2013 Z7 Hull fractured and warranty dept. says nothing is wrong

[Dave Davenport]

I bought a new 2013 Z7 on July 3, 2013. The 10th time I had the boat on the water, I noticed a huge fracture in the hull. The fracture is located below the grab handle by the port side passenger seat. I also found stress cracks located by the rod locker and cooler area. Also inside my port rod locker, I have a big crack in the fiberglass and carpet where the inside wall meets the floor. This all happened during normal boat use since owning the boat. I did mention to the warranty department that I hit a good wave the day I noticed the crack. Although I didn't hit the wave very hard at all. I had a boat make a big wave in front of me and I slowed down and just slapped the wave. Well, I called my Bass Pro and they had me take the boat to the fiberglass repair shop they send their boats. I took it there and they inspected it and said there is something structurally wrong with this boat. They said they could fix it but it will just crack again because something is wrong structurally behind the area of the fracture. They recommended to send it to the warranty department because this is something that should not have happened with this new boat and felt they should replace this boat. I took it back to Bass Pro and they took pictures and sent it to the warranty department. After the warranty department looked at the pics, they said there is nothing structurally wrong with this boat and that it was caused by improper boat use. Honestly, I was shocked by their answer. I'm on the Bass Pro Pro-Staff Fishing Team and the Nitro State Team and I have been very pleased with the Z7 and have talked very highly of the boat to other tournament anglers and fisherman. The way the warranty department is handling this issue is making me think twice about Nitro boats. How am I suppose to help Nitro sell boats when it seems like I should tell people not to take Nitro bass boats on the water when its going to be a windy day on the lake because their boats are fragile. Also the Bassmaster Elites just had a tournament on Detriot River where many Nitros ran 80-90 miles to Lake Erie and they never cracked there boats in that super rough water. I would be afraid to take my Z7 on Lake Erie now after seeing how fragile my boat was. The sad part is I know Nitro makes a tough durable boat but I happened to get a lemon. The irritating part is how the Nitro warranty department is avoiding to correctly handle the situation. I know informed my insurance company so that process has started. It also looks bad that I might need to get an attorney to fix this problem. Has anybody else ran into a problem like this? Everyone that has looked at my boat has never seen a new boat do this and all think I got a lemon except the Nitro warranty department who says nothing is structurally wrong with the boat when they looked at it.

 

[AirForce]

I wouldn't hesitate to file suit then at that point

 

[Dan J.]

Just an FYI, the hull is the outer, bottom part of the boat (below the rub rail) where the top cap/liner (the area you are actually referencing) seals onto. The hull is much stronger than the cap. If you fish big water regularly and come off a wave hard you can expect to develop stress cracks whether its once or repetitively done. It happens to fiberGLASS (purposely accenting the glass part) across the industry. Most manufacturers do not cover stress cracks, crazing, etc., for these very reasons. I've had them and seen countless of them and am not defending Tracker, just stating facts. Good luck!

 

[THOMMO59]

I would be very dissapointed if I had and cracks in any part of my boat, stress, crazing or otherwise within 12 months of new. I understand overtime how fibreGLASS reacts an loses a certain amount tension and ductility within the strands. This case sounds more like Gelcoat cracking but Dave's fibreglass guys has told him it's deeper than gellcoat, into the GLASS and structural.

Dave, get yourself a mechanics flexible camera and have a look inside bteween the cap and the hull yourself. You can either hire these or go to any good auto shop and they'll have one. You can veiw if any cracks are present via video screen.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Ok, I need to clarify a few things. Yes, it's not technically the hull, it would be considered the top cap. The crack by the passenger seat is way beyond a stress crack. There are chips of fiberglass missing from that area. I see the the white fibers of the fiberglass showing and those fibers are broke too. Plus this boat hasn't been on rough water yet and now honestly a little afraid to take it there. This happened literally on the 10th time I had it on the water. I will try to make my pic smaller and post it on here. It's saying its too large right now

 

[Dan J.]

I would be very dissapointed if I had and cracks in any part of my boat, stress, crazing or otherwise within 12 months of new. I understand overtime how fibreGLASS reacts an loses a certain amount tension and ductility within the strands. This case sounds more like Gelcoat cracking but Dave's fibreglass guys has told him it's deeper than gellcoat, into the GLASS and structural.

Dave, get yourself a mechanics flexible camera and have a look inside bteween the cap and the hull yourself. You can either hire these or go to any good auto shop and they'll have one. You can veiw if any cracks are present via video screen.

