Trouble with my Weldbilt

[lovedr79]

man that is not good. i would not be happy right now. i hope they take care of you. keep us posted. i always thought weldbilts were supposed to be great boats.

 

[riverbud55]

Well can tell ya if it were me i would see a lawyer if the factory wont fix it for free,,, can tell ya the world would know about it if it were mine, I would be threatening to post adds on craigslist in boats for sale showing the boat asking for a buyer for a worthless piece of poo boat that's 3 years old and a warning of future buyers, post in every city with in 100 miles of all their dealers,,,, and by the way not ''all welded boat will crack'' have 30 year old Gregor not a crack to be found on it, ,,,,, thanks for posting,

 

[riverrat717]

Any good news from the factory? Or should I invest in a tig machine?

 

[mbweimar]

Sorry fellas, I've been really busy this week. Monday I called around to some different Weldbilt dealers to try to get as much info as I could. There aren't many out there, but the closest, Day's Marine in Florala is unreachable. I called multiple times, left a voicemail and never got a call back. The next dealer I called was Reynold's Marine in Harriman, TN. I tried to tell the guy about my problems, and all he wanted to do was sell me bigger boat, then when I asked about warranty work he told me I needed to get it fixed locally, and basically hung up on me. Next was Art's Marine in Little Rock, AR. They were a little more helpful, in giving me the direct number to the factory, but offered little more.

Upon speaking with the factory, Johnny told me that Weldbilt will fix the boat for free, if I bring it to them. I explained that it's not pratical to do so, given the the fact that I live so far from them. He then suggested I bring the boat to Backwoods Landing, which is the dealer in Mooresville, AL where I purchased the boat. He said they would take the boat to the factory for me. When I asked if there was any possibility to have the repairs done locally, I was shot down. I also asked if there was anything they could do to get me into a new hull, even a thicker hull with some sort of discount. He reply was, "Take it up with your dealer."

So...here I am back where I started. I called Backwoods again, and spoke with Andy. And let me just say first, that Andy has been VERY helpful. He helped me diagnose possible causes for the problems I've had, and answered any and all questions. Backwoods has been by far the easiest to deal with. The ONLY problem I have with them, and this is the same with ALL dealers, they all demand to see the boat. It's like their hands are tied until they see the boat themselves.

As of today my options remain the same.
1: Have it fixed locally, at my expense, and spend who knows how much to make it right.
2: Drive it 800 miles one way to the dealer to have it sent to the factory. Then wait who knows how long....weeks or months. Then drive 800 miles again to pick it up (3200 miles in total.)

Advice and suggestons welcome.

 

[riverrat717]

It's you to you....if it were me, I'd try to find a dead head big rig or another truck for hire to haul it there. Or get it fixed locally. Got any friends with a tig setup? Easier to control heat and warpage with a tig torch. Good time to replace the bottom with 1/4, but pricy. Keep us posted

 

[Wyatt]

Hate to hear about the bad luck bud. Hope you find a conclusion to this issue soon.

 

[mbweimar]

Wyatt, I'm down in south Florida. The dealer I bought the boat from is 800 miles away in north Alabama. The FACTORY is up in Arkansas somewhere. They want me to drive it 800 miles, one way to the dealer, so the dealer can bring it the rest of the way to the factory. That's the only comprimise I've gotten from Weldbilt.

 

[lovedr79]

Wyatt, I'm down in south Florida. The dealer I bought the boat from is 800 miles away in north Alabama. The FACTORY is up in Arkansas somewhere. They want me to drive it 800 miles, one way to the dealer, so the dealer can bring it the rest of the way to the factory. That's the only comprimise I've gotten from Weldbilt.

WHAT!?!?!?! they dont have a dealer in FLa?

 

[mbweimar]

There are only a handfull of dealers scattered throughout the country. The more I look into it, the more I realize that Weldbilt is nowhere close to being on the same level as the larger manufacturers. They don't even have a dedicated customer service department. Yes, its nice of them to offer to fix it for free, and I'm sure people come from all over Arkansas to have them fix their boats. But if I were running that place, I would bend over backwards for the guy that drove across two states to buy a boat. It just makes sense.

