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I am at a very strange place. As you might have read in my original post - On Saturday, I had a bit of an accident with a rock shelf in a lake. My prop definately got jacked up and I have some severe vibration.
Sunday, I decided to take the boat into my dealer and have them look it over. Initial thoughts were not good. They said their were "stress cracks" near the rudder and prop. Obviously the prop is looking pretty horrid. The guy there suggested the head guy look it over on monday.
Monday comes along, the guy looks at it and calls me. He thinks my rudderbox, rudder, prop, shaft, and hull are all fubar but thinks that we can get it fixed in two weeks if the fiberglass guy isnt bogged down.
I'm pretty cool with this, even though it sucks. Now is where the story gets interesting.
I go in on Tuesday night because i'm wanting to get my stereo equipment and my wakeboards. The owner of the place starts discussing things and he says he needs to be honest and upfront that it could take 4 to 6 weeks to fix the issue. He also seems rather bitter that I ended up buying the used 2004 Malibu 23ft XTI from another person vs. a 2005 Vride that was left over from him. Keep in mind a) the 2004 Malibu was bought last year from him! b) a 23ft XTI is a much bigger boat than a vride. c) I got it WAY cheaper.
Never the less - he looks the boat over while I'm getting my stuff out and he says the rudderbox really doesnt seem damaged - that its turning with ease, etc. So we start talking and he's like:
"Well, i dont think this is as bad as orginally expected ..."
We start discussing put on a new prop - when I suggest that I might want to try a four-blade prop vs the original three-blade he freaks out, starts slamming props on the internet saying they are "unbalanced" and then tells me that I could burn up my engine if I used one of them. I need the OEM prop.
He freaked out over my stereo (getting involved with my electrical system was a BIG DEAL) and he kept mentioning that I shouldn't be scared, but that I needed to be real and that if I had an engine problem ever I didnt have a transferred warantee(sp?). I wanted to be like, "Look, hitting a friggin rock would nto be a warantee (sp?) issue EVEN if i had bought the boat from you!"
Keep in mind i've already filed a claim with insurance and gone into this head first. I'm now questioning if I just need to replace the prop and give it a whirl in the lake. I dont like the feeling of someone 'having me by the balls'.
When I suggested this - he immediately freaked out and started saying that if it were his boat, he'd not take it out on the water and he'd rather have it all fixed. I agree - but losing 4 to 6 weeks of the best weather vs. fixing in the winter if its not a _major_ issue is something I am willing to at least consider. I guess what it comes down to is that I dont completely trust the diagnosis and that they are telling me this stuff "has to be done" but in reality its just a way for them to make mad cash from my insurance company.
Just FYI - these "stress cracks" could have been there since I took ownership for all I know - the are very hard to see and really not much in my opinion. I guess this is where an unbiased dealers opinion on the severity of "stress cracks" would be nice.
Thoughts, help, etc? Jamie LaMar, could I bring it by your dealership and get an honest opinion (without being slammed on not buying a supra? hahaha)
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