Cracks in my new boat what the heck?

[Neverenuff]

So I have a 2011 Nitro That I purchased new. This boat has less than 20 hours on it, 8 months old and has been well cared for and always garage kept. Yesterday while waxing it I notice it had cracks on the side right through the tx numbers, Upon further investigation directly under the cracks on the side the hull is also cracked. The hull cracks are about 8" wide and 3' long. The side cracks are 2" wide and 2' long. I have never hit anything with the boat and have no idea what could have caused these. What should I do and is my Warranty gonna cover this or should I file a insurance claim? I called my dealer this morning and he said Bring it by and we will look at it.

So after a hour drive I get there and he says he is to busy to look at it but if I wanna leave it with him when he gets in on tuesday he will take pics and then I can come pick it up. Needless to say We had some unpleasent words before I left. I got home and called bass pro shops and talked to a guy that keep saying hold on hold on. Then hed put me on "hold" and Im guessing accidentally hung up on me.

 

[Sean Troy]

That kind of looks like impact cracks. I know you said you never hit anything but whats the chance another boat might have bumped yours while docked and you were not there? Maybe getting something in a Marina? Sorry to see that. Worst case, insurance will cover it. Hope all works out for you. Sean

 

[Gary Hunter]

Welcome to "Nitro Hell". I can't really give you any help or advice .... because my lawyer has his hand clamped over my mouth as I try to speeeeaaakkkkk....

 

[Terry Rittenhouse]

Looks like stress cracks in the gelcoat to me. The fiberglass is moving under the gelcoat. Same thing happened to me on a 1992 Nitro. Started having similar issues immeadiately after purchasing the boat new and after several (5 or 6) attempts to fix the problem, Tracker replaced my boat under full warranty. I even got to choose between 5 different boats and pick the color. The astonishing thing about all of this is the boat was nearly 5 years old (5 year hull warranty on a 1992) when I received my 1997 replacement boat. My advice would be not to let it go that far. If your dealer won't be of enough help, contact the Tracker Marine Service Center. Your boat needs to be evaluated. I'm sure they will take care of you. Stand your ground, you have nothing to lose. Good Luck and keep us posted.

 

[Neverenuff]

I havent ever left it tied up at a marina or boat dock. There isnt any marks anywhere from somthing hitting it. I think a stringer or somthing has busted loose inside the hull but I dont know. I will be calling tracker when they open on Tuesday morning.

 

[Rich Eder2]

Jamie, Take to the warranty people at Tracker and the issue should be taken care of. Try to keep your cool when talking to them because all of us know cooler heads prevail. It may be a drawn out process but if it is a Nitro issue it will be taken care of.

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I tried both approaches and neither worked for me...just being honest.

 

[Mini]

The loger cracks are probably just cosmetic. The other ones that look like someone punched the glass are probably not. It looks like your stringers are breaking loose. I have had a few boats do that due to poor manufacturing practices. One was an Astro and the others were Nitros.



Is this your first glass boat?

 

[Neverenuff]

I have owned a ranger, a tidecraft and a skeeter, All glass and all used with no problems. This is my first brand new boat and my first Nitro. I dropped the boat off at bass pro shop service department on monday, now I guess its a wait and see game. The cracks on the bottom are protruding out like somthing pushed out on the fiberglass from the inside.

 

[Mini]

Yep...stringers are loose.

 

[Neverenuff]

So heres the latest on my nitro,I talked to bass pro today and He said they were gonna warranty the cracks. The boat is gonna be sent out to a fiberglass/boat repair shop and should be ready in a week or two.

 

[judgerr]

That's great! Speaks well for Nitro. Congratulations!

And good lusck in the future.

 

[THOMMO59]

How did you go with this?

Are you happy with the end result and what was the original cause?

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Problem here is that if in fact the stringers are loose, the problem hasn't been fixed, just the outward appearance. Of course, that's without knowing what the glass shop is doing to it. Keep us posted and better yet, keep an eye on the area where the stringers are and at the first hint of additional cracking get it back to them for evaluation.



TOXIC

 

[Mini]

ditto what toxic said.....IF the stringers have broken loose (which I suspect) those crackes will come back the first time you use it.