58 replies to this topic

[stoaway]

I finally received the pictures. He is the hole on the right under side of the hull. All of the right side of the hull is soft to the touch. However the left side of the hull is solid. I am going to attach the photos of the inside of the storage compartment.

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[stoaway]

Here is a view of the spider cracks all over the hull.

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•  6.jpg   1.81MB   40 downloads

[stoaway]

Here is the inside of the storage comparment on the floor of the boat just on the other side of the hole that is on the bottom of the hull. Look at the edge where the fiberglass is delaminating the entire length of the storage compartment. You can literally pull that apart with your hands.

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[stoaway]

Hi Kevin,

I just received a call from the dealer where I left our boat. He just spoke to the technical rep (Dennis) in Canada (BRP). Dennis has informed our local dealer to ship the boat to Canada and that they will repair it and send it back to us. I am infuriated. Even if they were to try and fix the hull, how can I trust this same hull to put my child on that boat in the ocean. Also the boat was submerged in salt water to the point where the engines were completely covered in salt water. One engine we know for sure needs to be replaced. All the electrical wiring was submerged in salt water. I don't understand how they can determine this boat is repairable or even safe for that matter. I am really disappointed and astounded with this decision They are definitely instigating me to unfortunately take legal action. We spoke to a local boat manufacturer who advised us that this is not a repairable hull and even if BRP took measures to try to repair it the same situation will occur at any given moment and it will never be a safe boat and we can definitely look forward to having many more issues with respect to the electrical and so forth. Please let me know if you can help.

Thanks,
Mayra

[fialoe]

What I would suggest is you get the boat to them and have them asses the damage. Tell them not to begin any work without your authorisation after they have inspected it. Tell them that you will have a marine surveyor give an independent survey of the boat after they have fixed it and if he is not happy you will not be taking the boat back. It may be an idea to get the same surveyor to survey it prior to sending it away also.
Again, BRP should be aware everyone who is about to purchase or has purchased one of these boats will go to this website due to the knowledge and mostly positive but sometimes negative (like in this case) feedback. I would be very disappointed if they did not satisfy your demands. If God forbid, something happend to you or your passangers as a result of this there would be serious trouble.

[Kevin Leclair]

Mayra,

I am really sorry to hear about all the bad experiences you have been having with BRP. I will try again today to get a hold of Remy and I will let you know the progress as soon as I am unable to get in touch with him.

[Kevin Leclair]

I just spoke Jonathan Lampron, he has informed me that I am not able to talk to Remy or Lynn. He said the case has been closed on their end and he said they will only talk to the customer about this specific case, it was not up for debate.

In the past I worked with other members of this website to get their issues resolved so it blows my mind why they are being so difficult with this case.

He informed me that they had made a decision and the only next step is to take legal action. Unfortunately my hands are tied on this one.... I have done everything I can think of in attempt to help but they are just not willing to work with me on this case.

I informed Jonathan I don't see how they could assess the full damage of the boat by just a couple of pictures, I don't care how good their technicians are! I also told him this will hurt the SeaDoo brand but he wasn't too worried.

[tiggerman]

From what I have read from similar experiences while sending a boat back to the factory, BRP repaired EVERYTHING that was found broken/defective/lacking in safety while they had it - even if it was a loose rivet. Where other owners had hull defects like yours, and sent them back to the factory, the hull structure was replaced with a brand new hull section, not just repaired the way that you may think of a fiberglass repair. They would be negligent if they did anything less than return it in 100% condition- and they know this. Give BRP a break until they actually get the boat- there is no way possible for them to determine what steps they may take until they inspect it up close and personal ,instead of just thru a couple photographs. I know I may be asking alot- trust me, I know where you're coming from. I don't think they would simply pour some resin in and slap some glass mat on and call it fixed.

[stoaway]

Hi Kevin:

Again, thanks for your help. I am hoping that once they receive the boat up there and they can actually physically inspect the boat they will notice it is not a simple crack they can repair. It is very hard to judge the extent of the problem on the hull by some photos. The other thing is that both engines were completely, not half way, there were completely to the top, submerged in salt water. We know for sure that one of the engines needs to be replaced but we are unsure about the other. If indeed they do repair it I will definitely go on the advice from one of the posts on having a boat surveyor take a look at the boat to make sure it is safe before I put my daughter back on it. However, I don't think it is financially reasonable to repair this boat. I think it is safer and cheaper in the long run to replace it. I am still hoping that BRP will do the right thing once they have had an opportunity to inspect it at their facility. It just seems that this has happened at the most inoportune time when summer is comming in and this is going to take several months. My only other choice was to put this through my insurance which would be faster, but is not what we wanted to do since it is clear that this is a manufacturer defect and the hull is under warranty plus we purchased the 5 year extended warranty. I will give them the benefit of the doubt that they will do the right thing by thier customer. I am just really surprised that they have taken such a sour attitude towards this situation considering the scare I had on the water with 3 kids on the boat in a situation that could have turned out much worse.

