619 08 Ranger Crackin up.....

[WalleyeWild]

I finally bought me a Ranger and i love it.I'm having some issues with the cover rubbing the finish off,so i did a search and found a few others with the same trouble.Some people say don't use the cover while trailering.C Mom i live in Wyoming,i have to trailer a lot and i dont like to fill up my boat with road dirt and crap,VERY DISAPPOINTING... and some say that you can buff the scuffing out so i relaxed about that a LITTLE.Then while using my boat i have found little cracks in corners and such .I again relaxed about them little cracks after doing a search and found them to be no real big deal..But then i was cleaning her up yesterday and found on top of the rear live well some very large cracks on top right side under the lid for the well...Very unsightly :censored:..Any way I can live with the little cracks in the console corners and places but these live well cracks seem a little much...Has any one else had cracks on top of the live well like that...Man my dream boat seems to be Crackin Up :rotfl: ..but i will agree with some of you that ride is is some thing special....But i dont like this crackin and scuffin....:angry:

[dutchboy]

It's a 2008 Ranger. It came with a warranty. Your first call should be to your dealer and your 2nd call to Ranger. There is nothing we here at WC can help you with. Sorry.

[WalleyeWild]

Thanx for the reply.Surely you don't speak for everyone at Walleye Central..What my question was has anyone else had the live well crack on the top under the lid...

[staylor]

...since new brand name glass boats don't show cracking like you describe in 1 season. Without looking at the hull, my first thought is that they screwed up the layup on the hull or got the gelcoat way too thick. To give you some examples from my own glass boats.......1977 MFG had no cracks in the gel coat when I sold it in 1984- but I had failed the hull to deck bond in some 4 footers and glued 10 feet of deck to hull to sell it. Next, a 1984 Baja Ski boat, light 1050 lb 18 ft vee bottom, 175 V-6 OMC- custom design metal flake gelcoat from factory- sold in 1992 with zero cracks anywhere, even around where the jack plate bolted up to the transom. Last was a 1992 Checkmate, light 1700 lb 21 ft deep vee with a pad,225 V-6 OMC, custom design "mini" metal flake gelcoat from factory- sold in 2002 with only one tiny light crack in the gelcoat at the corner of the transom. My neighbor now owns this boat and when I looked at it this summer it still had no more cracks other than the one little one noted. Both the Baja and the Checkmate were hand laid glass on a balsa wood core, no chopper guns were used by either factory to speed the layup. I would call Ranger immediately after showing the damage to your dealer.
Doug

[Reef Hawg]

Regarding the scuffing or what I call hazing of the top cap finish from trailering your rig with the cover, you might have to wet sand the areas to get rid of it. While I have not tried this yet, I did try buffing with a number of different products, to no avail. I checked with a few people in the 'know' regarding fiberglass boats/gell coat, and all agreed a wet sand reseal might be in order. Again, I have not tried it, and am not sure when I will, but at least I know there is another option. My boat is dark gren and the hazing(micro scratches) is quite visable and unsightly to me, knowing what it used to look like, though even my wife says it really isn't a big deal. I'll side with her for now and go ice fishng. With that said, I love the cover and the 'sense' of security it provides when parked somewhere overnight etc. but no more trailering with it on for me, unless on extreme dust, or salty conditions.

[fshrman-r72]

I have had two rangers and used the covers on both and they never caused any damage to boat. They have to be very tight and secure and they will not cause any problems.

[jimcar]

As far as cracking you do need to call dealr and I'm sure it will be repaired. As far as the cover. I had the lower edges that contact boat lined with a felt like material. Then when I trailer I make sure its very tight. Put seats up or whatever to get as much play out of it as possible. Wont trailer without it now. Good luck.

[T Mac]

Thanx for the reply.Surely you don't speak for everyone at Walleye Central..What my question was has anyone else had the live well crack on the top under the lid...


Yes, when I was a Ranger dealer I did see that.
Warranty covered it, 'tho.

[Nightie]

T-mac
I've been hearing more boat warranties are like the car dealers warranties 1-3 years and no more even though your boat has less than 100 hours on it. If you have passed your in service date your done.
An X PWTer ,Hoots marine, Lund runner told me this story. this guy excellend in a few North Dakota tourneys. I guess even Ranger is tighter about so called abuse VS. warranty repair.
What was the feeling on warranty work when you were in the business? When do the manufactures say no-way and it is time to fix it your self or we will ...but you pay.
The resason for asking is when do you just cut your losses and buy new only.

[T Mac]

Nightie:
It has to be obvious abuse for good companies like you mention to say it is not warranty. (In other words...NOT warranty)
The very reason I sold the brands I sold is because they stood behind their boats best in the industry.

The dealer plays a bigger role in warranty situations than people seem to realize.

A good dealer can help a great deal in warranty situations. A good dealer is an excellent laison between customer and manufacturer.
A good dealer is a dealer who can make correct calls on warranty and the manufacturer knows it.

A good dealer working with a good boat brand rarely has to call warranty for warranty work...but will do so and work hard for the customer when he feels the customer has a legitimate point.

The manufacturer believes and trusts a good dealer.

If you by-pass the dealer from the get-go...it probably will not go well nearly as often.
Think about it. If you had a questionable issue with your late model GMC, you wouldn't call the factory ...unless you had exhausted the normal channels.
Why then would you call the boat factory first, rather than as a last resort?

If you do not trust the dealer to go to bat for you...then why in Heck did you buy the boat from a bozo you don't trust???

[WalleyeWild]

Thanx for the replies.My dealer wants me to get some photos....Hes thinkn its a little early espaecialy for the cracks on top of livewell...Will see what happens.Thanx WalleyeCentral for the great sight....

[jcfishing]

I have an '08 619VS. It's the same color package as your boat! I have trailered the boat over 5,000 miles since I bought it(the majority of the time with the cover installed) and have not experienced the problems you describe. Your best course of action is to discuss the issue with your dealer. I've had a couple of minor issues with my boat and they were corrected immeadiately by my dealer and covered in full under Ranger's warranty.

[went522]

Thanx for the reply.Surely you don't speak for everyone at Walleye Central..What my question was has anyone else had the live well crack on the top under the lid...

Different model (1850) but yes, had cracks EVERYWHERE!! From bow to stern...front deck, every corner, including livewell. Front storage, entire bottom was cracking. Transom had cracking all over the port side. Screw holes for rails all cracked. I could go on! It was a mess! Ranger took care of it, put a new cap on the hull, fixed up the transom. It's been good since(2 years). I missed very little soft water as I sent it back to the factory over the winter. Good luck!

BIRDDOG