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Boat Repairs


fragmeister

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Hi Raiders,

I guess when you buy a new boat you don't necessarily focus on how easy its going to be to fix things... or is that just me!

Recently , I had to replace the socket for my anchor light because one of the pins had corroded off. The socket was retained by a large plastic nut from the underside so I ended up having to strip the side panels ( see the mess in the pic below) , seat and flooring our on the starboard side of the boat to unscrew it.

IMG_2113.jpg

In this process I found several screws securing the floor had their heads rounded off so I had to drill them out to remove them. I also found junk left in the bottom of the boat from the original fit-out including plastic bags, bag ties , a broken drill bit and someones lunch wrappers. Really?... a little pride in your work would be nice!

Anyway, I replaced it with a socket screwed from the top which will make it easier in the future.

Boats are much less fun when you are not using them for fishing!

 

Cheers

 

Jim

 

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3 hours ago, Roylo said:

Boats! That's how they are Jim. Once they get a little bit older there is always something to fix. After every trip usually. 

 

Very true mate.  

I guess it's a tough environment for electricals... I complain but I also like the challenge!

 

 

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16 hours ago, fragmeister said:

Hi Raiders,

I guess when you buy a new boat you don't necessarily focus on how easy its going to be to fix things... or is that just me!

Recently , I had to replace the socket for my anchor light because one of the pins had corroded off. The socket was retained by a large plastic nut from the underside so I ended up having to strip the side panels ( see the mess in the pic below) , seat and flooring our on the starboard side of the boat to unscrew it.

IMG_2113.jpg

In this process I found several screws securing the floor had their heads rounded off so I had to drill them out to remove them. I also found junk left in the bottom of the boat from the original fit-out including plastic bags, bag ties , a broken drill bit and someones lunch wrappers. Really?... a little pride in your work would be nice!

Anyway, I replaced it with a socket screwed from the top which will make it easier in the future.

Boats are much less fun when you are not using them for fishing!

 

Cheers

 

Jim

 

The lunch in the hull etc is the builders version of burying all the rubble,rubbish and crap in the front yard of new homes.

I went back to the dealer with a rusty tape etc that they left in my hull when I lifted the floor and have theme what for.That tape saved me 2k on the purchase of my boat not to mention the kick in the xxxx I gave them all.

good job mate.

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It's not just you Jim, sorry if I'm hijacking your post, I get a little frustrated too.

The world would be a better place if the manufacturers fostered a little more care and pride coupled with supervision of their employees. I own a Stacer, the boat style suits our use perfectly.  

They could be so much better if they just paid more attention to detail, designed fittings and options smarter to make them more user friendly and fitted them with care for example....

It is necessary to physically unbolt the ski pole with a spanner each side of the transom to change from ski pole to bait board.  Smart move would be a better deysign for the ski pole different design and positions of baitboard or even additional ski hooks.  It's not unusual for a family to do both activities in one day or on one trip.

Aluminium swarf all over the place on delivery.  And I haven't lifted all of the floor yet to see what is under there.
Fittings such as the rear and front ( bow rider boat) cushion being fixed with self drilling stainless screws.  The design of the cushion helps trap moisture between the cushion and deck of the boat. The screw break the paint resulting in salt and moisture getting under and the paint bubbling probably before delivery is taken.   Apparently Telwater uses a grease to help slow the corrosion but it didn't happen in our case.  To do that it would be necessary to drill or screw through the cushion to the hull to mark the spots, remove the cushion apply the grease and refit.  

Telwater to their credit have repaired this twice the second time we refitted the cushions ourselves using nylon fittings, pre priming and sikka to seal each one.  I understand aluminium paint and salt water has its problems but  I think there must be a better approach then self drilling screws breaking the paint on day 1.

The casting deck fell short of the door into the cockpit by around 6-8 inches.   This left the cold air rushing through in winter, and things blowing around on the road.  On our previous boat the kids sat in this spot if they were cold.   We made a new one that fits the spot and carpeted it ourselves. 

The live bait tank factory fitted does not fit from the back of the transom to the cushion. Stacer's solution is to pull the cushion forward so the backrest of the seat does not sit in it's correct position, doing so makes it not straight across the back and the hull no longer supports the backrest.  The best solution we could come up with when reinstalling the fittings was to cut the front lip off the bait tank lid so it no longer fouled on the cushion.  If I was in charge of that at Telwater I'd think one of three things should happen, redesign the cushion, use or fabricate a different live bait tank or make the transom deck slightly wider. They are to accepting of shortcuts IMHO.

