Testimonials
4/15/24 via email: Thanks for the prompt response, Bill. Hooper's has always been a great place to do business - terrific reputation. John Speltz
4/25/2023 via email: Hi Bill, I didn't get a chance to thank you as Jana and I left today. Not just for handling the sale. I have really appreciated your advice and support for the last decade of sailing. Dave Fredrickson after sale of his C&C 27
4/22: Bill, Thank you for finding our boat. We appreciate dealing with both of you. Enjoy your day! John & Charlene Cromwell
2/10/2021 via email: It is amazing how you handled the sale of my boat with telling the guy "right at the spot" it all happened that paying the asking price wasn't enough, $XX,XXX wasn't going to do it and that maybe his offer of $XX,XXX just might without having to stop the momentum and just make that call. Another broker would have to think about it for a day, ask the boss on the next day following, get back to me on the third day......oh wait...the other broker would have just said no....it' SOLD! No, really...you did a great job and I will be telling everyone I can while over there in the next month. Always fun to run into people like you where you feel you have known them all your life and are honest people. Keep up the good work my friend. Will be sending you NICE a letter that you can use to sell boats. Sincerely, Bill
11/12/2020 via email: Bill, Thanks so much, everything went like clockwork ! We are in a marina in Holland, just south of Grand Haven. Since the mast was already down we decided to put her inside heated storage this year so I can make use of the time prior to splash day next season. We are really happy with the boat and really do appreciate all your work in making this happen !! (Catalina 36 MKII) Brad Larson
8/20/2020 via email: Hi Bill, you helped replace the mast on my little boat a few years ago. Just wanted to let you know that Little Red, as I call her is still sailing! Thank you for helping me find peace in sailing! I actually sorta know what I’m doing now!
Regards, Chris Rogers
4/10/19 via phone: Thanks so much for shipping me the parts I needed for my Nissan outboard. I sure appreciate what you did for me. I will tell everyone. Rusty Elder - Mankato MN
9/21/17 Via email: William, You are exceptional. Thanks for your response. I always appreciated your time and patience while mentoring me through the boating experience. R. Henning.
9/19.2017 via email: Hi Bill, As an integrated part of our learning process, I wanted to reach out and thank you for your patience and knowledge as we adopted what is largely now defining our lifestyle. From the smallest thrust washer to a major boat purchase, your attention to detail and granular explanations make the purchases confident. Sincerely, Carl
April 2017 Via FB: Helpful and friendly!!! I am kicking tires about buying a boat and these folks are easy and well informed.. highly recommended! JR HeadHunter
7/13/17 Via FB: I was just at Hoopers last Friday! A fun place to browse! M Brudzsinski. D, Stockton responds: Yes, It's an interesting place, I'm glad they are close, they have standing rigging hardware you can't get anywhere close. And have given me advice when I need it. ?? D
8/1/7 via FB: After 30 years and six boats we always count on Hooper's. E. Westgard.
3/21/17 via email: Bill, Thanks again. Yes, thank you, the trip home went without incident, I've got the wooden parts sanded down, and will start applying spar urethane this weekend. Once again, you have been great, many thanks, and I'll tell everyone about Hooper's, who did me a real favor...BN
1/30/17 via email: Hi Bill. The boat was delivered yesterday and looks good. It will be a fun boat for us and fits in the garage!
Thanks for making the long distance deal work. Thanks Lisa (from California - Boston Whaler 15')
9/14/16 via email: I've got to say, Sidecar was a great boat this season. I took the boat out as much as I could this summer, which included several week-long island trips, many weekenders, and some great sundowners. My girlfriend and I even lived on the boat for the month of July. My uncle and I learned a lot about sailing and the Lake this season. I can't wait to do it again. Thanks for your part in helping me have a great summer! R. Goldstein
7/30/16 via email: Hi, Bill. I think this is at least my fourth transaction with Hoopers' Yachts. We just had our bid accepted for buying "Interlude", the Hunter 26 on a dual axle trailer. I've always been grateful for the years of good service you've given us in all our transactions. Thanks! Joel Peterson
5-17-16 - Bill, thank you for helping me through all of our changes. You made it all so easy - and fast. Your reputation is warranted. I don't think I will have a boat again.....but you never know. Peggy Hart
4/10/16 via email: Hi, Bill. I received the check today for the Hunter from Mike. You are fantastic. We appreciate how easy it was for us. My brother in Michigan said he wishes you had sold his boat too. It's been great working with you over the last several years.
Thank you.
Peggy
11/12/15 via email: Bet when you sold us this boat five years ago you wouldn’t have guessed we would have survived. We have made some changes/upgrades, but haven’t really altered the P.O.s basic setup/style.
