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Random Quote: The solution to most problems is to first go fishing
Well just a couple of minor things I found today while getting the boat ready for a fishing trip tomorrow. I decided to put my flare gun and flares in the electronics box, which I thought we be a dry spot to find about a half inch of water in the electronics box! Then to find that the spreader light is not working again; this has been a problem since I got the boat. Also noticed that the wiring for my VHF had an exposed wire. The installer who did my electronics stated that my boat had the worst wiring he had ever seen in a boat and in a T-Top Electronics Box. So I tested everything else that needs electricity and it seems to be in working order, so I figure the spreader light is useful in loading the boat in the wee hours of the morning but not a necessity. Ok back to work on getting things ready. I go to put the stove pipes in the dual livewell and noticed something in the starboard livewell. It was a latch handle that had fallen into the drain pipe of the livewell where the stovepipe screws in from the factory. Needless to say this explains why that livewell always drained slower than the other one. Heck, I have an extra latch handle if I ever need one. So after only a little less than 2 months I have got these issues to deal with. Minor issues but they still need to be addressed by Sea Pro and my electronics installer. With seas predicted at 1 to 2 ft. and a Southest wind, I am heading out with my buddy Jerry to see what the day brings. SM
__________________ " That's why they call it fishin' not catchin' "
Surf,
While I am sympathetic to your issues, most of them can be fixed easily. The spreader light is a Sea Pro (dealer) fix. The Vhf wiring issue is your installers problem. The leaking electronics box is probably an easy fix for you or Sea pro (dealer). Now the wiring in general on the Sea Pro's I have seen is not great, but that should have been discovered on your intial inspection or subsquent inspection of your boat before purchase. And if you had your boat surveyed first (before buying), those issues would have been found by a competent surveyor or even an experience boat owner. It is a little hard to be upset with the dealer or builder when their quality or lack there of is right there out in the open.
Be sure your engine harness is not spliced and hanging in your bilge like it was on my buddies 235 Sea Pro. It corroded and almost made us forfeit a tournament.
__________________ "I'm suing the THT and the guy that made it."
I'm confused.
The boat owner is at fault because he didn't see some defects, and because his electronics installer did a shoddy job?
You also say that he needed a survey- when this sounds like a new boat with a guarantee.
This logic sounds like I should take a surveyor when I buy a new car or a major appliance too.
These sound like no brainer problems that the OEM should have checked out in his quality inspection.
We all buy center consoles as they are bare bones in terms of complexity, and when the OEM doesn't check his own work on a simple boat, this is a legitimate reason to make a beef.
I personally like it when an owner revels his problems instead of running out to brag about how good his product is.
Why have a new boat surveyed?? The latch in the livewell drain?? Not sealing the holes in the electronics box?? I know they are little things, but they sure are annoying...... I am not bashing Sea Pro, I just got the feeling I got one of those Monday Morning, Friday Afternoon boats. SM
__________________ " That's why they call it fishin' not catchin' "
Surf bought a NEW boat that should have been right. The dealer installed electronics that should have been right. Sure, all this can be fixed, but it shouldn't be up to the buyer to do it. A survey for a new SeaPro??? Why?? Its a new boat with warranty, and from what I've seen a survey wouldn't pick up this stuff anyway. NO, its the responsibility of SeaPro and the dealer. If these things show up so quickly, whats going to show up later? People keep saying "get it surveyed"... WHY? When you spend that kind of money on a new boat, you have a right to expect it to be right. Am I missing something here?
Bullshipper,
I did not blame anyone. What I pointed out is that most of those problems are not hard fixes and can easily be fixed. The major issue he has seems to have is Wiring. While I am no surveyor I always look at how wiring in a boat is done (if it is sloppy or not). All it takes generally is to look behind the helm, which in a center console is easy to do or look in the bilge. If you truely believe a center console boat is a bare bones boat you are not being realistic. Even in a 20 foot boat these are items that need to checked or looked at (and I will miss a lot in this list)
1.T-tops,seats, railings are they thru bolted.
2. Thru Hulls (Plastic or metal)
3. Sea cocks (are they on every thru hull)
4 Pumps (bilge, freshwater, raw) where are they located, quality, how big, wiring to them
5 wiring in general is it sloppy? Marked? are there pull lines
6 Rub rails How are they attached
7 is the hull an outer hull with a liner how is it a attached (screwed, wood strip with screws or bolted)
8 Look in all hatches
9 are all hoses double clamped
10 how much storage is on the boat
11 Check all tanks are they plastic, steel or what?
12 How many batteries? Is it wired for several batteries?
13 Location of batteries? is it a dry location etc.
14 Tap the hull with a rubber malet. Even new hulls can have voids or possibly water in them
This is just a short list of things I look at
To answer your other question "Yes" a surveyor is excellent protection for a new or inexperienced boat owner. He will catch things before the purchase that an uneducated or inexperienced buyer will miss like a sloppy wiring job. I look a boat over closely before I buy. IMHO boat shopping is much harder than vehicle shopping because there is no lemon laws for boats. Boat quality can vary greatly even between the same builder. It is a buyer beware market. I don't agree with the way things are but that is currently the way it is when purchasing a boat.
