Has anyone ever sent a boat back to Nitro for repair?

[Jim B]

I got a call from my dealer yesterday saying that my boat has to go back to nitro for either repair or replacement for some stress cracking that is happening on the hull. I was wondering what other people's experiences are sending boats back and what i should expect as well.

 

[Bill McElroy]

here we go again!!..LOL!!!! You'll get a HUGE array of responses regarding this,.....some good,...some not so good,...hopefully your dealer has or will go to bat for you!! It would be wise to have your dealer (not you,...it's THEIR job) call the factory once a month or so to keep tabs on the status of your repairs. Be "proactive" without being a pest,....you'll get better feedback that way, but be prepaired to be "boatless" for several months!! Do a search on "service",..you should see all kinds of posts regarding this.....might as well grab a brewski first,..you'll be reading for awhile!! LOL

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I don't know Mac..If I hadn't P----- & Moaned about mine..yes I probably been boatless for a while but, since I did(might have even been a pest) I got my new one in two weeks. But, then again it was their fault.

TEE

 

[Mebassn]

Jim,

I replied to a post a couple of weeks back about my boats trip to the factory, I wasn't pleased with the results and have since learned how to fix most minor glass and gel-coat issues with my boat. Just remember to go through your boat when you get it back with the dealer and look at the spots repaired. Some things i found were electric jitterbug sander marks, blend lines and cloudy gel-coat. All the above mentioned problems were repaired inside the cockpit. The freeboard and topcap repairs were done quite well.



Tight Lines

Eric H.

 

[Michael Snow]

It doesn't get sent back to the factory for minor glass or gelcoat issues.



Take all your stuff off the boat before it gets sent back. I mean remove the fish finders, ALL of your equipment, etc. If you upgraded the trolling motor, I'd take it off too. If they replace your boat, you may not see those things again. The dealer SHOULD remove them, but one person's experience recently shows that you'd better make sure the dealer knows to do this.

 

[CJ Extrom]

Jim,sent my avalanche back after only running it for two months. Boat would only run to 47 mph and no bow lift. It turned out to be the two outside strakes at the back had hooks on them to stop low speed porpising. They fixed them, it look's and runs great. The boat now runs 57-60 mph and i am still tweeking it so it should run better next year.

 

[J B]

I know the boating industry is different than the auto industry. But, can you imagine a major auto manufacturer telling you to send your brand new truck back to the factory and that you'll be out of a vehicle for months? Something to be learned there.



Good luck Jim, and you'll get some good advise from others on this site who have been through what you are about to.

 

[Jim B]

Thanks for the encouraging words guys. I will keep everyone informed as to what happens in the end. As far as loosing my boat I'm not too worried about that. The lakes are frozen here in New England now so I wont be fishing until about April anyway. The problems I am having are cracking on the lower portion of the hull on both sides and now on the top cap on only one side. The cracks seemed to grow over the summer and the ones on the top cap tripled in number in only three weeks. My dealer looked at it and seems concerned about the amount of cracks in the hull and from all I can tell is on top of things with Nitro regarding this. At this point I

 

[Michael Snow]

I'd have that added to the notes by calling their customer service line. From the people I know who've had a boat replaced, Nitro did let them change and I believe even ASKED them. Of course, best bet is that it's a prior year boat and they don't do that exact color scheme anymore, that way, they HAVE to change. Let me suggest one color.. RED, don't get it... Every freaking boat I see is red... mine's red, but I bought it used, so I have an excuse .



Oh, and if they replace the BOAT, expect that the same motor you sent them will come cack on the new boat. That's how it works... and how it should work. Not that I wouldn't love a new motor too .

 

[TOMMY RICH]

I agree Mike...stay in the loop for sure..even if they think your a pain. It's YOUR boat and YOUR money..not theirs. And yes if they do replace it you will get the same motor(they did with me). Be diligent but, smart...good luck.

TEE

 

[Jim B]

I hear ya mike. I got my boat used too and its red right now, very red. If you look at my profile you will see what im talking about. If i got new it would be white. If they replace the boat i actually want my current motor back on it. The one i have now is just awesome, it runs great plus i dont want to have to break in a new one.

 

[Kathy Roberts]

Jim, don't forget to take your prop off of your motor. It's also a good idea to have pictures of the current condition of the boat.



Kathy

 

[Kevin Jaquith]

Where do you want me to start. NEVER BUY A NITRO BASSBOAT USED!!!! I'm currently in the middle of a battle with Tracker Marine. THis fall my transom cracked and the bulkheads had cracks and were seperating from the hull. It's a 2002 NX750 and there whould be no issue with warranty but tracker marine is making every excuse and trying to throw every road block they can in the way. From warranty transfer issues to whatever. This has been on going for 3 months with no resolve. TO this day the warranty is not in my name and they have been trying to get it done ever since. Now they say my problem are abuse damage. How can a transom crack open(fiberglass is split)be considered abuse damage when I ran the boat on 1 1/2 foot chop at 50mph. I would consider these normal conditions. The next thing is don't try and call them yourself. They will punt you off quicker then you can turn your head. Having a dealer that will deal with the issue is imperitive. Otherwise you are dead in the water(excuse the pun).



Those who have been pests to get there boat fixed what action did you take and who did you talk to. I want my boat fixed I am not willing to pay 2000 dollars to get it done when it should be warranty work. Please anyone with suggestions please help. Did people climb the ladder through tracker and if so how and who did you talk to.



Oh and on another note don't waste your time with email support as all the answers are generic responses and you chase your tail around in a circle.



Thanks

QuinteBasser

 

[bob wateski2]

Hi guys;



long time no talk. Sorry. I've had a very busy summer and of couse no closer with tracker on my boat as I was 2 years ago when I bought it. It still sucks. If you are going to send your boat back to the factory, find yourself a comfortable chair and sit back. Mine was there for 4 months and when it came back it still was not fixed and it also had a leak in it so bad that the water poured out after only 10 minutes in the water. It has been sitting at the dealers since Dec of 2002 and I will not sign for the boat because it was never fixed. My dealer has been trying to get tracker to honor their warranty but that is just another piece of paper that they include when you buy their boats. It is worthless but they think it looks good to the buyer. I could go on for a long time as some of you all will remember but I won't. Good luck.

 

[bob wateski2]

Hi guys;



long time no talk. Sorry. I've had a very busy summer and of couse no closer with tracker on my boat as I was 2 years ago when I bought it. It still sucks. If you are going to send your boat back to the factory, find yourself a comfortable chair and sit back. Mine was there for 4 months and when it came back it still was not fixed and it also had a leak in it so bad that the water poured out after only 10 minutes in the water. It has been sitting at the dealers since Dec of 2002 and I will not sign for the boat because it was never fixed. My dealer has been trying to get tracker to honor their warranty but that is just another piece of paper that they include when you buy their boats. It is worthless but they think it looks good to the buyer. I could go on for a long time as some of you all will remember but I won't. Good luck.

 

[Ken Neeley]

snort, chuckle, tee hee, guffaw...etc



sorry, the title of this thread just gave me the giggles!!!