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My buddy's 06 180 has a nice crack on the deck where the floor curves up the gunnel. its getting fixed, no problems getting it fixed, should have it back within a week. I told him i'd ask here and see if anyone else has had or heard of this problem.
he's was a bit bothered by it as the boat has hardly been used and has less than 10 hrs on it. mostly very short runs in the river, then anchored - thats why so few hrs.
I let him know it was just cosmetic really and nothing too bad, but he paid alot from this boat so of course he was ticked about it. it was an actual crack though, not like a hairline in the gelcoat. dealer was taking pics of it to send in to GW.
If my friend gets a pick, i'll post it. been a great boat otherwise, i just wish they used it more often.
They havnt even used the baitwell yet!!! Like i said...they hardly use the boat, had it about a year and have not even hit 10 hrs. I bought mine a few months ago and am up to about 50hrs. They take it out all day but only put about 10 minutes on the motor, short trips and sitting on anchor.
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pioneer197/yami f150
pioneerownersclub dot com
Wow, I can't imagine a "upper tier" boat having a structural crack, being acceptable at any level.... This would mean the deck is not properly supported or worse the hull is twisting or something else very very bad........ if this was as old as mine I'd say fix it.....if it was my '06 GW I'd say replace the boat or gimme my money back........I'd also HAVE to know what caused the crack if I was going to keep it. A crack in the gelcoat is one thing a structural crack is something ENTIRELY different...
it's nothing to worry about????????????................... as long as you didn't have to pay +$30k for it I guess!
I'd give GW a chance to fix it, ONLY IF they would extend your warranty, but otherwise I'd NOT accept my $30k boat with a structural crack like that........this IS something serious if only from a resale perspective...... if not life safety issue.
good luck!
Bill
__________________ ONLY TYRANTS FEAR LIBERTY'S TEETH
that was just my opinion when i looked at it, it looked a bit more defined that just a hairline in the gelcoat BUT im no expert.
I'll post an update when i hear something.
Im pretty sure they paid just north of $40 g's. the boat is 17'-10", no t-top or many options. thats alotta $ per foot.
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pioneer197/yami f150
pioneerownersclub dot com
that was just my opinion when i looked at it, it looked a bit more defined that just a hairline in the gelcoat BUT im no expert.
I'll post an update when i hear something.
Im pretty sure they paid just north of $40 g's. the boat is 17'-10", no t-top or many options. thats alotta $ per foot.
Take a picture of it and post it and let us look at it.
boats in the shop. the story i was told when dropping it off was that the dealer would take pics and send pics to GW and dealer would fix it under warranty.
i'll try to get pics from my buddy if he has any. I wasnt clear if the dealer wanted the pics to send to make sure it was warranty or if GW actually requested the pics. my buddy is pissed about it somewhat, but i think he is less concerned than i am about it. lol he's in the middle of a move, so was just happy they could get it all fixed before he moves. they dropped it off monday so he might have it back already. I'll try to get a pic from him, for all i know it could just be gelcoat and nothing more, like i said, im no expert...i just expected less when he said he had a hairline crack in his fairly new boat thats been barley used.
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pioneer197/yami f150
pioneerownersclub dot com
OK...I can't get past this. I've done my share of fiberglass repairs and I can't think of ANY "minor" problems that would cause that kind of crack. On top of that I'd ALSO have to wonder if the was a water absorbed into the remaining glass - VERY likely if stored in the weather. The cause of the problem is key here. It could be that the glass was not properly wetted or is de-laminating for some other reason. either of those is BAD and would require much more than patching a crack. If GW was intending for the joint to support the deck that is just bad design...... also would require much more that a patch......
I sure hope the folks doing the repairs are authorized by GW to do so, otherwise the warranty is hosed.... and so's your friend...
I'd have called my lawyer before I did anything, but I supose that boat has sailed.... I highly recommend he get pix of the before ,during, and after's of the repairs. AND definately inform GW of the problem.
I would he bought that boat because it is a GW, and I would expect to GET $40k worth of boat. Ask around and see what a boat with a structural crack like that is worth.....I'm thinking not much!
Bill
__________________ ONLY TYRANTS FEAR LIBERTY'S TEETH
Bills, get off your soapbox.
GW requests pictures to attempt to determine the cause of the problem and an appropriate repair. A deck crack (of unknown dimension at this point) is not at all structural that would threaten life. Cracks lik this most often occur where the clearance between the inner and outer shell is insufficient to allow for the flex of the boat as it is operating.
My personal experience with GW is that they will make (authorize) a lasting repair in a manner that you would never know an issue existed.
OK...I can't get past this. I've done my share of fiberglass repairs and I can't think of ANY "minor" problems that would cause that kind of crack. On top of that I'd ALSO have to wonder if the was a water absorbed into the remaining glass - VERY likely if stored in the weather. The cause of the problem is key here. It could be that the glass was not properly wetted or is de-laminating for some other reason. either of those is BAD and would require much more than patching a crack. If GW was intending for the joint to support the deck that is just bad design...... also would require much more that a patch......
