Wise pontoon boat seats

[MH Hawker]

I noticed a seam splitting on the new seats I bought back in January. I bought the all plastic ones to not have rot issues. When cleaning the boat up a few days ago I noticed a seam splitting and today I did a closer inspection to discover that the plastic seat bottom is broken and why the seam is splitting, I have sent a e mail off to wise to inquire about the warranty. Didn't have the camera so don't have pictures yet but will in a day or so.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

I received a E mail from Wise today requesting type and model and color and so on, and I have responded, and I must say so far I am impressed. I attached pictures of the seat and the damage even though I wasn't asked to just to show them the problem. I don't know how new the all plastic frame seats are but I went with that style to avoid rot. But so far I really like the seats.


This is what I first noticed while doing some cleaning


and this when I opened the compartment

 

[lncoop]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

Whoa, that's not good. I'm sure they'll take care of it. The rotomolded seat bases have been around for fifteen or twenty years and are definitely better than plywood. Let us know how it turns out.

 

[sutor623]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

Wow that is some serious damage for seats that new. Not trying to be rude but is it possibly a weight capacity issue? Too many people sitting there or kids playing? Just hoping for ya, that the replacement ones don't do the same thing.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

I was really surprised my self, and to my knowledge I have been the only on sitting on it and I am 230 and I wouldn't think that's excessive altho that is a good point and I will look and see what the specs are. Its the one behind the captains chair and its a bit close quarters and hardly ever used. After I put it on the bank I will switch to it some times while the girls are grilling. The only kid that's been on board is a 3 year old and he hasn't been jumping around to amount to any thing he isn't allowed to stand on any of the seats cause he may go over a rail and he weighs in around 50 lb max. So I was really surprised when I open it up to grab a life jacket for the grand son and saw it. I may of sat on it 4 or 5 times and I have never hear it make a noise. The odd thing is the boat is slip kept and covered on a private marina with no public access to the slips and I really doubt any one else has been on it and with that sort of breakage it would of make a big noise. So I am at a loss to explain it.

Wise has completely surprised me at how quick they have stepped right up. I contacted them by E mail Saturday and had a reply today ( Monday ) and I sent them the information model/color and so on and with in a hour received another E mail telling me its being shipped today. This is third set of their seats I have used over the years and I will never use any ones else's but theirs. This is my first time to ask about a warranty. Wise makes some very tuff seating.

 

[sutor623]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

Wise has completely surprised me at how quick they have stepped right up. I contacted them by E mail Saturday and had a reply today ( Monday ) and I sent them the information model/color and so on and with in a hour received another E mail telling me its being shipped today. This is third set of their seats I have used over the years and I will never use any ones else's but theirs. This is my first time to ask about a warranty. Wise makes some very tuff seating.

Thats good to hear. But I do wonder, what the hell happened to that seat....

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

I agree, to me it looks like some one around 150 to 200 pounds jumped up and down on it till it broke. I used to handle the plastic pallets and I know how tuff those are and I would expect this to be the same. The only plausible explanation is some kids were on the boat while no one was around and I really have my doubts about that for several reasons one is its covered and I doubt they would of put the cover back on and their is a security camera that looks directly at the boat and the marina is staffed 24/7. Unless its some one on the staff and again I really doubt that. But thinking about it I will talk to the manager and see if any one else has had any problems.

I looked at the catolog and it didnt give a weight limit.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

Thats good to hear. But I do wonder, what the hell happened to that seat....

Sometimes stuff like that just happens. The important thing is James didn't get upset about it and gave them the chance to make it right, which they did. I just hope it doesn't turn out that they had an entire run of defective seats (there's nothing you could have done to cause this) due to some mixup at the plastics manufacturer or something.:facepalm: That would be a real hassle.

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

Sounds like great customer service which is rare nowdays. I agree it definitely looks like someone stood up on it and overloaded that one spot.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

It get filed under the s**t happens rule, and I had even trought about having the seam sewed up and making a plywood bottom made. I and still concidering having that done. But its just another day I will keep a close eye on the new one and if i see any signs of it happing again I will make plywood bottoms and go one with it. The lower part of the seats is where the rot all ways seams to start so it isnt a big thing. Things on boats break its that simple lol in fact if ever thing was working and nothing needed fixing it would scare me.

snickers , now if my son in law had been on the boat lolololol I would of written off to over load that boy can go bear hunting with a switch.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

I bought a set of Wise seats a few years ago and have been quite happy with them. As far as weight capacity goes, as far as I know their "standard" line of seats are rated for 250 lbs max. They make a heavy duty model that is rated at 280 I think. Also, they make an economy version but I could never find out what the rating was.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

incoop... I got a chance to talk to my brother about this. He designs a lot of injection molding machines for major manufactures and his thought and idea is this. When a machine is first started the first xx number of things out of it often have flaws due to plastic not hot enough, air bubbles in the mix, not tempering correctly and so on and those are kicked off to the side and recycled back into the mix and lets not forget a early Monday morning hangovers. I suspect its a very rare thing that one got by.

Wise makes top quality things and one of the reasons I have bought their seating over the years and this is my first time in their warranty process and that has been out standing.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

incoop... I got a chance to talk to my brother about this. He designs a lot of injection molding machines for major manufactures and his thought and idea is this. When a machine is first started the first xx number of things out of it often have flaws due to plastic not hot enough, air bubbles in the mix, not tempering correctly and so on and those are kicked off to the side and recycled back into the mix and lets not forget a early Monday morning hangovers. I suspect its a very rare thing that one got by.

Wise makes top quality things and one of the reasons I have bought their seating over the years and this is my first time in their warranty process and that has been out standing.

Yeah, certainly sounds plausible. I'm active in the paddling community and I know brand new canoes and kayaks from very reputable manufacturers some times crack on their maiden voyages for these types of reasons. It happens.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

Talk about super service. The new seat came in today and yes it is the correct one and in the right colors. Wise is a amazing company to deal with. Any one who backs up their things like this deserves their good name and reputation. It was truly the most painless warranty replacement experience I have ever had.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

It's good that you spread the word James. Too many are quick to report a bad experience (nothing wrong with that when appropriate of course) but not a good one, and that's unfair.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Wise pontoon boat seats

Well I am not one to just go off on a company. Personally I have found that most of the time the product fails because of user error or its the wrong product for the application. I have owned and managed several during my life and have found most company's will try very hard to work with people if it is reasonable. And yes I have ran into problems and some that do seam to be down right thieves but those don't last long, Its just very refreshing to run into one like Wise

I will give you another example a company called Vortex that makes the cheaper bimni tops. bought one last year in my haste to get my boat ready to go on the water, It plainly stated that the tops are for shade and not to be used during rains and while the boat was here in the yard being worked on I got tired and came in and took a nap. We had a hard rain and yes the top failed. Knowing it was fully my fault I called them up to ask about ordering a new frame. After explaining why I needed a new one and that it was my fault the gentleman sold me a frame kit at 50 % of the cost and being as I now had extra parts I was able to add a good bit of reforcment.

To me it seams like people wont take the responsability for their actions lol but I will get off the soap box before I fall and break a hip.