Walleye boats must be junk!

[RJO]

Figured this would get everyones attention. Lately it seems everyone is in a bashing mode rather than positive input. This boat is junk and that motor is trash. People reading this must wonder why any person in his right mind would spend 10K-50K for boats with such poor track records.
As a kid I fished from the bank and envied boaters till the weekend rolled around and dad would take me in our wooden boat. That boat with it's pretty teak wood seemed like the flagship of the lake.
That boat has been gone for almost 30 yrs and many boats have come and gone. I remember the good and the bad points of all my these boats.
The finish on a glass boat or the floor plan of an aluminum. The quiet running 4 stroke that cold blooded 50 hp.
The best combo you ask? That leaky wooden old piece of crap with that dang old motor that never started that resulted in rowing home of course. What I have now maybe isn't Joe Blow's ideal setup but for me it's all I got. As for upgrading a new boat, can't apparently everyone seems to make junk nowadays.
Have a little cheese with your whine and lighten up, it's only fishing.

[Techmonster]

well said, you know i have a 12 aluminum boat with a 6h.p. little 70's johnson. it sure does not go real fast, but it did the job for plenty of years and still does. People can say how ugly it is painted camo, cuz i use it for duck hunting, but i don't care. It still floats, has a couple oars and i have gottin a few 50" muskies while using, it doesn't matter how old or ugly, it suits me great!

[Box]

People have been bashing stuff here for years :) it won't stop until there are no more keyboards to use - - btw, this Key Tronic keyboard I have is the best, better than your stinky Dell keyboards ;)

I agree, have fun with what you have and enjoy it. I sure enjoy my old lemon yellow pontoon with ripped carpeting and smoky evinrude 25hp, just as much as our (Dad, brothers and mine) 97 vintage walleye boat.

To me, a boat or a truck is worth the use you get out of it, not its sticker price or even the features it has. The more miles the better, or the more hours the better, regardless of the brand or size. I wouldn't trade the big ugly dogfish my grandson caught on the pontoon last weekend for a 30" walleye out of the newer boat... hmmm... maybe... hehe

Good luck,
-Box

[MarkG]

A lot of the frustration comes from all the hard earned money that is spent,and then getting a poor or defective product. Spend 10,20,30 k or more on a rig depending on your budget,if it fails or turns out defective, then you get poor service or attention to get it rectified on top of it, that would be pretty hard to just lighten up on.Problems seems to happen to ALL the boat brands. But We expect more from the premium brands. Yes wear and tear can take tolls on any ,but they should come to you from the factory as perfect. Often it becomes obvious that even simple checkout and quality control has not been done before they ship. There are actually 2 issues, design of construction and quality control. We buy the premiums mostly for the design and the way they are made, things such as Ibeam stringers, thick highgrade marine aluminum, strong and soft riding hulls, Welded not riveted,..riveted not welded etc,etc.yadda yadda ..whatever it is that trips each individuals trigger,as well as longgevity,and resale . Usually they live up to the reputation. But when all the things that are supposed to make a premium boat better get spoiled by a failure in simple quality control, if your the guy who it happened to, ( I have been fortunate so far myself) I can understand the frustration . It's disappointing,it's distracting,and it cuts into the available fishing time,and worst of all, compromises your confidence in the rig you just dropped a ton of cash into,in the hopes of having one of the best rigs on the water. Would be enough for me to sell off and go back to the waders. (On the other hand its not so nice when they leak and my butt gets soaked) .At least the waders wont have to be shipped back to the factory...where's that rubber cement???? No doubt a lot of what you say is true,simple is better. But if you happen get a good boat,thats simple too. I myself,like to mix it up. I do as much shore and wader fishin these days as boat fishin. What I really need is to find other friends with nice boats,then I can get rid of mine. Unfortunatly I seem to be all these other guys' friend with a boat!

[Joe Cheese]

LOL! Good post. Sometimes this place should be called "Whine Central".

Have a good one.

[Crappie Kid]

Good post.

My builder told me several dozen times when we had our current house built: "we dont live in a perfect world". How frustrating to hear that after spending a ton of money.

In any development or manufacturing process their are opportunities to improve. The result hopefully is a defect free product. But all the effort spent making a quality product is lost if the end service lacks quality. As always customer relationship, trust and service are key to success.

My foundest memories are still being in a canoe in summer camp when I was 10, catching my first gill, bass or Pike.

