Boat warranty/replacement

[PCDOC]

Has anybody had a company replace a boat they just purchased that didn't function properly or do they just try to FIX your boat?

Ordered the boat this spring and picked it up a few months ago. The boat porpoises at cruising speed with any trim other than dead bottom. Wasted a whole day at the dealer last week trying props to no avail. They "promised" an edge hydrofin would fix the problem......... it didn't. I was totally against the fin, but the alternative is to send the boat back to the manufacturer and have them fix it.

This is 35k boat and I don't think it's fair for me to lose the boat for who knows how long for them to fix it.

The service guys at the dealer are stumped. It's an aluminum boat that doesn't have enough excess material at the bottom of the transom to peen it and create a wedge.

Bottom line: Has anyone had a manufacturer replace a porpoising boat or do they all want to fix your current boat? Not looking for a diagnosis, just want to see if anybody has had a new boat delivered to replace a faulty one.

Thanks

[LLewellin]

Not me but my brother had a year 2000 tin (major brand built in MN) boat that leaked from the very first day and not just a drop or two. We took it back to the dealer 2 times over a 100 miles one way and they still were not ever able to fix it. They beat the tar out of the bottom of the transom and it not only leaked worse but looked like He LL. Then it was sent to the manufacturer two times and both times it came back it was still not fixed. My brother was on the phone constantly with the factory rep and finally told them that if they do not replace the hull he would make sure everyone he knows, including all he could on the internet, would know how he was treated by the manufacture and the dealer. The rep got made and hung up but called back about 15 minutes later and said his new hull was ordered and would be delivered to the dealer. Then came the problems with the dealer which is no longer in business or new owners. Bad dealer, bad manufacture rep & bad boat from the get go.

[luveyes]

Good buddy oif mine has an 1850 Fishhawk. It has maxed out HP with a 150 Suzi. Straight from the factory it had a wicked hook in the hull. It was a real back breaker at any speed. Called the MFG, delivered it there, took out a rep at nearby lake to show him how it rode, left it there at the reps request, and was fixed in a week. Its like a totally different boat now. Appearane-wise you cant tell it had been touched by the factory.

[PCDOC]

This boat has the opposite of a hook in the hull. It has a bulge near the keel. I put an 8' straight edge on either side of the keel and it has a 5/8" gap at each end. The hull is flat once it gets up near the splash rail, but the bottom is not so good.

I'm 10 hours from the manufacturer and they told me, along with the dealer, that getting the boat back in a timely manner depends on if they have a FULL truck heading either direction.

[Captains Chair]

Send it back to Alumacraft and they will fix it up.

Chair

[T Mac]

Now...please don't hate me for this, as I am only telling you what I have seen in the past.

IMHO... I doubt a replacement will take place...unless the remedies fail.
Historcally, based on other threads and experiences concerning the same product, and porpoising over the years... as I recall, this issue was easily fixed by the factory guys.

One line of thinking (and it makes some sense):
-Another new hull doesn't guarantee a trouble free situation... thus, fix the issue at hand.


You have every right to be disappointed. We all would be.
However, this will get resolved one way or another.
They don't want unhappy customers, I'm, sure.
Hang in there.

[buckmaster]

I just went through basically the same thing. Terrible feeling. Mine from the factory this spring had a hook in it. It plowed through the water. I made 8 different trips 1 hr each way to my dealer to try different things. Even if I sent it back to factory in the fall so I didn't lose fishing time, I knew I was never going to be happy with that boat. I bought a new one and it wasn't right, I didn't want it refurbished or fixed, I wanted it right and new. I ended up working with my dealer and traded it on a different boat and he is dealing with the old one.

[PCDOC]

Thanks for the responses. I was fairly sure it wasn't common for them to replace a boat, but wanted to double check.

Their idea of sending it back in the fall so no fishing time is missed doesn't help me. I fish out of it all year at the tailrace.

What a crappy deal!! Anybody want to buy a lightly used, porpoising boat?

[4JawChuck]

Pics?