this forum is going out if business

[artdf175]

Very sorry to report this information. I have been an avid supporter of this forum for over 10 years. It has been very gratifying to provide help to fellow Suzuki owners when something doesn't go right.

My research is indicating the owner of this forum has abandoned it. I have tried every way possible to contact anyone responsible for this forum and get no response.
There is no one to approve new members.
There is no one to filter spam out.
Boats.net has washed their hands of the site.

If you want to preserve any of the posts or the sticky's - make copies as when this forum goes down, I have told, all the data will be lost.

Very disappointed
Art

[noelm007]

It is slow, and when sites get slow, it kind of snowballs, I have been contacted by others trying to join, but nothing ever comes of it, the Yamaha site is similar, at best there’s only a new post every couple of days.

[Moonlighter]

Yes its a pity that it looks like its heading to a sad end.

Behind the scenes Art has been trying to contact the owners to assess the possibility of maybe a group of us taking it over, buying it out etc, but as he says, the silence is deafening….

I joined a Suzuki facebook page for a while, but unfortunately there are so many clowns and downright idiots on Facebook, plus it turns out that the “owner” is from a Suzuki dealer and promotes their own stuff including some services that Suzuki sure wouldn't be happy about . And its very US centric, they seem surprised when people from elsewhere in the world post.

It became more frustrating than helpful, so I have left it.

The main place now for Suzuki questions is probably The Hull Truth and the Boating Forum or the Marine Electronics forums there. Ive helped lots of people over there with gauge/interface issues. And some other stuff. Indeed my sticky thread in the Marine Electronics forum on Suzuki NMEA2000 networks has just passed 1 million views!

There are actually a couple of knowledgeable Suzuki dealer people who occasionally answer questions on THT as well.

For some years a small group of us volunteered as Mods on this forum and basically kept it going, but eventually the lack of support from A d min when issues cropped up led us to drop out of those roles. Since then its been in a steady decline.

Art, Mike and Ralph all gave freely of their knowledge and encouragement for many years to countless members. Thanks guys, its been a pleasure to work alongside you all these years. Someday if you visit Aus or I visit the States, we will catch up for a beer or a whiskey, or two!

if you want to contact me, my Facebook id is grant.bennett.585

You can use that to send me a PM.

Cheers all!

Grant

[Harper]

I think the forum will probably be up for a little while, but we sure don't know for how long. So if anyone on the forum has an issue or question, at least check the site. But when it goes away , there won't be any fanfare or warning of any kind.

So that said, it's been a ride, my friends. Thanks Art, Grant, and Ralph, and to all the other contributors over the years. Adios, amigos!

Mike

[boscoe99]

Are you saying that non members are unable to join?

[boscoe99]

Traffic on the Yam section has all but come to a halt. I was wondering wth was going on.

[noelm007]

Traffic on the Yam section has all but come to a halt. I was wondering wth was going on.

Yep, just like here, a couple of random posts every few days, but that sees it out, I think Facebook has “hooked” most people, there is no control, no accountability/moderation and now real search function, and people can just say what they like to anyone.

[artdf175]

In my research I contacted the Boats. net people.
this was their reply when I asked about all 6 of the motor forums listed there:

We do apologize but we do not service these forums any longer. We would not be able to provide more details on their acquisition either.

I have not looked, but will, to see if that one is going away also.

[Moonlighter]

Are you saying that non members are unable to join?

Correct. The new member sign-up process doesn’t work. So new members are unable to join.

When you look at the forum stats, it’s unsurprising to find that most members join to find out some specific information or to get help to solve a problem, and then 95% of them are never heard from again.

Art found out that the forum hosting/domain name is paid up until May 20 this year. It seems likely that when that date passes, the forum will cease to exist.

If the owners respond before then, there is a possibility that something may be able to be done. But we dont even know what ongoing costs may be involved.

Noel, I agree with your comments about the facebook situation. The Suzuki owners page I joined for a while has ineffective moderation so the idiots take over.

[artdf175]

Surprise - surprise------
all the forums linked to Boats. net - their registration expires in May... everyone of them ....
I would like the boats. net folks to prove me wrong but I think they are the owners of all the forums and have just decided to drop them off the edge of the world...
quoting from their web site:

If you have "How-To" questions or need advice on repairing your outboard motor including which parts you need to repair or maintenance your outboard, ask the experts at each of our outboard parts forums:

• Yamaha Outboard Parts Forum
• Honda Outboard Parts Forum
• Mercury Outboard Parts Forum
• Evinrude Outboard Parts Forum
• Johnson Outboard Parts Forum
• Suzuki Outboard Parts Forum

It is a great way to get help from certified mechanics and other boating enthusiasts! Our outboard parts forums are monitored by our team of 5 star certified mechanics.
---
reading it for what it says--"each of out outboard forums"
"Our" //key word// team...."

I have one more idea before they ban me here- stay tuned as I put some information together .........
Art

[Murray]

What a shame. I doubt very much they will ban you Art, if they aren’t accepting new members it’s unlikely they will ban existing members. Good luck with whatever you have cooked up. I’m guessing the forums cost is more than the parts they sell off their various forums, accountants running the company rather than boating enthusiasts.

I’m somewhat guilty of not supporting boats.net, I buy all my parts at our local Suzuki dealer in a small town of 10,000. Their main business is a Case dealership, supplemented with Skidoo, Argo, Toro and everything else farming related, a little bit of everything. Parts are a week away and appear to be MSRP.

[Moonlighter]

So it seems the site certificate is now expired.

[Harper]

I think the cert is renewed. Got no warning this time when accessing the website.