do you know your boat man. warranty??

Walt- Good point.
Ed- I will give you that you have always been a very loyal MC fan and have always had nothing but good things to say about them while sharing info about them. You'd think if they knew all this they'd be ready to get things right with you considering all the good PR.

Sorry about everything Ed. Another one here that has been fixed. One of my friends has a 2003 Centurion that developed terrible cracks on the rear hull and deck around the tower and windshield curves () Two calls to the dealership (not the one that the boat was purchased from, because he now lived 150 miles away) and Centurion took care of it immediately. The give him a brand new boat "shell" and put everything from his old boat on his new one: transmission, motor, tower, etc. They even let him pick different colors and graphics. They also repaired anything that was wrong with the boat: small tears in vinyl, leaking cooler, and some of the snaps for the carpet. People, say what you will but from that experience Centurion does stand behind their product, but this is just one man's story. Who knows for so many others. But with that I'm about to get an 08 VLX, so we'll see how it goes.

Ed I hope they get everything taken care of for you. It's just a shame that we work so hard to get something like this and then the one you expect to support you doesn't. Good Luck!

Compare a Mastercraft manual to a malibu manual. They read nothing alike. As I stated earlier, Malibu is willing to stand behind their product. Mastercraft has all the legal lingo they need to get out of fixing anything. Greg Clowers is a nice guy, but basically he is in a tough spot. His job was created about a year and a half ago because customer service at mc dealers was terrible. His job is to field complaints from customers that are unhappy with dealers. Does he get anything done? Very little. He is just a part of the MC runaround that you get between the factory and dealer. He doesn't make a decision on anything all he does is file a complaint and talk nice to the dealer. If the dealer doesn't want to do anything, Mastercraft doesn't make them. Ed I hope you can talk some sense into them. If not, you will be one of many, but I hope it doesn't turn out that way.

Waterfreak, you stated earlier that the Malibu warranty only covers white hulls, I do not know if you misunderstood but that is only the area below the waterline not the entire hull of the boat. Colored hulls are typically not warrantied as long as the white and neutral color hulls.

meathead,I lived in LA and bought my boat from California Skier,then I found the Delta and bought a house in Disco bay.Ski World damaged a little part of my boat and said that in the off season they will fix that too.Work brought me back to LA and my boat stayed in Disco Bay.
What you didn't obviously read is that there was a spider crack when I took the boat off the lot and just got worse over the 1st year.Then I took my boat to CalSkier and the manager at the time told me to let then develop since it was common.Ski World didn't promise anything,they just dinged the back of it a little bit and said they would fix it.

Walt,yes they are much bigger now and more of them.I talked to my selling dealer a few times now and it seems less and less probable they they will fix it and to make matter worse,I could hardly get a word in from the main sales man almost yelling at me that there is no record which is again their problem since I had a few talks with the service manager at the time about my gel coat issues.

I would call them Tarantula cracks by now and they been on my boat since day one just little baby ones.They are located right in front of the front tower legs on the passenger side where the air intake is and pretty much goes all the way through the hole of it.there is almost a 1/16 of an inch gap in the intake hole.seems pretty structural to me since they where hardly noticable.Also in the bow around the cupholders,again there when I bought the boat.

Oh and my boat is an 04.

Seems like Ed is not going to be a MC guy any longer.CC,Epic,SC,Malibu....here I come,just waiting on the last word on Saturday which is a day away and I will know for sure!

Tho a boat should not have gel coat cracks,IF they fix it,I will stay an MC owner and be happy with my purchase regardless of the runaround I'm getting now.

I have some Malibu Flip flops waiting for you Ed.

By leo lasecki (malibuboarder75) on Thursday, August 30, 2007 - 1:45 pm:

---

quote:

Wouldn't it be in the dealer's best interest to warranty the work any way? Otherwise they will lose a loyal customer.

---

again Leo,me and you think alike and when I told them that,they said that my request is unreasonable.....

Rich,I might be sporting those sooner then I thought or wanted to.

Ed, we expect you to be as big as BU pimp as you were for MC

Is this problem more than skin deep? I dont know that much about gelcoat, but I do know fiberglass flexes, thus, maybe causing the more rigid gelcoat to crack. I have an 07 Tige and one main reason I bought it, was the heavy fiberglass hull and lifetime warranty. Although this thread did cause me to read the fine print on my warranty. It says "three year bow to stern" then lists exclusions ("Paints, varnishes, gel coat colors and surfaces which may crack or blister with normal use.") Still love my boat, rides and handles like a dream, even in big chop. and no cracks after one summer.

all fiberglass runs the risk of cracking. That is just boats. However, when you pay 50k for something you don't want it to look like crap. If by chance, it does crack, you want it fixed, for free, no questions asked. I would think if you payed 50k for a boat 5-6 years would be a good warranty for spider cracks, not an out the door warranty.