[LundBob]

Well this is a BOAT AND MOTOR forum. Why would i talk about how good my old 12 footer with my '79 6 horse was. People post the problems/questions they have about their boats. I don't see anybody whining,just looking for help. I'll take my 20k Lund over my old 12 footer any day. If you prefer the 12 foot aluminum that is fine. And no my boat is not junk. 90% or more people probably pick up their boats and never have a problem with them. In fact probably less than 10% of posts here even pertain to an actual problem but rather a how do i do this or what do you guys think of this type question.

[pwrfshn]

I'm probably guilty of "whining" from time to time, but as some pointed out it is more trying to see if there are better solutions.

After a year with my "new" "dream" boat I've learned that it is really still my dream boat, but that the dealer I bought it from cut corners and made the experience less than what it could have been. The boat hull for the most part is the best I could hope for. The layout and floor plan is excellent. My electronics I picked and for the most part am very satisified with and the motors have been flawless. I was sold a Prestige custom trailer and was given something different, not knowing this at the time, I am stuck with a custom trialer for a Baron and not a Pro V. Prestige has been very helpful in helping me make the trailer work, the dealer doesn't care.

My problems (which T-Mac helped me realize) were not the boat or anything else (save for some minor interior Lund details), but the lack of quality work by the dealer I bought from. I shopped around for the best deal and reputable dealer. Many gave me good referrals, as I to others, about this dealer. Never again, I've learned that there are few dealers that do a truly professional job and they are usually not the cheapest, they may be the "best" price, but you do get what you pay for.

There are some dealers out there that do a truly good job and I commend them, it is not easy or cheap, it takes time and money.

My .02,

[Muskeye]

Having just purchased my dream boat and having spent 50K of my own money not any from a sponsor, I can tell you I am truely thankfull for this web site. I have learned a lot about my boat and motor and have been able to share my problems and solutions with many other people who have the same rig. One of the things about going out on the cutting edge of any new technology means there are some risks. I do expect perfection when I make a purchase like this. I think you read some of the postings on this site too quickly becuase you have missed many of the messages. Most of the posting I read talking about problems is strickly people sharing information and looking for answers. There have been some pretty good posting about some bad dealers out there and let's face it not every product on the market today is a good one. Isn't it nice we can discuss such issues without everyone re-inventing the wheel by buying junk products.

Just shut up and fish!!!

[More to the point]

Some guys have worked themselves all into a hype, spurred by the ads and owners comments on how great a boat is, how well it handles rough water etc....
Then when they finally got one, they realize that you still will get wet sometimes. You still will have anoying problems, however the cost to repair these problems goes up proportionately with the price of the rig/motor. Ever see an outboard lately? No more whacking it with a ball pean hammer or using a channel locks to fix something. Guys didnt figure on that.
If you have never ridden in a boat that someone says gives you a good ride in rough water, you will think it is still rough in the boat. And they will look at the other fellow with the same boat running a hundred yards away and wonder why he has such a smooth ride. he doesnt, it is an otical illusion.
It is all about unreal expectations, hidden costs and trying to justify spending so darn much for the ultimate rig and the poor guy is still no better an angler than before

[Marble Eyes]

And some guys spend their money sending away for male enhancement pills.

To Each his own.


I spend some money on a great big fancy toy that the whole family can enjoy.

Others will be greatly disappointed staying at home staring into the mirror wondering when things will improve. :)

Come one fellas, Call a buddy-go fishing.

[leechboy]

This forum is very helpful in evaluating products before a purchase. Yes, some of us whine about expensive products that don't work right. And we should. The boating industry is about 3 decades behind the auto industry in terms of QA and manufacturing processes, in my opinion. Do I expect my 20-50 k boat to be perfect? Dang right!-lb

[Shorelunch]

I've learned more about boats & motors and fishing in six months on this website than I have in 30 years. I felt educated when I bought my boat a few months ago on what to ask and what to look for. It's nice to know that I've got a "family" to ask questions and provide imput. Like most families, everyone doesn't always agree, but much is learned and the situation is usually taken care and answered. And like family, we all have a love for something in common - floating toys, tackle boxes and swimming fish.

- Shorelunch

[Timmy]

I couldn't agree more! If I'm out on the water, and something isn't looking/working right with my boat, the first thought that comes to my mind isn't "gee, I should call the dealer and ask him what's up" it's "better get a post on WC when I get home".

This site rocks.

[nemio]

Nothing is perfect! This why I got 2 boats one of each for special use. I did what everybody is doing: dreaming of the ideal boat, ideal dealer but unfortunatly it is very hard to find this is why I manage things in a different manner.
I think you call that: experience.
My .03