[Kevin Leclair]

Sounds good, like tiggerman said lets just give them a chance to look at it and see what they do with it from there. I know it is huge inconvenience but hopefully they will do the right thing.

We have had members get a new boat for similar problems, http://seadoosportbo...wtopic_327.html, so just keep you fingers crossed.

[rickster]

Yuor problem seems similar to mine. Notice the space between foam and layers. I think no space is supposed to be, that is what causes the craking.

Maybe I'll call Remy too and get a new hull...

[Kevin Leclair]

If you are experiencing problems then definitely give him a call, this is what they are there for and why you have the warranty.

The sooner you catch the problems the better...

[tiggerman]

A great resource, if you happen to be in the US, is this site:
http://www.uscgboati...lls/defects.htm
This is a US Coast Guard site which will allow you to report a safety defect, and possibly launch an investigation- it is based on a case-by-case-scenario.
From my view, it has happened to more than one vessel, and wouldn't hurt a thing if you filled out their detailed form and submitted it.
Kevin,
A link somewhere on the front page would be good I think.
Some text contained on the site:

"USCG Investigation and Action

The Coast Guard evaluates each potential safety defect report on a case-by-case basis. If we determine there is a "substantial risk" defect, we then contact the manufacturer of the boat or associated equipment and notify them of our preliminary findings.

The manufacturer is given 30 days to rebut these findings or to begin correcting the problem. If we agree with a manufacturer's rebuttal, we close the case. If we believe there is a "substantial risk" defect, we can require the manufacturer to:

Determine what boats have the defect.
Notify first purchasers of the defect and its potential consequences.
Notify first purchasers of how the defect will be corrected.
Undertake to correct the defect.
If the manufacturer makes a good faith effort to correct the problem and the consumer refuses the offer, the Coast Guard will take no further action and close the file. Also, if the manufacturer has corrected the problem identified, but the consumer is still not satisfied, the Coast Guard will take no further action.

The Coast Guard has no authority to require a manufacturer to give a consumer a new boat or refund a consumer's money. The Coast Guard will also not get involved in a civil suit between a consumer and a boat manufacturer."

Their "good faith effort" began when they instructed the dealer to ship the vessel to them for inspection and repair. That's why I say give them a chance to correct it, but, by all means, report the defect to the USCG.

Rickster:
Definitely fill out the form and describe that this is twice it has happened to you. Can't hurt!

[stoaway]

Hi Tiggerman:

Thanks for the info. We agreed with BRP and told them to go ahead and ship to boat to their facility in Canada so they can inspect the boat personally. It is very difficult for them to guage the extent of the problem by the pictures. The pictures do not show all the cracks all over the bottom of the hull or the spidercracks. I am hoping that once they have had an opportunity to actually see the boat they will make the right decision. I don't think a big company like them would take the chance or such a liability on trying to repair this boat. It is pretty bad. The one good thing I do have to say is that the SeaDoo engines on this boat are definitely troopers. They kept running completely submerged to the top in water. If the engines would have shut down the boat would have sunk. After we got to land they would not turn back on but they got us to land safely.

It is just a bit frustrating for us because we are such avid boaters and it seems that we will be boatless for the best part of the season.

[tiggerman]

I definitely feel your pain on being boatless-
The Rotax engines are definitely bullet proof and sound like they saved your bacon this time around. There is always something to be thankful for.
Keep us posted as things develop, this is great info for anyone with your model Speedster or those thinking about purchasing one. Any ideas on how long it will take to get your Doo to the factory?

[stoaway]

Hi Tiggerman:

Well your guess is as good as mine. My husband has an auto and boat engine repair shop accross the street from the dealer that I took the boat to and it is still there in their lot. I'm sure it will take some time before it gets up there in Canada. I am wondering what time frame would be considered "reasonable time" in getting this matter resolved or even getting the boat picked up for transport to Canada. I just don't want this sitting on the back burner on someone's desk.

[Kevin Leclair]

I agree, has the boat been shipped out yet?

[stoaway]

I agree, has the boat been shipped out yet?

Hi Kevin:

Well the boat is still at the dealer with no signs of being picked up any time soon. I spoke to the dealer and they told me the boat will be shipped whenever they receive a delivery from BRP and they don't know when that could be. I called BRP and they told me that they do not know when they will be delivering in our area. So basically no one knows anything. What I don't understand is why it has to be shipped only when they receive a shipment down here. There are many indepedent transport companies that transport boats as well as cars that can take the boat up there. I just feel it is an unnecessary delay.

[stoaway]

Can you guys believe my boat is still here in Miami?

[96 challenger]

Let me tell you sto, I would be going ballistic! as of now actually I probably would have already contacted my attorney and had him send a registered letter to them explaining the issue at hand just in case they have forgotten about you, I just cant believe the treatment you are experiencing on a warranty item! On your warranty does it specify that its ok to do to you what they are doing? At their convience?