Matt, 5-6 years would be unreasonable I think. Every boat gets a crack somewhere over that time, even if it is small. Unfortunately, it takes about just as much effort to fix a 1" crack as a 12" crack. Everyone would be lining up got get their small little crack fixed for free before the warranty period.

Ed,

Reading the reply to me above, I agree that Cal Skier should man up if in fact they told you they would handle it. I still think 3 years is too long to wait to get it looked at, but I see your point.

It now becomes a question of ethics between CalSkier and yourself. Any chance there are any notes at all on a work order or something from the original issue date?

I don't think 5-6 years for 50k is too much.

My '02 x-7 had spider cracks along the deck from almost day one. While it was in service at Ski World I showed them to the service manager, Eudy (very cool dude btw), and he took pictures of them and told me to bring it back in a few months as there would probably be more by then. I remember he told me that MC only did gel coat repairs for the first year.
I ended up selling the boat so I never did take it back. Seems like a common problem though.

Seems to me the manufacturers bring this on themselves by asking so much for these boats.
The thing I always hear is "I paid 60 grand for this boat, it better be perfect" which is understandable.
This is a common problem for MC. I think it has to do with the type of resin they are using or the way they apply it.
Ed, I know you're pissed, but try to let it go.
Enjoy your boat, when you sell it the buyer probably won't even notice it.

See Ed...that is another Vote to let the boat go and come to the Bu side.

Leo- Our 91 Bayliner Capri 2050 didn't have any spider cracks and it sat outside for 3 years before we bought it. For 40-60 even 70k these boats should not be cracking! To think that just on this thread 3 or 4 have already said their MC has cracks right off the lot... that's bad. Our Malibu has yet to develop any(knock on wood) and if it did I'm almost positive our dealer(top notch) would handle it right away(always has with everything else) Even Ryans Barb Wire Xstar had cracks really quickly. Maybe Tom is right and it has something to do with the resin and glass they're using. We don't see too many MC' around Central Oregon, but most boats I do see weather new or 5-6 years old don't have any noticable cracks, with the exception of a diy tower instal. Good luck Ed.

You can count in me in the crowd that believes "I paid $X amount and it should not have this problem".

We're not talking bayliners here. We're talking about the top brands in the segment. Is there a boat built for the purpose of skiing or wakeboarding that is better than a Mastercraft, Mailbu, CC, or other common brand on this website? Maybe there is some custom wakeboad boat manufacturer in Europe just building superior boats to ours? No? Then why should we accept these manufactures' defects, and that is what they are... a defect in either material or workmanship, when we pay top dollar for the most expensive product in it's catagory?

My VLX does not have spider cracks but it does have about 4 places where the gel coat was not sprayed thick enough and white is showing through the black gel coat. It looks almost like oxidation. Even though I have what I think is a pretty good relationship with the dealer they didn't fix it. They said it wasn't "economical to repair and may not look any better due to the difficulty in matching the color". It was like this when I got it although I didn't notice it until I got home and put a fresh coat of wax on it. I explained that if I paid $50K for a car you can bet they would fix it if had defective paint and that I fail to understand why I have to accept faulty workmanship on my new $50K boat.

The dealership's owner has since changed and I haven't met the new one. The old dealer took pictures and sent it to Malibu for thier opinion before telling me I was out of luck.

On this same trip to the dealer, I complained of the infamous 05' Malibu carpet problem that results in brown stains, presumably from the glue, when the carpet gets wet and it also mattes down very easily and is about impossible to get plush again. They gave me a carpet saver floor mat to compensate because they wouldn't replace the carpet. If you consider that a resolved issue then the gel coat is the only unresolved issue I have.

The dealer has been great about other issues and especialy routine maintenance and I attribute that to good service manager that knows I got shafted on these two issues and wants to make it up to me. Fortunately, I have never had any mechanical problems yet.

I can't accept the belief "it's fiberglass or it's a boat" and "we won't do anything about it". Maybe the manufactures need to do some more R&D. Can you imagine any luxury car dealer telling you "yea, the paint is pretty messed on this car you just paid us $50K for last month but it doesn't affect it's performance so we're not going to do anything about it?"

I agree but what do we do as consumers as this is not just an MC problem depsite the few owners of other brands coming on saying they have had no issues with their boats and some saying they do have issues? Other than a class action it can only be considered venting.....? Just asking.

