A Lemon or not?

Tainacious

Recruit
Joined
Apr 13, 2010
Messages
5
So in April 2010 I bought a new 2009 Stratos 186xt with a 115 Evinrude etec. My first time buying a boat. Right off the back when I first put the boat in the water I had problems. Boat would die when I put it in gear. Brought it back to the dealership a couple times to fix and they were never able to fix it. Finally got fed up with the dealership and took it to another shop and they were able to fix the problem which I had to pay for out of my own pocket. Then after that I noticed that it was not running smoothly so I took it back in and found out that the dealership had originally put the wrong prop on the motor (angle was not specified for that motor/boat) so I had to buy a new prop, again with my own money. Now finally I got the boat running in tip top shape but when I went to take it out last week the battery was dead and wouldn't start. I tried charging it for a few days but no luck. After talking with the shop they informed me that the battery was never initiated correctly and they never even marked the date of install on the battery. To say the least I am pretty annoyed with all the problems I've been having with the boat and all the extra money I've had to dish out to fix what I thought would be a brand new working boat but I'm not sure if I'm just making a big deal out of nothing. Are these common problems among new boats? Should I look in to hiring a lemon-law attorney and try and get my money back for the boat?

I need your help.

Thanks,

Tai.
 

BUDDY123

Seaman
Joined
Aug 14, 2010
Messages
58
Re: A Lemon or not?

Don't you have any type warranty?? Glad second shop got it running. As far as prop & battery, I would have gone after the dealer you purchased it from. Doesn't make sense you had to pull money from your pocket on a new boat. Before attorney, talk with owner, tell him your going to better business bur and your local consumer protection office and if necessary local newspaper. Most of these guys hate any type of negative comments being put on public record. Not sure if it's worth going to attorney, guess it would depend on how much money you have had to put out.
 

DuckHunterJon

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Apr 19, 2010
Messages
1,082
Re: A Lemon or not?

I could be wrong as I've never bought a new boat, but I would think that at a minimum it would come with a one year warrantee from date of purchase. Any of the items you listed should have been covered under a warrantee. I'd do the following - 1: Find a new dealer/service center. 2: Go back to the original dealer and explain the situation asking for some compensation. 3: Get the boat out on the water now that it's running right, and enjoy it.

Good luck with it.
 

shrew

Lieutenant
Joined
Dec 29, 2006
Messages
1,309
Re: A Lemon or not?

A series of unfotunate events.....absolutely. A Lemon of a boat? Not really. wrong prop, bad battery (possibly questionable charger?), but if a new battery resolves the issue, then it's just a bad battery. Poor service from the dealership isn'y really boat or the boat manufacturers fault.

No doubt this sounds like a frustrating experience. But I think the boat itself is good.
 

WIMUSKY

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
20,107
Re: A Lemon or not?

Lemon, no. Bad dealership, yes. You shouldn't of had any out of pocket expenses. The dealership should have "gladly" fixed/resolved any issues. I would go back to the dealership with all the repair paperwork. The dealership/warranty should cover the expenses. Don't forget the old prop and battery. They'll want them back.
 

Gary H NC

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Dec 1, 2005
Messages
8,972
Re: A Lemon or not?

Lemon, no. Bad dealership, yes. You shouldn't of had any out of pocket expenses. The dealership should have "gladly" fixed/resolved any issues. I would go back to the dealership with all the repair paperwork. The dealership/warranty should cover the expenses. Don't forget the old prop and battery. They'll want them back.

Agree, The second dealer that fixed it should have looked up the purchase date and repaired it under warranty.
As far as the battery it was probably well over a year old when you bought the boat.Non-use while it set on the dealers lot probably shortened the life of that battery.
I would also want the charging system tested.
 

Home Cookin'

Fleet Admiral
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
9,715
Re: A Lemon or not?

be sure you comply with your break-in--and you have to take it back to the bad dealer.
No lemon law case--that's only for automobiles. There may be other consumer protection laws but unless you want to return the whole rig, it's not a practical option.
You might want to get in touch with the boat and motor manufacturer--it's not their fault but they may want to know that one of their dealers is not up to standards.
 
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