This SUCKS!

[LarryA]

The day started out just fine. I removed the flooring, that was in my 14' Lowe V hull, to clean out debris and then put the flooring back in. Flooring came out easy and I cleaned out all the dirt and leaves/sticks. Figured it would be good to hose out the floor and get it as clean as possible before putting the flooring back in. At the same time, I figured there was no harm in putting the drain plug in and letting the water build up to check underneath for leaks. Well, as my luck has it, there are at least five leaks and possibly six. The underside has already been welded at a couple of these places and it appears that there are small cracks. Some near the welds and some near rivets.
I got a 30 warranty with the boat and have email the place to see what they plan on doing about this.
I just can't believe it. Nothing ever goes right for me! I've stuck more than a few bucks into this boat to add what I wanted on it and now this. Really sucks! Now I have to deal with this stuff yet. I've waited a long time to gt another boat and now I'm totally disgusted.

 

[SlimeTime]

I got a 30 warranty with the boat and have email the place to see what they plan on doing about this.
.

I'll tell you their reply:

"Please ship the hull back to us (at your expense) as well as return shipping (at your expense), and we'll inspect the hull in order to see if infact the repairs will be covered under warranty" #-o

My advice, while your waiting on their reply......find a couple local welders & get written quotes for repair. Be sure & mark the leaks since you have already located them. Don't give-up hope..........

ST

 

[Waterwings]

Dang, sorry to hear about the boat problems. How far is it to return it?

 

[LarryA]

Looked over the paperwork and tucked below the warranty info is another line "Used: 50/50 Parts/labor".
That sucks even more now. At what these places charge for labor, it would probably be cheaper to fix it myself. I guess I have to wait and see what they have to say first. It's not very far away from where I live, only about 45 minute drive, should I need to tow it back. Just figures, my luck is nothing more than terrible. Everything always goes wrong for me.
And Then Depression Sets In!!!!

If it comes down to it and I have to fix it, does anyone know if this stuff works or should I just go to an aluminum welding shop? https://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0001390010655a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntt=boat+patch&Ntk=Products_liberal&sort=all&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&_D%3Asort=+&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

 

[SlimeTime]

In the event you're left to deal with repairs......do what you want, but I'd have a qualified welder deal with it. Once you smear something onto the hull, there's a possibility it may contaminate the surface & leave it impossible to weld. Using a plain wire brush prior to welding aluminum is enough to cause you problems.

I've also heard of others trying the stuff advertised on TV, they say it works nothing like they'd have you believe.

You're boat, your call.....but I'd rather spend a few bucks getting it fixed properly as opposed paying extra to have a mess fixed, not to mention the hassle of making the same repair a number of times.

ST

 

[Jim]

Sorry to hear it Larry.

Don't give up hope. Wait till you hear back from the the place you purchased it from. Hopefully they take care of it or take the boat back.

 

[Ol JohnnyBoy]

Sorry to hear your having probs man :| . Take it one day at a time. You'll be on the water in no time. Besides, the fish haven't been biting lately anyway :mrgreen: All's not lost...hang in there... :wink:

 

[Captain Ahab]

It does suck - but on the positive side at least you found out about the leaks while on dry land - fishing water everywhere while fishing woudl suck even more

 

[LarryA]

Update: The boat is back where I bought it to be inspected. They seemed sincere about getting it straightened out. I told them that I couldn't believe they would have sold it knowing it leaked. They said they wouldn't have but never had it in water. They are going to inspect it and get back to me. It doesn't matter to me if they fix it or offer me something that is at least comparable to what I bought (minus the leaks). I got the impression that they don't plan on charging me anything being that I only bought it less than two weeks ago. If they fix then great. I do like the boat and what was on it saved me a bunch of buying and work. If I end up with something else because they don't think it's wise to fix it, then I'll go from there.
All I can do now is to wait until they get back to me.
They have been in business for almost 50 years and it's a family business; you don't stay opened that long by selling junk.
No butcher fix at any rate. If I do have to pay for it, then so be it but I will argue the point of being told it was in Very Good Condition. It's not like I bought it on evil bay or anything.
So far, I'm happy with the treatment from them.
Thanks for the replies.
Larry

 

[Nickk]

Sounds like you're on the road to satisfaction Larry, don't beat yourself up over it.