I wish I had the answer. I guess I'm just venting because I haven't taken any other action. Just isn't worth the time and trouble. When it comes down to buying another one I'll just have to access if my past experience was a good one and whether or not I should buy that same brand again.

(Message edited by dcwillette on August 31, 2007)

Seems to me that this is a common occurrence with all boat manufacturers and that they should step up and fix these types of problems given the boat is not too old. I had the exact same treatment that rugdr's friend had when I called centurion regarding some gel cracks on my hull. I bought the boat in 01 and started to notice the cracks in 03. They fixed the cracks and also a bunch of other things while the boat was there. It felt like a brand new boat again...they even put on a new seat skin for free. Great service from the factory and although I had to tow the boat to merced, they delivered it back to me for free. I didn't even know what the factory warranty was, I just called them and they told me to bring it in. I hope MC eventually helps you out.

Don't buy their boats, its that easy. Then they will get the message. Haha, only buy epics!

meathead,the problem is that the manager at the time does not work there any longer and he is the one that was supposed to record it and handle it.Now they are just saying there isn't any record and he does not work there so the complaining by my part is just that and nothing else.

Tom,as far as not noticing is a tough one.They are VERY noticeable.

I guess I can just let it go and when my bow falls off,they will have to fix it since it will then be evident that is part structural.

Idea....take pics and get it in writing that MC wants to pay $2,000.00 then if my boat sinks from the bow falling off,I get a new boat? OR F**k wakeboarding and just get a Malibu since I noticed that chicks like them.The I'll just be a pimp in a Malibu.

Dude Ed,
Don't give up....post pics and keep stirring the pot.

protect your investment.

Supra will take a boat back to the factory and fix it no questions asked... Fishing any good lately?

A lot of the boats that are getting spider cracks are due to the EXTRA WEIGHT people are running in there boats above STOCK ballast, if you think about it it makes sense, you are running an extra 1000 to 2000 pounds and then have a full boat load of people, so the question is, if your boat is getting spider cracks because of the extra weight, is it fair for the manufacturers to have to pay to have them fixed.
I am not saying that all the boats that have spider cracks are from the extra weight, but there is no doubt that alot of them are cracking because of the added weight.
What are your opinions on this?

Good learning thread for future new boat owner!

maybe but I had cracks taking it off the lot so I'm not sure if that is a valid argument in my situation.


Thanks Rich,my buddy will take some pics for me today and I will post them soon as I get them

I agree with inov8 and am glad someone finally brought it up. The manufacturers don't build the boats thinking that every customer is going to add 1500-2500 pounds on top of the existing ballast system.
I have had 4 different tournament style towboats - from 2 different manufacturers (one being a MasterCraft) and none of them had any cracks. We didn't go crazy with the ballast because we didn't want to cause any problems with the hulls or the engines, not to mention the fun of wet most of the time carpet from the fat pumps leaking on the floor.

Not to rain on the parade, but extra ballast would primarily affect the hull not the deck. The deck would crack after the hull, since the brunt of the exta weight is on the hull. Ed post some pics and keep bringing it up. Maybe they will decide to do something. If not, let the bow fall off and sue em.

hey ed...I would give them a chance to right the situation then make a new post and let the trainwreck happen. post pics, facts, and let mc respond publically. if they aren't going to play fair you don't need to either.

it sucks when good people get screwed.

(from my phone at ohare)

My cracks in the hull was off the showroom floor manufacturing defects. The extra ballast thing doesn't apply to my situation. I have an MC X2.

Why take the boat with cracks on it new? By the way, roast them ed.

"Supra will take a boat back to the factory and fix it no questions asked... Fishing any good lately?"

Ryan, I completely disagree with you!

"Supra will take a boat back to the factory and fix it no questions asked... "

Ryan, I completely disagree with you!

well,my buddy was nice enough to take some pics of it today,maybe not the greatest pic but you can see them just fine.

some more

the one on the air intake goes all the way through,it just doesn't show on the pic and the one in the back where you see the prop and the rudder was hit by ski world

(Message edited by big_ed_x2 on September 01, 2007)

Ed... the wording in the warranty disclaimer posted above is total bs..

Mastercraft is completely unable to disclaim or void any and or all warranties dealing with a product which they sell and manufacture.

On the same note, any product sold, by any manufacturer in the united states is bound by an implied warranty of merchantability to operate as it is expected to under reasonable and forseeable use.

But.. although these ideas sound nice and pretty, the reality is we live in a world where the system is so skewed toward corporate dominance that forcing MC to do anything would be an uphill battle with a bleak outlook.