I would also be (and have been) very disappointed in any cracks anywhere in a new boat in its first year of ownership, but fiberglass/gel can fracture on day one of use in addition to delamination over time. I do not know if it is the case at hand, but I've seen first hand numerous brand new rigs after being beat by waves with incredible hull damage. (Anybody fishing the St. Lawrence seaway into Lake Ontario or Great Lakes fishing in general should be able to relate.) If a knee brace, stringer, or other structural hull support has popped it can certainly be a cause of the surface cracking through the gel. As Thommo mentioned a flex scope can view some tricky areas, but with the story you've already put forth I'd find an independant marine surveyor and have them provide you with their structural diagnosis and proceed from there. That should provide you with the detailed analysis you'll want for warranty and/or insurance claims and will be done by someone working for you, not the mfr. or insurance company. Good luck!

 

[Dan J.]

Ok, I need to clarify a few things. Yes, it's not technically the hull, it would be considered the top cap. The crack by the passenger seat is way beyond a stress crack. There are chips of fiberglass missing from that area. I see the the white fibers of the fiberglass showing and those fibers are broke too. Plus this boat hasn't been on rough water yet and now honestly a little afraid to take it there. This happened literally on the 10th time I had it on the water. I will try to make my pic smaller and post it on here. It's saying its too large right now

Does it emanate from a mounting hole or attachment point? Also, where are you located and where have you been running the boat? And yes, a pic or two will help, but an independant "eyes on site" will be the most help. We'll do the best we can remotely.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

I guess I'll chime in just to get subscribed. As Dan said, there is a huge difference between gel coat cracks and cracks that expose and go beyond the fiberglass matting. The general rule of thumb is that if you can feel the crack with your fingernail it is stress related, anything larger than that may be more serious. Sounds like you have a problem. You are on the Fishing Team/State Team? What is your store doing for you? They ought to be hounding corporate on your behalf and going out of their way to get you fixed up. You are the face of Tracker and yet here you are reaching out on a website for help. That should never have to happen. I know when I was on the State Team, my store made sure my boat was in tip top shape 100% of the time. That being said, there's always 3 sides to every story. Post some pics of your damage so we can get a better idea of the severity.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Hopefully this pic works.

 

[Dave Davenport]

As you can tell from the pic, this is way beyond a stress crack. I call this a fracture in the fiberglass.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Dan, I live in Ohio. The boat has been on small inland lakes. Rocky Fork, Ceasar Creek, East Fork Lake and Mosquito Lake. As you can tell from the picture, it doesn't emanate from a mounting hole or attachment point. The grab handle which is above the fracture has no stress cracks around the handle.

 

[Dave Davenport]

My insurance company is sending a Marine adjuster out to my boat on Tuesday to assess the boat. The insurance company also was informed of the fiberglass boat repair shop that told me there is something structurally wrong with the boat.

 

[Dan J.]

My insurance company is sending a Marine adjuster out to my boat on Tuesday to assess the boat. The insurance company also was informed of the fiberglass boat repair shop that told me there is something structurally wrong with the boat.

WOW! As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. That is a pretty crack through the cap! Possibly a void in the cap popped and shattered the surrounding area with flex or you have a sincere structural issue close by that is allowing WAY too much flex. I would be checking the hull in that area for any sub clearcoat spidering as well and/or sliding a flex scope through the opening and looking for a cause. Either way, it sure looks like it could be a manufacturing deficiency, but again it is really hard to confirm without "eyes on site". Let us know what your insurance adjuster thinks and keep us appraised of the situation. Good luck!

 

[AirForce]

Wow, that is SERIOUS. Hopefully the marine adjuster can confirm as they generally do a very through inspection. After all, the insurance company doesn't want to pay for a defective product. Good luck with that

 

[Dave Davenport]

There is some stress cracks in the hull up towards the front of the boat. The fiberglass repair guy noticed excessive flex where that crack is by the handle. You can grab the handle and the whole inside flexes. He also noticed some flex on the outside of the hull where the stress cracks were located.

 

[Dan J.]

There is some stress cracks in the hull up towards the front of the boat. The fiberglass repair guy noticed excessive flex where that crack is by the handle. You can grab the handle and the whole inside flexes. He also noticed some flex on the outside of the hull where the stress cracks were located.

I'm guessing a stringer or two have come loose if you're finding hull cracks as well. Let us know what you find and good luck.

 

[Scott Hammer TOXIC]

Agreed....that there is sledgehammer type damage. I can't imagine that even coming from just flexing.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Sorry for the late update but I was informed the Warranty Dept. wants the boat shipped down to their factory to have it checked out by their experts. So hopefully everything will be resolved soon and I'll be back in my Z7 chasing bass again. The management at my Bass Pro Shops have been a great help in this whole process.

 

[AirForce]

I definitely hope the outcome is a LOT better than the initial assessment - because to all of us I'm sure, it was a no brainer. Keep us posted on progress

 

[Jeffry Skidmore]

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=5YGc4zOqozo

Call this guy and have him write you a song and do a video. Supposedly, after this came out, United offered to pay him a large sum to pull the video. Also Taylor sent him three guitars because of the exposure he got them.