New Boat Issues

WTodd · July 03, 2019, 03:23:48 PM

Good news and hopefully the only time you have to deal with the dealer from now on is for maintenance and any future upgrades

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apenland01 · July 03, 2019, 04:10:14 PM

Glad to hear it's fixed. I hope you can finally enjoy your boat!

Oldfart9999 · July 06, 2019, 06:04:29 AM

Hope no other issues come up, now you can enjoy hopefully!!!
Rodney

Deadeye · July 06, 2019, 07:12:07 AM

You have been a better Customer than I would of been at this point. I find it to be totally unacceptable to have to gone through what you have to find a leak -- especially when they know their boats are leaking.

If I buy a Brand New Product I expect it to be flawless and ready to go. Recalls can happen and as long as they are taking care of the issue I'm ok.

But to me taking almost a year to really respond to a Customer that has purchased a New Boat, they failed in my opinion. I doubt that I would ever buy another Product they sold.

Bassinkorea · July 06, 2019, 10:13:57 PM

I've been following this thread from day one, but never posted until now.
Looking forward to hearing your reports from this weekend and hearing about a completely dry bilge.

RDY2GO · July 08, 2019, 11:23:40 AM

I was only able to get the boat out on Sunday morning, and then only for around 5 hours or so. Such is life.

At any rate; as I mentioned, they put a new pad on the center console lid and replaced the carpet in the cockpit area. Both look good and I am happy with the results at this point. The big thing though, the boat did not take on a drop of water. At least for the time being. So much for all boats leak...

On the transom there are two tie down cleats, the boarding ladder and the jack plate. So far we have fixed leaks in one of the cleats, the boarding ladder and fixed the seam between the cap and hull. With the exception of the cap/hull seam the problem has been that sealant was not applied to these areas. That still leaves the other cleat and the jack plate, what makes anyone think that these areas were somehow sealed when the others weren't? But the general mentality from the manufacturer and the dealership is that we'll deal with those IF they become a problem, not one of checking them and trying to get in front of it. That makes no sense to me at all.

With the exception of the times I have spoken to the ladies in the warranty dept I have yet to speak to anyone at Triton/Tracker/White River Marine. In the grand scheme of things I don't guess there is anything to say, but in my mind someone should be, at the very least, apologizing to me and offering something for my trouble. But I guess that would be legally admitting to a problem or something.

The dealer, despite what some of you may be thinking, has in my mind been good about this. There have been some hiccups and it has taken a lot longer than I thought it should, not just in total elapsed time, which does seem excessive, but also in the repair process. Having some experience in a similar business I know that things happen that are beyond anyone's control, in cases like that it's all in how you deal with the customer, and I am pleased with them in this regard.

My plans at this point are to try and enjoy the boat. I'm not going to sell or trade it, but just see where things go from here. Hopefully my problems are behind me and not just waiting to surface again.

I appreciate everyone "listening" and offering advice. It meant and still does mean a lot to me.

Bud Kennedy · July 08, 2019, 11:45:37 AM

Congratulations on weathering the storm. You certainly have demonstrated a lot of patience while addressing this problem. It sounds like it is time to close the book on this chapter and go fishing for a while and reap some of the benefits of your new boat. I don't think I could have kept control during all you have been through. Just the other day after putting my boat back on the trailer and then removing the drain plug and a small amount of water drained out, I could not help but think about how your problem was turning out. Of course my hull is 29 years old and has been through decades of battles on the lakes so a little water is anticipated. Now, go fishing and post of some pictures.

Cuervo Jones · July 09, 2019, 07:40:51 AM

Wow. This was quite a thread to read through. I'd steer very clear of Triton after this (though I'm not likely to buy a new boat anymore soon). The complete lack of quality control and basic workmanship is unlike anything I've heard about before with new vehicles, except RV's. I don't know what I would have done in your situation. Probably not been very calm or patient with the dealer after blowing a few 10's of k on a new boat that doesn't, you know, keep water out or have connected wires. At the very least, I'd have been making angry calls to the manufacturer immediately and trying to get some of my $$ back. Totally unacceptable. Good luck with everything else on it and you're a better man than I!

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loomisguy · July 09, 2019, 11:32:52 AM

There's problem children with every brand.. I have been through Champions and Rangers and will say
my current Triton is the best of them all.

If I were buying a new boat tomorrow it would be a another Triton .

DonM · July 09, 2019, 12:39:17 PM

Well, after reading this I wouldn't ever buy a Triton. But I've never bought a boat new, and I've owned about a dozen.
I couldn't help but think about this yesterday. I recently sold my 19-foot boat and got a smaller one. Had it on the lake for the first time and shortly after I started fishing it, it started filling up with water.
The bilge pump was barely able to keep up with the water coming in.
I did some on the water research and found it was a faulty aerator hose. I high-tailed it back to the launch and will replace the hose tomorrow.
This is absolutely NOTHING compared to what you experienced. You have the patience of a saint my friend. Way more than I would have had.
I hope you enjoy many years of happy fishing now.