Our Bayfield 32C always gets attention from other boats on the river, coming close to take pictures and shout out “beautiful boat”. Many sailors doubted a cutter rig had a place on a river but I like to think we showed them it can be done with style. At this point, we love that our boat can go out on the windy /gusty days, with a reef in the main, and the staysail, and sail like it’s just a normal day. The best part is all the friends we have made in the local sailing community.
Thanks for helping us find our boat. John and Michelle
9/3/15 via email: Bill, I wanted to sincerely thank you for taking the time to show us the CD and the Columbia sailboats, it has been very informative for us both and gave us a much clearer idea of what we are looking for. We are very much looking forward to finding the right fit for us, and we will reach out with any questions when they come up, and when something catches our eyes that we would like to see. Also, your enthusiasm about Bayfield combined with the wonderful experience we had spending time in the town and area convinced us that we will be choosing there when we find our boat. Thanks again for everything, Caleb and Christine
8/14/15 via email: Hello Brian and Bill, Just a note that Ten Seven came out to be a great boat, with a little work, updates and your work on her she is complete! Lots of great comments from the folks on the docks on her. Thank you, Gerry
5/18/15 via email: Hi Bill, This is a bit overdue but I wanted to say thanks for your great work in getting our boat relocated to Bayfield! Between you, Bill Peterson (Apostle Islands Marina), and K C Fleuger (Flueger Crane), the whole process could not have gone smoother. Hopefully I'll get a chance to buy you a beer up there this summer or at least see you out on the water! Thanks David Lee (Sabre 28)
5/12/15 A new owner of a used Precision 23 via email: Went out sailing on Saturday. She handles very well. A nice smooth sail and it picked up speed quite well even in a light wind. Emerson Ward
3/25/15 via email: Bill and Brian, I got the check for my Rascal, thanks. You make purchasing and selling boats easy. I am very much looking forward to trying out the Precision 15 this summer. Rick
February 2015 - Bill, We appreciate all the help you've been with the purchase of Skylark. We're very excited about her and are looking forward to bringing Skylark here to her new home in West Michigan. Thanks, Ray & Sharon
11/18/14 via email - Hoop, This a note to say thank you. You sold the Escapade, a Mirage 27, to my parents, Paul and Jane, almost 30 years ago. We enjoyed that boat for 10 years and, looking back, I see my experiences on her as one of the primary reasons why I eventually became a Naval Architect, a vocation that has brought me a lot of happiness. I was very pleased to see that Hooper's Yachts is still going strong while searching for info on C&C 26's tonight (my current boat). I went school thinking I would become a famous sailboat designer. That was quickly beaten out of me, but in exchange I learned to be a regular NA and now run the engineering department at Bay Ship and Yacht on San Francisco Bay. We mostly fix tugboats, ferries, and small ships, but occasionally get to build new stuff too.
If you ever find yourself out this way, look me up. I'd love to give you a tour of the yard and go for a sail.
Best regards, Joel
PS I got to meet Carl Schumacher once and mentioned how impressed I was with Minnesota Fast, an Express 27 that ruled the St Croix River racing scene when I was a kid. He told me that the Express 27 was one of his personal favorites!
Joel Welter
Chief Naval Architect
Bay Ship and Yacht Co.
Bay-ship.com
(Bill's note: The Express 27 Minnesota Fast was mine and back in the day, I sailed with Carl Schumacher on the maiden voyage of Carl's Express 37, Hull #1 out of Santa Cruz, CA).
11/14/14 - Bill, Thanks for a great job - well done (for refurbishing a Herreschof sailboat). Stanley S. Hubbard - Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc.
8/8/14 - via email: Greetings Bill, Just wanted to say thanks again for selling me a great boat, she has proven to be more than I could have ever asked for! The trip from Washburn to NY has been an interesting one so far, however, due to weather delays and a short return trip back to NY I have only managed to get her back as far as Sarnia, Ontario, where I am planning on having her hauled for the winter season then returning in the Spring to continue the voyage. The scenery on Lake Superior has been spectacular even though we had fog, rain and cold weather for most of the trip. Lake Huron was amazing.
Warm crystal clean waters in varying shades of greens and blues, along with North Westerlies averaging 20mph made for excellent downwind sailing under "Yankee"alone! I am presently at a slip at the Bridgeview Marina, Sarnia, Ontario. BTW she's a real 'Babe Magnet' Cheers, Tom
5/31/14 - via email: Hi Brian, The lifelines fit perfectly....like a glove! Thank you! I'd be happy to write a recommendation if you'd like. Let me know! Kristen
4/7/14 - via email:
Howdy, The trip home was rather uneventful,trailer pulled nice and the hubs never got hot to the touch. Michelle is ecstatic with being able to now read in the books what something is or does and be able to see it on the boat. Her daughters are just in love with the idea of sailing now and my nephew is already lining up girls to take out on her. Thank you for helping me with this next adventure of this crazy life I live. John Yowell, Iowa. New owner of a Precision 23
3/19/14 - via email: By the way, I sold a 1998 Catalina 22 MK II through Hooper's a few years back, and enjoyed doing business with you folks. Wm. C. Brown.
