep changing.

In one thread here its 4 years, on facebook its 2.5. Which is it?

UD

 

[RiverDave]

I saw the boat and pallet of part about a week and a half ago here in So Cal. It's pathetic.

Gotcha..

Is the boat missing any ultra specific parts? Are those hatches normally Fiberglass or just the plastic doors a lot of them use?

 

[NicPaus]

In one thread here its 4 years, on facebook its 2.5. Which is it?

UD[/QUOTE]

The 23 deck 4 years the 28 deck 2 1/2. Both live out of state so dropping by not so easy.

 

[Gelcoater]

Gotcha..

Is the boat missing any ultra specific parts? Are those hatches normally Fiberglass or just the plastic doors a lot of them use?

I don't know? I didn't look at it all that close.
And I'm not that hip on Ultra specifics.

I saw that boat and a pile of engine parts. Not even sure there was a crank in it? No slugs in it. Blower sitting on another bench, etc. and it all needs some elbo grease from what I saw.
Some interior parts, upholstered.

It's stories like this that tarnish the whole industry.

Like people are saying, there's three sides to these stories.
Seems to me the ball is in Rustys court to present his side.

 

[Singleton]

Several with the same issues. JW said rusty is dodging his texts and calls for 2 months.

This should tell you something is up and not right.
I hope the molds get pulled and turned over to someone that can continue the tradition.

Something is very wrong with these builds and as a supporter of the brand, I can say my boat is not going to Rusty for a couple gel repairs and updates this year.

 

[Singleton]

Absolutely, the truth is a 3 edged sword.

Odd though, with this and several other threads we haven't yet been presented with Ultras side of the story.
This leads me to believe its likely not a good one.

Interesting to note - the "facts" keep changing.

In one thread here its 4 years, on facebook its 2.5. Which is it?

UD

2 stories, a 28 and a 23 deck. Both are overdue IMO and both boats should be in a position that final payment should be exchanged at time of boat delivery. Both boats should be able to be delivered today if business was right.

 

[Uncle Dave]

2 stories, a 28 and a 23 deck. Both are overdue IMO and both boats should be in a position that final payment should be exchanged at time of boat delivery. Both boats should be able to be delivered today if business was right.

Thats not good X2.

UD

 

[NicPaus]

Thats not good X2.

UD

From posts there is at least 4 boats in similar situation. Not just the 2 mentioned.

Lets not forget what happened to Lavish62 either.

 

[MooreMoney]

Every time I leave Windsor launch ramp I would wonder why this boat wasn?t completed. Sad to hear this has happened to a couple people now. I would only trust a few builders with my hard earned money.

Rusty has had a couple of builds (I think three or four?) that seem to be never ending.. last I had heard he was actually delivering some boats and things were getting better.

The owner of this boat (Robert) reached out to me a few months back and it sounded like the boat was 95% done and just needed a few things to be completed..

He claims that when he went to go pick it up Rusty wouldn't release the boat to him. Then when he came back on the agreed upon time the boat was taken apart and missing a bunch of stuff.

These are the pics of the boat from when it was picked up.

View attachment 597006

View attachment 597007

View attachment 597008

View attachment 597009

View attachment 597010

View attachment 597011

View attachment 597012

I'm not sure what stage of production it was in before..

I'm not sure how Rusty makes it right at this point.. I'd guess he would at a minimum have to deliver the balance of the missing parts..

 

[Riverbound]

Come on guys. You just don't understand. The Wes coast custom boat business is like no other business in the world...you mere mortals with your business sense have no clue what you're talking about. This is just how business is done in this one type of business.

 

[riverroyal]

paging Lavish......

maybe Rusty spent to much time making paddle boards:rolleyes

 

[dribble]

I'm sure there's more to the story. Remember , there are 3 sides to a story, he's side,their side and the truth

No there aren't. Until Rusty comes up and explains WFT he did with the rest of this customer's $128,000.00 there is only one side to the story. That is that he is a thief. For 27 years I investigated this kind of thing many times in the classic car restoration business. The pattern of behavior is identical. As follows:

Not completing the work as promised in anything close to the time promised. Why? The customer's money was diverted elsewhere.