When fitting the cushions there was a few misses with extra holes in the aluminium then was required.  Between the front and back cushions they had used three different screws sizes where presumably they had stripped out the first hole, and a few were stripped unable to be tightened.

The stitching on the rear lounge back rest came apart at the seams on both sides ( replaced under warranty although I think the replacement will do the same within a couple of years). The stitching in the corners is under a lot of tension and is right on the edge of the material.  Moving the cushion forward to clear the live bait tank wouldn't help either. 

We also had the live bait pump fail spraying water under the floor this was replaced with little fuss and probably just one of those things.
 
Overall I love my boat, it is just disappointing we bought a new boat to eliminate fuss and had plenty of it.   I think there is much that can be done that isn't in respect to quality control. 

As a point of interest try and find a phone number or method of contacting Stacer (Telwater) directly. Look up their Facebook page and note you can't rate them or leave a review. 

 

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1 hour ago, Welster said:

It's not just you Jim, sorry if I'm hijacking your post, I get a little frustrated too.

The world would be a better place if the manufacturers fostered a little more care and pride coupled with supervision of their employees. I own a Stacer, the boat style suits our use perfectly.  

They could be so much better if they just paid more attention to detail, designed fittings and options smarter to make them more user friendly and fitted them with care for example....

It is necessary to physically unbolt the ski pole with a spanner each side of the transom to change from ski pole to bait board.  Smart move would be a better deysign for the ski pole different design and positions of baitboard or even additional ski hooks.  It's not unusual for a family to do both activities in one day or on one trip.

Aluminium swarf all over the place on delivery.  And I haven't lifted all of the floor yet to see what is under there.
Fittings such as the rear and front ( bow rider boat) cushion being fixed with self drilling stainless screws.  The design of the cushion helps trap moisture between the cushion and deck of the boat. The screw break the paint resulting in salt and moisture getting under and the paint bubbling probably before delivery is taken.   Apparently Telwater uses a grease to help slow the corrosion but it didn't happen in our case.  To do that it would be necessary to drill or screw through the cushion to the hull to mark the spots, remove the cushion apply the grease and refit.  

Telwater to their credit have repaired this twice the second time we refitted the cushions ourselves using nylon fittings, pre priming and sikka to seal each one.  I understand aluminium paint and salt water has its problems but  I think there must be a better approach then self drilling screws breaking the paint on day 1.

The casting deck fell short of the door into the cockpit by around 6-8 inches.   This left the cold air rushing through in winter, and things blowing around on the road.  On our previous boat the kids sat in this spot if they were cold.   We made a new one that fits the spot and carpeted it ourselves. 

The live bait tank factory fitted does not fit from the back of the transom to the cushion. Stacer's solution is to pull the cushion forward so the backrest of the seat does not sit in it's correct position, doing so makes it not straight across the back and the hull no longer supports the backrest.  The best solution we could come up with when reinstalling the fittings was to cut the front lip off the bait tank lid so it no longer fouled on the cushion.  If I was in charge of that at Telwater I'd think one of three things should happen, redesign the cushion, use or fabricate a different live bait tank or make the transom deck slightly wider. They are to accepting of shortcuts IMHO.

When fitting the cushions there was a few misses with extra holes in the aluminium then was required.  Between the front and back cushions they had used three different screws sizes where presumably they had stripped out the first hole, and a few were stripped unable to be tightened.

The stitching on the rear lounge back rest came apart at the seams on both sides ( replaced under warranty although I think the replacement will do the same within a couple of years). The stitching in the corners is under a lot of tension and is right on the edge of the material.  Moving the cushion forward to clear the live bait tank wouldn't help either. 

We also had the live bait pump fail spraying water under the floor this was replaced with little fuss and probably just one of those things.
 
Overall I love my boat, it is just disappointing we bought a new boat to eliminate fuss and had plenty of it.   I think there is much that can be done that isn't in respect to quality control. 

As a point of interest try and find a phone number or method of contacting Stacer (Telwater) directly. Look up their Facebook page and note you can't rate them or leave a review. 

 

Holy shishkebabs! Makes me glad I bought my boats used...  Doesn't seem like buying new gets you out of doing any work on boat regardless, just a more pristine paint job (temporarily till the dissimilar metal corrosion eventually kicks in due to the lazy fastener /hardware finishes), and that sour taste left in your mouth after discovering the lack of quality assurance over a product you expected to be prefect from the get go due to the premium you pay for buying new :/

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23 hours ago, Welster said:

It's not just you Jim, sorry if I'm hijacking your post, I get a little frustrated too.