Bottom line... your screwed.. were all screwed!!!

Sorry to hear about your situation bro.. you would think that a company like MC would just step up and fix this issue... I hope it all works out

Lets ride soon bro.. Im home from my hiatus tomorrow..

At this point I'm wanting my selling dealer to step up(calskier)b/c MC told me to pretty much,F**k myself.Not in those words but same action.
Not really sure why it was so important for Mike Cordoni(main sales person at calskier)to get pics before he wanted to even talk about possibly stepping up but he wanted pics,he got them this morning.Now I'm going to the beach with a few of my friends and by the time I come back,he should be able to examine and determine.This is my last chance to stay an MC owner and their last chance to make it right.From a certain perspective,I just so surprised that calskier is giving me this runaround since I thought we had a great relationship and they didn't have to do too many warranty things on it since it's been a pretty flawless boat.It just bums me out that b/c of the few spider cracks,this can all end on a sour note.

Joshua,those are not comforting words coming from a future lawyer and an MC owner that bought his boat the same place I did.
we do need to ride,how was your vacation bud?

Good vocation.. lets ride Thursday and catch up ... give me a ring..

Thats funny that Ronia posted about SC.....it was only time

What was the outcome Ronia? I hope that they stepped up for you.

Before I completely walk away from MC,I would like to talk to the MC rep for SoCal....anybody knows who he is and how to get in touch with him?

It's no secret that I like MC the best so I want to try EVERYTHING before I make any hasty decisions....

I didn't have a final talk with my MC dealer as well b/c of labor day weekend I'm guessing......man I sure hope they take care of me!

Josh,thursday might be tough,i'll call you.

Wow, that is a lot of spider cracks. Keep fighting Ed, you are getting screwed. If you decide to jump ship have a good look at the Supra 22SSV, its wake is similar shape to the X-1 and the package is pretty hard to beat.

See below, strange doulbe post thingy...

(Message edited by bocephus on September 03, 2007)

Did anyone see this on PN??

WOW!


BTW, my boat and dealer are simply awesome IMO!!

yo ed. im sorry to here about your problem. i bought my boat from ski world from p town and they closed down. id hate for something to go wrong with my boat because ski world is now gone.btw. thats a bunch of crap, that you spent 50k plus on a boat and this is going on. i know you love mastercraft but will master-craft love you back. good luck.

first off i gotta say, ed im sorry bro. stand strong and dont let mc jam you up. you know higher up folks from mc are not stupid they have got to have someone spying on these boards. talk about a way to loose a loyal customer.

my next comment is, i am yet to have a negative boat experience, 94 ski nautique, 76 hondo built by irve brendell, 06 sanger, 07 malibu, and will consider the possibility of an xstar in the next year or 2, but the moment i ever have a bad experience, im selling it and buying another SANGER. just had to say it.

Ed : sorry about your problems. I had an 05 Air Warrior elite c4 Gel cracks in the bow , fixed under warranty, so far no gel coat problems with the bu.

WOW! I just browsed through all this... Ed, you are arguably the most dedicated MC owner on this site, IMO. It's tough to see all of the problems and especially how much word of mouth can travel. I was in the CIE boat briefly this weekend, which was my first time on a pickle fork X-star. Without lifting lids or digging around, the boat is bad azz.
I'm with johnforpres in the fact that a boat any price simply shouldn't have problems. It's sickening to hear people argue with justification regarding technology and what goes into making a boat. Pumps, engine, cables, gauges, the rest is attention to detail. My great grandpa built boats for 60 years and would laugh at the short cuts taken by reknown manufacturers. I could ramble about this for days.
Good luck and I'll keep checking to see the results.

Ed, has the dealer called you back yet?

Ed, I have an 02 x-star and was told by nor-cal that their facility on the delta would fix all my spider cracks for free as long as they weren't caused by contact. By reading all your going through, it looks like I'm in for quite a battle. I love my x-star and it runs and looks great,most people don't even notice the cracks,(or their nice enough not to mention them), but they drive me up a wall every time wash and wax. My friends,(and wife) say I'm anal and all boats will have some cracks but like everybody on WW says that for 40k and up your boat should stay together. I'll keep you posted on my MC venture and success/failure in dealing with spider cracks.

Have you posted this on tmcowners?????????

HOLY SMOKES!!!!!! I was expecting much less as far as the cracks go....

I would be fuming if my boat did that and I was told "tough luck."

IMO, NO WAY a boat should spider crack like that in 3 years of ownership, regardless of what you pay.

Did the dealer step up?

Any updates ed?