I sure hope the folks doing the repairs are authorized by GW to do so, otherwise the warranty is hosed.... and so's your friend...
I'd have called my lawyer before I did anything, but I supose that boat has sailed.... I highly recommend he get pix of the before ,during, and after's of the repairs. AND definately inform GW of the problem.
I would he bought that boat because it is a GW, and I would expect to GET $40k worth of boat. Ask around and see what a boat with a structural crack like that is worth.....I'm thinking not much!
Bill
You are kidding aren't you? Hell, Boeing and Air Bus deliver new $150M plus airliners that sometimes get cracks in them early on. They get repaired and that is the end of it. Try to return an airplane that took over a year to produce and see how far you get.
It's life. Things crack and sometimes break. They get fixed and you move on in life. We're are not talking about space shuttles here. Oh, I forgot, space shuttles sometimes do fall from the sky. To quote some, "This should not have happened". And maybe they are right. But it does happen, every day and all of the time.
Who ever said that life was going to be perfect did not know what they were talking about.
I am in the real estate business and that is exactly what I tell every customer. It's not broke yet but it will be. It's not cracked yet but it will be. How do I find out who you people are who think everything is forever so I do not have to work for you and find out later that your expectations are impossible to meet? GEEES Grady is an incredible boat. I hope some day to be able to afford one.
STACKING SOAPBOXES:
WHAT?? a crack does INDEED mean there is a structural problem! If the gelcoat is craked that means something under it is MOVING. The resins used in boat production don't shrink - at least not that much or fast, so it follows there is a structural problem below it somewhere. Patching the gel coat ain't going to fix the problem only the crack in the gel coat...If you paid $40k for a 17' boat I bet you........nevermind it's no big deal right????
IF it was a gelcoat problem, it would present it'self (most likely) as a"spider-web" crack, NOT lengthwise on a MAIN joint. I say MAIN because if you ever dump a couple-hundred gallons of water on a weakened deck would you trust it to hold?- and not break?
On a 17' boat that costs +$40k I WOULD expect and demand PERFECTION!!
As far as my soap boxes....... I'll stack as high as I want!
Bill
__________________ ONLY TYRANTS FEAR LIBERTY'S TEETH
I would be pulling that boat to Greenville NC and those boys would be doing the work and reimbursing me for transportation costs. Now if the problem comes back, Grady can say it was a bad repair done at the dealer.
Fiberglass work is like haircuts, never, never, never go to anyone else.
Bill... whatever you are on crack. You surely have something against GW or maybe it is just boats out of your price range.
Trout....I am hoping for your friends sake that it is not a large crack showing an opening but rather a gelcoat crack which is most likely caused from pulling the boat out of the mold to quick or from having too thick of gelcoat in that area and it not being able to handle the flex of the glass. When we took delivery of our 07 we were told by our dealer that anything we find they will repair and that we can be as picky as we want. OK that is easy enough so we had them fix a few things.
We had them upgrade the 2nd battery wire to a larger size to keep voltage high when running our Furuno gear. Grady had it made to exact length with their vendor including the ends and GW sent it to us no charge. On future 180's it will most likely be std. size on the optional battery.
Also the console was not very good at keeping water out when receiving a heavy wash so they sealed around any areas that let water in. Mainly the Yamaha control and the Teleflex steering. Again at no charge. From my experience GW is a first class company and I came in with high expectations owning a Pursuit also at the time.
We also had some gelcoat issues with the boat. Mainly where the bottom was scuffed being trucked out here. One little chip on the gunnel. 2 voids that were tiny on the nonskid floor. All glass work was fixed at no charge. The company our local dealer uses does great work and came to our house. The guy was so good that I got his number and when our 40 Ocean arrived he was the first call I made. He spent 2 full days on our Ocean fixing little wear and tear issues for me.
If you are anal enough there is no production boat that won't have some issues. This is a 180 Grady the smallest in the fleet. With the 330's and 360's rolling out I doubt the 180 is getting to much time from the QC guys. But this boat is also built with parts the belong on a 23 or 25 GW not a 18 foot boat. It has some HD hardware and is a awesome all around boat.
I have to say that if I or anyone here just bought a new boat GW or other and it had a crack in it.....Hell ya I would want it fixed or I would not buy it. Would you buy a new car that had a crack in the dash or a dent in the bumper or a crack in the floor??
I venture to say the crack is cosmectic,not structural. will someone please post a pic of the crack? most all boats have small stress cracks in various places,even new contenders(particularly in the floor around the fish boxes) some are eye sores(needs to be fixed),others are noticeable only from a trained experienced eye. all 3 of my previous albemarles and even my old blackfins had them,and those boats are just as built if not better than a grady....pics,please?
People like to hate on Grady's cause they can't afford them.
Nobody hates a boat, they hate people that think their $hit doesn't stink because they paid too much for a boat.
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2004 Trophy 2902 WA with Merc 225 EFIs
Sucks gas and hauls ass!
One step ahead and you are a genius, two steps ahead and you are a misfit.
2006 Grady White sportsman 180 crack