The world would be a better place if the manufacturers fostered a little more care and pride coupled with supervision of their employees. I own a Stacer, the boat style suits our use perfectly.  

They could be so much better if they just paid more attention to detail, designed fittings and options smarter to make them more user friendly and fitted them with care for example....

It is necessary to physically unbolt the ski pole with a spanner each side of the transom to change from ski pole to bait board.  Smart move would be a better deysign for the ski pole different design and positions of baitboard or even additional ski hooks.  It's not unusual for a family to do both activities in one day or on one trip.

Aluminium swarf all over the place on delivery.  And I haven't lifted all of the floor yet to see what is under there.
Fittings such as the rear and front ( bow rider boat) cushion being fixed with self drilling stainless screws.  The design of the cushion helps trap moisture between the cushion and deck of the boat. The screw break the paint resulting in salt and moisture getting under and the paint bubbling probably before delivery is taken.   Apparently Telwater uses a grease to help slow the corrosion but it didn't happen in our case.  To do that it would be necessary to drill or screw through the cushion to the hull to mark the spots, remove the cushion apply the grease and refit.  

Telwater to their credit have repaired this twice the second time we refitted the cushions ourselves using nylon fittings, pre priming and sikka to seal each one.  I understand aluminium paint and salt water has its problems but  I think there must be a better approach then self drilling screws breaking the paint on day 1.

The casting deck fell short of the door into the cockpit by around 6-8 inches.   This left the cold air rushing through in winter, and things blowing around on the road.  On our previous boat the kids sat in this spot if they were cold.   We made a new one that fits the spot and carpeted it ourselves. 

The live bait tank factory fitted does not fit from the back of the transom to the cushion. Stacer's solution is to pull the cushion forward so the backrest of the seat does not sit in it's correct position, doing so makes it not straight across the back and the hull no longer supports the backrest.  The best solution we could come up with when reinstalling the fittings was to cut the front lip off the bait tank lid so it no longer fouled on the cushion.  If I was in charge of that at Telwater I'd think one of three things should happen, redesign the cushion, use or fabricate a different live bait tank or make the transom deck slightly wider. They are to accepting of shortcuts IMHO.

When fitting the cushions there was a few misses with extra holes in the aluminium then was required.  Between the front and back cushions they had used three different screws sizes where presumably they had stripped out the first hole, and a few were stripped unable to be tightened.

The stitching on the rear lounge back rest came apart at the seams on both sides ( replaced under warranty although I think the replacement will do the same within a couple of years). The stitching in the corners is under a lot of tension and is right on the edge of the material.  Moving the cushion forward to clear the live bait tank wouldn't help either. 

We also had the live bait pump fail spraying water under the floor this was replaced with little fuss and probably just one of those things.
 
Overall I love my boat, it is just disappointing we bought a new boat to eliminate fuss and had plenty of it.   I think there is much that can be done that isn't in respect to quality control. 

As a point of interest try and find a phone number or method of contacting Stacer (Telwater) directly. Look up their Facebook page and note you can't rate them or leave a review. 

 

I feel your pain buddy.... You would think with the sort of investment we make some of these things would be finished better or thought out more.

21 hours ago, Ojay Samson said:

Holy shishkebabs! Makes me glad I bought my boats used...  Doesn't seem like buying new gets you out of doing any work on boat regardless, just a more pristine paint job (temporarily till the dissimilar metal corrosion eventually kicks in due to the lazy fastener /hardware finishes), and that sour taste left in your mouth after discovering the lack of quality assurance over a product you expected to be prefect from the get go due to the premium you pay for buying new :/

It a fair argument for buying second hand OJ.. at least you can wear a few defects or repairs if you haven't paid new boat prices,

On 18/02/2017 at 6:28 AM, Fab1 said:

The lunch in the hull etc is the builders version of burying all the rubble,rubbish and crap in the front yard of new homes.

I went back to the dealer with a rusty tape etc that they left in my hull when I lifted the floor and have theme what for.That tape saved me 2k on the purchase of my boat not to mention the kick in the xxxx I gave them all.

good job mate.

Good job on the discount but I guess it could still leave you wondering what else they left in there.