12/9/13 - via email: Bill,Please give our thanks to David. He did an excellent, excellent job on our Bullseye! Barry Kleider
6/28/13 - via email: Hi Bill,
Thanks for the response. We use to live in Minnesota and sailed the lakes there. We have had an Ensign, Montgomery 17 and Prindle 16. We have visited your boat yard many times looking for boats and we respect your company highly. We have moved to Atlanta and are looking for a boat that we can manage on our own as many lakes have limited marinas here and are located an hour away or more. The boat would be in the water most of the time but for maintenance I would like something I can manage myself and trailer. Would you have some suggestions for boats in the 22 -25 foot length. I have sailed on a Precision 23 the Precision was a nice boat. Briant Dittman
5/2/13 Via Yelp - When the blocks and hardware on my mast and boom were getting a little long in the tooth (say 30 years old now), I took my boat to Hooper's to have all new Harken hardware installed - including a roller furling jib. They did an excellent job with high quality craftsmanship and very reasonable prices. If you need boat work done, you can trust these guys to do great work! Chris W
7/23/12 - via email: Just wanted to tell you how pleased I am with the acquisition of “Miss Ty”, Bill. The boat is as you represented – she appears to be in great shape. And, I want to thank you, Brian and David for the smooth and easy transaction. The boat and trailer was prepared to roll when I arrived last Monday to pick it up. Couldn’t have been easier. And, the paperwork arrived a couple of days ago. Thank you, all.
6/25/12 - via email: Bill, Over the past weeks I have thoroughly enjoyed this boat. It is challenging, rugged and well made. Just wanted to say thanks for "steering" me towards it. Ron Quittem
3/30/12 - via email: Bill:
I just got word that they will pick up the boat on May 7th. Thanks for all your help. Hoopers is top-notch. Chris Bucheit
3/21/12 - via email: Bill:
Thanks again for everything you did to get our boat sold. I am very appreciative and pleased with how it all worked so well and so quickly. I think we got a fair price and I think Steve got a beautiful boat. Regards, Paul J
9/16/11 - via email: Bill,I hope you are doing well. I came by your email and thought I`d send you a quick update. Our Precision 23(Spray) is still serving us well (see attached pic) - we cruised in Bay of Quinte for three weeks this summer. Maggie and I now have two shrimps (Jack 5 and Sam 2). Boat has bimini, anchor roller, fixed mount VHF now. Say Hi to your crew for me. Best John McDermott
7/20/2011 - via email: I really liked dealing with you guys and if I get back into something you have, I'll call. Good luck. Don Charnetski
11/11/10 - via email: Thanks, Bill, it was a pleasure dealing with you. Thanks for looking out for my interest in the transaction. Sam Peak's Island ME
10/29/2010 - via email: The precious info you presented do help our team's research for my group, appreaciate that. (Understanding Headsail Furling Systems)
- Lucas, Berlin, Germany
4/30/2010 - Via email: Bill, Thanks so much. I will definitely recommend you to everyone we know. It was a pleasure.
4/28/2010 - via email: Bill, Thank you again for all your help with buying a boat, I can’t remember when I’ve been so happy. Cheers, Jackie
4/25/2010 - via email: Hello Mr. Hooper. Enjoy your knowledge and your stories attached to your brokerage boats...I have bookmarked your site and enjoy it often... Dale
4/20/10 - via email: Thank you Bill. I have and will continue to use you exclusively for all boat purchases and sales. J. Kisch
4/7/2010 - via email: Thanks, Bill, that was helpful. The J-122 looks like it would be the kind of boat I would be looking for, in the size and performance range I want. The price would be a stretch, but it might not be out of range.
Nice that it has a decent interior, too. It could be a good alternative to
a Farr 395, and of course it has the J reputation in its favor. I appreciate the time you have taken to answer my questions. You are obviously a salesman, and good at it, and the information you have provided is useful.
4/6/2010 - via email: Bill, Thanks for all your work!! I know you have shown the boat many times and the sale has been a long time coming in difficult times.
Chuck (owner of Rock Steady - the Pacific Seacraft 34)
3/3/2010 - via email: Hi Bill, I took it slow and checked the hubs often but still had it home in my driveway before dark Friday. I've put in over 30 hours on it so far and am very happy with it. I've got a page full of things to do on it. It's gonna be a fun little project to work on. I think the big expense beyond my time, caulk, paint and bedding compound is going to be new running rigging, and a new suit of sails. The girlfriend likes it and the goal is to have all the projects done and do a couple excursions with it this fall. Your guy back in the shop was very helpfull friday - I really didn't expect that but it was much appreciated. Thanks, Mike
2/24/2010 - via email:
Bill, Thanks for your help !! I can owe you a shot of rum sometime when you are in the Lake City area.... cheers ! Wayne
- Remind me to involve you if I ever have someone owing me money...
