Evinrude Etec G2 Hydraulic Leak Continued

[bobhuberman]

Update as of 11/18/2022.   Still in the waiting mode.  Boat hasn't been operational due to hydraulic tilt and then steering failure.  Evinrude factory advised the dealer not to try to repair but rather replace the entire hydraulic steering unit.  Fine, except they don't have any in stock and the item is on backorder.  supposed to have been received by the dealer in mid-November.  I'm somewhat pessimistic about getting the unit anytime soon.  My options:  Sell boat as is, replace the engine with another brand, or simply wait possibly another six months to a year and when finally repaired sell or trade-in on another rig.  Once fixed I can't risk having another issue needing warranty repair.
Any suggestions as to what a good motor would be as a replacement.  I now have a Ranger 518 with the 200 hp Evinrude Etec g2.

[Mike Cork]

I am so sorry to hear you are still having problems. This is completely unacceptable and if you had the up front money I'd certainly sue Evinrude over this for enough money to pay the lawyer and buy a new Mercury.

If I had to out right buy a new motor it would be a Mercury. I've personally fished them for years. I was sponsored by them in my big league tournament days and I was never left hanging. Yamaha has a very good and proven motor as well. But you're looking at 22500 or more for either of those. Because all the cabling and steering systems are going to be different.

[bobhuberman]

My son is a lawyer but he's a prosecutor.  I will talk to him about it.  Evinrude not only pulled the rug out from under its customers but also their dealers.  I believe it was poor management decisions which forced them to quit the business.  I definitely have to do something before spring.

[Mike Cork]

It may be gone now, but part of the deal when they shut the doors was there would be a pool of money to handle issues. I don't know how to tap into that, but I bet a phone call to the right person could figure it out. I don't know what your lemon laws are, you might be able to force them to take it back and refund you.

Someone is handling the cooperation business and trust for a certain amount of years.

[Bud Kennedy]

Bob, It is really unfortunate about what you are having to endure.  Perhaps now is when you will just have to be pragmatic about the situation.  If your end goal is just to have a reliable motor and go fishing in the spring, it would seem that your options are limited.  I would suggest that the best thing to do is to re-power to a new Mercury and be done with it.  Maybe later if the Evinrude folks can get it together you could always sell the old motor just to gain back a little of the investment. 

It seems to me that if you try to ride this Evinrude horse you will still be on the trail until far into the future.  It may be time to cut and run.  If you don't care about fishing in the next 6-12 months then ride it out.  I fear however that a resolution to your problem is not on the horizion.  I guess it just becomes a factor of your available budget and your end goal.  I believe I would seek some legal support but not at the expense of not being able to fish in the spring.  Kind of a first things first deal with the first thing being getting back on the water without further uncontrollable delays.

[Oldfart9999]

Legally you're dealing with Bomberdie, the 10th largest industry in Canada, it's a rough road at best and they can outlast you with no issues. I think I would try selling the motor and repowering if you are able.
Rodney

[bobhuberman]

Latest update.  Factory gave a time of mid-November for B/O hydraulic unit to be sent to dealer.  Now they say mid-December, but the dealer thinks maybe mid-January.  I can see this going on indefinitely.  I'm an old guy and I'd rather while I'm able to spend what's left of my days on the water not on a computer or in front of a TV.  Dealer and I talked about getting another motor, but he said that would take about six months.  He says the supply chain is hurting and it's not just Evinrude.  Come January I plan on "biting the bullet" and buy another boat.  I'll leave the current boat at the Evinrude dealers to fix whenever the parts come in.  I don't have room to store two boats.  I have my boat at home now so I can charge the batteries occasionally.   When the boat is finally fixed and operational again I can either keep it (unlikely) and sell the new boat or just sell it if I can find a buyer.  It's a great boat; Ranger 518C but I just don't trust Evinrude.

[Mike Cork]

If you are financially able this sounds like the right move for sure. Just curious, if you were to sell just the motor, what might you ask for it?