 

[SlimeTime]

Hopefully they'll be one of the few who stand behind what they sell & care about customer satisfaction. If things start to take a turn for the worse....I'd let them know you're on several boating & fishing forums, and won't have a problem sharing your experience for all the www to see. :wink:

ST

 

[LarryA]

Hopefully they'll be one of the few who stand behind what they sell & care about customer satisfaction. If things start to take a turn for the worse....I'd let them know you're on several boating & fishing forums, and won't have a problem sharing your experience for all the www to see. :wink:

ST

At the moment, I'm going to just think positive and that it will be fixed at No Charge to me.

 

[FishingBuds]

Yep larry hang on man, I understand if ya got to vent, I would.

I put 400 bucks into a 6hp Mercury that still leaks at the prop :x

But at somepoint ya gotta let it go before it consumes you, it helps me by realizing others have it way off worse than me, think of it like this, You do have the oppurtunity of worrying about a boat and I have a motor to worry about :lol:

Family buisnesses are a plus, heck let them know we're watching the out come on this :wink:

 

[LarryA]

Update: Got my boat back today. I can't say if it was fixed in the best way or not because I'm no boat repair expert. They put 3M 5200 sealer (i think that's what the guy said) at some of th rivets. I could have done that. I don't even know if they reset them first. Anyway, I was told it doesn't leak. If this doesn't hold up I guess I'll have to get it taken care of myself when that time might come. At least, it didn't cost me anything but gas money to yow it there and back.
Hopefully it will be fine.

 

[Waterwings]

Hopefully it works out. Did they put the 5200 on the outside or inside of the rivets?

 

[LarryA]

Hopefully it works out. Did they put the 5200 on the outside or inside of the rivets?

I know they put it on the outside for sure. While talking to the guy who worked on it, I knew he had taken the flooring boards out, otherwise he would not have know that there was rubber strips between the wood and aluminum hull. He asked if I put that in because of it being a good idea to help keep moisture from getting trapped between the wood and hull.
I'll find out eventually. I want to remove the flooring that is there and make framing and put in a plywood floor with carpet. That will cut a lot of weight off the boat. That's probably a springtime project unless I find someone with enclosed space I can use over the winter (which isn't likely, since I have few freinds - I just don't socialize very much).

 

[Waterwings]

Just wondering about the inside being sealed also. Since they knew about the rubber strips, hopefully they also applied the sealant inside also. My curiosity would get the best of me and I'd have to look

 

[bassboy1]

There is always more than one way to skin the same cat, but in my opinion, the best way to fix a leaky rivet is to either tighten it, or replace it. I have tightened many rivets, and replaced many more. All it takes is a hammer, concave punch, and a bucking bar. Nothing to it at all.

 

[LarryA]

Spent the day going for a bilge pump and installing that. Turned out to be more work than I would have figure but its in and works on Auto & Manual. I bought a Rule 500 GPH Fully Auto. Put water in the boat to check it out and it pumps pretty much water. That should do me just fine, should I get a leak other than a major Titanic hole.
Charging the battery up full now and may get it back on the water Monday or Tuesday.

 

[ben2go]

Spent the day going for a bilge pump and installing that. Turned out to be more work than I would have figure but its in and works on Auto & Manual. I bought a Rule 500 GPH Fully Auto. Put water in the boat to check it out and it pumps pretty much water. That should do me just fine, should I get a leak other than a major Titanic hole.
Charging the battery up full now and may get it back on the water Monday or Tuesday.

Glad to hear things are coming along ok.Any new mods in the future?