Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

[TheWoodCrafter]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Well that is a start.
Lets see what they say after they get the tank out and see what damage they find.
Still seems like major structual damage no what what caused it.

 

[TheWoodCrafter]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

I forgot to ask, What happened to that loaner boat you needed for this weekend?

 

[baineyg]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Ha ha ha, I'm trying to be a good faith customer, I don't want to press my luck. The warranty says they don't reimburse for anything (including inconvenience of not having the boat). If it goes back I have to pay shipping to and from the manufacturer if it goes that far for repair. I'm just hoping they can fix it locally. The manufacturer is in Missourri. I'd have to finance the transportation just to get it there and back.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

That pic looks like a concentrated load in a very small spot, most fuel tanks have either a flat bottom, or a v shaped bottom to fit in the very bottom of the hull. So it's hard to see how that caused the damage, especially if it's a plastic tank which many boats use now. Somehow a really heavy load was concentrated in one spot, or the hull lay-up wasn't done right in that area.
I would ask if you can see what the hull looks like on the inside, after they remove the tank, to see what actually caused that damage. I don't know if a dealer has 'glass men talented enough to fix that. I have seen damage like that fixed before, by a very good local shop, but these guys are pros and do this all the time.
Here's another question, does the boat have a hatch, that the tank can be removed through, or does the deck have to be cut to remove the tank? If they have to cut, you may not like what it looks like when they piece it back together. My old FW had a hatch to remove the tank through, which I duplicated in the rebuild, and I made the framework around the tank much stronger than what was originally there. In this pic you can see the darker colored framework (mahagony sealed with epoxy) which was used to secure the tank to the main stringers, the original work was a series of 1 by 2s with a wood screws driven into the old stringers. When I decided to rebuild it, I found that 3 of the 4 mounts were pretty rotted, but the tank hadn't started moving around yet!

 

[azlakes]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Ha ha ha, I'm trying to be a good faith customer, I don't want to press my luck. The warranty says they don't reimburse for anything (including inconvenience of not having the boat). If it goes back I have to pay shipping to and from the manufacturer if it goes that far for repair. I'm just hoping they can fix it locally. The manufacturer is in Missourri. I'd have to finance the transportation just to get it there and back.

... shipping on your dime, can you call your insurance company and see if they would regard that as a claim they can pick up? plus does the warranty say at what point they give you another boat?

 

[Marcq]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

So, do you think they could fiberglass it back together if the gas tank is secure?

Don't even think about that option, please ask for a new boat. Even if they are able to fix it, that boat won't be new anymore and you will be stuck with a badly design lemon
IMO, Marc..

 

[seven up]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

From what you've said about the "shop" and their plan...I'd conclude that they are getting ready to stick it in.

If it's financed, can I suggest stopping by the bank for their advice. This boat may very well be destroyed and cobbed back together and made all shiney and sparkly and just dumped back in your lap. With an empty tank.

I like to give the business world the benefit of the remote possibility they will be honest, too.

The best of luck to you and yours. Really.

 

[oops!]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

......ok

#1 go get your 40 gals..before thier staff divy it up....thats still a hundred bucks ...right?

#2...ask if you can see the inside of the boat when they take it apart...

what is the possibility of taking a marine surveror with you.?

he will give an honest answer....or should.....

all glass can be repaired....but do you want it to be?

im certain there is compentent glass shops in your area.....but the manufacturer will be the judge if the want to farm out the job or not.

check your warranty information...see what it says. it will prob say fix or replace. thier choice....

but keep us posted

cheers
oops

 

[TheWoodCrafter]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Ha ha ha, I'm trying to be a good faith customer, I don't want to press my luck. The warranty says they don't reimburse for anything (including inconvenience of not having the boat). If it goes back I have to pay shipping to and from the manufacturer if it goes that far for repair. I'm just hoping they can fix it locally. The manufacturer is in Missourri. I'd have to finance the transportation just to get it there and back.

Man, if it came to shipping back on my dime I would start screaming BLOODY MURDER!!
Are there Lemon laws for boats?
That dealer has some responsibility to you and they should be very sorry that this happened so much so that they should eat ALL costs for this repair.
After all they made a good cut on that sale.

If worse came to worse I would call the local news paper, radio and TV stations to worn the public of a dangerous product.
But I guess I'm jumping too far too soon.
You still need an answer to the problem.

I like the idea of a marine surveyor. That might scare the dealer into treating you to that loaner boat you need for next weekend.

Good luck and keep us posted. I know a lot of people are following this.

 

[John_S]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

"This is "boat show" weekend at Bass Pro "

Maybe a good weekend to parade it around the parking lot. Big sign "Check the fine print in hull warrenty". Pay for shipping both ways? Thats not a warrenty, thats just to limit claims! I wouldn't eat that without a good fight.

I also agree the gas tank probably didn't cause this. Have a surveyer look it over and get a non-biased opinion.

 

[Evinrude Boater]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

I've had a good laugh at everyone wanting to re-write baineyg's warranty. The fact remains, he bought a boat with a factory warranty and it's their option to honour the warranty how they see fit. If you want a warranty that says you get a new boat everytime you scratch it then negotiate that in the price otherwise you get what you pay for.
Frankly, I'm surprised at averyone condeming this boat. Many of the members here have taken old wrecks and made them into beautiful better than new boats. That's the beauty of fiberglass. It can be repaired because that's the way it's made. It's not like a stamped metal fender on your car that is never the same after it bends. I have a fiberglass van and a guard rail went through the two doors on the passenger side. I thought they would be replaced as unrepairable but no, it was repaired and only cost $600. (Not an insurance claim)
If you want to have a marine surveyor have a look, go ahead if that gives you peace of mind. I'm sure the dealer and/or manufacturer would welcome the assistance.
Parading around with signs bad-mouthing the company will not win you points, only a slander suit. You're only shooting yourself in the foot if you discredit the brand or company. Get yourself on TV with your boat telling the nation how bad it is and how poorly the company treated you and you'll be known across the nation as the guy with the crappy boat and you'll never sell it for a decent price.