1/5/2010 - via email :
Hi Bill, Yes, that makes total sense and you answered exactly what I was looking for, I appreciate that. Enclosed is an informational attachment regarding the core material I am purchasing on Monday. About 6 months ago I had started to do the recore on the bow, but ever since I installed it, and rain had ruined my job, I just didn't like it, it needed to go, so I ripped it out about 3 weeks ago and decided to go with this stuff. But yes, I will be gelcoating and painting and I did not know that about the poor adhesion epoxy gives to the gelcoat. Absolutely great information! Very helpful you are! I will never give up on this, it's all I have and want to do. I am the happiest when I do research and get to rebuild my boat. This boat is everything to me. Jeff
11/7/09 - Bill, thank you so much for your generous donation to the BBYRA. The two gift certificates will make great prizes at our awards banquet this Saturday night. I know our members appreciate your support for our club and the great services you provide. Sincerely, Sam Huonder
11/7/09 - Pertaining to a successful donation of a Boston Whaler powerboat to be used at the St. Croix Sailing School: Fantastic news Bill!!! Thanks so much for your help with this.
Thanks again Bill, this is huge!! Jon Morris SCSS
10/14/09 -
This is a message from " dserrell " at SailboatOwners.com.
Hello Bill,
I just wanted to personally thank you for the excellent comments in your posting to "What to look for when buying? Since joining this web site in September I have read and learned lots. I've also been thrown to the sharks regarding my postings about anchors. I was so glad to see someone say something about the quality of sailboats, or lack there of, i.e. X, Y, Z brands, which are good sailboats, but not better sailboats. The J’s are solid, seaworthy, and fast, better sailboats! You're the first poster to this web site I really felt knew what he was really talking about. Everybody seems to have their opinions, and they are certainly entitled to there opinions, it's how we learn from each other. I'm always amazed at the comments coming from owners of X, Y, and Z! For what ever reason, probably budget considerations, they have chosen to buy a lesser quality sailboat, rather than an older better quality sailboat. In the case of the X, it's not near the quality of IP, and will probably depreciate at a rate much faster than an X. An IP may not be the best sailboat if your wanting to race, but it's certainly not a X. I'm just a trailer sailor right now, and hope to upgrade in the future to a much larger non-trailerable sailboat. Your advice is perfect and what we should all consider. Even the little 89' Compac 19/3 we have, although it's not a racer, it's far better than most 20 footers. Your courage to even mention X,Y and Z, as inexpensive was deepely appreciated by me. The biggest sailboat I've owned was a new 86' Pearson 28, which wasn't the quality of a J, but I was just learning. It was certainly better quality than a X, Y or Z, but far short of a better quality sailboat. I've learned lots and more today after reading your posting. Thanks again for taking the time to post your excellent comments. Have a great day!
David
10/3/09 -
Hello Bill.
Just a quick note to let you know that we made it back home this afternoon to Canada. The truck pulled well the entire trip and the border crossing was a breeze. The weather is quite a bit cooler up here so it looks like the boat will be put away in the next few days. Thanks for all your help.
Cheers, Jocelyn (Who purchased an Aloha 27)
8/17/09 -
Great, the mail must take a little longer to get to and from MT, glad everything looks good. I just sent the bill of sale to you today, regular mail.
Thanks for all of your help with selling this boat.
Liz
6/1/09 - Bill,
For some reason, Thank You, does not seem like enough for all of the work you have put into making the sale of Zookeeper seem effortless. I appreciate all of your help. Steve Ellingson
5/14/09 - Thank you, Bill for all your answers...you are incredibly thorough, and being first-time sailboat buyers, we have sincerely appreciated your wisdom, efforts and input. It sounds like you have covered everything off perfectly from your end. C. Dawley from Canada.
Follow up email:
Hi Bill -- I just wanted to let you know that we arrived home unscathed and even sailed through Customs quite smoothly, despite the fact that we picked such a windy weekend to haul the boat. I want to express our sincere appreciation to you for your attention to detail in handling our purchase of the sailboat, having the bottom painted, vent installed, etc.
Christmas 2009 - Dear Bill and Brian:
Words are inadequate to express my gratitude to you for "Gratitude". She is a dream come true and she has given me the "most alive" moments I have ever experienced especially when she went from 6.7 to 13.9 knots in a nano second!!! Best wishes for 2009 and may more J/80's join our fleet via Hooper's Yachts.
Jane Ebeling owner of Gratitude, a J/80.
5/11/08
By the way, we love the Walker Bay you sold us over the winter!
Mike Nelson - Bayfield, WI