what should i do about my new boat

[j emerson]

last month, I bought a new 2014 tracker pro 160. it is a good looking, well laid out boat, but from the start, I have had trouble with it porpoising above 22mph or 4500 rpm. this is with one or two person in it. the boat has the 40 hp mercury. i have to run it with the trim all the way down or it is very uncontrolable. The dealer first told me that trackers did not porpoise. he then told me that it was operator error. after he tested it and realized that I was right, he lowered the motor all the way down on the transom. it did not help. the dealer and tracker want to do some welding on the transom. the boat is at the dealers now. the boat is dangerous and almost unusable as it is now. my question is it right to have to weld on a new boat or should tracker have to replace it. thanks.

 

[ae708]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

If it were my boat I would be insisting that the replace it. If I got no satisfaction from them then the next contact they got from me would be through the Attorney General's office or my lawyer. Damned if they'd be welding some makeshift fix on my new boat.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

What does Tracker want to weld on the boat? No, it isn't right in my opinion. Tracker sells more than a couple of these every year.

Welcome aboard, j.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

I have seen this before, on a brand new boat,of this brand too. I would insist on replace or refund. As others say, no weld, no modifications to my "Brand new" boat. You paid for perfect, anything else is less.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

There is something WRONG with the boat. Why add junk instead of fixing it? They should take the boat back to the factory and fix it! What would they do if it had a much larger motor?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

Lowering the engine in this case makes the situation worse since the engine is now trying to lift the bow higher but the lack of HP doesn't allow good bow lift. Tracker always tends to under power their package boats so power is part of the issue.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

Tracker under powers their packages to lure buyers. Many will pay to upgrade the motor and end up paying as much or more as another builder would charge.

Lowering the engine in this case makes the situation worse since the engine is now trying to lift the bow higher but the lack of HP doesn't allow good bow lift. Tracker always tends to under power their package boats so power is part of the issue.

 

[CWKboat]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

Tracker under powers their packages to lure buyers. Many will pay to upgrade the motor and end up paying as much or more as another builder would charge.

Contrast that with Mercury Marine of old famously underrating their HP in order to "give the customer more than their money's worth," and to build a mystique around the brand.

Companies today just seem so short-sighted.

 

[Pony]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

Tracker under powers their packages to lure buyers. Many will pay to upgrade the motor and end up paying as much or more as another builder would charge.

I would ask them to max out the HP and see if that fixes it and work out a deal for the bigger motor.

If they need to weld or alter the boat to get it to be safe.....I would probably ask for a refund and get a different boat from a different manufacture.

 

[j emerson]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

I would ask them to max out the HP and see if that fixes it and work out a deal for the bigger motor.

If they need to weld or alter the boat to get it to be safe.....I would probably ask for a refund and get a different boat from a different manufacture.

the boat has the 40 hp mercury, which is the max rated power. thanks for all your input. i am trying to get tracker to replace the defective boat.

 

[southkogs]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

...If they need to weld or alter the boat to get it to be safe.....I would probably ask for a refund and get a different boat from a different manufacture.

... i am trying to get tracker to replace the defective boat.

I agree: no "mods" to make it work. If the dealer doesn't seem to be gettin' things sorted out, consider going directly to Tracker and see what comes of that. Make sure you're documenting EVERYTHING.

Good luck, and welcome aboard.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

the boat has the 40 hp mercury, which is the max rated power. thanks for all your input. i am trying to get tracker to replace the defective boat.

Good plan! Something is seriously wrong with the boat if they are going to do some welding to "fix" it or get you out of their hair.

Keep us posted on this and good luck.

 

[JoshOnt]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

I would expect them to replace the boat or refund you FULLY for it. Don't settle for less, mods on a new boat are not a good thing if you are needing them to make it safe.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

If they give you any grief about this, a letter suggesting they were informed of a unsafe situation with one of their brand new boats/motors and their refusal to fix, this usually will get the situation the attention it deserves. I had to do this with a boat I purchased, and the letters was what got the manufacture company to address the problem, dealer wouldn't/couldn't do anything. I did end up with a new boat hull, which was what the problem was in my case. Took me close to a year and several letters to get it all done. Just curious as to what kind of cost you are talking about on that kind of new boat?

 

[bcbit01]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

This is what I think is wrong....and why they want to weld on the transom. The corner of the stern bottom and the transom has to be ABSOLUTELY square and sharp. There can be no upward easing toward the transom and there can be no chamfer on the corner. I've seen homebuilt plywood boats with this porpoising issue and as soon as they squared up that "corner," the boat ran like a dream. Document the times you've taken it back. After three times for the same issue, its legally a lemon and they have to take it back.

 

[bcbit01]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

Also, its time to bypass the dealer and contact the corporate office. Let them know the dealer is resistant to taking proper care of you and you're ready to give them the boat back or contact the Attorney General. You will get some satisfaction.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

Don't let them weld or alter anything on your boat, Period! There is a design flaw or a build flaw and they need to give you your money back or another boat.

 

[jestor68]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

last month, I bought a new 2014 Tracker Pro 160. My question is it right to have to weld on a new boat or should tracker have to replace it.

How else do you think a welded aluminum boat can be fixed?

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

How else do you think a welded aluminum boat can be fixed?

Fix a brand new boat, yes for normal warranty problems. Weld on a brand new boat - that ain't normal warranty work. Refund or replacement are the only options. It's like buying a new truck off the showroom floor and the dealer jacking up the body and putting a new frame under it. IMHO, of course.

 

[j emerson]

Re: what should i do about my new boat

I got with a tech from tracker about my boat. I was told that they had been using this fix since 2005. I told them that they could try it, with the condition that if it did not work, or if it disfigured the boat, they would replace it. They agreed. I picked up the boat last Saturday. What they did was weld a one/eighth bead, 10 inches long on each side of the transom, where the transom joins the bottom. If you did'nt know it was there, you would not even notice it. I took it to the lake. It is like operating an entirely different boat. I can run wide open with just myself or with another person aboard and the boat does not porpoise. The boat even handles better. It seems to ride higher on the water. It is unbelievable how those two little beads of weld changed the boat.