__________________ "I'm suing the THT and the guy that made it."
Gotta disagree again. My Cape Horn came bare bones, and doesn't compare to the 27 foot cabin cruiser I have with a bathroom, a kitchen, up and lower driving stations, autopilot, twin inboards, shore power, blah blah blah.
But you can check every nut and screw if you want on every boat you shop, but I usually just take my checkbook to the boat show, and not my rubber mallet, armed of course with the info I get from this forum, and thanks to Surfmiester, I will check out the things he mentioned the next time I consider a SeaPro.
Oh yea, you forgot to mention getting an xray examination on the ttop welds, so you might want to add this to your list, and while your at it, you better do some destructive testing to also make sure there is no moisture in the hull that could cause blistering.
Then write your check and take some blame for missing some obvious things a prudent boat would find. Btw I like Sea Pro's and I think for the money they build a sturdy boat.
__________________ "I'm suing the THT and the guy that made it."
Calling the dealer on Monday. Not going to let it ruin the weekend. The stuff is minor but needs to be fixed. The boat handles seas well and the Honda is ........well amazing. It's the little things that most, not all boat builders let slide. And yes I considered other boats, but I didn't have $60k for a 21 ft. named brand boat. I will see how the dealer and Sea Pro respond to my issues and post more next week. Other than that, go out and have some fun, and catch some fish! SM
__________________ " That's why they call it fishin' not catchin' "
I think you would get more constructive replies if you softened your approach. Coming on with a thread titled "Shame on you, Sea Pro", and then admitting in the opening sentence that you only had a couple of minor problems is contradictory. And you haven't even given the dealer a chance to fix the problems. Too many people want to use the power of a large forum to stack the deck in their favor, and hope the president of their boat company will call and beg forgiveness. Enjoy your weekend, be glad you have a boat and a roof over your head after the past two weeks, and give the dealer a chance. It's not clear whether the electronics installer was the dealer, or someone of your choice.
While I am sympathetic to your issues, most of them can be fixed easily.
Yeah, but shoddy workmanship is shoddy workmanship and there's no excusing it. Whether it's a High end boat, mid-tier boat, value boat, doesn't matter. I refuse (an every other proud American should refuse as well) to adopt the mindset that "well, it didn't cost much, so you shouldn't expect total quality".
What's more, when you start finding those little things that were sloppy, it starts making you wonder about the bigger things that you can't see.
No, with as much as new boats cost, they should be perfect. There's no reason why they can't be.
Your dealer didn't get the boat ready. You dealt with the dealer not the factory. The dealer is obligated to you. If the dealer has to tighten every screw in the boat he should do it to take care of his customer. Of course if that's the case he would likely give the factory a call and ask for some compensation.
__________________ 23 Jones Brothers Cape Fisherman
you know the average hourly wage of the person building our boats is roughly 8.00 ...
and none have special training ...
They are simply hot bodies filling the personal needs' of said builder ...
Very minor problems, yes they shouldn't exist but the dealer should be happy to solve them for you, displaying sea pro's name isnt deserved in this situation, I used to commission trawlers from taiwan, varios makes, your problems are less than peanuts, get to know your boat inside and out, wire tie, reroute wiring, clean out bilges, caulk small voids, tighten hose clamps, crawl all over your boat, make a list for the dealer, you have a production boat, built by factory workers not highly skilled craftsman, sea pro makes decent boats, there are thousands of happy owners, none had perfection.....now if the transom falls off and the outboards surges forward cutting the hull in half...that's a different story.....happy boating, Mick
low paid? that make it ok to build a sub standard product? what about the dealer? you expect him to do a quality job, and pay him for doing so. Is that too much to expect?
I never said low pay made it ok for crappy products ...just stating items we spend highly on are built by lower wage earners and we expect
RollsRoyce quailty!!!!
When we pay big money, we should expect good quality. Just because some builders may choose to pay lower wages (that's thier choice), that shouldn't mean poor quality to the buyer. You suggesting that for SeaPro its a "buyer beware" thing?
Chipper I am with you...I just bought my first boat. I was and still am nervous about paying over 40,000 for a boat. You expect high quality products for that kind of money. When you spend big bucks for something you should not have to spend hours worrying about how long it will last you. You should be out enjoying the boat....Artie
Shame On You, Sea Pro!! 
