Tracker Boat......Never Again!

[richg99]

Write to the boss. I've done it a dozen times in 50 years or so.

In only one case did I not get some reasonable response and satisfaction. The company who basically said "screw you" went bankrupt a year later. Served 'em right. Rich

 

[JamesM56alum]

All the more reason to buy an alumacraft 8)

 

[bigwave]

I agree with rich, write a short,simple, to the point letter to the CEO....copy that to the BBB. Give the company the chance to respond....you might even send some video evidence. Sometimes in manufacturing there are problems that are uncontrollable.I am sure they are aware of your year model. If they choose not to do anything then you can file a formal complaint to the BBB. Tracker is a big company, sometimes you just have to go straight to the top to get the answers you need.

 

[Quackrstackr]

I agree with rich, write a short,simple, to the point letter to the CEO....copy that to the BBB. Give the company the chance to respond....you might even send some video evidence. Sometimes in manufacturing there are problems that are uncontrollable.I am sure they are aware of your year model. If they choose not to do anything then you can file a formal complaint to the BBB. Tracker is a big company, sometimes you just have to go straight to the top to get the answers you need.

The problem is, it is not just his year model. Back in 2007 when I was boat shopping, you could walk through a lot full of Trackers or Grizzleys and see boats sitting everywhere with the paint coming off in sheets. These were boats that had never left the sales lot. If they haven't fixed their primer/prep/adhesion issues by now... chances are they aren't going to.

 

[lovedr79]

I love my tracker, however the paint is garbage. It scratches with the slightest touch.

 

[BaitCaster]

I have a Tracker 1542. Yes, the paint is not high quality. You get what you pay for and these are inexpensive boats. That being said, I have no complaints with my Tracker. It does everything I need it to do.

 

[parkerdog]

I'd try the letter route if it was me. Big companies can surprise you sometimes and then other times not.


I work at a mitsubishi factory and in the mid nineties we had a batch of a couple thousand black cars with bad paint. We made cars for chrysler then too and chrysler's philosophy was we aren't fixing it until the customer complains. (they might not notice or have a problem if the car was garaged a lot)

Mitsubishi on the other hand sent out the galants to chicago and another place to be repainted because we didn't have the capacity to repair that many and keep building. They came back with the worst paint jobs. Like they were painted at maco or something. They didn't remove the trim, hard lines everywhere and dirt. looked liked it had been painted in someones garage that didn't know what they were doing. Would have been better to have done it like chrysler.

On my boat maybe I got lucky or it just cured better because it is a 2010 model that sat till 2011 at the dealer. No problems really so far except for scratches etc. because I'm not treating it like a ranger bass boat.

 

[richg99]

One thing I did find out over the years was..If you wrote to the right guy..some companies will "make you whole"....but...they make you sign a non-disclosure agreement.

I had a computer component replaced ( a long time ago) but they did not do a re-call on every one of them. I had to sign the non-disclosure to get it done.

Not the way I'd do it, but it wasn't my company.

Rich

 

[turbotodd]

manufacturing costs are going up. Have been for a few years. Boat prices are also going up, but they have to try to keep the price competitive. In order to do so, they've got to cut costs somewhere. Sounds like they cut costs in painting.

The first Tracker I worked on back in about 1992, I saw how flimsy it was built and that did it for me. We also sold Noah (Duracraft) at that time. Comparing Tracker to Duracraft was comparing a Kenworth to a Toyota. One was inexpensive...and for good reason.

Don't konw where you're located, but War Eagle will paint just about any boat. Might be worth a call. Last one I saw came out great and was only $200 but it's been a few years ago.

 

[Trouble]

Thanks guys for all of your suggestions. I know after I bought my boat I got a survey and I blasted the paint issue, of course there wasn't any reply. Oh well, it is what it is. I'm already thinking about a bigger boat, won't be a Tracker. I'm gonna quit worrying about it and go fishing.

 

[richg99]

YOU SAID IT.... "I'm gonna quit worrying about it and go fishing."

Best answer to all boat problems (that are not safety issues)!

Go get 'em! Rich

 

[Bob Landry]

All the more reason to buy an alumacraft 8)

Or a G3...

 

[Stove Iron]

Or an Alweld...

 

[bcbouy]

or a g3 :lol:

 

[BaitCaster]

When I got my Tracker 1542 it had a few scratches on it. I complained and they gave me a $100 gift card for BassPro. There are a lot more scrathes on the boat now, but the fish don't seem to mind!

 

[slipsinker]

without a boat, i spent quite a few quality hours fishing off of the DNR courtesy piers last summer i noticed quite a few going in and out of the water at the ramps. being in the market for a jon boat i kept my eye open for make model wear and tear etc of the boats coming and going from the dock. what i did notice was paint wear and tear on all the jon/ utility boats regardless of make. i ended up buying a small yellow rowboat at the end of the season, scuffed up the factory gloss coat and rustoleumed over the finish with their flat camo green. the finish proved durable enough and any scratches that developed i quickly spotted with the aerosol can. basically any flat finish paint is less durable than a gloss finish... has been my experience over the years

 

[DanMC]

Are Tracker boats US made (not with inported parts :lol: ) ?...when we bought our Lund (WC14) we made sure it's a US made otherwise i would have bought something from a Canadian manufacturer...just my 2 cents...sorry about your troubles.On a different but kinda the same topic...we as a family don't shop at Wallmart, and we haven't for 5 years now...i read somewhere that big companies or corporations control every single detail/product that is made for sale by them.Every effort is made to produce stuff as cheap as possible,and they all do that but some do it more and others do it less...remember when once upon a time Sam Walt was proud to show products that supported the American worker/family ?...who's economy is growing like crazy (...hint.....red star :evil: ) and who is strugling and has to put up with inferior crap (...only if someone made a superior crap ).I did not mean to get political but politics affects everything.
Dan

 

[slipsinker]

Damn!!! Just called Tracker... and found out they use a "flash" painting process and admittedly is not as durable as other boat manufacturers painting processes. i was going to pick up my 1542 topper tomorrow! now i am rethinking. I love the boat and price. but what about the cost of repainting. i like a rig that looks nice.
i dont know... use it for a few years as is and then apply a custom paint job. Definitely rethinking purchase.

 

[jigngrub]

Y'all sound like you're going to be trying to pick up chicks in a jon boat! :roll:

If the price is right, buy one and repaint it yourself. they probably put the cheap paint job on them because they know a lot of people are going to repaint them anyway. How many camo paint jobs have y'all seen on this site? I've seen a bunch.

Heck! Just sand it down a little and put some tractor and implement paint with hardener on it.

 

[bcbouy]

not the point.you shouldn't have to repaint a brand new boat because of poor workmanship.