On 17/02/2017 at 8:10 PM, big Neil said:

One thing is for sure Jim. When it's done you'll know it's been done properly and that it should last. You'll soon be back on the water and posting your catches. Good luck mate. BN

Thanks Neil.... makes me wonder if I shouldn't just buy a hull next time and fit it out with better running gear and hardware.

Cheers

 

Jim

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5 hours ago, fragmeister said:

I feel your pain buddy.... You would think with the sort of investment we make some of these things would be finished better or thought out more.

It a fair argument for buying second hand OJ.. at least you can wear a few defects or repairs if you haven't paid new boat prices,

Cheers

 

Jim

I know things add up quickly but surely it is worth their while to make the product better and not take the shortcuts.  

 

On 18/02/2017 at 4:35 PM, Ojay Samson said:

Holy shishkebabs! Makes me glad I bought my boats used...  Doesn't seem like buying new gets you out of doing any work on boat regardless, just a more pristine paint job (temporarily till the dissimilar metal corrosion eventually kicks in due to the lazy fastener /hardware finishes), and that sour taste left in your mouth after discovering the lack of quality assurance over a product you expected to be prefect from the get go due to the premium you pay for buying new :/

Buying new added work in our case.  It's so frustrating knowing so much could be done to improve it with some extra thought and better processes.   They bang on about their methods being so good but they fall far short IMHO.

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Can't agree more.

If you take the example of the anchor light socket I replaced this shows the shortcuts that I suspect are taken to speed fit out and assembly time. It is likely that you would need to replace this kind of fixture reasonably early on because it is going to be subject to corrosion so in my view it should be secured from the top.

However, from an assembly point of view ( before the trim and floor is installed) its easy to just drop the fitting through and secure it with a large plastic nut... easier than drilling holes and screwing one in from the top so that probably why they do it.

You may have seen what I had to do to make the batteries serviceable in another post... I guess they just want to keep the cost to a minimum but it certainly is frustrating to have to overcome poor design or a lack of thought.

Cheers

 

Jim

 

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1 hour ago, noelm said:

I guess to put some of this into perspective, there should be no need to contact Telwater, that's what the dealer is for, you need your car serviced, or repaired under warranty, you don't call Holden direct, or Mecedes in Germany! you go through your dealer. Lots of things could be done better from new, and lots of things are fitted later, beyond the control of the manufacturer, I have seem some pretty bad workmanship on some full custom builds, just as I have seen some "interesting" things from the mass producers, lots of boats share a similar basic hull, but configured differently for other models, this makes for some things to be great in (say) a centre console, but the same hull in runabout configuration might make it near impossible to access a certain part or position once it's all assembled.

You are correct but when the dealer struggles to find emails from either us or the manufacturer the communication through a third party becomes tedious. 

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I look at it like this.

You own a mass produced boat like many others do including myself.They are all built to a price with the #1 priority for the manufacturer being making as much profit as possible and being as efficient as possible at the same time.At the end of the day they couldn't care less if it takes you 2 seconds to change a light or  3weeks once the deal is made and they have your money.

I bitch every time I change the oil filter on my ute how stupid it's placement is.It's still there in the same spot waiting for me next time round.

Same with Plumbers,electricians,car manufacturers etc,etc.They will all put things where it's easier for them and not necessarily you.

I've changed plugs on cars in 5 minutes and others took way longer due to accessibility and labour involved. 

Besides,if everything was well thought out,bullet proof and un breakable we'd all whine and complain how much the initial purchase price is.

At least you know that you've made life that little bit easier for yourself and perhaps later the new owner Jim.

cheers.

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5 hours ago, Fab1 said:

I look at it like this.

You own a mass produced boat like many others do including myself.They are all built to a price with the #1 priority for the manufacturer being making as much profit as possible and being as efficient as possible at the same time.At the end of the day they couldn't care less if it takes you 2 seconds to change a light or  3weeks once the deal is made and they have your money.

I bitch every time I change the oil filter on my ute how stupid it's placement is.It's still there in the same spot waiting for me next time round.

Same with Plumbers,electricians,car manufacturers etc,etc.They will all put things where it's easier for them and not necessarily you.

I've changed plugs on cars in 5 minutes and others took way longer due to accessibility and labour involved. 

Besides,if everything was well thought out,bullet proof and un breakable we'd all whine and complain how much the initial purchase price is.

At least you know that you've made life that little bit easier for yourself and perhaps later the new owner Jim.

cheers.

True enough! But its fun complaining and relating the drama that you had to go through to fix it properly!  LOL

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