Princeton_Man · July 09, 2019, 01:23:51 PM

I think Bruce's boat was one of the last built and rigged in TN as everything was being moved to Arkansas. I would guess not everyone working there in those final days was happy and I wouldn't be surprised if needed supplies and tools weren't packed and moved out ahead of the final boats. All Johnny Morris cared about was getting things moved to Arkansas and locking the doors in TN.

I have a friend who bought a new Triton back in 96. The thing was flawless and I don't ever recall him having any issues at all. I'd be willing to bet any issues like Bruce has had would have been dealt with more swiftly and positively back then.

RDY2GO · July 09, 2019, 03:45:25 PM

Quote from: Princeton_Man on July 09, 2019, 01:23:51 PM
I think Bruce's boat was one of the last built and rigged in TN as everything was being moved to Arkansas. I would guess not everyone working there in those final days was happy and I wouldn't be surprised if needed supplies and tools weren't packed and moved out ahead of the final boats. All Johnny Morris cared about was getting things moved to Arkansas and locking the doors in TN.

You might be right, in fact I'd bet you are, but I haven't pursued it to find out. As I recall it was built in February of 2018 so it shouldn't be hard to figure out.

Looking back with the luxury of hind site, at the time I didn't realize that Triton had been sold. I distinctly remember a video on You Tube where Earl Bentz said that EVERY Triton boat was tank tested before leaving the factory. Now, I don't know why that was important to me when I saw it, but it was and if definitely was a factor in my decision making process. Honestly, had I known that Tracker / White River had acquired the brand I would have probably kept looking. When a successful cottage factory is bought by a conglomerate the 1st thing that usually changes is the attention to detail and the emphasis usually goes from building a quality product to pushing them out the door.

That said, the further I get into this the more it becomes apparent that things didn't go quite as planned during the transition. That's why I tend to agree with the statement above, and I also don't think I'm the only one having to deal with this. On the other hand, how many people would have bought it, saw the water coming out at the end of the day and thought, "Ehh, no big deal, the auto bilge pump didn't come on, we're good."

I'm also finding that once the move was complete tank testing each boat became the norm again so going forward I would think that my kind of problems might still happen, but at least they won't get out of the factory that way.

All I can say is that I am glad this is over with, at least for the time being, and hopefully with any luck at all the boat will be problem free now.

Screw it all. I'm going fishing this weekend!

loomisguy · July 09, 2019, 04:27:51 PM

Earl is back in the boat business. The new boat kinda looks like a triton from what I've seen.
I believe they will be built in the old Ashland TN. plant They are called Caymus.
Triton hasn't been build there since I think 2010. After they were sold to the White River Marine group they went to the Ranger plant in Flippin.
Now they are built in the old Legend plant.

RDY2GO · August 05, 2019, 09:29:38 AM

In the might as well laugh as cry department...

Hooked the boat up to the truck Saturday night so that I could be on the water at sun up. No lights. Figured it was the fuse in the truck, replaced it. Still no lights. Got my test light out, there is power coming from the trucks electrical connection, but apparently nothing getting to the lights themselves.

I'll drop it off at the dealership one day this week or Saturday.

Princeton_Man · August 05, 2019, 10:29:08 AM

Quote from: RDY2GO on August 05, 2019, 09:29:38 AM
In the might as well laugh as cry department...

Hooked the boat up to the truck Saturday night so that I could be on the water at sun up. No lights. Figured it was the fuse in the truck, replaced it. Still no lights. Got my test light out, there is power coming from the trucks electrical connection, but apparently nothing getting to the lights themselves.

I'll drop it off at the dealership one day this week or Saturday.

What make truck?

If I remember correctly my GMC has a connector behind the socket that could cause a problem. With no lights at all it sounds like a ground problem.

RDY2GO · August 05, 2019, 10:42:29 AM

It's a Ford F-150, and yeah, I agree, it's gotta be a ground. If I had to guess I'd just about bet those high zoot, fancy "Triton" logo lights on the front of the fenders weren't sealed well and have corroded.

I mean, it would only make sense, right? lol

rich12 · August 13, 2020, 01:02:14 PM

Hmm the point of this entire post is has never been "Triton builds a crappy boat". The whole point I see is the dealer did the best he could. Triton and JM BPS did everything they could to ignore it. I remember when Ranger or Triton would have insisted you send the boat to them and sent you a new hull. Many others used to do this when they were "independently owned". I would use this dealer in a heartbeat. JM BPS? not so much confidence.