I just got a brand new Epic 23v this past week and when I went to use the swivel board racks on the Samson tower they would not budge. No matter how loose I made them they were stuck in one place. I completely took them apart and noticed that the rack is clamped around the tower and there is nothing in between the metal rack clamp and the metal tower. So the metal on metal caused a bunch of burrs to form and thus the rack gets stuck on them when trying to swivel.
My question is; Is there supposed to be some sort of plastic/nylon washer or sleeve in between the tower and the board rack clamp so that is spins on that rather than metal on metal?
Thanks Brett. I glanced right over their number when I went there. I ended up shooting them an email last night but haven't heard back.
I gave them a call and they said that the racks are indeed metal on metal and there is no sleeve or washer in between the tower and the rack clamps. He said that when they are installed for the first time there should be a thin layer of wheel bearing grease applied to the tower which would last 5 years. Apparently they missed the wheel bearing grease and mine locked up. He said NAPA wheel bearing grease is what should be used in a thin layer and should be reapplied every 5 years or so. Good info to know!
Does the Epic come with a warranty? Why do you have the find and fix this problem. Sounds like a dealer prep problem to me I wonder what else was overlooked. You better check your fluids, clamps and plugs ect.
Yes, Epic has a four year warranty, which is better than most. I've owned a couple of Malibus before my Epic and had more warranty issues with those. There's always one or two things with a new boat. Epic is excellent with warranty issues.
I ended up taking emery cloth to the tower and the board rack to smooth the metal back out. I then greased it and put it back together and it worked like a charm. Took all of 15 minutes.