 

[jusfloatin]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

If this was my boat and if it was just repaired even if it was done by the best glassman in the world, I would still not fell good about this boat. With that being said I would try and sell it and get one that I would fell comfortable with.
I think it would be hard to sell for a good price because you would have to tell the buyer of the previouse history. Would you pay top dollar for this boat, of corse not.
If you did not tell the new owner about this I would be a little scared to sleep a night woundering whether I would get a visit I would deserve.

 

[John_S]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Evinrude,

If your brand new 1 year old car frame bent (from no accident) just from normal use, would you be OK with "we will just bend it back and it'll be fine"? and how if your car warrantee said you had to ship it back and forth to the mfg? Yea, he should have read the fine print. But, I bet that all the salesman proudly said X year problem free hull warrantee. Most people wouldn't think to check that there would be such a clause in a warrentee for a dealer supported large ticket item.


"Parading around with signs bad-mouthing the company will not win you points, only a slander suit."

Its only slander if it is not true. Advising people to review the warratee isn't even a direct statement about company. He certainly has direct evidence to why someone should consider more than the standard warrantee. Could you see Bass Pro stating " Yes your honor, the customer was advising people of a clause in our warrantee that we had hidden in fine print, and subsiquently we lost sales because potential customers read it."?

BTW, my statement was meant to be a somewhat in jest. It is still too early to start pushing them hard, but I would certainly be voicing that I don't agree with paying shipping.

I couldn't say if this is a structural or not, but it certainly appears that it could be. I'd want an unbiased expert opinion before anyone just applied a fiberglass patch. If a survey indicated it was structural, that becomes a different avenue. A structual failure would be of interest of boat safety. It would need to be tracked down to a root cause, design or mfg. If mfg, date and suspect other hulls with probable like condition would need to be inspected.

PS: I don't think he will be getting a new boat. Only if the cost of the repairs exceeds the cost for the company for a new boat. Very unlikely.

 

[oops!]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

yeah lets not jump the gun here....

we still dont know what the manns are gonna do....

far too early to take drastic pressure steps on the seller or the mann....

could have just been a new kid on the chopper gun.....lets see what the manns will do....they know there on the hook....and it doesnt sound like there trying to weasel out...

and lets try to keep this one civl dont want the powers that be to bring out the pad lock

cheers guys
and good luck bainey
oops

 

[baineyg]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/baineyg/2285643753/

Here is a pretty descent picture of the crack looking down the underside of the boat. Think I'll drive down and see if I can get into it and look for any cracks on the inside. (if they're not working on it. lol).

 

[John_S]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

opps, you are quickly becoming the site fiberglass expert

"could have just been a new kid on the chopper gun....."

For a non-expert, (and for someone that does not want to have this experience under their belt) are you indicating that the hull layers were not laid up thick enough? If true, how would you determine how far along the hull the thiness procceded and to make sure some other spot on the hull is not the same? Is it just from visual inspection of the inside? Or is there a sonic measuring device to measure thickness of fiberglass?

Assuming that it is thiness in the hull, and the cracking is at a stringer, to a non-expert, this still seems like considerable work to repair. Cut-out the floor, cut-out the stringer, cut-out and patch the cracked area, lay-up extra thickness to hull, new stringer and glass in, and patch-in floor and glass-in, and possibly patch in new carpet, gel coat repair to outside hull. And if this was a build error on the stringer, such as too high, or otherwise applying too much pressure to a couple of spots on the hull, wouldn't the repair be similiar? While not on the level of the many hull/deck repairs done in this forum, and certainly not up to the extend a hull standards, this still seems like a decent amount of work to a new boat.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

Another issue is this: once you have had to do a major repair to a nearly new boat, car, or whatever, when it comes time to sell it, don't you have to disclose that? And wouldn't this diminish the re-sale value to some point. In fact the same issue comes up in late model cars that were in major wrecks, they will never be worth what they would have been, had they not been wrecked. I wonder what the warrantee would say about that, probably nothing, it's hard to imagine that something like diminished value would be covered under a warrantee.

I'd want to see exactly what caused this, and get a 2nd opinion from a hull surveyor, as was suggested, it's not that it can't be fixed, but if not done right, there may be no end of problems, and this is a new boat.

 

[baineyg]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

I was able to get into the boat and take some internal pictures. I'm no expert but YIKES! How in the world would something like this happen to my boat? I've been on it everytime it's been in the water and know it hasn't been wrecked. I don't see how the tank will come out. I did find with my untrained eyes cracks on each side of the stringer. If that is what is behind the gas tank. I also took some pics in the bilge storage area. Both sides under the floor are cracked/splitting from the boat. Guess I just need to wait to hear their answer.

Here is a link to the pics I was able to take today.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/baineyg/

 

[seven up]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

That is sad for your wallet.

At least no one was killed.

You've written earlier how you do not want to make waves but this looks like it's way beyond "repair shop".

Are you able to email or "registered mail" the photo collection to the manufacturer ?

I don't know...you've received some heated opinions on this...what is your plan ?

 

[John_S]

Re: Stringer Pushing through bottom of Boat?

While you are waiting for their response, start searching for a Marine Surveyer. You appear to have some very nasty problems. Even looks like there was some work done to cover-up damage. ???