I visited their Facebook page today and noticed the public is allowed to post on it. I have half a mind to post all my pics on there, and let everyone know how well built their product is, and how they treat their customers.

 

[richg99]

Well, the good thing is, when some future potential buyer scans the internet, he/she may well find this discussion, and it may change their mind as to the "quality" of your present boat.

I presume you've called and checked on what it would cost to have a truck take the hull back to the manufacturer directly??? That might be less than you making two round trips.

I recently thought I had to drive about 800 miles one way to get some license issues straightened out. I figured 1600 miles round trip; two motels; gas; and wear and tear on this old body. Ouch. It was going to be a bear to do it, and to think that you'd have to do it twice just to get back a repaired boat....makes me sick.

I can't believe that you would ever have any confidence in that boat after getting it back.

When you add up whatever it will cost to take all of your gear off (motor-steering-trolling-motor- whatever isn't specific to the hull itself) and the gas, motels AND then pay to have all of the gear put BACK onto the "repaired " hull
....I'd have to think it is time to scrap the Weldbilt....and buy another hull.

Expensive but the company isn't trying to help very much.

This site puts the value at a bit over $3,000 to replace what you have.
https://www.reynoldsracingmarine.com/newweldbilt.htm

Obviously, you wouldn't buy another Weldbilt.
Might be a good time to find a bare hull, as I suspect the 2016 models have recently come out.

Sorry for your situation. I've only bought used boats recently. This thread makes me sad for the new boat buyer.

richg99

 

[Steve A W]

Aren't there any "lemon laws" for boats?

Steve A W

 

[xXOnyxXx]

thats not a lemon .. thats a dude that cannot weld,

 

[richg99]

Maybe.....

https://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/how-to-use-the-federal-lemon-law-to-get-rid-of-lemon-boat

 

[redrum]

I'm currently looking for a new hull this fall to put all my stuff on. I was looking at weldbilt and specifically backwoods landing because I'm in north Ga. I can promise these is NO way I'll bother looking at them anymore.

On a side note I'd be willing to help you get your boat over to backwoods if you can get it up to Atlanta.

I guess it's good they will fix it but man that is some BS welding.

 

[tomme boy]

Talk to your insurance company. Tell them you hit something. Get it fixed and get rid of it. It will do the same thing again. If you want it fixed right, rivet it. Aluminum becomes very weak once it has been welded. It will just keep cracking no matter what you do to it. Welded boats were originally made as a cost cutting feature. It takes less than half the time to make a welded boat than a riveted one.

 

[Kismet]

Talk to your insurance company. Tell them you hit something. Get it fixed and get rid of it. It will do the same thing again. If you want it fixed right, rivet it. Aluminum becomes very weak once it has been welded. It will just keep cracking no matter what you do to it. Welded boats were originally made as a cost cutting feature. It takes less than half the time to make a welded boat than a riveted one.

Dunno about this. If a person mis-represents the cause of the damage, it is fraud, and potentially criminal prosecution can result. I would never consider such and would not recommend it.

I'd keep on Weldbilt to figure out how to get the boat back up to them on THEIR dime. They have a vested interest in satisfying their customers.

In this small part of the internet alone, three or four folks have posted they are no longer considering investing in a new Weldbilt. How many more made the same decision and didn't bother to post.

Best wishes.

 

[richg99]

Thanks, Kismet

richg99

 

[mbweimar]

Went by Bass Pro today and looked at a Grizzly 1648. Compared to my Weldbilt it's a world of difference. .100 hull, and believe it or not, the floor is actually wider than the floor in my Weldbilt. They want a little over $3K for just the hull, which would be nice, knowing I had a 5 year warranty on the hull, and tons of locations for service. I'm seriously considering ditching the Weldbilt hull, and swapping everything over to the Grizzly.

 

[richg99]

Good for you. Aluminum has some scrap value.

Hope it all works out for you. richg99

 

[tomme boy]

Don't do it!

Look up a Seaark