Removing and selling the parts obtained for the job Why? Anything from needing money to make payroll to having another customer yelling louder about his project and using this guy's money to shut him up.

And in every case I ever investigated, the crook tries to shift the blame elsewhere. On the customer, the vendors the employees, the ex wife, Obama, you name it. I've heard it all.

That the police do nothing is not their fault. Prosecutors often see this as a civil breach because these cases are too difficult to prosecute. However, if there are several victims (voters) they will often take a stab at it.

I had a custom shop steal $9000.00 from Make A Wish. Took the money to build a custom pickup for a 14 year old girl with advanced Leukemia. The project sat in the back of the shop for four years with nothing being done and the money gone.

Even though I'm retired, this shit still chaps my ass.

 

[Singleton]

paging Lavish......

maybe Rusty spent to much time making paddle boards:rolleyes

Lavish got his boat once both sides finally agreed an what was due. Like said earlier, get everything in writing and signed off by both parties.

I do know that 28 is a PIA to build. I think it was over 20 different molds and since templates were never made, all the bullet is custom cut each time. No excuses for the delay IMO, but knowing what I do about the model, only a few folks I would trust to build one and right now Rusty is not one of them.

 

[RiverDave]

Come on guys. You just don't understand. The Wes coast custom boat business is like no other business in the world...you mere mortals with your business sense have no clue what you're talking about. This is just how business is done in this one type of business.

Not sure why you would just limit it to West Coast.. lol.

 

[Gelcoater]

Not sure why you would just limit it to West Coast.. lol.

He's taking a shot at George and I from another thread.

And, it was a good shot. I give him that.:thumbsup

 

[milkmoney]

Maybe he took the 128k and invested in OCM[emoji202] [emoji4]

 

[Old Texan]

Not sure why you would just limit it to West Coast.. lol.

Indeed it is.....Custom fishing boats are a prime example up and down the Gulf Coast.

Bad business practices go far beyond any one type of custom build or boats for that matter. Cars, pools, homes, motorcycles, etc.

Buyer beware covers a lot of ground......

 

[Tank]

Not sure why you would just limit it to West Coast.. lol.

Robbing Peter to pay Paul is the oldest game in the boat biz. Endless stories of this happening all over the Country.

 

[riverroyal]

Lavish got his boat once both sides finally agreed an what was due. Like said earlier, get everything in writing and signed off by both parties.

I do know that 28 is a PIA to build. I think it was over 20 different molds and since templates were never made, all the bullet is custom cut each time. No excuses for the delay IMO, but knowing what I do about the model, only a few folks I would trust to build one and right now Rusty is not one of them.

his boat looks great on the water!

 

[Shortdeck]

Maybe he took the 128k and invested in OCM[emoji202] [emoji4]

You must have missed the thread where he rehabbed a building in the channel near Burgers By The Bridge. [emoji15]

 

[milkmoney]

You must have missed the thread where he rehabbed a building in the channel near Burgers By The Bridge. [emoji15]

No I did . I was jus making a stupid ol funny joke. [emoji202]

 

[4Waters]

I had a similar experience with a friend that was doing the machining for my race engines, I paid him for the parts once they were ordered they showed up and all was good. He had a business partner steal a bunch of shit in the middle of the night and split, he was being evicted from his house as a result of the business partner who lived with him. Him, his wife and 2 young daughters were about to be homeless so being a friend I paid him for the labor up front so he could put a roof over his family's heads. 5 years later my engine still wasn't done, I started putting pressure on him until he finished it. We are no longer friends, he lost his shop and I have other friends that never got their stuff out of the shop, some of it was stolen by the business partner. I only did it because of the kids, if it was just him and his wife they would hav just slept at the shop.

 

[TPC]

No there aren't. Until Rusty comes up and explains WFT he did with the rest of this customer's $128,000.00 there is only one side to the story. That is that he is a thief. For 27 years I investigated this kind of thing many times in the classic car restoration business. The pattern of behavior is identical. As follows:

Not completing the work as promised in anything close to the time promised. Why? The customer's money was diverted elsewhere.

Removing and selling the parts obtained for the job Why? Anything from needing money to make payroll to having another customer yelling louder about his project and using this guy's money to shut him up.

And in every case I ever investigated, the crook tries to shift the blame elsewhere. On the customer, the vendors the employees, the ex wife, Obama, you name it. I've heard it all.

That the police do nothing is not their fault. Prosecutors often see this as a civil breach because these cases are too difficult to prosecute. However, if there are several victims (voters) they will often take a stab at it.

I had a custom shop steal $9000.00 from Make A Wish. Took the money to build a custom pickup for a 14 year old girl with advanced Leukemia. The project sat in the back of the shop for four years with nothing being done and the money gone.

Even though I'm retired, this shit still chaps my ass.

Well, there it is inmates.
A month or two late, no money issues one could have patience and work through it.
But this is several years, several customers and maybe more we don't know of, and some big bank and no answers.
And it continues.

 

[Ziggy]

Guess my intuition was right on target when I was boat shopping a few years ago. Left there shaking my head. For all I know it was this guys 28 I looked at, Rusty said it was a customers boat in build progress.
Hopefully he gets it on the water soon.

 

[ChevelleSB406]

Guess my intuition was right on target when I was boat shopping a few years ago. Left there shaking my head. For all I know it was this guys 28 I looked at, Rusty said it was a customers boat in build progress.
Hopefully he gets it on the water soon.

I am certainly a nordic fan myself, but I wonder how much of their business comes from people nervous of situations like this. I know there are many other builders that are reputable and dependable as well, but when you think, I want to put a deposit down and get a boat built in a short time frame, Nordic certainly is a safe bet.

 

[HALLETT BOY]

This is 1 reason why I bought 2 Halletts , They took 5K deposit , kept check , did not cash check until boat build was started , then balance due was when boat was picked up .

 

[Riverbound]

He's taking a shot at George and I from another thread.

And, it was a good shot. I give him that.:thumbsup

No shot at you bud. I have always respected and appreciated your input here and your experiences that you share. You can have an adult discussion with people that have different views, that's what I like about this place. Lots of different opinions and experiences shared in normal conversation......you just have to sift through the dickbags.

 

[Hammer]

No shot at you bud. I have always respected and appreciated your input here and your experiences that you share. You can have an adult discussion with people that have different views, that's what I like about this place. Lots of different opinions and experiences shared in normal conversation......you just have to sift through the dickbags.

I️ consider you one of the Dick bags. [emoji23][emoji1617]

 

[Riverbound]

I️ consider you one of the Dick bags. [emoji23][emoji1617]

Most do. [emoji23] especially when someone spouts "facts" that are inaccurate.

 

[milkmoney]

I️ consider you one of the Dick bags. [emoji23][emoji1617]

+1 Lol [emoji4] [emoji202]

 

[AzGeo]

2 stories, a 28 and a 23 deck. Both are overdue IMO and both boats should be in a position that final payment should be exchanged at time of boat delivery. Both boats should be able to be delivered today if business was right.

AFTER a WATER TEST, the last payment should be made ...........

Come on guys. You just don't understand. The Wes coast custom boat business is like no other business in the world...you mere mortals with your business sense have no clue what you're talking about. This is just how business is done in this one type of business.

You sure have a lot to say for a guy with such poor reading skills .

How would you handle;

When the interior shop has your boat for 3 weeks, instead of 1 , and you have 2 more boats to go in behind the first . While the first one is only half done .

When Mercruiser has Bravo 1's on back order, and you are forced to use Bravo 3's .

When the "custom brand named trailer" does not fit the new boat it was ordered for ............ (not an order error)

When you are inspecting all the powder coated motor rails and mounts you made, and the color starts "flaking off", in your hands .

These are not "excuses", they are problems that have happened to me, and I dealt with them as they came up .

Their is no "excuse" for the builder or the buyer, when the time drags on (years?) the money is gone, and there is nothing to show for it ....................

Thanks for reminding me why I retired !